Love it or loathe it, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has made a name for itself by both honoring classic Trek lore and finding bold new ways to expand it. As a prequel to The Original Series, it’s understandable that the show would take certain liberties to build on and reshape canon, but some fans have argued the spin-off plays a little too fast and loose with history. The Season 3 finale, “New Life and New Civilisations,” pushes the Enterprise Crew to their limits, while placing front and centre the priceless relationships and loyalties between them — but in doing so, it retcons some major pieces of TOS lore. At the center is Spock (Ethan Peck), whose actions reframe one of the most important friendships in science fiction history, while also altering some details fans thought were a given since the 1960s.
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“New Worlds and New Civilisations” brings together the Enterprise and Farragut crews as they face perhaps their most formidable enemy yet in the Vezda, an ancient malevolent race, first introduced earlier this season in “Through the Lens of Time”. Now, with one having escaped and infiltrated the planet Skygowan, the Vezda are one step away from breaking free of their prison to unleash havoc. To save Skygowan and, indeed, the Universe, Spock performs a mind meld with Kirk (Paul Wesley), allowing their two ships to synchronize their phaser fire. The maneuver succeeds, but the ramifications for canon are far bigger than the Vezda’s eventual defeat.
Let’s break down the three biggest ways Spock’s retcon changes what we thought we knew about TOS.
1) How Spock & Kirk Became Friends
For decades, fans have wondered how the legendary Kirk/Spock bromance began. The standalone style of The Original Series episodes, designed to ensure viewers could jump in without missing key context, meant that when we first met Kirk and Spock, we were catapulted straight into a relationship defined by chess games and playful bridge banter. Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner’s chemistry made it clear from the start that this was a bond like no other, but until now, we hadn’t realised quite how deep their ‘bond’ might run.
In “New Life and New Civilisations,” Spock suggests a mind meld with Kirk as a solution to the problem of manually coordinating phaser fire from both ships within a millisecond. Arguably, the major obstacle needing to be overcome in the episode, literally being a door to break down (even if the Vezda – with M’Benga as prisoner – are behind it), is a little underwhelming… but I digress. After a hilarious exchange in which Spock asks a reluctant Jim to meld, to which the suitably flirtatious Kirk delivers a variation on the classic “at least buy me a drink first,” they do indeed, meld. The psychic bond allows them to see into one another’s lives — Kirk glimpses Spock’s awkward “dance lessons” with La’an, while Spock learns about Kirk’s questionable time on Orion’s moon…
But here’s the thing: not only does this change how we view Spock and Kirk’s early relationship (instead of a gradual mutual respect born from missions, the friendship more likely stems from an instant, intimate connection), it also raises questions about the nature of their relationship and Vulcan bonding. Trekkies will know that Vulcan mind melds are usually temporary, requiring maintained physical contact. For a link to be maintained across time and distance, it usually requires something deeper; a more permanent ‘bond’ ordinarily reserved for Vulcan ‘bonded’ (married) couples.
The episode makes it clear that Kirk and Spock continue to hear each other’s thoughts after the crisis is averted. There’s no real clarity on what exactly this means, or if it’s permanent, and it’s mostly played for laughs. It’s not for us to say whether the pair are in fact ‘bonded’ now (which would be awkward given the issue of Spock currently having a girlfriend… sorry La’an), but no doubt the Kirk/ Spock shippers out there will be having a field day.
2) Spock’s First Human Mind Meld
In TOS’s “Dagger of the Mind”, Spock states explicitly that he’s never attempted a mind meld with a human before linking with Dr. Simon van Gelder. He frames the practice as deeply personal to Vulcans and suggests it could be dangerous for humans. But Strange New Worlds has outright trampled over that canon. In Season 1’s “Memento Mori,” Spock melded with La’an to help her survive a Gorn attack, and now, he’s very decidedly melded with Kirk. Both examples make it impossible to reconcile his claim in “Dagger of the Mind” being true.
While the franchise may chalk this up to Spock making excuses, perhaps unwilling to risk a mind meld in less than the most dire of circumstances, or his desire for privacy – an effort to protect both him and Kirk from unwanted prying, the fact remains that he clearly lied. It’s a fascinating retcon. What was once a first is now best explained as Spock being reluctant to reveal his early personal experiences and relationship with Kirk — a subtle but meaningful change to how we view the character’s usual honesty.
We’ll hopefully see more of Spock’s early relationship with Kirk if Strange New Worlds’ showrunner Akiva Goldsman’s long-standing hopes for a Star Trek: Year One spinoff come to fruition. Intended to be a series devoted to Kirk and Spock’s first year together on the Enterprise, in an interview with ScreenRant, Goldsman admitted that he would be “thrilled” to make the spin-off, but it’s currently still a “dream.” Paramount’s recent new ownership has meant uncertainty in terms of Star Trek’s future. The update may be disappointing, but we do know Star Trek is still a priority for the company if reports are to be believed, so there’s a good chance writers will soon get the green light to finish what TOS started, and in the meantime, there are still two more series of SNW to come.
3) Spock’s First Mind Meld With Kirk
Before this episode, all evidence pointed to TOS’s “Spectre of the Gun” being Kirk and Spock’s first meld. The novel ‘Strangers from the Sky’ later confirmed this, making the moment a canonical event. But if “New Life and New Civilisations” is to be believed, Kirk and Spock’s first meld actually took place years earlier. Logistics of mind melds aside (since when have they caused the two participants to speak in unison like creepy clones?), this definitely changes the way we view their timeless friendship. They’ve literally shared thoughts since before Kirk captained the Enterprise.
Rewatching Spock and Kirk’s 3D chess matches, or their emotional parting in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, now comes with a hidden layer of intimacy, especially if the link is permanent. The two men understand each other in ways words could never achieve.
The retcons might be the most fascinating thing about an otherwise underwhelming finale, but they ensure “New Worlds and New Civilisations” will resonate, for better or worse. By rewriting their origin story, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds series creates a more complex explanation for why Kirk and Spock became inseparable. Whether you see it as bold storytelling or unnecessary meddling, the retcon guarantees this episode will be debated for years to come.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Seasons 1–3, are now streaming now on Paramount+.
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