Star Trek: Prodigy executive producer and co-showrunner Kevin Hageman said that, initially, the studio wanted an adult to voice the child characters.
In particular, Hageman is speaking on the casting of 10-year-old voice actor Rylee Alazraqui in the role of Rok-Tahk. "We had some pressure about hiring an adult to play a child because, you know, they're just very highly skilled. And, you know, they can do child voices, but we were like, 'No, we want a real kid,'" said Hageman during the virtual Paramount+: Peak Animation panel at Comic-Con@Home. "When we started to create these characters, in every Star Trek show you have your crew. Everyone's got their position. Our crew comes in, they don't know what they're doing, they don't know their parts, but right away they're like, "Look at the Brikar. Look a the tank here. Clearly, this is gonna be our security officer right? But this is a child. She hates to fight. She loves science. And we just fell in love with that."
Along with hiring actors like Alazraqui to play young characters on the show, the creators also explained that while Star Trek: Prodigy is a children's show, it is not only designed for children to watch.
"It's not designed just for kids, it's just designed for lovers of animation, for lovers of sci-fi," said director Ben Hibon. "The ambition of the show is that, you know, kids should watch it with their parents and vise versa. And so we wanted to really make sure it has that kind of visual impact, and also because Prodigy is canon. We wanted this series and this story to just fit within that incredibly rich universe that comes, you know, before and after."
Read the official description for Star Trek: Prodigy below:
Developed by Emmy Award winners Kevin and Dan Hageman the CG-animated series Star Trek: Prodigy is the first Star Trek series aimed at younger audiences and will follow a motley crew of young aliens who must figure out how to work together while navigating a greater galaxy, in search for a better future. These six young outcasts know nothing about the ship they have commandeered – a first in the history of the Star Trek franchise – but over the course of their adventures together, they will each be introduced to Starfleet and the ideals it represents.
Star Trek: Prodigy is set to premiere on Paramount+ this fall, followed by its release on Nickelodeon. Prodigy is not the only animated Star Trek project. Star Trek: Lower Decks, an animated comedy series, will arrive on Paramount+ on Aug. 12. A third season is already in development.
Source: Comic-Con@Home