Star Trek: Strange New Worlds takes place in the mid-23rd century, and here's how it slots in relative to Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: Discovery. Strange New Worlds is the third Star Trek series set in the 23rd century, which is also home to the first two seasons of Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: The Original Series, and the six Star Trek movies starring Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his Starship Enterprise crew. Although Star Trek: Enterprise was the first Star Trek prequel series, it depicted the voyages of Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) and the NX-01 in the 22nd century, about a hundred years before Strange New Worlds.
The origins of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds go all the way back to the first Star Trek pilot, "The Cage," which was rejected by NBC in 1964. "The Cage" introduced Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) and the crew of the USS Enterprise, including Number One (Majel Barrett) and Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy). 54 years later, Star Trek: Discovery season 2 reintroduced Captain Pike and his Enterprise. This time, Pike was played by Anson Mount, while Rebecca Romijn embodied Number One, and Ethan Peck donned Spock's pointy Vulcan ears. Pike, Spock, and Number One were so popular, that they received their own spinoff, which became Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Strange New Worlds Is A Sequel To Star Trek: Discovery
Pike's Enterprise picks up where Discovery left off
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a spinoff and a sequel to Star Trek: Discovery. At the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 2, Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) led the USS Discovery on a one-way time jump to the 32nd century to safeguard the galaxy. Star Trek: Discovery seasons 1 and 2 were set from 2256 to 2258. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds picks up the story several months later in 2259, with Captain Pike leading the Starship Enterprise on a new five-year mission of exploration.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is inextricably linked to Star Trek: Discovery, yet now entirely separate from it. In-universe, the USS Discovery is officially recorded as destroyed in Starfleet records, and details about its technology like the USS Discovery's spore displacement hub drive, and its battle to save the galaxy from Section 31's rogue threat assessment A.I., Control, have been redacted. No one in Strange New Worlds' 23rd century is or can be made aware that Captain Michael Burnham and the USS Discovery are thriving in the 32nd century.
Strange New Worlds Is A Prequel To Star Trek: The Original Series
Eventually, Captain Kirk will take over the Starship Enterprise
Simultaneously, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series. The five-year mission of Captain Kirk aboard the Starship Enterprise begins in 2265, which means Strange New Worlds takes place about 5-6 years before TOS. Strange New Worlds established that many of Captain Kirk's future crew mates are already aboard Pike's Enterprise, such as Ensign Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush), and Scotty (Martin Quinn). Even Lt. James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) makes recurring visits in the half-decade before he takes over as Captain of the Enterprise from Christopher Pike.
In Star Trek: Discovery season 2, Captain Pike learns that he is destined to be horribly disfigured by delta rays in an accident, and he will spend the rest of his life immobilized in a wheelchair. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1's finale established that Pike's destiny is ironclad and irreversible without consequences that are both interstellar (galactic war with the Romulans) and personal (Spock is permanently hurt instead of Pike). However many seasons that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds runs on Paramount+, they plan to set up the transition into Star Trek: The Original Series.
Strange New Worlds Has Changed Star Trek Canon
Star Trek's timeline has been altered
Star Trek's canon and timeline have been changed by Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Star Trek's Prime timeline is predicated on many established events that led to the birth of Starfleet, the United Federation of Planets, and the ongoing saga of Star Trek from the 22nd century to the 32nd century. However, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' series premiere revealed that the date of the Eugenics Wars, which happened in the 1990s, and World War III in the 21st century have been moved up and conflated. This is because Strange New Worlds' producers wanted Star Trek's 'history' to be closer and more relevant to 21st century audiences.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 3, "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" further revealed the Romulans have dispatched time-traveling agents to alter Earth's past, which explains the changes to Star Trek's timeline. One significant result is that Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban) is still a child living in 21st-century Toronto instead of his prior history where he ruled one-quarter of Earth's population as an adult during the Eugenics Wars of the 1990s. However, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' canonical position between the end of Star Trek: Discovery and the start of Star Trek: The Original Series can't change.
