WARNING: Contains minor SPOILERS for Star Trek: Prodigy season 2!
Summary
Despite multiple characters returning forStar Trek: PicardandStar Trek: Prodigy, there are still severalStar Trek: Voyagerstars who haven’t made a comeback. On Netflix,Star Trek: Prodigyseason 2 has reunited Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), Captain Chakotay (Robert Beltran) and the Doctor (Robert Picardo) for further adventures on the USS Voyager-A. Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) was a series regular on all three seasons ofStar Trek: Picard, and she reunited with Captain Tuvok (Tim Russ) in season 3. Meanwhile, Lt. Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) paid a visit to the USS Cerritos inStar Trek: Lower Decksseason 2.
While theStar Trek: Voyagercasthave been well represented in the franchise’s 21st century streaming era, some characters are conspicuous by their absence. Judging by various behind the scenes accounts by showrunners like Terry Matalas and the Hageman Brothers, there are a lot of conversations about whichStar Trekshows can use which characters. Kevin and Dan Hageman discussed how negotiations withthePicardteam led to them bringing back Wil Wheaton asWesley Crusher inStar Trek: Prodigyseason 2. It’s possible that these discussions, and finding the right storyline, are why someVoyagercharacters are yet to make a comeback.
6Lt. B’Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson)
Torres helped design Janeway’s ship in Star Trek: Prodigy season 1.
Lt. B’Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) is yet to return toStar Trek, despite the character still being an active Starfleet engineer. There’s therefore plenty of scope for Torres to return, either inStar Trek: Lower Decks, or, more likely,Star Trek: Prodigy. The design and construction of Admiral Janeway’s starship inProdigyseason 1, the USS Dauntless, was led by B’Elanna Torres, as confirmed in the first of a series of weekly logs released onInstagramand included below:
The only thing standing in the way of a B’Elanna Torres comeback is the willingness of actress Roxann Dawson. In a 2023 interview withSlashFilm,Dawson, who now works as a director, cast doubt on the idea of B’Elanna ever returning toStar Trek. Roxann Dawson was specifically being interviewed about her work as a director on AppleTV+‘sFoundation, so her desire to “move on” could be referring to her turning down directing gigs on modernStar Trek. Read Roxann Dawson’s thoughts on returning toStar Trekbelow:
“The current versions of ‘Star Trek’ I think are wonderful. I’ve seen ‘Discovery,’ I’ve seen ‘Picard.’ I think there’s such wonderful and modern work being done there right now that we really can’t categorize it in the way that we might have in the ’90s. But no, I haven’t really wanted to go back. I feel like I’ve been there and I’ve done that, and I love moving on to other things. So that’s where I am at with it.”
5Naomi Wildman (Scarlett Pomers)
Could Voyager’s youngest crew member join the cast of Prodigy?
Naomi Wildman (Scarlett Pomers) grew up aboard the USS Voyager, making her an ideal fit for a role inStar Trek: Prodigy. Having learned from the likes of Seven of Nine, the Doctor, and Chakotay, Wildman would surely have no problem becoming aStarfleet Academy cadet.Prodigyseason 2 was set seven years after the USS Voyager returned to Earth, meaning that Naomi Wildman is probably a Starfleet officer, likely helping Starfleet with their response to the Attack on Mars.
Star Trek: Picardseason 3 originally featured a reunion between Naomi Wildman and Seven of Nine, but it was cut for time.
It’s entirely possible, therefore, that Naomi Wildman could cross paths with Dal R’El (Brett Gray) and the crew of the USS Prodigy inStar Trek: Prodigyseason 3. As students of Janeway, Wildman and the Prodigy crew would have a lot in common, making them a great team. Given thatStar Trek: Prodigyis all about establishing the next generation of Starfleet officer, the inclusion of Naomi Wildman in a future episode would be a fitting nod toStar Trek: Voyager’s original child prodigy.
Who Is Naomi Wildman, Star Trek: Voyager’s Youngest Hero?
As the youngest member of the USS Voyager’s crew, Seven of Nine’s friend Naomi Wildman continued a Star Trek tradition.
4Neelix (Ethan Phillips)
Voyager’s Talaxian chef is overdue a proper return.
Neelix (Ethan Phillips) made a cameo in the irreverentStar Trek: Very Short Treks, but its canonicity is dubious at best. Therefore, the Talaxian chef could still make a more substantial comeback in a future episode ofStar Trek. While the prospect of the heavy alien prosthetics may not be appealing to Ethan Phillips 23 years afterStar Trek: Voyagerended, he could voice the character.Star Trek: Lower Decksfeels like the natural fit for Neelix’s chaotic energy, and would allow Phillips to return to the role without make-up.
The only issue would be finding a way to get either the USS Cerritos to the Delta Quadrant, or Neelix to the Alpha Quadrant. While Starfleet is able to travel there via Quantum Slipstream and Protostar drives inStar Trek: Prodigy, that technology is yet to appear inLower Decks. Therefore, another possibility for a Neelix return would involve him coming into contact with the USS Prodigy, or perhaps even visiting Earth as the Federation’s Talaxian Ambassador.
3Vorik (Alexander Enberg)
Voyager’s other Vulcan could confirm his TNG link.
Ensign Vorik (Alexander Enberg) made several appearances inStar Trek: Voyager, including his memorable Pon farr episode, “Blood Fever”. Technically, Vorik has already returned toStar Trek, as his name was listed as the chief engineer of the USS Dauntless inStar Trek: Prodigyseason 1, episode 19, “Supernova”. However, the character never appeared on-screen, leaving the door open for Alexander Enberg to make a proper return inProdigyseason 3, or elsewhere in theStar Trekuniverse.
Given that Taurik was one of the original Lower Deckers that inspired Mike McMahan’sStar Trek: Lower Decks, it feels like the appropriate show to deliver a Taurik and Vorik reunion.
The return of Vorik could also confirm his connection toAlexander Enberg’sTNGcharacter, Ensign Taurik.Star Trek: Voyagershowrunner Jeri Taylor suggested that Enberg’s two Vulcan characters were twins, meaning that Alexander Enberg could play both Vorik and Taurik. Given that Taurik was one of the original Lower Deckers that inspired Mike McMahan’sStar Trek: Lower Decks, it feels like the appropriate show to deliver a Taurik and Vorik reunion. Especially asLower Decksseason 5 will be its last one, making an appearance by the OG Lower Deckers a fitting send-off.
Star Trek: Lower Decks
“Star Trek: Lower Decks” focuses on the support crew serving on one of Starfleet’s least important ships, the USS Cerritos, in 2380. Ensigns Mariner, Boimler, Rutherford and Tendi must keep up with their duties and their social lives, often while the ship is being rocked by a multitude of sci-fi anomalies. The ship’s bridge crew includes Captain Carol Freeman, Commander Jack Ransom, Lieutenant Shaxs and Doctor T’Ana. This is the second animated spin-off in the franchise after 1973-74’s “Star Trek: The Animated Series,” but has a decidedly more adult tone and humor.
2Q Jr. (Keegan de Lancie)
Q’s son could test the Prodigy crew.
The potential of a younger, teenage tearaway Q was never fully realized inStar Trek: Voyagerseason 7, episode 19, “Q2”. Therefore, Keegan de Lancie should get a second shot at playing Q Junior inStar Trek, even though the actor is no longer a teenager.Star Trek: Prodigyfeels like the perfect place to bring back the son of Q (John de Lancie), as he might find a perfect nemesis in Dal R’El. Dal and Q Jr. could provide a fresh spin on the classic dynamic between Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Q inStar Trek: The Next Generation.
Keegan de Lancie is the son of Q actor, John de Lancie. He is now serving as a US Foreign Service Officer.
It’s also worth remembering thatAdmiral Janeway is Q Junior’s godmother, making a family reunion long overdue.Star Trekrecently brought back Q Junior in the acclaimedSons of Star Trekminiseries, which demonstrated the character’s potential, and his kinship with the franchise’s younger characters like Jake Sisko (Cirroc Lofton) and Nog (Aron Eisenberg). With all that in mind, Q Junior would be the perfect character to test the crew of the USS Protostar inStar Trek: Prodigyseason 3. However, Keegan de Lancie’s work with the US Foreign Service may make such a return difficult.
1Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang)
Voyager’s eternal ensign deserves his promotion.
Garrett Wang missed out on hisStar Trek: Picardseason 3 cameo as Captain Harry Kim, but is yet to appear elsewhere. As the USS Voyager’s eternal ensign, Harry Kim was never promoted in the entire seven seasons ofStar Trek: Voyager. While Garrett Wang has come to embrace his “Eternal Ensign” moniker in later years, it still feels like a massive oversight not to bring the character back in modernStar Trek.Star Trek: Prodigyfelt like the perfect place for Harry Kim to show up as Janeway’s new Number One on the USS Dauntless or the Voyager-A, and yet he’s still not returned.
Why Harry Kim Never Got Promoted On Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager’s Harry Kim remained a lowly ensign over the show’s entire seven-year run, much to the frustration of Kim’s actor Garret Wang.
Should Netflix renewStar Trek: Prodigyfor a third season, Harry Kim feels like the most obvious character to bring back. Garrett Wang is clearly willing to return to the character, given his disappointment at hisStar Trek: Picardcameo being cut. By bringing back Harry Kim as a Lieutenant, Commander, or even a Captain, Garrett Wang could finally shake off his legacy asStar Trek: Voyager’s “Eternal Ensign” and push the character into exciting new territory.
Star Trek: Voyager
Cast
The fifth entry in the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: Voyager, is a sci-fi series that sees the crew of the USS Voyager on a long journey back to their home after finding themselves stranded at the far ends of the Milky Way Galaxy. Led by Captain Kathryn Janeway, the series follows the crew as they embark through truly uncharted areas of space, with new species, friends, foes, and mysteries to solve as they wrestle with the politics of a crew in a situation they’ve never faced before.
Star Trek: Prodigy
Star Trek: Prodigy is the first TV series in the Star Trek franchise marketed toward children, and one of the few animated series in the franchise. The story follows a group of young aliens who find a stolen Starfleet ship and use it to escape from the Tars Lamora prison colony where they are all held captive. Working together with the help of a holographic Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), the new crew of the USS Protostar must find their way back to the Alpha Quadrant to warn the Federation of the deadly threat that is pursuing them.
