Without Star Trek: Discovery there would be no Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Although Star Trek: Discovery ended this year, it remains one of the most controversial series among Star Trek fans and will likely remain so for years to come. Some fans found it too dark, while others felt it tried too hard to be Trek. And the list of reasons why people hate it is endless, but there is one inescapable reason why Discovery deserves acclaim. Thanks to that series, we now have Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Captain Pike (Anson Mount) was introduced as an interim captain in Discovery’s second season, and with him came the mystery surrounding Spock’s (Ethan Peck) alleged killing of several people at a medical facility. When Spock was finally brought aboard Discovery, the chemistry between him and Captain Pike was unmistakable. Even the brief interaction we saw with Pike and his Number One (Rebecca Romijn) clearly showed a connection that would continue in Strange New Worlds. Add in the Enterprise, and you have the makings of a brand new series that follows Captain Pike and his crew as they “go places no one has ever gone before.”

Would we have had Strange New Worlds without Discovery? Maybe we would have gotten something similar eventually, but maybe not with these actors. That’s one of the reasons the series is so successful, and it was Discovery fans who started the call for a spin-off. They saw something in Pike’s leadership skills and Spock’s dedication to Starfleet and his crew.

There will always be fans who didn’t like the connection Discovery made between Captain Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Spock. The connection as his adopted sister was unwelcome and many fans feel it goes against canon. However, there is one thing that cannot be argued about: the popularity of Strange New Worlds among fans. And had Pike not been beamed aboard Discovery, we might not have the Enterprise crew we now have on Strange New Worlds.