Star Trek continuity is constantly changing because of Picard
From Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Star Trek fans these days often complain about the continuity problems caused by series like discovery And Strange New WorldsBut such complaints are not really new. In fact, there are various plot points Pursue sparked a wave of fan anger over continuity changes, and these complaints continued with the release of the Kelvinverse films. In the past, fans have blamed the writers for these problems, but it turns out that all of Star Trek’s biggest continuity problems were caused by Captain Picard during the events of Star Trek First contact.
Star Trek: First Contact did it
As you will remember, Star Trek: First Contact Continuity concerns were built right into the narrative thanks to a plot involving the Borg’s return to 21st century Earth and the destruction of the timeline as we know it. Captain Picard followed the Borg into the past and defeated them, while other members of his crew helped Zefram Cochrane complete humanity’s historic first warp speed flight. This flight caught the attention of nearby Vulcans and brought Earth into the larger galaxy, but while the film suggests that Picard completely rewrote history, later continuity issues prove that he may have made things worse.
Before we move on, it is important to focus on a few of them Star Trek Continuity issues that fans have focused on ever since Pursue It began airing in 2001. In this show, the fusion of the Vulcan mind became something that only certain Vulcans could do and that their society frowned upon, contradicting everything we knew about it The original series. Further continuity problems arise from the series’ clumsy insistence on episodes featuring the Ferengi and the Borg, two races that seemingly no one had ever heard of before Picard’s misadventures in Starfleet The next generation.
It’s not Nero’s fault
The later Star Trek reboot films tried to get around continuity problems by explaining that it was an alternate universe in which the Romulan Nero traveled back in time and changed history forever. But that still doesn’t explain why Chekhov is a different age, why Khan has a different ethnicity and healing blood, or why Sulu is now openly gay. While it is possible to explain other changes such as the increase in size of Starfleet’s ships as a result of Nero’s timely attack on the Federation, none of these particular changes can truly be attributed to it, but one theory is that this could all have been caused unintentionally by Picard.
Not all timeline changes to the Star Trek continuity in the Kelvinverse Movies make sense because of Nero’s attack, and none of the Enterprise continuity issues make sense at all. However, some fans have noticed that Picard made major timeline changes in 2063 while saving humanity from the Borg. It is quite possible that this explains the apparent continuity changes in Pursue (which begins in 2151) and Star Trek (2009), which takes place in the year 2255.
Picard and the Butterfly Effect
Obviously, this Star Trek theory isn’t perfect, but it could explain many of the continuity changes that audiences are complaining about. Think of it like the butterfly effect: even small changes Picard made in the past could have a big impact on the future. First contact came out five years ago Pursue and 13 years before the first Kelvinverse film, so it would make some kind of meta sense that we’re now seeing a timeline permanently altered by Picard’s shenanigans, with each new on-screen adventure influenced by Picard’s previous actions.
This theory would explain the later problems with the Star Trek: Discovery Continuity that ranged from changes to the appearance of the Klingons to Spock suddenly having a brilliant Mary Sue sister we’ve never heard of. Interesting, Strange New Worlds implicitly supports this theory with an episode that confirmed that important details such as Khan’s birth date were changed due to the constant interference of time travelers.
Now, it’s one thing to have a fun Star Trek theory, but it’s another thing for fans to accept this as the reason for all these big continuity changes. For better or worse, however, fans will have to prepare for even more changes. Given that the next Trek film will be an original film, seemingly rehashing First Contact Aliens and humanity joining the United Federation of Planets – events we’ve literally already seen on screen – it looks like Trek’s continuity will never fully align with its decades of established lore.
Well, yes. The next time Captain Picard travels back in time, perhaps he can focus on making sense of his franchise. Or just make it interesting again. To be honest, we would be happy with that!
