The Best Star Trek Series That You Probably Haven't Seen Just Got Canceled

"Star Trek: Prodigy" is dead. Again. 

The Nickelodeon-branded animated "Star Trek" series has had a rough go of it. Infamously, the series was aired on a weird schedule. Its first 20-episode season was aired in two parts, with the first part coming in October of 2021 and the second part not dropping until the following year. Then, while the second season was still in production, the series was hastily and inexplicably canceled by Paramount, upsetting its slowly growing continent of fans. Not only that, "Prodigy" was also bafflingly removed from Paramount+, making it immediately unavailable. This was a startling decision, as Paramount has long held the reins on "Star Trek," and Trekkies assumed the company would want to keep all the components of its most lucrative franchise close to them.

Its cancellation came during a great culling at Paramount+ which saw the end of most of its "Star Trek" shows. Streaming services had infamously over-spent during the Streaming Wars, and subsequently had to save money wherever possible. Paramount+ put the kibosh on all its "Star Trek" shows but one ("Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" persists), with "Prodigy" being its most visible victim. 

The discarded "Prodigy" was picked up by Netflix in 2023, and Netflix released the entire second season on July 1, 2024. The second season was well-liked, although its "all at once" release didn't allow for any growing word-of-mouth. 

There was some hope for "Prodigy," however. Because Netflix now had the streaming rights to the series, they were also given the opportunity to fund and produce a third season of the show. Although it seemed unlikely, a third season was at least possible.

Until today. As reported by What's On Netflix, the streaming service has passed on making a third season of the series. Not only that, but Netflix plans on removing the first two seasons from their service in the near future.

Set a few decades after the events of "Star Trek: Voyager," "Prodigy" followed a group of teenage aliens who had recently fled slavery in a vicious mining colony. In their escape, the teens — voiced by Brett Grey, Ella Purnell, Jason Mantzoukas, Rylee Alazraqui, Angus Imrie, and Dee Bradley Baker — discovered an empty Starfleet vessel, the U.S.S. Protostar, on a nearby asteroid. The Protostar was equipped with massively powerful engines, experimental for Starfleet, that allowed them to zip clear across the galaxy. To teach them how to operate the ship and to work together like a proper Starfleet crew was an Emergency Command Hologram version of Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew).

The series began like a "Star Wars" knockoff, complete with a dark Darth Vader-like android and a cackling Emperor-like character. As it progressed, however, it slowly revealed that Starfleet principles were superior to action and battles. The show subtly argued that "Star Trek" was better than "Star Wars." The two-season series followed complicated plots about time travel and the role the Protostar played in a complex, years-long revenge scheme. 

And, wow, that cast! In addition to Mulgrew, many known "Star Trek" actors returned to reprise their roles in voice form. Robert Picardo returned to play The Doctor, Robert Beltran returned as Chakotay, and even Ronny Cox came back to play Admiral Jellico. Late in the series, Wil Wheaton also returned to bring closure to the character of Wesley Crusher. Additionally, Gates McFadden had a cameo as Dr. Beverly Crusher, and Jason Alexander (once a guest star on "Star Trek: Voyager") had a cameo as a new character. 

The show wasn't widely seen, but it was beloved by those who did see it. It was as rich and complex as any "Star Trek" series, even if it was geared toward a younger audience. Many wanted to see "Prodigy" saved, as it was one of the better new "Star Trek" shows. 

Netflix, however, has broken our hearts again.