# Star Trek Episodes that Cannot Happen- \[spoilers for Star Trek 90210\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 9, 2009, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-episodes-that-cannot-happen-spoilers-for-star-trek-90210/495823 "2009-05-09T04:14:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-episodes-that-cannot-happen-spoilers-for-star-trek-90210/495823/1 "2009-05-09T04:14:51Z")
1. _Amok Time._ Vulcan is toast. 2. _Journey to Babel._ Amanda is dead and Spock and his Dad are pals. 3. - the Forge\* Star Trek, Enterprise. See No. 1 4. _The Voyage Home_ See No.1. Perhaps they could change part of the setting. 5. _Reunification._ TNG See No.1 yet again. I await your intelligent comment and choices. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-episodes-that-cannot-happen-spoilers-for-star-trek-90210/495823/2 "2009-05-09T05:56:25Z")
The Forge can still happen, because the events of Enterprise happened before the events of the new movie. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-episodes-that-cannot-happen-spoilers-for-star-trek-90210/495823/3 "2009-05-09T06:02:47Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > The Forge can still happen, because the events of Enterprise happened before the events of the new movie. Enlighten me. I remember Captain Archer conversing with Sarak (sp) but I thought they were on Vulcan in their own time. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-episodes-that-cannot-happen-spoilers-for-star-trek-90210/495823/4 "2009-05-09T06:06:44Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Enlighten me. I remember Captain Archer conversing with Sarak (sp) but I thought they were on Vulcan in their own time. _Enterprise_ was a prequel. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-episodes-that-cannot-happen-spoilers-for-star-trek-90210/495823/5 "2009-05-09T06:12:36Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > _Enterprise_ was a prequel. Indeed. That will teach me to post after midnight. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-episodes-that-cannot-happen-spoilers-for-star-trek-90210/495823/6 "2009-05-09T08:22:15Z")
Wait. I havenā€™t seen the movie yet, but didnā€™t they do the old hand-wavium thing by making this a different timeline ala Enterprise? Or is your point that these episodes couldnā€™t happen with the new cast? Cuz I doubt that was going to happen, anyways. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-episodes-that-cannot-happen-spoilers-for-star-trek-90210/495823/7 "2009-05-09T09:43:58Z")
Yeah, the ā€˜parallel timelinesā€™ resource means that _any_ storyline is possible. Just like the Imaginary Tale dodge that DC pulled to marry off Superman, reveal his identity, etc. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-episodes-that-cannot-happen-spoilers-for-star-trek-90210/495823/8 "2009-05-09T14:14:55Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Wait. I havenā€™t seen the movie yet, but didnā€™t they do the old hand-wavium thing by making this a different timeline ala Enterprise? Humor: It is a difficult concept. šŸ™‚ I am amusing myself. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-episodes-that-cannot-happen-spoilers-for-star-trek-90210/495823/9 "2009-05-09T16:16:15Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Wait. I havenā€™t seen the movie yet, but didnā€™t they do the old hand-wavium thing by making this a different timeline ala Enterprise? Enterprise isnā€™t a different timeline even though a lot of Trek nerd purists want it to be. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-episodes-that-cannot-happen-spoilers-for-star-trek-90210/495823/10 "2009-05-09T16:30:32Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > Enterprise isnā€™t a different timeline even though a lot of Trek nerd purists want it to be. Iā€™ll ignore the ā€œnerdā€, but maybe we can do something with this. We saw Romulans in _Enterprise_ and they know wha they look like in \*Star Trek 90210. That would be a common time lineā€¦I will also ignore for the moment there being a USS Archer in one of the TNG movies. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-episodes-that-cannot-happen-spoilers-for-star-trek-90210/495823/11 "2009-05-09T16:35:09Z")
Why? We spent three years arguing 24 weeks out of the year about a TV series neither of us really liked that much. Call a spade a spade ā€“ weā€™re nerds. As to your main point this Star Trek \*is \*a different timeline. The other ten movies and five (six if you want to be nice and include the cartoon) series are in one and this one another that also includes \*Enterprise \*since it was before the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-episodes-that-cannot-happen-spoilers-for-star-trek-90210/495823/12 "2009-05-09T16:35:45Z")
Pike is already in a wheelchair, so _The Cage_ would probably be right out, ditto for _The Menagerie_. Kirk grew up in Iowa rather than on Tarsus IV, so that means _The Conscience of the King_ would either not happen or happen quite differently, and he never served on the Farragut (seeing as it got blowed up) so _Obsession_ would be out too. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-episodes-that-cannot-happen-spoilers-for-star-trek-90210/495823/13 "2009-05-09T16:48:03Z")
Calm yourself, Aes. HITADC. šŸ™‚ I must turn it my nerd decoder ring, for I have forgotten the name of the episode with the flying pizzas and Vulcan second eyelines, and Kirkā€™s nonexistent Brotherā€™s family. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-episodes-that-cannot-happen-spoilers-for-star-trek-90210/495823/14 "2009-05-09T17:31:47Z")
No one in this thread is upset. What does HITADC mean? ---
**Author:** ![xnylder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbce88/32.png) [@xnylder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xnylder)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-episodes-that-cannot-happen-spoilers-for-star-trek-90210/495823/15 "2009-05-09T18:19:41Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Calm yourself, Aes. HITADC. šŸ™‚ > > I must turn it my nerd decoder ring, for I have forgotten the name of the episode with the flying pizzas and Vulcan second eyelines, and Kirkā€™s nonexistent Brotherā€™s family. Operation: Annihilate! (Found it by googling fried eggs star trek) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-episodes-that-cannot-happen-spoilers-for-star-trek-90210/495823/16 "2009-05-09T19:38:45Z")
**Balance of Terror** - Since the Federation knows what Romulans look like. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-episodes-that-cannot-happen-spoilers-for-star-trek-90210/495823/17 "2009-05-09T21:48:06Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > No one in this thread is upset. > > What does HITADC mean? Humor. It is a difficult concept. šŸ™‚ Thanks, xnyldr. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-episodes-that-cannot-happen-spoilers-for-star-trek-90210/495823/18 "2009-05-09T22:21:05Z")
I read once in a science-fiction story whose title Iā€™ve long forgotten that time is a river. Minor disruptions may cause ripples in the surface, major disruptions may change its course, but eventually it will find its way to the sea. (I know, sometimes rivers donā€™t, but itā€™s a metaphor!) Anyway, something _like_ **Amok Time** could still happen, as the movie makes it clear that several thousand Vulcans survive, including those specifically tasked with preserving the culture, and ā€œSpock Primeā€ is going to help them set up a colony on a new planet, which they may very well decide to call Vulcan and never speak of that past unpleasantness again. So **The Voyage Home** could be OK too. Something _like_ **The Cage** (and therefore **The Menagerie** could still happen. I donā€™t think it was established that Pikeā€™s condition was permanent at the end of the film, so he could still end up on Talos IV (even if not as the captain of the Enterprise or with Spock as an officer). **Journey to Babel** : Wracked with guilt over his inability to save his motherā€™s life, new Spock plucks Amanda from a parallel time line. Sarek disapproves. Or Sarek, longing to be reunited with Amanda, plucks her from a parallel time line and Spock disapproves. Or Sarek and Spock Prime disagree vehemently on the best way to manage New Vulcan. New Spock naturally takes old Spockā€™s side, causing a rift between him and his father that is only reconciled by a visit from Spockā€™s rarely mentioned aunt Flo. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-episodes-that-cannot-happen-spoilers-for-star-trek-90210/495823/19 "2009-05-09T22:52:00Z")
In the sequel, Spock will have a beard. You read it here first. Or maybe not. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-episodes-that-cannot-happen-spoilers-for-star-trek-90210/495823/20 "2009-05-09T23:00:33Z")
And _Operation: Annihilate!_ could be made if Kirkā€™s cousin Barney and family lived on the planet overrun with fried eggs instead of his brother. And if my Grandmother had wheels, sheā€™d be a wagon. šŸ™‚ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-episodes-that-cannot-happen-spoilers-for-star-trek-90210/495823.md?page=2)