The totally official, all head-canon Unified Timeline Theory of the Trek Multiverse

[FederationHistorian]

The holodeck of the Enterprise-E (in First Contact) didn't seem to require a costume change (I believe it was RLM that had alot of questions on what Lily was wearing or not in that scene), so it's possible that this "update" in software was applied to the Enterprise-D late in its voyage.

Now, of course, there is the question of Generations a year later, which had the crew all dress up in 18th century period costumes, outside of the holodeck, but maybe the costume party was going to continue in Ten Forward or something and that's why they replicated those crazy outfits.

I have no explanation for Riker and Troi's appearance, but, you know, they're actors. Just like we shouldn't (necessarily) explain that Ishka or Tora Ziyal had plastic surgery a couple times to look like different people, we shouldn't need to come up with some convoluted reason why Riker and Troi looked ten years older on the holodeck (and in Ten Forward) during the Pegasus incident. Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis don't look exactly like Will Riker and Deanna Troi. They're just approximations (as are their occasional stunt and body doubles), and the "real" Riker and Troi didn't age rapidly during that event.

Not sure why they would continue to wear costumes in Ten Forward for a promotion, considering that they were holding the celebrations for said promotion on the holodeck.

Yes, they are actors, on a fictional tv show, and are doing an approximation of an episode that was aired 15 years earlier. But I don’t see why it cannot be looked at the way I laid it out, once the holodeck upgrades are taken into account. It just makes the in-universe storytelling look more consistent.

 

[publiusr]

I have this idea of Ent/Disc/Picard being due to Narada’s final debris ending up in the prime timeline. The Voyager trip to the 20th century changed the prime a bit too.

Spock’s BoP time travel went to this world, where whales never went extinct—and back to their own “alpha-prime” timeline, where Sternbach’s Chronology is, and the 1990’s are not how we remember

 

[Paul755]

I just go with parallel universes to explain Disco and Picard.

Just little differences that changed things. Not quite as drastic as the Mirror Universe. But closer to some of those parallel universes we see Worf experience in “Parallels”. Same basic timeline just little differences here and there.

But that’s just me. YMMV.

 

[Mage]

Ok, so.........This is going to be intense, right?? And hard to follow.....

Because I've this weird theory on how it all works together, and it's really hardcore.....
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It just does. Writers made a small mistake here and there. The only reason people need weird multiverse theories is to create happy places. Go for it if that makes you happy. But in the end, it's all one timeline except for the Kelvin one, that one literally states itself as a different branch.

Now, if the next few episodes of Discovery state the same, there you go. Other than that, it's also Prime. Like TOS. Like TNG. Like DS9. Like VOY. Like ENT. Like the movies 1-10. Like LD. Done.

 

[Dukhat]

Ok, so.........This is going to be intense, right?? And hard to follow.....

Because I've this weird theory on how it all works together, and it's really hardcore.....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

.
.
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It just does. Writers made a small mistake here and there. The only reason people need weird multiverse theories is to create happy places. Go for it if that makes you happy. But in the end, it's all one timeline except for the Kelvin one, that one literally states itself as a different branch.

Now, if the next few episodes of Discovery state the same, there you go. Other than that, it's also Prime. Like TOS. Like TNG. Like DS9. Like VOY. Like ENT. Like the movies 1-10. Like LD. Done.

So I'm assuming this was just a fun little thought experiment @Serveaux came up with, and not something that allows him to sleep better at night because he's such a stereotypically obsessive-compulsive Star Trek fan. One universe minus the Kelvin timeline is what CBS has dictated; that's not really in question. But there's nothing wrong with coming up with fun explanations as to why prequels made after the fact never stand up to scrutiny to the original works they were based on (see Star Wars for an example of that kind of mess), especially when those explanations are not all that convoluted in order for them to work.

 

[BillJ]

The only reason people need weird multiverse theories is to create happy places.

Not really. It simply has become a convoluted mess over the last fifty years, constantly tripping all over itself. A multiverse allows it all to make sense, open up story possibilities without throwing away what came before with a reboot.

They simply can’t send Georgiou back to the 23rd century without it being a multiverse.

 

[Mage]

Not really. It simply has become a convoluted mess over the last fifty years, constantly tripping all over itself. A multiverse allows it all to make sense, open up story possibilities without throwing away what came before with a reboot.

They simply can’t send Georgiou back to the 23rd century without it being a multiverse.

For me, it really isn't an issue. If the story says she's now back in the 23rd century in the same universe, cool by me.

 

[BillJ]

For me, it really isn't an issue. If the story says she's now back in the 23rd century in the same universe, cool by me.

See I don’t understand the feeling that it doesn’t really matter if the story makes sense as long as they say its “Prime”.

 

[Tim Thomason]

Not really. It simply has become a convoluted mess over the last fifty years, constantly tripping all over itself. A multiverse allows it all to make sense, open up story possibilities without throwing away what came before with a reboot.

They simply can’t send Georgiou back to the 23rd century without it being a multiverse.

I mean, Georgiou's a top agent who's existence is already secret. She can go back to the 23rd century and have her fun adventures without it affecting the timeline whatsoever. We just have to assume her classified adventures never get made public (which is for the best).

 

[Paul755]

I mean, Star Trek already is a multiverse. And not just because of the Kelvin Timeline either.

 

[Mudd]

I mean, Star Trek already is a multiverse. And not just because of the Kelvin Timeline either.

None of which needs to be addressed in the present connection.

Anyone can posit as many universes and time-branches as they like to explain as much of Trek's messy continuity as they feel is necessary, and that's all fine.

But...it only requires these two time branches/loops in order to make 94.62% of the major contradictions and confusion introduced by Trek's multiple series and reboots fall neatly into place (albeit after a little wiggling around). It covers most visual as well as narrative inconsistencies. And both of these incidents exist explicitly as resets in onscreen Star Trek continuity.

I think every reasonable person can agree that this theory is likely the greatest single contribution to modern, post-war Western culture since television itself.

 

[1001001]

I think every reasonable person can agree that this theory is likely the greatest single contribution to modern, post-war Western culture since television itself.

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[Annorax849]

It wasn't even really call it head canon, but a few years ago I kinda had a theory of 4 timelines: The original 1966-2005 (which would now definitely include Picard), Discovery, Kelvan Timeline, and the original "Prime" timeline that was in the JJ movies. Now I've come around and put DSC and JJ-Prime with everything else (although PIC sort of retconning the Supernova to the Romulus star might imply a difference).

I know some here don't like him, but Major Grin on youtube had a theory that iirc was that the time travel in FC made a significant difference. Cochrane seeing the Ent-E was the inspiration for the NX-01... which in this new timeline actually replaced the XCV.

 

[Orphalesion]

I honestly just regard all theshows/movies as being "broad strokes" canon to each other. Yeah there are inconsistencies, but that happens with any large franchise. I don't feel the need to create timelines out of it.
But if it brings you enjoyment to do so, then cool.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

There are several timelines, but all the TV series we see are in the one that won, except when the story specifically takes them to another one.

My way of explaining the tonal inconsistencies is pretending many different historians are writing about the same history for different audiences.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Is there one with no shrimp?

 

[Tim Thomason]

Is there one with no shrimp?

Shrimp has only been referenced or seen in the TOS movies, DS9, and Voyager. The Discoverse, the Kelvin Timeline, the TOS universe and the TAS realm might all constitute shrimp-less planes of existence.

 

[Mudd]

I know some here don't like him, but Major Grin on youtube had a theory that iirc was that the time travel in FC made a significant difference. Cochrane seeing the Ent-E was the inspiration for the NX-01... which in this new timeline actually replaced the XCV.

Yes.

Here's a curve, for fun: There's a moment in FC when the question is asked "Why weren't we affected by the Borg time incursion?" and Data answers that "Perhaps we were protected by being caught in the temporal wake."

Or, the alternative answer is that they were affected. Unbeknownst to them, they're predestined to succeed in their mission back in time. They see the Borg Earth because, being caught in that temporal wake, they're seeing more than one version of events as they shift - but their memories are already being affected, and when they reach 2163 they're trying to restore history to what they're about to change it into rather than what it was in the pre-branching timeline.

 

[Orphalesion]

Is there one with no shrimp?

More importantly; what about the one that's nothing but shrimp?

 

[Dukhat]

Yes.

Here's a curve, for fun: There's a moment in FC when the question is asked "Why weren't we affected by the Borg time incursion?" and Data answers that "Perhaps we were protected by being caught in the temporal wake."

Or, the alternative answer is that they were affected. Unbeknownst to them, they're predestined to succeed in their mission back in time. They see the Borg Earth because, being caught in that temporal wake, they're seeing more than one version of events as they shift - but their memories are already being affected, and when they reach 2163 they're trying to restore history to what they're about to change it into rather than what it was in the pre-branching timeline.

Nah, that’s too convoluted. I prefer to think that Picard et. al were aware of the changes after they returned to the ‘new’ 24th century, just like how Sisko was aware of the Gabriel Bell change.