Summary
- Maj'el, a teenage Vulcan in Star Trek: Prodigy, breaks free from Vulcan tropes, showcasing intelligence, humor, and empathy.
- Maj'el's youth adds a fresh perspective to Vulcan characters, challenging age-based respect and expectations in Star Trek canon.
- Star Trek: Prodigy's focus on young characters highlights the struggles of balancing youth, emotions, and important missions.
Warning: This Article Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2I never thought a Vulcan would be my favorite Star Trek character, but Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 made a Vulcan climb to the top of my list. This is surprising because while I think Vulcans are fascinating, they've continued to be a bit stuffy over the years. I love that they explore humanity by contrast. There's pressure in the Star Trek universe to enjoy Vulcans because of their position as icons in popular media, but sometimes they don't hit the mark for me. Nevertheless, I've remained excited about the introduction of new Star Trek Vulcans in recent TV shows.
Among the Star Trek: The Original Series characters was Leonard Nimoy's Spock, who introduced Vulcans as a species that doesn't feel emotions like humans. Since then, plenty of Vulcans have become popular despite the franchise's use of the same tropes related to the pointy-eared species, such as being emotionless, humorless, and intelligent. Sub-Commander T'Pol (Jolene Blalock), Lieutenant Tuvok (Tim Russ), and T'Pring (Gia Sandhu) in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds have all gained popularity by depicting varying levels of these tropes. I'm thrilled that Star Trek is redirecting canon Vulcans by introducing a teenage Vulcan to add complexity to the iconic species.
Maj'el Perfectly Balances Vulcan Logic and Emotion In Star Trek: Prodigy
Maj'el proves that a good Vulcan doesn't have to be a bad person
Maj'el, voiced by Michaela Dietz, is introduced in Star Trek: Prodigy season 2's premiere "Into The Breach, Part I," written by Kevin & Dan Hageman and directed by Ben Hibon. Maj'el is a member of the elite squad of Starfleet Cadets called Nova Squadron, indicating her impressive intelligence and leadership skills. At this point, I was sure Maj'el would become another Vulcan trope: extremely smart but rough around the edges and unwilling to forgo Vulcan heritage to make friends.
As a way to honor Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, who is considered to be "the First Lady of Star Trek ," the showrunners of Star Trek: Prodigy gave Maj'el a Vulcan version of her name.
I'm glad I was wrong. Maj'el breaks free of Vulcan stereotypes and becomes a hero in her own right throughout the second season of Prodigy, and she makes the season even better. In Star Trek: Prodigy season 2's, "Imposter Syndrome," Maj'el defies Vulcan tradition and lies to The Doctor (Robert Picardo) about loving opera music to allow Dal R'El (Brett Gray) and the former crew of the USS Protostar to escape. As in this scene, the young Vulcan is funny without just being comic relief. Maj'el expertly balances logic and empathy, especially considering how young she is.
Maj'el's Youth Makes Her An Even More Fascinating Star Trek: Prodigy Character
A young Vulcan is a first for Star Trek, and it was a gamble that paid off
Vulcans in Star Trek have traditionally been wise, learned, and highly experienced, often taking on mentor roles. J.J. Abrams' Star Trek reboot trilogy introduced Zachary Quinto as a younger Spock, but the Kelvin Timeline-set films still featured Leonard Nimoy as the old and wise Vulcan figurehead. Since age is a huge factor when it comes to Vulcans being respected in Star Trek canon, I'm glad to see how a young Maj'el can spin that narrative for both young and old audiences.
Star Trek: Prodigy has often focused on the struggles of being young and wanting to have fun with being tasked with such important missions.
Like the rest of the main characters in Star Trek: Prodigy, Maj'el is a teenager faced with world-ending dilemmas. Star Trek: Prodigy has often focused on the struggles of being young and wanting to have fun with being tasked with such important missions. Being a teenager comes with fluctuating emotions and complex feelings, even for Vulcans, so I think it's impressive that the young Nova Squadron member can balance being young and inexperienced with the confidence, bravery, and empathy it takes to be an impressive leader—and a good friend.
For decades, Star Trek's Vulcans have been boxed in by their species' stereotypes, including being emotionless, hard to befriend, and sometimes acting downright cruel, even if they don't mean to. These tropes have become synonymous with Vulcans, so the franchise seems to have leaned into them to increase recognizability. I think this trend has led to Vulcans becoming predictable and sometimes even unlikable. Star Trek: Prodigy's Maj'el has become my favorite character by reinventing those stereotypes and depicting a young Vulcan capable of everything an older Vulcan can do—and more.
