Is this a faithful prequel to TOS?

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

I'm watching Discovery for the 2nd time, still at the start of S2. I'm also 9 episodes into the original show via Blu-ray (original effects). From the first 9, I'd completely forgotten 6 episodes, so despite being an old show, it feels brand new. I've seen all episodes, but most of them, only once or twice and since forgotten. hah

Does Strange New Worlds work as a follow-up to Disco S1-2 and as a prequel to TOS? I understand creative liberties have been taken, so I'm more asking about characters and story arcs more so than nitty gritty details. Do you feel like they gave the show a good 2020's facelift while still having that classic TOS look?

 

[fireproof78]

I'm watching Discovery for the 2nd time, still at the start of S2. I'm also 9 episodes into the original show via Blu-ray (original effects). From the first 9, I'd completely forgotten 6 episodes, so despite being an old show, it feels brand new. I've seen all episodes, but most of them, only once or twice and since forgotten. hah

Does Strange New Worlds work as a follow-up to Disco S1-2 and as a prequel to TOS? I understand creative liberties have been taken, so I'm more asking about characters and story arcs more so than nitty gritty details. Do you feel like they gave the show a good 2020's facelift while still having that classic TOS look?

Yes, I do.

 

[HotRod]

I would say it works perfectly fine as a TOS prequel. It helps expand certain characters motivations and backstories rather nicely.

 

[Michael]

I think more often than not it works surprisingly well as a prequel to the original show. I’m personally not too hung about if it does or not, but as @HellRod is saying, there’s a number of character motivations and backstories that in my mind are enriched by what they are doing with them on Strange New Worlds. I mean, the show is still ongoing, so I guess they could still muck it up, but at this point I feel it nicely expands on what little we knew about some of the characters.

That’s maybe not what you would like to hear, but there’s also aspects where I feel like the show “corrects” and reinterprets certain aspects established in TOS. My main example of that — without going into any spoilers — would be Christine Chapel’s character, who has much more agency in this show and is lightyears more interesting. But also, a character like Pike, who I always liked as portrayed by Jeffrey Hunter, but who in my mind is now superseded by Anson Mount’s version.

I would say, if you give this show a chance, watch it more as its own thing, not necessarily expecting it to be “faithful” to the original show first and foremost. I think you’ll enjoy it much more that way.

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

I haven't revisited the lone 2-parter "The Menagerie," but something to look forward to given Discovery Pike is fresher in mind. So far, Nurse Chapel's had plenty to do when she pops up in episodes. If she has more screen time in SNW, that's awesome. She's one of my favorite recurring TOS characters. Loved that she's in TMP plus a cameo in TVH. Was that her last on-screen appearance until SNW?

 

[fireproof78]

Was that her last on-screen appearance until SNW?

No.

Based on casting announcements she will have more to her story in Season 3.

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

No, I meant was The Voyager Home her last on-screen appearance prior to popping up in TVH? Sorry if my previous question was unclear.

 

[fireproof78]

No, I meant was The Voyager Home her last on-screen appearance prior to popping up in TVH? Sorry if my previous question was unclear.

I believe there is a deleted scene of her from TUC.

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

Something to go hunting for on YouTube.

 

[Michael]

So far, Nurse Chapel's had plenty to do when she pops up in episodes. If she has more screen time in SNW, that's awesome. She's one of my favorite recurring TOS characters. Loved that she's in TMP plus a cameo in TVH.

Completely with you on this one: Majel Barrett’s performance gave Chapel lots of grace and humanity, even without the writers ever really affording her the chance to be more than a glorified background character. And I always liked seeing her on TOS and the movies. Also, with what little continuity there (deliberately) was on Star Trek, it was nice to have a character with at least at tiny bit of ongoing storyline (her longing for Spock), even if it ultimately never went anywhere.

All of that is exactly why I’m so in love with what they are now doing with the character, expanding on what we knew about her from the original show. But also, showing some of that in a completely new light, since we now see what went on years before.

Add to that a breakout performance by Jess Bush, who completely made the character her own and presents this spunky, full-of-life woman trying to find her way in terms of her career, her love live and dealing with a hefty dose of PTSD. And Bush knows how to play the emotional beats as well as the physical action the plot demands and make it all seem super easy.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

I guess you can imagine that it's a fiction based on Captain Pike's logs, so it's basically what happened, but exaggerated a bit for 2020's television. Everything has more light strips on it and shiny floors and blinky lights too high up for people to even see, Chapel and Spock have more relationship drama, the Gorn are now Xenomorphs, the Romulans have 7 billion ships. Just don't take it too literally and it mostly fits together with the Prime Timeline.

 

[Michael]

^ Please be mindful of spoilers. @Admiral Jean-Luc Picard hasn’t yet watched the show, as I understand it. As might others who click on a thread not having a spoiler tag.

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

^ Please be mindful of spoilers. @Admiral Jean-Luc Picard hasn’t yet watched the show, as I understand it. As might others who click on a thread not having a spoiler tag.

I get mad when people spoil movies, but when it comes to TV, I'm chill. Just don't tell me if people die, now THAT is a spoiler.

 

[Saul]

Does Strange New Worlds work as a follow-up to Disco S1-2

Yes, completely.

and as a prequel to TOS?

No. The first season at least felt in the spirit of TOS and the character arcs resembled something that might become TOS later down the line. But season 2 has gone off on it's own tangent. It's become too far of a stretch to actually put all the toys back into the box and have it line up with TOS. It's a SF show doing it's own thing.

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

I guess you can imagine that it's a fiction based on Captain Pike's logs, so it's basically what happened, but exaggerated a bit for 2020's television. Everything has more light strips on it and shiny floors and blinky lights too high up for people to even see, Chapel and Spock have more relationship drama, the Gorn are now Xenomorphs, the Romulans have 7 billion ships. Just don't take it too literally and it mostly fits together with the Prime Timeline.

Updating visuals, science, tech, and so on so the show is a 2020's vision of the future, that stuff doesn't bother me, and I kind of expect it. OK, so in TOS, spoil me, what was thw whole Spock-Chapel thing? Was it one of those crushes where the crush doesn't crush back, more or less? I heard the Gorn became xenos. LMAO Didn't the Romulans always have a lot of ships though, or at least a fleet that rivaled the Federation Starfleet and the Klingon fleet? I always understood that the Federation, Klingons, and Romulans were the big bads of space regarding a large fleet of ships and a large claim of worlds and moons.

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

Yes, completely.


No. The first season at least felt in the spirit of TOS and the character arcs resembled something that might become TOS later down the line. But season 2 has gone off on it's own tangent. It's become too far of a stretch to actually put all the toys back into the box and have it line up with TOS. It's a SF show doing it's own thing.

Why do you say S2 is too far off to lead into TOS? I don't care about spoilers, but SHUSH about character deaths.

 

[Sketcher]

Honestly, that's the fun of prequels for me - the fact things don't appear to easily line up with the original content (Star Wars, Smallville, Gotham, Hannibal), and seeing how they do actually get there.

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

Honestly, that's the fun of prequels for me - the fact things don't appear to easily line up with the original content (Star Wars, Smallville, Gotham, Hannibal), and seeing how they do actually get there.

Depends on the prequel. The Star Was prequel trilogy specifically lead into the original movie trilogy. Smallville and Gotham aren't really prequels as they do not lead into an existing film or series. Those two shows are more self-contained "origin" stories. Hannibal... that's a sequel to Silence of the Lambs, not a prequel.

All that said, I do get what you're saying. Continuity on point, sloppy, or "don't care" aside, I think the show's intended to be a prequel to TOS rather than the "idea" of TOS.

 

[HotRod]

Why do you say S2 is too far off to lead into TOS? I don't care about spoilers, but SHUSH about character deaths.

It's just a matter of opinion. In my own personal opinion, season 2 of SNW still works perfectly fine as a prequel to TOS. Are there things that might require a little imagination to make all line up? Absolutely. But that's half the fun of being a fan. Thinking of creative ways to make it ALL work.

 

[Noname Given]

I'm watching Discovery for the 2nd time, still at the start of S2. I'm also 9 episodes into the original show via Blu-ray (original effects). From the first 9, I'd completely forgotten 6 episodes, so despite being an old show, it feels brand new. I've seen all episodes, but most of them, only once or twice and since forgotten. hah

Does Strange New Worlds work as a follow-up to Disco S1-2 and as a prequel to TOS? I understand creative liberties have been taken, so I'm more asking about characters and story arcs more so than nitty gritty details. Do you feel like they gave the show a good 2020's facelift while still having that classic TOS look?

Yes. Especially given the fact that Star Trek continuity has never been 100% consistent or Bulletproof in any of its incarnations.

The character writing on the show is absolutely spectacular as far as this fan of the original Star Trek series who saw it first run on NBC in 1969 at the age of six thanks.

It is respectful of existing continuity, but often challenges a lot of preconceptions fans had of Pike's Adventures, and Kirk's time in Starfleet prior to TOS; and I love it.