Strange New Worlds Easter Eggs Bring Back the Very First Star Trek Adventure in a New Way

Gault

Batel mentions she picked up the “mariner’s keystone” on the planet Gault. This is probably the same Gault where Worf grew up, which, from the perspective of Strange New Worlds, is in the future.

Rigel VII

This episode is all about Rigel VII, first glimpsed in telepathic flashbacks in “The Cage,” the very first Star Trek pilot episode from 1965. Number One mentions “we were there five years ago as a routine exploration of a class-M planet.” That would have happened in the year 2254, because it’s 2259 in the “present.” The entire backstory of “The Cage” occurs just before what Pike called “the fight on Rigel VII.”

Spock Injuries 

Pike mentions that on Rigel VII, “we lost three people, we had to get to Vega colony before Spock’s injuries made it four.” Later he says that “Spock was bleeding out.” In “The Cage,” Spock walks with a limp, which was an intentional choice. At the very beginning of “The Cage,” Pike says that the Enterprise is headed to “…the Vega Colony and take care of our own sick and injured first.”

Pike’s Mistakes on Rigel VII

Pike mentions that “last time we went down there we were in uniform, I am not making that mistake twice.” In “The Cage,” Pike also blames himself saying, “I should have smelled trouble when I saw the swords and the armor.” 

Subdermal Universal Translators

In order to communicate with the local Kalar, the landing party has “subdermal” universal translators. One wonders why these might not just be standard issue all the time? In Discovery, we saw the standard communicator working as a universal translator. In The Next Generation, it’s assumed that the combadge is also a built-in universal translator. Also, in “Patterns of Force,” Kirk and Spock had “subdermal transponders” injected into their arms, which were basically like homing beacons.

Is It the Same Castle?

In “The Cage” (and later, again in “The Menagerie”), the Rigel VII castle has a very distinct look. Is this meant to be the same castle? Probably not. In “The Cage,” Pike says, “I let myself get trapped in that deserted fortress and attacked by one of their warriors.” The castle here is certainly not deserted.