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Lower Decks is so great, they very cleverly exploit some continuity stuff while creating some genuine Trek style action. I watched the pilot of Prodigy but wasn’t interested.

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This was a fun explainer about the new show and many of the things I like about it, including characters like Chapel and Number One who have been one dimensional in the past. I feel like this is the essential difference between TOS and SNW - the characters who were grudgingly allowed by network tv then still had very little to say or do.

I do disagree with you (and everyone in SF or comics) about the necessity of continuity. Pike is a special case because of his ties to the pilot of the entire franchise I suppose but I feel like the last several years of Discovery (not to mention the kelvin verse) have shown us that we should not plan on things turning out how we expect them to.

Overall, I enjoy SNW probably as much as Discovery already, and I like it a lot. I also love Lower Decks. Trek is so large and sprawling and multigenerational now that I think creators should just make the best stories they can that are relevant to now, without worrying too much that some day player once was given a line about not being able to travel faster than Warp Nine or some nonsense.

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Hey, thanks for the comment. Pike's foreknowledge is the biggest sticking point for me but to be honest it doesn't bother me that much and as I had written I think his overall character and concern for his crew would prevent him from doing anything really stupid.

By contrast, the Discovery plot of Michael Burnham being Spock's adopted sister doesn't really do any harm and does flesh out both of their characters a bit; Discovery also came up with a good justification for never bringing her up again, FWIW.

One could also argue the point that both Robert April and Kyle are not played by Caucasian actors in SNW, which is against canon but tbh I really don't care. So yeah, the material can always use some room to breathe and take in current cultural influences.

I really need to catch up on both Lower Decks and Prodigy!

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