10 Star Trek Characters With The Most Extreme Development
7. Dal
Dal R'El was, in a word, frustrating, when he first appeared in Lost & Found. The audience was asked to both root for him, and feel the exasperation of having to deal with him, something that, for the most part, the first few episodes of Star Trek: Prodigy achieved. However, it's fair to say that there were moments when Dal's false ego was more than a bit grating.
Then, compare that to the version of Dal that the audience sees in Supernova pt 2. To say that Dal's arc has been satisfying so far undersells just how much both Brett Gray, and the writing team for Prodigy, have achieved in twenty episodes.
While it was always clear that Dal was looking for his place in the galaxy, it wasn't clear if the audience was ever going to truly root for him. Sure, a lot could be excused by the brashness of youth, but how long could this last? Episodes like Kobayashi and Masquerade help us to both get to know him, and for Dal to get to know himself. This journey of discovery is, in a way, one of the purest Star Trek tropes that there are. There is clearly no malign bone in this kid's body - so by the end of the first season, and the knowledge that Starfleet will make an exception for his genetically engineered self, we can truly feel pleased for this once-trying purple achiever.