The Protostar crew is trapped on a planet in the Neutral Zone. As they try to evade Romulan pursuers and face possible destruction by the Dauntless, Dal encounters a strange scientist who answers the question of his origins -- kicking off a crisis of identity.
This episode felt fast-paced, even for Prodigy. In a couple of places, I was a little disappointed in just how quickly it breezed through things -- most keenly in how quickly the character of Okona just takes off again as suddenly as he arrived the week before. I guess he wasn't really meant to be a long-term presence on the show after all.
Another curiously brief appearance came when Admiral Jellico got on the "phone" to snap at Janeway. On the one hand, it is wild to me that they called up Ronny Cox to actually come record a handful of lines, reprising a character he created decades earlier. On the other hand, Ronny Cox has a singular gift for portraying someone you immediately hate the moment he opens his mouth. I do like that the Prodigy writers are keen to touch on all these elements of the Star Trek universe, including them in ways that don't derail their storytelling and don't matter to the segment of the audience who won't catch all the references. "Fan service" is a nasty term -- but appropriate for the way it's so often done. This feels to me like fan service done right.
At last, we get the revelation of who and what Dal is, and it's very surprising, clever, and fitting. He's an experimental blend of multiple species, explaining why we've never seen anyone quite like him before. Moreover, he's an Augment -- a genetically-enhanced human -- explaining why the Starfleet scan of him set off alarm bells a few weeks earlier.
But more important than the facts of it all is Dal's reaction to the truth... and that's also surprising, clever, and fitting. This kids' show really understands it kid characters. Dal didn't just want to know where he comes from in a general sense; he specifically wanted to meet his parents. Learning that he doesn't really have any is a crippling emotional blow. Sure... it leads to a bunch of slapstick, after his procedure to bring out the latent DNA inside him. Nevertheless, the insight into the character is still meaningful. (Plus, the animation combining physical traits of multiple Star Trek aliens is very well done.)
Dal's revelation was not the only one either, as the episode ends with Asencia revealing that she's really a member of the Diviner's species. And she has a Drednok! (Explaining why Jimmi Simpson's name has stayed in the credits all this time.) It's a great tease to lead you into the next episode... which I'll get to soon enough.
I give "Masquerade" a B+. Star Trek: Prodigy remains "good enough." Better even that that, the more you can meet the show on its own terms.
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