Star Trek: Discovery - 8 Reasons Why It's The Best Series Since TNG
7. It Roots Itself In The Original Series
CBS
On top of its embrace of the series' original concept, Discovery has made an effort to create a truly authentic prequel to the adventures of Kirk et al. Unlike Enterprise, which almost went too far into the past, Discovery is set a decade before TOS, affording it a more direct connection to the wider Trek mythology and in turn elevating its chronological importance in the exploration of the years that precede the events of that show.
While The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager are all held in high regard, with the shows themselves being set a century following the events of TOS, it's refreshing to see the period predating the events of the Enterprise's five year mission being explored, particularly when they're done with as much intent as Discovery has displayed thus far.
It's a daunting task, exploring the foundations of one of the world's most popular and beloved sci-fi works, but Discovery does so convincingly whilst also maintaining its own identity. It's more than just a precursor to TOS in that sense, which makes the fact it's so eager to explore the intricacies of Trek mythology all the more exciting.
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
