Star Trek: 10 Secrets About The USS Protostar You Need To Know

Believe it or not, the existence of the vehicle replicator is in no small part thanks to the infamously infinite supply of shuttles found aboard USS Voyager. Over the course of seven seasons, the crew went through shuttles like sweets, and the introduction of the Protostar's chunk of tech on the cargo bay provided a way to explain such a bottomless supply.

Ironically there would only be one shuttle used in Prodigy's first season and one half-built which acted as a lifeboat for Gwyn and Murf in Dreamcatcher.

The vehicle replicator allowed the writers to create whatever vehicle was required and across the season, viewers would be witness to the Runaway, shuttles (in bits), and a submersible - all created in the cargo bay. This also lined up with the addition of the large landing ramp that could fold out from the front of the Protostar and was Dal and Rohk's first way into the ship in Lost and Found.

The Runaway itself went through a whole series of design changes with the team actively trying to avoid a wheeled vehicle. It became apparent that it fitted the series with wheels since the Protostar had the ability to land. Its eventual onscreen shape was inspired by watching a dog lie down with its paws outstretched to give the elongated front forks.