Star Trek Timeline: When Does Strange New Worlds Happen?

If you’re new to the Star Trek franchise, it can be difficult to track where each entry occurs, whether it’s a film or a TV series. I’d consider myself in that camp. While I watched episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series sporadically as a kid, it took me much longer to really dive deep into this universe as an adult.

As for the newer offerings, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is my favorite thus far. It feels the most like TOS to me, and not simply because of its strong tether to it. Strange New Worlds sits in an interesting place on the Prime Timeline, with its central figure, Captain Christopher Pike, tying us to multiple Star Trek properties. Let’s dive into where this series falls in the grand scheme of Trek things.

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It’s a Spin-off and Sequel to Star Trek: Discovery

Captain Christopher Pike returned to the Star Trek universe, after over 50 years, with his appearances on Star Trek: Discovery alongside Michael Burnham aboard the Discovery. Pike assumed control of the USS Enterprise in 2250. Of course, he put the building blocks in place for Star Trek: The Original Series by selecting Una Chin-Riley as his Number One. Her character appears in the pilot episode of TOS. As for when Pike met Spock, the two crossed paths in 2254 during Spock’s first day aboard the Enterprise as an ensign. (Star Trek: Short Treks episode “Q&A.”)

Now, Pike made his return (even though he’s technically younger here) in Discovery season 2 episode 1, “Brother,” which took place in 2257. He even commanded the USS Discovery for a few months while the Enterprise underwent much-needed repairs.

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Take Us to Strange New Worlds

What served as the catalyst for Pike’s Strange New Worlds journey was a trip to Boreth, a Klingon monastery planet. The objective? Recover a time crystal. While there, Pike experienced a haunting vision of his future. He saw himself with severe burns following a radiation leak. Then, he confronted his future self after he was bound to a life-support chair. This was the version of Pike we saw in The Original Series episodes “The Menagerie: Part 1” and “The Menagerie: Part II,” set in 2267.

He resumed captainship of the Enterprise in 2258. After a mission to Edrin II, Pike flew to Earth in 2259 for downtime. He was shaken by his future, hoping to avert it by forgoing Starfleet work altogether. He spent months on his Bear Creek, Montana property. Finally, Admiral April’s plea for Pike to lead a search and rescue to save Number One brought him back to the Enterprise.

Folks, that brings us to … drum roll, please … Strange New Worlds (both the show and literally).

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It’s a Prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series

Strange New Worlds boasts quite a few characters from The Original Series. It establishes a baseline for what’s to come (well, what we’ve already seen) and fills in the blanks regarding the TOS cast’s origins. While Strange New Worlds starts in 2259, The Original Series occurs in 2265. Besides Pike, Number One, and Spock, we also reunite with established TOS characters in season 1, such as Nyota Uhura (an ensign here), Nurse Chapel, Dr. M’Benga (who’s only in two episodes of TOS), and T’Pring (in one episode). The season 1 finale brought us the famous James T. Kirk from an alternate timeline, where he’s the captain of the USS Farragut.

Then, we reunite with Captain Kirk in season 2, episode 3, “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.” This one is another alternate version of that character. Finally, the end of that episode brings us to the Prime Timeline Kirk, who’s still a lieutenant.

Continuing the TOS Introductions

The season 2 finale of Strange New Worlds introduces us to Lt. Montgomery “Scotty” Scott, who helps Pike rescue members of Starfleet (plus his lady love, Captain Marie Batel) on Parnassus Beta, which has succumbed to a Gorn attack. Scotty helps Pike and Batel escape to the Enterprise so Batel can receive medical care following a scratch from the Gorn. Scotty stays aboard the ship and teams up with his old professor from Starfleet Academy, Chief Engineer Pelia.

We still have yet to meet Sulu and Dr. McCoy from the main TOS cast, but they are projected to appear in the fifth and final season of Strange New Worlds. Other TOS characters like Chekov and Lt. Leslie are not expected to make appearances.

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It’s Set Seven Years Before Tragedy Strikes for Pike

Strange New Worlds is set in 2259, while TOS takes place in 2265, with “The Menagerie” two-parter occurring in 2267. Pike’s tragic fate comes to pass in 2266, making it seven years between the beginning of Strange New Worlds and the accident on the Class J starship with a handful of trainees he couldn’t save.

Pike spends much of the first season trying to prevent his fate, carving out a new future for himself. Destiny can be controlled, right? When he has the opportunity to rewrite the future in the season 1 finale, “A Quality of Mercy,” he kickstarts a chain of events culminating in catastrophe for Starfleet and the universe at large. Remember the alternate Captain Kirk of the Farragut? Pike ultimately erases that version after a Romulan incursion brings about war and tragedy for all. This act of erasure represents Pike’s decision to embrace his fate.

More Visions of the Future

Despite accepting what happens to him, Pike still struggles to come to terms with the inevitable incident and the horrifying vision he saw on Boreth. We revisit his internal conflict in season 2, episode 7, “Those Old Scientists,” when Ensign Boimler from the USS Cerritos (and the year 2380) reminds Pike to hold fast to his loved ones because they’ll miss him when he’s gone.

It’s also here that Pike learns his birthday will one day become a holiday. Turns out this visit from Star Trek: Lower Decks characters, which takes place a century after SNW, wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

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Where Does Strange New Worlds Go From Here?

In summary, Strange New Worlds picks up where Discovery left off, providing setup for The Original Series. Of course, following the various TOS movies, there’s Star Trek: The Next Generation with Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Data, taking place in the early 24th century. After TNG, you have Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Lower Decks, and Picard. Finally, it all comes full circle with seasons 3 and 4 of Discovery, which are nearly a century into the future.

But what’s up next for SNW? My guess is we’ll continue laying the groundwork for The Original Series and Pike’s life-altering tragedy. Pike will continue to face his future, and we’ll hopefully meet more TOS characters. Perhaps critical events from the series will even be addressed, with our cast undergoing necessary changes that bring them to a starting point of sorts on TOS. It’s weird watching a series meant to be a prequel when the original took place 57 years ago, isn’t it?

Regardless, I’m here for the ride. Its hopeful tone, stunning visuals, and compelling performances make Strange New Worlds a must-watch. Sure, it might play fast and loose with canon. Still, I can imagine it’s challenging to keep track of intricate lore chronologically when there are alternate realities and multiple series/movies over several decades.

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What do you hope to see from the last two seasons of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and how it ties to The Original Series? Join the conversation alongside other Star Trek fans over at Sideshow Social Network or in side.show/geekgroup, and don’t forget to Let Your Trekkie Sideshow!