Can Chakotay (Robert Beltran), the cadets and the USS Protostar escape Ysida? Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2 Episode 12, “The Last Flight of the Protostar, Part II,” was written by Alex Hanson and Aaron J. Waltke and directed by Sung Shin.
Star Trek: Prodigy “The Last Flight of the Protostar, Part II”
On the USS Voyager-A, Vice Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) records a log, stardate: 61898.2. The ship is being repaired in the wake of the attack by the Loom in “The Devourer of All Things, Part II.” She credits the intervention of Wesley Crusher, now a cosmic traveler, with their survival. Wesley then sent the cadets on another mission before returning Janeway to Voyager. Meanwhile, on the bridge, Tysess (Daveed Diggs) reviews intel on the situation.
In medical, Janeway complains about The Doctor (Robert Picardo) administering physical therapy. Tysess and Counselor Noum (Jason Alexander) enter. They have found no sign of the cadets or Chakotay. Janeway questions her decision to trust Wesley. Regarding whether or not Wes can be trusted, Noum has some thoughts.
In the ready room, Noum explains he’s convinced Starfleet Medical to arrange a meeting with Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden). He notes she’s hard to track down these days (see Star Trek: Picard Season 3). When Beverly appears onscreen, Janeway notes it’s been a while since “the Shinzon incident” (Star Trek: Nemesis, in which Janeway cameos). She asks about Picard, but Beverly says it’s been a while. He’s busy with the Romulan evacuation. But Beverly changes the subject to her son. Janeway shares the events of the past few episodes. Beverly wishes she could offer insight but rarely sees Wes (even though he’s a time traveler).
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Be There for Them
However, Beverly declares Wes is a good son with a good heart. Janeway says she wishes she possessed a mother’s fate, but she only has her crew. Beverly says she’s more like a mother than she realizes. She says all Janeway can do for the cadets is be there for them when they get back.
Meanwhile, the cadets and Chakotay are loading up the Protostar on Ysida. Dal R’El (Brett Gray), Gwyn (Ella Purnell), Rok-Tahk (Rylee Alazraqui), Jankom Pog (Jason Mantzoukas), Zero (Angus Imrie), Murf (Dee Bradley Baker) and Maj’el (Michaela Dietz) have lots of Starfleet crates to rearrange. Gwyn says the solar collectors can double as sails. Chakotay ribs Dal. While Dal grouses, Gwyn says they all have to play their part.
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Jankom laments the lack of fuel, making it difficult to launch. Hologram Janeway suggests reviewing the plan again. Soon, Chakotay recounts their strategy. While the warp drives are offline, antimatter and matter can be used to restart the cores. But to make it all work, they need deuterium gas. There’s a source across Ysida’s cloud sea. Over the course of days, the cadets and Chakotay make the Protostar ready to sail.
Dal calls the Protostar his ship. Chakotay says it was his ship first. Using the movement of the nacelles, they move the ship into position to slide into the sea. But it gets stuck on a rock. Dal attempts to pull it out using the Runaway. But Chakotay says Dal never read his Archimedes. He uses a lever to get the ship moving. Soon, the Protostar is sailing. Chakotay gives the cadets their nautical orders. With the sail extended, their journey is underway.
The Protostar Sails Again
Dal is manning the jib while Murf plays lookout. Murf alerts them to some upcoming rocks. Working together, the ship makes it through without wrecking, but it’s close. Chakotay blames Dal for the danger. He assigns Gwyn to the jib and orders Dal to coil the ropes. Later, Rok and Jankom reflect on the strange nature of their journey. Zero asks Maj’el if she needs assistance, and she rebuffs him. Gwyn observes this interaction.
Chakotay approaches a dejected Dal. He tells him that if Dal wants to be in Starfleet, he better get used to the command structure. Dal admits that when he saw the future in “The Devourer of All Things, Part II,” it included him giving up the captain’s chair. He wonders what good he is to his friends if he can’t lead.
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Chakotay sits down beside him. He says when he was Dal’s age, he lost his father and identity. In a misguided attempt to find it, he joined the Maquis. But Chakotay says he never belonged until he became first officer to Janeway. He says this shared cause was more important to him than being captain. Chakotay continues that Dal may or may not be captain. But when he’s feeling lost, Chakotay says it’s best to find where he’s needed most. For Dal right now, that means rope duty.
Murf excitedly alerts them to the fact that they’re nearing their destination. The deuterium is in the eye of the storm. Below decks, Jankom and Rok attempt to keep the ship afloat. As the swells worsen, Chakotay orders the ropes to be manned. They observe several large eels passing by. Then, the Protostar enters the whirlpool.
Aye, Eye
Unfortunately, the Protostar soon loses its sail. The cadets and Chakotay brace themselves on the bridge. But Hologram Janeway informs them the solar collectors are offline and losing energy. But the rudder is jammed. Gwyn remembers Chakotay’s Archimedes quote and suggests using a lever. The remaining energy can charge the bussard collectors, giving the Protostar a chance at escape. Chakotay orders all hands on deck for the survival attempt.
Above decks, the crew attempts to free the debris from the rudder. They succeed, and the Protostar reaches the eye of the storm. The collectors activate, and the deuterium levels begin to replenish. But Chakotay is knocked overboard by a wayward rope. Dal dives in after him. While Dal holds a rope, it’s too short to allow him to reach Chakotay. He lets the rope go and grabs Chakotay. However, in the process, he loses the rope. The Protostar leaves them behind.
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Fortunately, the eels reappear in a timely manner. Dal grabs one’s fin. Soon, he and Chakotay surface alongside the Protostar. The other cadets can pull them aboard. Both Dal and Chakotay are alive. Chakotay regains consciousness. Meanwhile, the collectors continue to gather deuterium. Soon, the ship has power once again.
From out of the eye of the storm, the Protostar launches into space. Hologram Janeway reactivates. Rok says things could have gone poorly, but Chakotay showed them the ropes. Chakotay says they can run their own ship. Dal corrects, “Our ship,” and says they just went where needed.
Baby, You’re a Star
Unfortunately, Voyager is very far away. They lack the star necessary to run the Protocore. But given they rebuilt a starship, Dal is confident they can build a star.
All 20 episodes of Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2 are available to stream on Netflix.
