Who Saves the Saviors (episode)

Real world article

(written from a production point of view)

Warning!

This page contains information regarding Star Trek: Prodigy, and thus may contain spoilers.

Traveling through the time rift, Dal and the crew search for Chakotay on Solum. With the support of her father, Gwyn challenges Asencia.

Summary[]

Teaser[]

The Infinity hurtles through the Janeway wormhole, shaking violently. Rushing around the cabin, Maj'el determines that the ship's inertial dampeners are offline and prepares for a crash landing. The Infinity emerges from the wormhole and crashes on Solum in 2436, witnessed by a Vau N'Akat on a speeder. Inside, Jankom Pog puts out fires while Zero attempts to contact the USS Voyager-A without any success. Maj'el suspects that they are no longer in range of Voyager or even in the same decade.

Outside, Maj'el looks around and Dal R'El explains that they're on what's left of Solum and that after Starfleet made first contact, it started a civil war. Zero adds that this is why Gwyn is on Solum in their own time 52 years ago: to prevent the civil war. Noticing something, Jankom asks if Vice Admiral Kathryn Janeway hadn't said that she was trying to save Chakotay after he launched the USS Protostar which Dal confirms, and Jankom reveals that he's spotted the Protostar parked nearby.

On Voyager, Janeway watches the security footage of Chakotay launching the ship while Councilor Noum reports that the sensor readings confirm that the Infinity has gone in too early. Janeway worries that if they interfere with the Protostar's launch, it could spell disaster. Janeway orders a subspace scan for trace signatures because she wants to know what the orb was and who was in it. Janeway asks Commander Tysess if he can get a read on the Infinity, but Tysess reports that all communication has been lost and they can't mount a rescue because the Infinity was the only ship built to withstand the rigors of the wormhole, meaning that it would take weeks. As Janeway asks for someone to at least tell her who just stole their only hope of rescuing Chakotay, Rok-Tahk and Murf rush onto the bridge with the news that Rok had tried to stop the others, but it was an accident and Dal couldn't turn the ship off. Janeway orders Tysess to get her some options, noting that until then, they're at the kids' mercy.

As Zero and Jankom work on repairs, Dal and Maj'el argue over rescuing Chakotay. Zero warns Dal that they can't save Chakotay until after he launches the Protostar or there could be substantial consequences. Jankom and Maj'el explain that if the ship isn't empty when it hurtles through the wormhole, then the Protostar never goes to Tars Lamora and Gwyn is never born. Conceding the point, Dal agrees to wait until after Chakotay sends the Protostar through the wormhole to save him. Zero's readings show that the Protostar will be set to launch in approximately four hours so Maj'el orders the group to set a timer on their tricorders and removes everyone's combadges and has them remove their uniforms as they aren't from this time and Starfleet's temporal displacement policy states that if they're spotted, then the people who find them can't know who they are or why they're here. Vau N'Akat guards arrive and quickly apprehend the group.

On present day Solum, Asencia tells the council that they must find the girl because Gwyn may look Vau N'Akat, but she is their enemy and a puppet to foreign masters. Kathon points out that they have rejected Gwyn and questions what threat she poses, but Asencia insists that Gwyn is out there spreading lies to their people that threaten the safety and future of their society. Borom agrees that Asencia is right, that poisonous rhetoric is taking root and Ilthuran is missing from the observatory. Ilthuran arrives to request that his voice be given and Gwyn's words be heard. Asencia is shocked that Ilthuran is betraying them and Kathon agrees to let Gwyn use Ilthuran's voice.

Gwyn tells the council that she spoke the truth of a peaceful universe, one that is full worlds that she could call her home, but Solum is the home that Gwyn chooses. Borom disdainfully states that Gwyn is not from Solum and does not know their ways, so how could they let an outsider determine their future. Ilthuran steps forward to claim Gwyn as his daughter, the two combining their heirlooms together as proof, and Gwyn challenges Asencia to Va'Lu'Rah to prove her origins as a true Vau N'Akat. Asencia is incredulous that Gwyn dares to evoke the sacred laws of Solum, but Kathon states that the Va'Lu'Rah has been a sacred ritual of their people from the very beginning, and they do not deserve a future if they cannot honor their past. As such, the council must let the challenge stand.

In the future, the group is disarmed of everything, including Jankom's metal hand, and taken prisoner. While Maj'el thinks this doesn't bode well for them, Zero has a more optimistic outlook, suggesting that this will keep them from interfering in the key events that need to happen. Chakotay will escape prison to launch the ship and their past selves will find it on Tars Lamora. However, the group finds Chakotay and Adreek-Hu – the only surviving members of the Protostar's original crew – locked up in a force field prison that they're also put into.

The two Starfleet officers approach the group and Chakotay questions how they got here since they've seen no one but the Vau N'Akat for months. Zero lies that they're galactic raiders who were just minding their own business when the Vau N'Akat commandeered their ship. Adreek tells Jankom that there's no way out and they've already tried so Dal less than subtly asks if the two aren't going to try to escape today. Adreek admits that he'd thought it to be a trap, but Vau N'Akat are smarter than that. Dal points out that Chakotay is supposed to be escaping while Adreek argues with Chakotay over whether or not to reveal something. Citing the fact that they're all in the same boat, they can't leave the kids behind and sometimes you just need to take a leap of faith, Chakotay introduces himself and Adreek and asks if the kids can keep a secret. The two reveal that Adreek was able to hide a damaged tricorder before their capture, but they're not rigged to disable the force field. The Starfleet officers have been using the tricorder to send distress calls into the anomaly in the hopes that they'll get to Starfleet. The Protostar has a weapon onboard that threatens the entire Federation if they can't stop it.

The group is confused as Chakotay and Adreek are supposed to be escaping and launching the ship in an hour and there's no sign that they're ready to make a jailbreak. Zero has an epiphany and suggests that perhaps they break the Starfleet officers out and this has always been a temporal causality loop. Maj'el notes that it's possible, listing the Bell Riots and the Cochran warp test as previous examples of temporal causality loops involving Starfleet personnel. Dal states that if they really are the ones who are supposed to start this jailbreak, then they've got to figure it out fast.

Act One[]

On present day Solum, the Vau N'Akat prepare for the Va'Lu'Rah between Gwyn and Asencia with Borom telling Gwyn that it is for her to discover the nature of the test. The two leave their heirlooms behind on the surface and board a platform which descends into a cavern with orange particles and wall art depicting the planet's history. Gwyn senses that this place is the source the Vau N'Akat's heirlooms and the orange particles condense into a new heirloom in Asencia's hand. The two battle with the heirlooms that they form out of the particles around them with Asencia warning Gwyn that she only delays the inevitable.

In the future, Jankom fiddles with the tricorder, earning Adreek's annoyance with his rough handling of the device. Chakotay asks what Dal is if Jankom is the engineer and Dal identifies himself as the captain, something that Maj'el denies, stating that Dal does fantasize about becoming one. Maj'el points out to Dal that Vulcans and, annoyed, Dal tells Maj'el that for a moment, he thought her snarkiness reminded him of Gwyn, but she is actually much, much worse. Jankom continues his work as Adreek objects that they had already told him that he can't disable the force field, but Jankom disagrees. Jankom uses the tricorder to remotely take control of his multi-mitt which was left on a table outside in the control room by the guards. An impressed Adreek admits that he was wrong, while Chakotay directs Jankom to the red panel that disables the force field. A Watcher spots the mitt and chases it, but Jankom is able to dodge the Watcher's attacks and hit the button to turn off the force field.

Reclaiming his mitt, Jankom tears the Watcher apart. A guard catches the group, but Maj'el quickly knocks him out with a Vulcan neck pinch, surprising Chakotay that galactic raiders know that technique which Dal quickly tries to claim was a hand chop instead. Dal confirms with Zero that they only need to get Chakotay and Adreek to the Protostar so they can launch it and Zero is excited that it was always them who helped Chakotay and Adreek send the Protostar back in time to Tars Lamora. Zero comments that there's a certain assurance in knowing that what possibly will happen already did happen. Maj'el points out that this isn't over yet and Jankom quips that it's "time to fly the coop," annoying Adreek with his bird puns again, although Chakotay admits that it was actually a good joke in this case.

In the cavern, Gwyn and Asencia continue their battle, but Gwyn proves to be no match for the older and more experienced fighter. Asencia taunts Gwyn for thinking that she was strong enough to save Solum from its fate while Gwyn argues that Asencia is terrified of a future that hasn't happened yet. Asencia is insistent that civil war is inevitable if the outsiders come to Solum, so she will make sure the right side wins while Gwyn is equally insistent that their people will embrace the greater universe if Asencia doesn't poison them with fear. Summoning a number of heirlooms as spears, Asencia taunts that she will enjoy watching Gwyn perish, just like she did Gwyn's father. However, Gwyn takes control of the heirlooms and uses them to create handholds to climb out of the cavern, declaring that she doesn't have to defeat Asencia to save Solum, just leave her behind.

Act Two[]

In the future, Dal, Jankom, Zero, Maj'el, Chakotay, and Adreek approach the Protostar, which is surrounded by guards. Chakotay tells Dal they'll have to wait until the guards clear out, but Zero protests that they're running out of time. Spotting some speeders nearby, Dal volunteers to distract the guards with his friends while Chakotay and Adreek get to the ship. Chakotay is surprised that a pack of galactic raiders would be so generous, but Dal reminds Chakotay that the ship must never reach the Federation and Dal's sure there's out there like them that'll be grateful that Dal and the others lent a hand. Dal likes to think that in another time, he and Chakotay could've been friends and Chakotay suggests that if Dal ever makes it out to the Alpha Quadrant, Starfleet could use heroes like him. Checking her tricorder, Maj'el warns them that Chakotay and Adreek have to go now, and Dal cuts off Chakotay's questions about where she got it.

Riding on speeders, Dal and the others engage the Vau N'Akat, Watchers and Drednoks guarding the ship with Dal and Zero shooting at the Drednoks with a disruptor and a phaser respectively, but Dal is disarmed by a Drednok's return fire. Having caught the guards' attention, the group splits up to lure them away and then meet back at the Infinity. Calling their tactics unconventional, but effective, Chakotay leads Adreek to the ship which is now relatively unguarded. After losing the guards, Dal and the others watch as Chakotay begins to launch the ship, only to have Adreek get hit by fire. However, Dal reassures Jankom that Adreek will be fine as that happened the last time too. The group celebrates their success as Chakotay only needs to launch the Protostar and then they can swoop in and save him and Adreek.

However, things take an unexpected turn as Chakotay grabs Dal's dropped disruptor which wasn't there in the original version of events. Now armed, Chakotay is able to hold off the guards and board the ship with Adreek. Maj'el and Zero warn that such a change could be catastrophic: due to the wormhole's instability, it was sheer chance that the Protostar found its way to Tars Lamora. Now that the ship is piloted, that destination could very well change. Onboard, Chakotay disables the autopilot, has the computer remodulate the temporal shielding and orders Adreek to set a course out of here. The Protostar, with Chakotay and Adreek onboard, launches and flies into the wormhole. On the Infinity, the computer displays chronotron emissions and tachyon irregularities unlike anything that Maj'el has ever seen. "The timeline has been disrupted. Wherever the Protostar went, it did not go to Tars Lamora," concludes Maj'el. Dal instantly realizes that Gwyn is in danger because of this change.

In the present, as Gwyn and Asencia climb out of the cavern, Gwyn suddenly begins phasing in and out of existence. Asencia taunts that Gwyn shouldn't have passed up a chance to kill her enemy and she doesn't make such mistakes. Asencia launches more heirloom spears at Gwyn, but Gwyn's phasing causes her to lose her grip and fall back to the bottom of the cavern, confusing Asencia who continues her climb. Gwyn is saved from dying when a large heirloom forms out of the ground and safely catches her. Emerging from the cavern, Asencia is hailed as a true Vau N'Akat to lead her people unto their greatest future. Asencia collects both her own and Gwyn's heirloom while the cavern closes on Gwyn, leaving Ilthuran devastated by the outcome and the apparent death of his daughter.

Log entries[]

Memorable quotes[]

"Uh, didn't Janeway say she was trying to save Chakotay after he launched the Protostar?"
"Yeah. Why do you ask?"
"'Cause Jankom's looking at it right now."

- Jankom and Dal, after Jankom makes a surprising discovery

"Dal, we need to stay here."
"No, we need to save Chakotay. He saved us, so we do the same."
"We can't save him until after he launches the Protostar, or there could be substantial consequences."
"Yeah, if the Protostar ain't empty when it hurtles through that mess in the sky, then, uh – she'll take it from here."
"Then it never goes to Tars Lamora, and your girlfriend is never born."
"Oh, right, temporal mechanics. But after he sends the Protostar through the wormhole, we save him. And she's not my girlfriend."
"Oh, if these readings are accurate, the Protostar will be set to launch in approximately four hours."

- Maj'el, Dal, Zero, and Jankom, discussing the rescue plan

"Elders of Solum, hear me out. I spoke the truth about a peaceful universe, a universe full of worlds I could call my home, but Solum is the home that I choose."
"You are not from Solum. You do not know our ways. How could we let an outside determine our future?"
"She is no outsider. I stand with Gwyndala because she... she is my daughter."
"To prove my origins as a true Vau N'Akat, I challenge Asencia to Va'Lu'Rah."
"Ha, this traitor dares evoke the sacred laws of Solum?"
"The Va'Lu'Rah has been a sacred ritual for our people from the beginning. If we cannot honor our past, we do not deserve a future. We must let the challenge stand."

- Gwyn, Borom, Ilthuran, Asencia, and Kathon

"Feels just like old times."

- Dal, after getting taken prisoner by Vau N'Akat forces again

"This does not bode well for us."
"On the contrary, if we're captured, we won't be able to interfere with the key events that need to happen. Chakotay will escape prison to launch the ship, and our past selves will find it on Tars Lamora."
"Escape a prison like this?"
"Oh, dear."
"Clearly your optimism of our non-interference was misplaced."
"How was I to know it would be this prison cell?"

- Maj'el, Zero, and Dal, after a less than pleasant reality check about avoiding interference

"My name is Captain Chakotay of the USS Protostar, and this is my first officer, Adreek. Tell me, can you kids keep a secret? Adreek was able to hide a tricorder before our capture."
"Check out the beak on Adreek. Oh, bird puns not your thing, huh? Got it. Didn't mean to ruffle your feathers."
"So, you're gonna use that tri-whatever to disable the force field?"
"They aren't rigged to do that. We've been using it to send distress calls into the anomaly. Maybe they'll get to Starfleet."
"Staar-fleet? What's that?"
"Forget it. It does not matter."
"It does matter. Those Vau N'Akat put a weapon on our ship that threatens the entire Federation."
"The Federation is my home and Starfleet is my family. If we don't stop this threat –"
"Oh, you don't have to explain. We know. Uh, your voice paints a vivid picture.

- Chakotay, Jankom, Dal, Zero, Maj'el, and Adreek, discussing the situation

"Jankom doesn't get it. In one hour, that bird needs to be in the air. The – the ship, not the guy, obviously."
"And they don't look like they're ready to bust out of here. How did the Protostar get back last time?"
"Oh, perhaps it was us who were always here to help them."
"A curious observation. It would not be the first instance of a causal time loop in Starfleet history. The Bell Riots, the Cochran warp test."
"I don't know what just came out of her mouth, but if we're the ones who were supposed to start this jailbreak, then we gotta figure it out fast."

- Jankom, Dal, Zero, and Maj'el, realizing that they may have been behind the Protostar launch all along

"If he's the engineer, what are you?"
"Isn't it obvious? Captain."
"He is not a captain, though he does fantasize of becoming one."
"Uh -- Was that really necessary?"
"Vulcans do not lie."
"You know, for a second, I thought your snarkiness reminded me of Gwyn, but you are much, much worse."

- Chakotay, Dal, and Maj'el

"Let me get this straight. We only need to get them to the Protostar so they can launch it?"
"Isn't this exciting? Who'd have thought it was always us who helped them send the ship back to Tars Lamora? We should give ourselves a pat on the back. There's a certain assurance knowing what possibly will happen already did happen."

- Dal and an excited Zero, discussing their role in setting their own history in motion

"Time to fly the coop. Uh, again, sorry."
"You gotta admit, that one was pretty good."

- Jankom and Chakotay, after Jankom's puns keep insulting Adreek

"You thought you were strong enough to save us from our fate? Ha!"
"You're terrified of a future that hasn't happened, Asencia."
"As long as the outsiders come to Solum, we are destined for civil war, so now I'll ensure that the right side wins."
"Our people will embrace the greater universe, but not if you poison them with fear."

- Asencia and Gwyn, arguing their points of view as they fight each other

"Hello again, old friend."

- Dal, upon seeing the Protostar again

"We'll go. We'll distract them and you two get to the ship."
"That's awfully generous for a pack of galactic raiders."
"You said it yourself. That ship can never reach the Federation, and I'm sure there's others out there like us that'll be grateful we lent a hand. I'd like to think in another time, we could have been friends."
"If you ever make it out to the Alpha Quadrant, we could use some heroes like you in Starfleet."

- Dal and Chakotay

"Ok, they're at the Protostar. All they have to do is launch it."
"And then we swoop in and save them."
"Everything is playing out as it should."

-- Dal, Jankom, and Zero, celebrating their success

"Ah! They're getting onto the ship!"
"What? On the ship? They aren't supposed to be on it when it launches."
"It's just a small change, right? It can't be that bad, can it?"
"Bad? More like catastrophic."
"Due to the wormhole's instability, it was sheer chance the Protostar found its way to Tars Lamora, but now that it's piloted -- ay yi."

- Dal, Jankom, Maj'el, and Zero, as things take an unexpected and disastrous turn

"What have we done?"

- Dal, after the group inadvertently changes history

"The timeline has been disrupted. Wherever the Protostar went, it did not go to Tars Lamora."

- Maj'el discovering the consequences of their actions

"Behold the victor, Asencia. A proven and true Vau N'Akat to lead us unto our greatest future."

- Kathon

Background information[]

Title[]

The title of this episode is a snowclone of the Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3 episode "Who Watches The Watchers".

Story and script[]

Preproduction[]

Production[]

Postproduction[]

Cast and characters[]

Sets and props[]

Costumes[]

Soundtrack[]

Special effects[]

Continuity[]

Maj'el mentions the Bell Riots from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's "Past Tense, Part I" and "Past Tense, Part II" and the Cochrane warp test from Star Trek: First Contact as examples of causal time loops.
Dal R'El says to Chakotay "I like to think in another time, we could've been friends". That is an homage to TOS: "Balance of Terror" when the Romulan commander says the same thing to James T. Kirk during the Neutral Zone Incursion.

Apocrypha[]

Reception[]

Awards[]

Releases[]

Like the rest of the second season, it was first released on france.tv (a French public television's streaming service) as well as on AppleTV+ France on 22 March 2024, well in advance of the Netflix release in the United States.

Links and references[]

Cast[]

And

References[]

autopilot; Bell Riots; chroniton; fire extinguisher; First Contact; heirloom; inertial dampener; Infinity; jailbreak; Janeway wormhole; living construct; multi-mitt; predestination paradox; Protostar, USS; Solum; tachyon; temporal paradox; Temporal Prime Directive; time travel; tricorder; Va'Lu'Rah; Vau N'Akat; Vau N'Akat speeder; Voyager-A, USS; Vulcan neck pinch; Watcher; wormhole

LCARS references[]

adaptive mode; contour mode; flowchart; message; wireframe mode

External links[]

"Who Saves the Saviors" at the Internet Movie Database
"Who Saves the Saviors" at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works

Previous episode:
"Into the Breach, Part II"

Star Trek: Prodigy
Season 2

Next episode:
"Temporal Mechanics 101"