But the biggest question is whether or not – at some point in a later season of the series – Strange New Worlds will actually depict the accident. Moreover, will fans also be privileged to witness the realization that his life is not over, perhaps leading into “The Menagerie”?
“The Menagerie” also deals with several ways Pike ties in with wider Star Trek continuity, and his relationships with some of the most famous characters in the franchise. After all, in “The Menagerie”, we see Spock, violating Starfleet protocol, disobeying a superior officer and risking a Court Martial on the charge of Mutiny to give Pike a better, albeit illusory life on Talos IV. Strange New Worlds should show us why Spock has such a deep loyalty to Pike that he would risk not just his Starfleet career, but the only standing death penalty on the Federation’s books to help him.
While Paul Wesley’s James T. Kirk isn’t showing up until season two, there’s still the matter of what his relationship to Captain Pike is, as he certainly knew him before the events of “The Menagerie.” This is Pike’s Enterprise, not Kirk’s, but Kirk needed to learn command from an experienced captain at some point in his career. Who’s to say that Kirk won’t “beam in” for a few lessons on commanding a starship?
And of course, there’s the infamous Commodore Jose’ Mendez who we met during Spock’s court martial in “The Menagerie,” a character who would certainly be ripe for exploration in this series if they so chose.
AMOK TIME
Spock’s betrothed, T’Pring has already been shown in a recent teaser so do your homework and revisit classic TOS episode “Amok Time.” That fan favorite episode marks the end of their betrothal, so it will be an exciting and interesting story to see how it begins on Strange New Worlds. Of course, there was always that hint of a relationship between Spock and Christine Chapel in TOS episodes, and it looks like this show will explore the foundations of that based on a recent teaser. This is almost certainly going to cause tension between T’Pring and Chapel in a love triangle that adds depth to Spock and Chapel and makes us re-visit “Amok Time” with a renewed sense of appreciation.
CLASSIC KLINGON EPISODES
Every classic villain needs a start. None were better than the Klingon commanders Kang, Kor, and Koloth. These classic Klingon enemies were great antagonists in the TOS episodes “The Day of the Dove”, “Errand of Mercy,” and “The Trouble with Tribbles” (more on that one in a minute).
