WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Trek: Prodigy Season 1, Episode 9, "A Moral Star, Part 1," streaming now on Paramount+.
Star Trek: Prodigy has always taken place far outside of Federation space, giving itself a degree of separation and autonomy from the wider Star Trek Universe. This distance makes its placement in the franchise's overall timeline something of a quiet mystery, clearly taking place after the events of Star Trek: Voyager given the presence of Hologram Janeway, but its relative stardate is still unknown. However, a major change for the crew of the USS Protostar may provide a clue as to when Prodigy takes place, as Dal and his friends just received their own Starfleet uniforms.
After learning the ideals and mission statement of Starfleet from Janeway and training programs on the holodeck, Dal felt he was adequately prepared to command the Protostar since the crew is truly functioning as a cohesive unit. When the villainous Diviner coerced the Protostar to return to the harsh mining planet of Tars Lamora over the matter of the miners' lives, the crew decided to head into this confrontation wearing matching Starfleet uniforms. And while the entire crew looked sharp in their fresh set of clothes, the design of the uniforms was unlike any that have been seen in Star Trek history -- suggesting that Prodigy may be set where no series has gone before.
The Protostar crew has predominantly black uniforms with a lavender top on the shoulders, similar to a design seen for Starfleet uniforms in the 29th century during Voyager. However, the 29th century design had slightly different colored tops based on divisions, with the patterns also different than the ones used by the Protostar. This suggests that the Protostar uniforms are a precursor to those used by Starfleet in the 29th century, potentially placing Prodigy centuries beyond the events of Star Trek series set in the 24th century like Star Trek: Picard.
Prodigy previously revealed that the Protostar's original commanding officer was Captain Chakotay, who was exploring the Delta Quadrant with the experimental starship before the vessel was boarded by the Diviner's robotic lackey Drednok. The series establishes that the Diviner had since been searching for the Protostar on Tars Lamora for at least seventeen years before the start of Prodigy, but there has currently been no indication that this takes place immediately after Drednok attacked Chakotay. It could have taken place considerably farther along in the Star Trek timeline.
Prodigy clearly takes place within the Star Trek universe, including bringing back enemies from past series, but its unique setting has left audiences wondering when exactly the show occurs in the timeline. The Protostar's Starfleet uniforms offer another clue but Prodigy's specific timeline placement remains something of a mystery.
In the meantime, the uniforms showcase just how far the crew of the Protostar has come in working together and growing from a group of young misfits to a functioning unit and surrogate family that represents the Federation's ideals and mission statement, even well outside of Federation space. And with the question of what happened to the Protostar's original crew still unsolved, perhaps the confrontation with the Diviner can definitively answer when exactly Prodigy takes place.
Created by Kevin and Dan Hageman, Star Trek: Prodigy releases new episodes Thursdays on Paramount+.