The upcoming Paramount+ animated series, Star Trek: Prodigy, has added Jimmi Simpson and John Noble to its crew. The show, which is designed for a younger audience (in fact, it will release on Nickelodeon following its initial streaming run later this year), is about a group of rogue teens led by the character Dal. The group happens across an abandoned Starfleet vessel called the U.S.S. Protostar and use the ship as their ticket to a better life.
The teens will be guided by the hologram of Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew reprising her Star Trek: Voyager character). The series, which was already confirmed for a second season before its premiere, has already cast some notable voices, including Big Mouth's Jason Mantzoukas and iconic voice actor Dee Bradley Baker, who has appeared in projects as varied as Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Space Jam, American Dad, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Ella Purnell, Brett Gray, Angus Imrie, and Rylee Alazraqui also star.
That's quite a cast of heroes, but now they have some solid villains to square off with. As reported by Variety, John Noble (Fringe) and Jimmi Simpson (Westworld) will be joining the voice cast as a pair of baddies. Noble will be playing Diviner, the ruler of a mining asteroid called Tars Lamora who is obsessed with locating the U.S.S. Protostar. Diviner is also the father of Purnell's character, Gwynn. Simpson will be playing Diviner's henchman, Drednok, a spider-like robot.
Although both actors obviously have experience in the science fiction realm, John Noble has also hit the fantasy sector hard in his role as Denethor in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Most recently he has been seen in The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. Jimmi Simpson is most recently known for playing William in HBO's Westworld, but he has proven comedy chops thanks to his recurring role as Liam McPoyle in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. He'll most likely be drawing on that experience to play this character, which sounds like it has the potential to be more of a comic relief role.
If the Star Trek: Prodigy trailer is anything to go by, the show will feature fun cinematic animation. However, as the first series in the franchise to be specifically geared toward a younger audience, a lot is riding on the show. If Prodigy doesn't do well, Star Trek's stewards may eventually lean toward dropping the child audience altogether, disappointing a new generation of Trekkies. Hopefully, Noble's gravitas and Simpson's comedy chops will help push the show over the edge.
Source: Variety