Star Trek: 10 Reasons Prodigy Is The Best Series Of The Kurtzman Era
8. Alien Lead
Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, Archer, Burnham, Mariner... all human leads with Dal (or is it Gwyn?) marking the first time in Star Trek history that the lead character is from an alien race.
Making Michael Burnham the first female black lead in a Star Trek series was an empowering move with Lower Decks continuing in that vain. Prodigy, with its animated nature and setting far out in the Delta and Gamma Quadrants means that a human lead would be forced.
Dal does have his links to the Alpha Quadrant since his "adoptive" parent was a Ferengi as fans discovered in First Con-tact. This simply adds another layer to the character and already this alien lead is proving to be as interesting a character as any of the current Kurtzman era.
Attempting to step into the big shoes of command, Dal has been rash, unprepared and over exuberant (Dream Catcher) at the worst of times yet has shown signs of learning and development from his mistakes (First Con-Tact). He is flawed and not the all-knowing commander proved even more when it doesn't just come down to his actions to save the crew in Time Amok. It makes Dal that little bit more real.