‘Star Trek’ Fans Are Worried ‘Discovery’ Broke Continuity With a Holodeck

It was bound to happen sooner or later – Star Trek: Discovery may have stretched canon to a breaking point. Fans are concerned Sunday’s “Lethe” may have utilized a holodeck decades before Starfleet developed the technology, and we go deep into Trek history to investigate.

A short sequence from Sunday’s latest Star Trek: Discovery saw Captain Lorca and newly-minted Chief of Security Ash Tyler using what appeared to be holodeck technology to train against Klingon warriors (at which Tyler seemed abnormally proficient, hint-hint). Anyone versed in Star Trek continuity might have raised an eyebrow, as official “holodecks” weren’t in use until the era of Star Trek: The Next Generation a century later.

As you might imagine, the apparent anachronism did not go unnoticed by fans:

The appearance of said technology has since inspired canon debate both for, and against the appearance of a potential holodeck. For one, the questionably-canonical Star Trek: The Animated Series featured a holodeck-esque “recreation room” that Star Trek wiki Memory Alpha recognizes as a precursor to the technology, while Discovery prequel Star Trek: Enterprise featured early encounters with alien technology that resembled a holodeck. Others have suggested that an advanced “Spore Drive” ship like Discovery might count holo-technology among Lorca’s unique collections.

In truth, Trek canon has seemingly overwritten itself a dozen times over (remember the ‘90s Eugenics Wars?), while Discovery in particular has already raised questions with its redesigned Klingons, uniforms and overall aesthetic. A solitary simulation presented without context shouldn’t officially break canon, though it won’t be the last time fans question whether Discovery overstepped its unique position within continuity.

We’ll see if the latter half of Season 1 offers any clarity on Lorca’s simulation (don’t forget Season 2), but have Star Trek: Discovery writers officially broken the timeline?

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