Star Trek: Discovery Review - 6 Ups And 5 Downs From Season 1
7. Damage To Continuity
For a show that professes to be set in the Prime timeline, just a decade before The Original Series in canon, it certainly plays fast and loose with franchise continuity at times.
The severity of the Klingon War is just one example. While nothing in earlier series necessarily precludes the dire circumstances portrayed, the idea that it was never previously mentioned in canon that the Klingons almost brought the Federation to its knees strains credibility.
There’s also the small matter of the Federation sealing all records of the Discovery’s foray into the mirror universe, yet allowing a Terran dictator to go free. This doesn’t seem to be the best way of preventing word about alternate dimensions from spreading. Not to mention, if Discovery brought back intel on the fate of the USS Defiant, then why would this information not be used to save the ship in future?
Add the recent continuation of using the spore drive, which seems to undermine the idea that the network will cease as viable technology by the time of TOS, and you have a story that will need to work hard to reconcile its supposed place in the canonical Prime timeline.
Of course, things aren't all bad. Far from it, in fact; this was a strong first season of Star Trek. Here are the main reasons for that...