This fall’s new animated series, Star Trek: Prodigy, revealed its cast of young heroes to the world back in June — and today, two well-known stars have been unveiled as the voices of the show’s villains, set to capture the crew of the USS Protostar at all costs.
Deadline reports today that genre fan-favorite actor John Noble — known for his work as Denothor in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Walter Bishop in Fringe, Henry Parrish in Sleepy Hollow and more — seems to be the primary antagonist of the series, voicing The Diviner, overseer of the asteroid mining facility from where Dal (Brett Gray), Zero (Angus Imrie), and the others escape in the series’ pilot.
He’s also the creator (?) of Gwyn (Ella Purnell), the 17-year-old member of the Vau N’ Akat species “who was raised on her father’s bleak mining planet — and grew up dreaming of exploring the stars.”
Here’s the full description of the character, which seems to imply that Gwyn may be some sort of clone or other artificially-created biological entity.
[John] Noble will voice The Diviner ,a ruthless tyrant who controls the asteroid of Tars Lamora, The Diviner exploits wayward species and will stop at nothing in his hunt for the Protostar ship, no matter the cost.
Though his goals are shrouded in mystery, his body is failing him and he created his progeny, Gwyn, to one day carry on his mission when she is ready for it.
(You can actually hear Noble in the first Prodigy teaser, with the opening line “No one shall escape…”)
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In addition, television mainstay Jimmi Simpson (Westworld, House of Cards, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), has joined up as The Diviner’s right-hand robot Drednok, a “heartless” enforcer with a “spider-like” form created to make sure the Protostar is captured.
The full description:
[Jimmi] Simpson joins the cast as Drednok. The Diviner’s deadly robotic enforcer is heartless and cold. His sole purpose is to keep The Diviner on task and ensure that the Protostar is found.
Drednok is a friend to no one, including The Diviner’s own daughter Gwyn and uses his menacing spider-like form to impose The Diviner’s will.
Drednok also may be visible in the first Prodigy trailer, keeping the slaves in line in the open sequence.
We don’t know much more about either character yet — nor how much of the series either one will appear in — but we’re certain to find out much more about Star Trek: Prodigy during the Star Trek Day celebration on September 8.
What are your thoughts on this casting news? Let us know in the comments below!