Star Trek Is Quite Different in the World of For All Mankind

Star Trek Is Quite Different in the World of for all mankind

In a certain way, the incredible Apple TV+ show For All Mankind can be looked at as an unofficial precursor to Star Trek. Both shows imagine an alternate reality where events in the past made it so technology and space travel continued to develop throughout our lifetimes. But while Star Trek starts in the future, on
we see that past and we’re still going.

A Look at the Alternate Reality of Star Trek in for all mankind

If you shift that story a few hundred years into the future, you can easily imagine a Starfleet made up of ships with warp drives. So it’s no surprise that, in the alternate reality of for all mankind, Star Trek exists. It was mentioned in an earlier season and, in last week’s penultimate season four episode “Brazil,” we learned that as of the early 2000s, three shows exist in this world.

The Unique evolution of Star Trek in For All Mankind

“I know you hate Star Trek, but you better get used to it,” space legend danielle poole (Krys Marshall) tells her son, who is soon to be a father. “Because I’m gonna make sure my grandbaby is a full-blown Trekkie. That’s right, we’re gonna watch all the series, all three of them.” That throwaway line got some fans wondering.

In our reality, there were six total shows by 2003. So, which three survived in this reality? Well, at a Collider Q&A this week, producer Ronald D. Moore spilled the beans.

Reimagining Star Trek in for all mankind

“I think… the last I counted, I thought we were saying it was Star Trek: Planet of the Titans, which was the show that never happened in the ‘70s, and Star Trek: The Next Generation,” he said, per Collider. Classic Star Trek. Take what we know, and twist it a bit. Star Trek: Planet of the Titans, for those who may not know, was the working title of the series being developed to follow up Star Trek in the 1970s. It, of course, didn’t happen in our reality, but did in for all mankind. Which makes sense.

The Parallel Universe of Star Trek in for all mankind

That world is one much more driven by a love of space and exploration, so it would be easier to make it to air. As for why, by 2003, only one other show existed, we don’t know. Maybe it’s because the reality of for all mankind is so close to what Star Trek was imagining: a world where people actually did boldly go where no one had gone before.

And yet, there is a tiny twist here. We also know that Star Trek: The Motion Picture exists in this universe. But, according to Moore, it’s got a slightly different context, at least in his mind. “In my head, Star Trek: The Motion Picture is the first movie [in the timeline],” the producer said. “They probably did the show that has always been talked about. The original Star Trek went off the air before the Apollo II landing… In my version of history, Paramount does make the show in the mid-’70s. And then they transitioned into The Next Generation and not Star Trek: The Animated Series, because of the run of the lengthy and glorious, and critically acclaimed run of The Next Generation, which comes out. But it’s still Star Trek that we know and it was essentially the same story. I love Star Trek and I couldn’t bear to change that. So it’s the same thing.”

The Future of for all mankind and Its Connection to Star Trek

With the fourth season of for all mankind having just ended this week, and continuing to go further and further into space, we don’t yet know if it’ll continue. But, recently, the show’s star Joel Kinnaman hinted at the possibilities. “The sort of grand vision for this show would take us from the space race and then an official hand over to Star Trek,” he said. It all comes back to Star Trek.

Source: gizmodotech