Discovery's Timeline

From time to time I see posts in which someone complains that such and such event in Discovery violates continuity. But Discovery reminds me more of NuTrek than prime Trek continuity.

1) Parts of the interior ship designs and instrumentation remind me more of NuTrek than of any prime movie or series.
2) Sarek is clearly modeled after Ben Cross's Sarek, not Mark Lenard's.
3) The inhuman look of the Klingons reminds me more of NuTrek's Klingons than any prime series' Klingons.

If Discovery is in the NuTrek continuity, then there is really very little continuity for them to have to follow, and they are pretty much free to do what they want. Is there any reason we have to believe Discovery is in prime Trek continuity instead of NuTrek continuity?

 

Klingon war.

(Yes, my initial snarky answer now redacted was faulty.)

 

Here, you can read all 135 pages of arguing over this issue: https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/kelvin-timeline-all-but-confirmed.287841/

 

Yes there is a reason, because the people working on the show have said it is prime.

Anything else is just inspiration and modernization.

 

I'm not necessarily saying shut it down, but it is well worn territory. People generally fall in one of two camps:
"The authors say it is the Prime timeline, therefore it is the Prime timeline."

"The on screen visuals and technology do not fit in with the existing Canon, therefore not the Prime timeline."

"Authorial intent!"

"On screen evidence!"

"Prime!"

"Kelvin/reboot!"

"Jackanape!"

"Cur!"

"Pistols at dawn!"

Neither side makes any progress in convincing the other of anything.

 

The writers and producers keep going out of their way to insist that it takes place in the Prime Universe and that everything will sync up properly at some vague and unspecified point, which used to be the end of season 1 but is now apparently the end of season 2.

However, I am more than happy ignoring these claims and will place Discovery in its own timeline.

 

These aren't continuity related.

First, there is no reason for "NuTrek" to be the default assumption in the first place, other than "stuff looks different". Aside from the fact that everyone creatively involved has unambiguously said so repeatedly, there are important story factors that place it:

- There will be no Romulan meeting prior to Balance of Terror, yet Discovery takes place 23 years after the NuTrek Romulan meeting

- Klingon war breaks out 3 years before the first possibility of such is suggested in NuTrek continuity

- Enterprise and Constitution fleet exist in Discovery 2 years before NuTrek Enterprise is launched.

Naturally this list will continue to grow as long as Discovery continues to be written by people who deliberately intend to set it in the prime continuity, which it is.

 

In Into Darkness, the Klingons "have conquered and occupied two planets that we know of and fired on our ships half a dozen times" - directly contradicting Discovery's Klingon/Federation war.

Discovery is it's own thing, a loose prequel to TOS in the same manner that Smallville was a prequel to the old Superman movies.

 

DIS maintains a general continuity with TOS, just not so much a visual one. As far as major events go, it's far in line with TOS than the Kelvin Timeline.

 

It looks different because it's not 1966, 1987 or 2001, and TV shows have a different aesthetic now. Its in the Prime continuity because the powers that be have said so.

Similarities with NuTrek are inevitable because they are contemporaries.

There really isn't any more to it than that.