X-Men '97 Showrunner Teases a Star Trek Connection for Season Finale

Could X-Men '97 be heading towards a time loop to wrap up Season 1?

By Timothy Adams

There could be a connection between the Season 1 finale of X-Men '97 and a fan-favorite episode of Star Trek. There has been a lot to digest from Marvel Studios' first X-Men project, which is a continuation of the popular X-Men: The Animated Series from the '90s. We're only one episode away from the season finale, and while it's sure to be a drama-filled event, there's at least the reassurance that future seasons of X-Men '97 are on the way. While fans speculate on how the season will end, the showrunner has given a clue as to what to expect.

"Here's some extra credit homework for next week's episode #xmen97 #startrek," X-Men '97 creator Beau DeMayo wrote on X (formerly Twitter). He also shared an image from the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode titled "Cause and Effect." It was the 18th episode from Season 5 of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and involved the Starfleet crew getting caught in a time loop, where they kept experiencing the same horrific events over and over again. Before the episode concludes, Data finds a way to send a message to himself to break the cycle.

How will a time loop factor into the X-Men '97 finale?

Something else to keep in mind when trying to connect the dots between Star Trek: The Next Generation's "Cause and Effect" and the X-Men '97 finale is actor Kelsey Grammer. He played Captain Morgan Bateson in "Cause and Effect," and also portrayed the blue-furred Beast in Fox's X-Men film franchise. He most notably made a surprise appearance in the post-credits scene of The Marvels. Could Beau DeMayo be alluding to a special Kelsey Grammer appearance in X-Men '97?

It does appear that DeMayo has shot down the time loop theory when he replied, "Not necessarily" to a time loop question on X. If there were a time loop in the finale, however, it would be a shrewd way to bring back the recently killed off Gambit, Madelyne Pryor, and other mutants slaughtered on Genosha. There's also the fate of Wolverine after Magneto ripped the Adamantium off his skeleton.

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Perhaps Cable will have to jump back into the time stream and re-experience all these events again, except this time come out victorious. There are a lot of different ways X-Men '97 can have an ode to Star Trek.

The Season 1 finale of X-Men '97 streams next Wednesday on Disney+.

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