Star Trek: 10 Most Shocking Returns

6. Spock/Odo/Uhura/Scotty/Crusher (Star Trek: Prodigy)

Star Trek Prodigy Kobayashi
CBS Media Ventures

One day, we will finally run out of steam to complain about the treatment Star Trek: Prodigy received from the studios. It is not, however, today. Prodigy remains one of the best Star Trek shows that people never watched, with Season One's Kobayashi serving as a great example of what they're missing.

When Dal is struggling to command the Protostar, he activates the Kobayashi Maru exam on the holodeck. The computer adds additional characters to help him, leading to Spock, Odo, Dr Crusher, Uhura, and Scotty making extended cameo appearances. 

Gates McFadden returned to record new dialogue for the episode, while the others had sadly passed away or were too ill to return. Aaron Waltke, friend of the channel and card-carrying Star Trek nerd, trawled through hundreds of hours of pre-recorded dialogue to build the conversations that Dal would have with these famous faces.

Some of it is clearly lifted from The Original Series, during which time recording equipment was far less sophisticated than today. This, however, adds to the utter charm of the episode. Dal is not simply interacting with avatars of these people. He is, in a way, becoming part of their overall narrative and joining them at different points along the way. 

While the final scenes between Dal and Spock are particularly affecting, the entire episode is constructed with such care and reverence for Star Trek of old that, for half an hour at least, it truly felt like some of these icons returned to life again. 

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"