Why "The Cage" TOS Talosian storyline needs continuity in SNW
With the upcoming S3 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, headed by Captain Pike (portrayed by Anson Mount), I was intrigued by the potential continuation of Pike’s Klingon Time Stone-induced visions of his future injuries—life-threatening injuries that will eventually render him paralyzed and speechless from a radiation accident that occurred on the U.S.S. Constitution.
To connect all the Starfleet dots in and around the Kelvin versus the Prime Timeline, I recently rewatched S1 E1 “The Cage” of TOS with Captain Pike (portrayed by Jeffrey Hunter) - where the iconic Talosian storyline began. Pike's first adventure on the U.S.S. Enterprise and his life-altering bout with the Talosians of Talos IV, the fourth planet in the Talosian star system. We witness, for the first time, a hostile first contact with an alien species that essentially has a petting zoo of alien species in captivity for their viewing amusement and illusion manipulation.
The Talosians are an advanced species that have evolved over thousands of years to develop extraordinary telepathic abilities to project highly sophisticated illusions, to read minds, and to alter other species' thoughts and dreams. However, to the Talosians’ detriment, they spent a tremendous amount of their time developing their telepathic skills. So much so that the Talosians lost their physical acumen to repair their own technological devices. Resulting in their surface world becoming barren and desolate.
"It goes back to the very first episode of Star Trek, the original pilot." @ansonmount discusses the importance of Talos IV in @StarTrek canon. #StarTrekDiscovery pic.twitter.com/K0fBnQCVWv
— Star Trek on Paramount+ (@StarTrekOnPPlus) March 9, 2019