Summary
Netflix’s release strategy forStar Trek: Prodigyseason 2 is a groundbreaking first for the franchise, and a test for its future. Netflix bought the streaming rights forProdigyafter the show was canceled by Paramount+ in June 2023. Production onStar Trek: Prodigyseason 2was allowed to continue, but Paramount would no longer pay for future seasons, nor would they host the show on their streaming platform.Prodigy’s poor treatment created a strange “orphan"Star Trekshow, cut off from the larger franchise, which, given the themes of the show, is quite appropriate.
Over a year after Paramount’s decision, Netflix will streamStar Trek: Prodigyfrom July 1st, releasing all twenty episodes in one go.It’s unclear at this stage whether Netflix has the option to renewProdigyfor a third season, or if they’re purely hosting season 2. From a business perspective, it seems likely that Netflix would want to keep hold of aStar TrekTV showthat is as tied into the beloved 24th century era asProdigyis. Therefore, the fate ofStar Trek: Prodigywill be dependent on how season 2 performs on Netflix, something which could be hindered by its release strategy.
Star Trek: Prodigy Cast Guide: All Returning TNG & Voyager Characters In Season 2
Star Trek: Prodigy’s cast of young alien heroes are joined by legacy characters from TNG and Voyager in season 2.
Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2’s Netflix Release Plan Is A First-Ever For Star Trek
To boldly binge-watch…
Star Trek: Prodigyseason 2 will be the firstTrekshow to have all of its new episodes released at once on a streaming service. WhileStar Trekis no stranger to the age of binge-watching, it has largely avoided it in favor of releasing episodes weekly. The prospect of 20 brand-new episodes ofStar Trek: Prodigyto binge is admittedly exciting, but there are drawbacks to the binge-watch model.A weekly release strategy would keepStar Trek: Prodigyin the conversation for twenty weeks, whereas the binge-watch model means that the conversation is already over by the time the more leisurely viewer presses play on theProdigyseason finale.
Netflix’s release strategy forProdigyis therefore banking on a hungry audience ofStar Trekfans to guarantee them healthy streaming numbers on July 1st.
In recent years, Netflix has become wise to this unfortunate side effect of the binge-watch model, and has been tinkering with their release strategies. The most recent seasons of hit shows likeBridgertonandCobra Kaihave been split in two so that Netflix gets two audience spikes per season.In terms of popularity,Star Trek: Prodigyisn’t up there with aCobra KaiorBridgerton, which is likely why Netflix are dropping all twenty episodes in one go. Netflix’s release strategy forProdigyis therefore banking on a hungry audience ofStar Trekfans to guarantee them healthy streaming numbers on July 1st.
Will Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2’s Release Plan Help Or Hurt Season 3’s Chances?
How will Netflix measure Prodigy’s success?
It remains to be seen how Netflix’s release plan helps or harms the chances of itsupcomingStar Trekshow. The streaming giant puts a lot of stock in a show’s performance in its first month on the platform. In January last year,Forbesdiscussed how Netflix bases its renewal decisions on a number of factors, including the completion rate; the percentage of users who start a show and watch it through to the end of the season.Generally, shows with completion rates of 50% and above stand a good chance of being renewed by Netflix. This is a good sign forStar Trek: Prodigy, given how much love and support there is for the show, and how eager fans are to see the new episodes.
Any future seasons ofStar Trek: Prodigywould need to be funded by Netflix, raising the streamer’s expectations for the show and how it should perform.
However,Star Trek: Prodigy’s season 3 renewal doesn’t solely rely on the completion rate figures. Netflix has the distribution rights forProdigy, while the show itself was produced by Paramount and CBS, meaning it’s a relatively cheap show for Netflix at this stage. Any future seasons ofStar Trek: Prodigywould need to be funded by Netflix, raising the streamer’s expectations for the show and how it should perform. Therefore, they’ll be scrutinizing the figures from the July 1st release to determine whether a much larger investment inStar Trek: Prodigyseason 3 will be worth the return.
Star Trek: Prodigy
Cast
Star Trek: Prodigy is the first TV series in the Star Trek franchise marketed toward children, and one of the few animated series in the franchise. The story follows a group of young aliens who find a stolen Starfleet ship and use it to escape from the Tars Lamora prison colony where they are all held captive. Working together with the help of a holographic Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), the new crew of the USS Protostar must find their way back to the Alpha Quadrant to warn the Federation of the deadly threat that is pursuing them.
