Prodigy: Starstruck

After a two-part premiere that suggested the series could be enjoyed by a wider audience, the first regular episode of Star Trek: Prodigy, "Starstruck," swung hard into the kid-oriented show it was always more likely to have been.

Dal R'el is determined to assert himself as captain of the Protostar, and deeply mistrustful of the assistance that the holographic Captain Janeway is trying to provide. But his reckless leadership soon puts the ship in the path of danger.

The story in this episode was pretty stock fare, and seemed especially aimed at a younger audience because of just how obvious the point was being made, and for being compressed into 30 minutes. Dal has a character flaw -- a lack of trust, excessive pride, or both -- and he needs to learn to get over himself. But he's going to keep making that mistake, repeatedly, until the final moments when the lesson really sets in.

The comedy felt more broad this week too, just like the drama. Zero seemed a much more put-upon, quippy character this episode than in the first installment. Rok-Tahk felt extra young, though perhaps because it was only in the premiere that we ever perceived her as bigger, older, and more intimidating. Jankom Pog still wants to make sure that if you know the name of only one character on the show, it's his. Coffee-sipping Janeway was a fun spiritual cousin to the tea-drinking baby Yoda meme, before being welcomed in at the end with advice and positive reinforcement.

If this is the show that Star Trek: Prodigy is going to be, that's great. It's definitely a different tone for the franchise, and is meant to play to a different audience. (And it seems to be finding that audience: though we've barely started the 20-episode first season, a second season renewal has already been announced.) That said, if episodes are more like this than the premiere, I'll probably drift away from it and not watch it myself.

There are certain hallmarks of the best "childrens' entertainment" that adults can still enjoy. Prodigy is doing well in some of those aspects. Its humor isn't solely juvenile. The production values are clearly high. But, this week at least, it felt a bit "dumbed down" for kids. The tone it ultimately strikes in that area is really going to determine whether this show not really meant "for me" is enough "for me" to keep watching. I'd give "Starstruck" a C+.