10 Times Streaming Era Star Trek Went Apocalyptic

4. Living Construct Takes Over The Fleet - Supernova Part 1

Star Trek Prodigy Supernova Part 1
CBS Media Ventures

In what quickly became a bit of a theme in Star Trek, this entry sees a rogue computer program take over several Starfleet vessels. In Star Trek: Prodigy's Living Construct, there lay a deadly weapon, specifically designed for this attack. That being the case, it is probably the greatest outlier in 'fleet gets taken over' that this list offers.

The Living Construct is a terrifying weapon, designed to spread between allied vessels, infecting each of them in turn. When it was activated, it turned Starfleet's weapons on each other, firing phasers and photon torpedoes at those ships that should have been coming to rescue them. Left unchecked, this weapon would spread through the entire fleet and, theoretically, through every Starfleet facility as well. No one would have survived.

The weapon was installed on the USS Protostar by the Vau'Nakat, a deeply xenophobic, isolationist species, who had suffered greatly after an accidental first contact mission. Their leaders were convinced that Starfleet was to blame for their woes, so they used the Protostar as a Trojan horse. Despite their efforts to deactivate the weapon in time, the youngsters who had taken the Protostar ended up delivering it right in the path of Starfleet.

Devastation reigned. Though no official count was given, the level of damage witnessed on the various starships present was extreme. It is hard to believe that no Starfleet officers were killed, with even non-allied vessels taking fire as well. The weapon was eventually stopped, with a peaceful first contact eventually following, but for a moment in time, it looked as though the Vau'Nakat had succeeded where so many other species had failed in the attempt. 

Contributor
Contributor

Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"