"The Cage" never happened in the Reboot Timeline

[TrekLost]

I have this fanon idea that "The Cage" still happened. Y'see, "The Cage" happened in the Prime Reality in 2254, since the Enterprise had already been launched by then. But in the altered reality it's 2258 when the Enterprise launches. So you'd think that "The Cage" never happened... BUT, remember:
-Pike is Earthbound in 2255, doing recruiting. He apparently does not have a ship, he's apparently waiting for the Enterprise to finish up. But I doubt he'd be getting such a great gig as the Federation Flagship without having done some great stuff before, no matter how good that dissertation about the Kelvin was.
-It is noted in the movie that Spock was one of SFA's most distinguished graduates and that he'd been doing Kobayashi Maru programming for 4 years (since 2254, when he'd be about 22). Yet I doubt that a "graduate" would be considered "distinguished" if he was on Terra Firma most of the time: Spock must have had some time aboard a operational vessel seeking out new life, etc. etc.

I think it did happen, here's something I posted in another thread (about a sequel idea I had):

So here's what I think happened:
-So anyway, here's my idea: In early 2254, Captain Christopher Pike, aboard the USS Yorktown, traveled to Talos IV with a young Half-Vulcan named Spock (straight out of the academy!), a intelligent woman named Number One, etc. What they found there so shocked Starfleet Command that it was classified to only the highest ranked of eyes, and a General Order (7) was put out: anyone who visits or approaches Talos IV FOR ANY REASON will be put.... to death.
-Pike, however, was so affected by the experience that he decided to transfer off the Yorktown and instead do recruiting for SFA for a few years, and eventually become the captain of Starfleet's new flagship, USS Enterprise.
-Spock just plain old went back to SFA and became a instructor for a few years. He so impressed Pike in early '54, however, that Pike decided he'd be the First Officer when the Enterprise launches.

Oh, and Talos IV made Pike a bit grey, too.

 

[dHunter333]

""The Cage" never happened because:

- Enterprise was launched in 2245 (in the old timeline) with "The Cage" happening in 2254

- Enterprise was launched in 2258 (in the new timeline). It was delayed for 13 years compared to the original timeline.

- Both Spock and Pike work for the Academy in the new timeline (they don't serve on a starship together) prior to the events of the film in 2258."

presumably the destruction of the kelvin created ripples like when the enterprise was created

 

[Captain Pike]

Spock is a commander in the movie IIRC. Chekov mistakenly calls him "Commander" while he is in charge of the ship, then corrects himself saying "Captain, sorry, Captain..".

 

[Kaziarl]

Actually, according to MA anyway, when Kirk was 25, Chekov would have been 13 or 14 years of age.

I noticed that discrepancy, but can explain it. Nero altered events starting with the attack on the Kelvin. One side effect of that was to alter the lives of Chekov's parents, so that they had a child 3 or 4 years earlier than they did in the original timeline.

Yeah, that was my guess too. Probably someone one of Chekov's parents were involved with died on the kelvin, making his parents get together sooner. Although wouldn't that be a different set of DNA from both sides? Guess that explains the red hair too.

 

[DaveyNY]

The only age that doesn't look consistent is Pike.

Pike in 2254 (The Cage) in the old time line:

Pike in 2255 in the new time line:

Apparently, in this new Trek, Grecian Formula For Men... doesn't exist !

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

If Pike never went to Talos IV in the new timeline, that means the Talosians are still out there, and still dangerous...waiting to lure in some poor sod.

 

[pookha]

What Captain Pike said.

THE Captain Pike was given the command of the Enterprise, reguardless if there was just cadets on board or not. And we don't know what happened before that established storyline, for all we know Pike and Spock were on another Starship, did the events established in the cage (except for all mentions of the Enterprise changed to another ship) and then went to earth to train cadets.

That doesnt add up though.

During the year of "The Cage" and Pike's mission; Pike was on Earth working with Starfleet;

- The Bar fight scene when Pike recruits Kirk..

- And in the next scene, Pike is seen in the Academy Commander's uniform with a shuttle of new recruits

for all we know it could have gone done like this,
pike and spock served together on another ship perhaps even an earlier enterprise.

the cage did happen.
soon afterward that ship was retired.
because of the events of the cage or some other reason soon after pike got promoted but was promised a chance to command the new flagship after she was built.
to do something waiting for his new ship he decided he wanted to go out and seek the kind of recruits he thought starfleet needed.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

There's also the question of Pike's accident in the original timeline. If *that* doesn't go down, then a whole ship full of cadets (whom Pike rescued in the original 'line) are going to die.

 

[Danoz]

Amazing how nerdy we are that we can spend this much time trying to reconcile these differences in canon .

At least most of us loved the movie-- that's what matters

 

[DaveyNY]

Amazing how nerdy we are that we can spend this much time trying to reconcile these differences in canon .

At least most of us loved the movie-- that's what matters

WE've been This Nerdy since Trek began...

I've been Ret-connin' Trek since 1972, when I attended my first Trek-Con in NYC and found out there were Other's out there, like me.

Just cause WE try to make it all fit together, doesn't mean WE don't like/love it...

 

[Theodore Jay Miller]

Actually, this movie has erradicated all previous Trek.......Not just the Cage.

Think about this for a minute. Everyone's life has been changed, which mean their children's lives as well. It may be that some who were destined to have kids now may not have any!

No TNG, no DS9, no Voyager, no ENTERPRISE, no nothing. Totally erased from history.

Not necessarily. In Star Trek time travel, changes often damp out rather than spreading. For example, in City on the Edge of Forever, while McCoy saving Edith Keeler altered all later history, once McCoy was stopped from saving her, nothing else that Kirk, Spock, and McCoy did in 1930 altered the future.

So much of TNG, DS9, and Voyager might remain unaltered, despite the changes a century earlier.

 

[Pindar]

He still ended up in a wheelchair.

That's close enough for me.

 

[SpokOdo]

I'm trying to figure out how a 17-year old managed to get a position on the bridge of the Enterprise.

When I first started watching Trek Wesley Crusher was flying the ship. Probably why this part of the film didn't seem odd to me at all.

 

[Stone_Cold_Sisko]

- Both Spock and Pike work for the Academy in the new timeline (they don't serve on a starship together) prior to the events of the film in 2258.

I'm not so sure about that. When Spock comes to the bridge for the first time there seems to be an easy familiarity, they know each other already. I think it is entirely possible that Spock served with Pike when he was a senior graduating cadet. In fact I'll go so far as to say that The Cage did indeed happen already. What will probably not happen or happen differently is The Menagerie.

 

[cwl]

Chekov might be a genius but still too young in my book- then again the whole cadets being used to many the fleets best ship was a bit too far.

 

[Haggis and tatties]

He still ended up in a wheelchair.

That's close enough for me.

You took the word right out of my mouth.

 

[candle_86]

The other interesting thing about Chekov's age..

Pavel said he was 22 in TOS.

Since this takes place about 5-6 years before Kirk is supposed to take command in the old timeline; Pavel being only 17 makes sense.

wrong Pavel said he was 22 in 2267, that means he is 17 in 2262 in 2258 take a wild guess he is 13

 

[Tom]

As for April, since the enterprise was 13 years late he probably ended up with command of another ship around 2245, its that simple. And Enterprise delay alters pikes carreer.

Lets open another can of worms.. was the Enterprise in the new timeline also the first constitution class (thats why shes the flag ship, because shes the latest and greatist model) ?? We saw no others like her. If this was the case then the reason might be that one or two of the Connies designers died on the Kelvin when Nero attacted. Who knows, maybe the woman that got sucked into space and hit the phaser turrent helped design the Connies! Anything is possible when you fuck with time!

 

[Andre7]

I was intrigued by something. When Pike calls down to sick bay from the bridge after Nero attacks them... McCoy states that the doctor (he names him so quickly I did not catch it) is dead and Pike tells him that makes him the new chief medical officer.

The dead Chief Medical officer... Is that Doctor Boyce from "the menagerie"-"the cage"?

 

[Trekker4747]

The other interesting thing about Chekov's age..

Pavel said he was 22 in TOS.

Since this takes place about 5-6 years before Kirk is supposed to take command in the old timeline; Pavel being only 17 makes sense.

wrong Pavel said he was 22 in 2267, that means he is 17 in 2262 in 2258 take a wild guess he is 13

I postulated in another thread that the incident with the Klevin could've caused an early "baby boom" with those officers, one of which being Chekov's father, which could've resulted in Chekov being born a few years earlier than he normaly would have. (And due to the oddities of genetics would even result in a different-looking Chekov. )