Star Trek: Prodigy – Dreamcatcher Ep 4 [Review]

With only two 10 episode blocks this season, Star Trek: Prodigy has so much to do and so little time. Since the last episode aired, the show has already been greenlit for a second season. But let’s get into the newest episode!

Far away and on their first away mission.

The “cadets” have been taught by Hologram Janeway (HJ) how to navigate, but more importantly how to use the all-forgiving Auto-pilot. They come close to an M-class planet. Not understanding the basics of Star Trek and M-Class is a good thing. HJ explains that it’s part of The Federation’s mission to seek out new worlds and new civilizations. Dal tries to blow it off, but HJ looms the threat of notifying Starfleet. That changes the would-be captain’s tune real quick!

New Trek Toys!

Now knowing that this show already has a deal with Playmates Toys… It’s looking like we are going to get things that have Toy-etic qualities to bolster the show and make some money at the same time. I can’t imagine the show making too much money while airing AND streaming simultaneously.

In the hangar, HJ shows off a new exploratory vehicle aptly named “The Runaway”, and you can tell it appeals to her get-your-hands-dirty personality. It has all the bells and whistles and her favorite “hold onto your butts grab-handles.” Because it’s a kid’s show, and kids like butt jokes!

But wait, there’s more! We get shiny new Tricorders! Again perfect to make a toy or even higher-grade collectible for fans. It does detect many things, including gas emissions, so our favorite Tellarite, Jankom, “tests out” how sensitive it is with a gas emission of his own… PFFT!

Bringing her in and possibly out

This is one of those few chances in Trek history that the main ship fully lands on a planet! No transporter, no shuttlecraft. A full landing. What’s also interesting about the design of the Protostar is it has a single LARGE docking foot! Instead of a few smaller ones to balance it out.

The cadets leave the ship to find out there are no life forms on the planet. Zero goes further and asks if there is no life on this planet, then how does the soil have no nutrients but gorgeous fauna? The team decides to split up, with everyone going in opposite directions.

Back on the ship, Gwynn charged up her innate psychic ability to call her personal weapon to her and disable the brig cell. While checking out the ship, she realizes that her father, The Diviner, has conditioned her from a young age to be able to control the ship. When HJ figured out she isn’t a friendly, she tries to stop her. But Gwynn overrides all commands and takes control of the ship.

Gwynn uses the comms to reach out to Drednok and will keep the ship running till daddy can come to get his prize.

A Planet on the surface….. or is it?

As the crew starts exploring on their own, they all come across things that make them feel welcome. Jankom comes across a hut, on an uninhabited planet with food cooking that reminds him of home. Rok finds these adorable little aliens that proceed to dogpile her, so adorable you could die. Zero comes across a stunning hedge maze with an interesting surprise in the middle. Dal also finds his parents?!

If you figured it out, there is something on this planet that gives the crew exactly what they want. It is something psychotropic and bends their wills. While they see what they want to see, the planet is trying to consume them. The only thing that broke the living dream/nightmare was when Dal saw HJ off the ship. She explained earlier that as a hologram she can’t leave the ship.

But this isn’t happening to just the Cadets. Gwynn also starts to hallucinate too, seeing her father. Instead of trying to take the ship, he suggests they stay on the planet longer. The kicker was the hug that her father wanted. This made her call BS!

Dal rounds up the rest of the crew breaking their respective spells. Rok is being buried alive (and not in a dogpile of cuteness). Jankom is literally eating dirt while being pulled down. Zero is being chased by a bevy of vines from the maze itself.

The vines then try to tangle up the ship’s single landing foot so it cant take off, stranding the crew on the planet. Gwynn tries to escape but instead of getting out of the vines, she chooses to abandon ship with the incomplete shuttle from the previous episode. Dal and the crew in the Runaway come to see the ship starting to take off. Instead of breaking orbit, the ship gets flung one way while the shuttle goes the other crashing with Gwynn inside.

END TRANSMISSION

Captain’s Log

This episode hits all the classic hallmarks of the episode “The Cage” in which the Talosians show the crew what they want. But it’s given a much easier spin for children to understand. It also sets up the fact that we won’t have a monster- or situation-of-the-week scenario to have to use the power of friendship to get out of. That’s not saying it couldn’t happen, but this sets the bar up a little higher for now.

introducing the Runaway is a great way to add a toy to the product line eventually and the new tricorders look so refined! It’s a natural progression from the PADD’s of the past.

The voice cast is doing a wonderful job so far and Kate Mulgrew sounds like she is having fun with HJ’s snark system. How will the team trek back to the ship? Guess we will have to find out next week. I think with the airing schedule we will conclude this small arc by the end of episode 5, in time for Star Trek: Discovery‘s premiere the next week.

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