Hey all! Just found out that this place was a thing again after posting around in Ten Forward. Thought I'd contribute to content™ with a quick writeup blathering on about a moment in ST I really appreciate but haven't heard talked about. Will this become a recurring thing? Iunno, maybe.
(Also hoping that I didn't double or triple post this because Lemmy World's kinda being weird rn. apologies in advance to the mods if I screwed something up.)
The scene in question is from Star Trek Prodigy, specifically s1 ep. 14 Crossroads, spoilers ahead obviously. The premise is pretty simple-- the kids have hidden Protostar and need to find passage to Starfleet so they can warn them of the danger the ship poses. Main main character Dal meets a Starfleet officer and has the perfect opportunity to cut the series short by 6 episodes. He uh... kinda screws up.
On the surface it's easy to be annoyed at the show for falling into the trope of people being unable to properly divulge information so the plot can happen. If this were main characters from any of the other 10 Star Trek series, I probably would be super annoyed. But I think here it works precisely because Dal is a child. He's overwhelmed by a bout of hero worship and the short scene is masterfully composed to put you in his shoes and make the viewer feel that too.
The first few shots as the two meet have Janeway turned around or out of frame. Instead, the camera focuses in on Dal's darting eyes before pulling us into his view. Dal's POV shot starts at Janeway's legs and pans up to her head-- he's looking up to her in a quite literal sense. The soundtrack does a heroic little swell to emphasize the living legend that is ~~Captain~~ Vice Admiral Kathyrn Janeway.
You'll notice that in the ensuing conversation between the two characters Dal is framed with a lot of close shots of his face, while Janeway has these sort of neutral, medium shots. I think this is an effective way to contrast the two's mental states-- Dal has a lot of emotions boiling to the surface as he meets the woman of whom his trusted mentor is just a pale shadow. Janeway, meanwhile, is shown in a steady, confident stance (and, as before, we are looking up at her).
Brett Gray's performance in this scene is great. He really sells Dal's earnestness in wanting to not screw up while meeting his hero. It makes sense why he would quite literally lose the plot after a few disarming words from Admiral Janeway.
If I had to pick a theme for Prodigy (at least as of this writing), I would say it's about legacy. The heroes of yesteryear cast a long shadow, but it's always a worthy cause to follow their example. Gotta start somewhere! That's why I really appreciate this scene-- it's a suitably grand moment as we bridge the gulf between the boy who fled to the stars and the legend he wants to become.