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From the continuing trial of humanity by the Q Continuum to the aftermath of the Borg conflict, the 25th century is a pivotal time in Federation history. Discover the key events and character developments that shape this exciting new chapter in the Star Trek saga.
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00:00We have been teased with the cusp of this time period in Star Trek. From 1987 until 2001 the
00:06franchise offered hundreds of episodes set between 2364 and varying dates in and around the beginning
00:13of the 2400s. We time traveled, we cameoed and we even hopped universes to have a look.
00:18While Star Trek Enterprise turned the clock back bringing us to the years before the original
00:23series, Star Trek's Picard Lower Decks and Prodigy all set the majority of their stories towards the
00:30close of the 24th century and beginning of the 25th. What then have they taught us about the
00:36great unknown? With Star Trek's Discovery and Starfleet Academy jumping 800 years ahead
00:41that leaves plenty of room to dissect the history of the future. There are those events which fall
00:47somewhere in the middle of both time periods such as the launch of the Enterprise J, the Temporal
00:52Wars and the last known contact with the Q Continuum. The early years of the 25th century
00:59are close enough in time for several well-known characters to play a large role be they captaining
01:05starships or otherwise. At the time of recording there are two ongoing Star Trek series, Strange
01:11New Worlds set in the 23rd century and the aforementioned Starfleet Academy set in the 32nd.
01:18While the latter could easily offer glimpses into the things we've yet to see,
01:22the existing Treks have already given us quite a bit to mull over. Grab your field jacket as we
01:28engage the proto-drive and explore the days of future past. I'm Sean Ferrick for Trek Culture and
01:35here is everything we now know about the 25th century. Number 10. The Nexus returned to Federation
01:42territory 2410, 2449, 2488. Star Trek Generations introduced the Nexus, a giant energy ribbon in
01:51space with the power to tear starships in half. It was, of course, much more than that, also serving as
01:57a conduit between one reality and another. When Guinan was rescued from the SS La Cool, she described the
02:03experience as being ripped or torn away from the Nexus. Inside the phenomenon, according to Guinan,
02:10it was like being inside joy. Starfleet's first recorded encounter with the ribbon came in 2293.
02:17It returned in 2332 and then again in 2371. The latter encounter saw the destruction of the Enterprise D,
02:24the death of Duras sisters and the death of one James T. Kirk. The Nexus travels through that part
02:30of the galaxy every 39.1 years, meaning that the next arrival would come in 2410. The events of Star
02:37Trek Picard's second and third seasons take place nine years before this, with Jean-Luc and Data upgrading
02:43to a fancy golem body along the way. Picard, having visited the Nexus once before, would have the
02:49opportunity to revisit this mystical force. Though Dr. Soren's methods were somewhat flawed, to put it mildly,
02:55there was much to learn in his research. Moving the path of the Riven being impractical for so many,
03:01many reasons, by the 25th century, one could surmise that Starfleet shields have upgraded to the point
03:07where a ship could survive the stresses outside. We know that when one enters the Nexus, they can exit
03:13anywhere at any time they like. By the 25th century, the Nexus could become the giant
03:19floating health spa of the galaxy. Consider this, Jean-Luc visiting his son as a baby, or chatting to
03:25his brother one more time. One really can understand Soren's obsession. Number nine, the Enterprise G is
03:32launched. The last generation, set in 2401 and 2402, was monumental for historical events in Star Trek.
03:41The Borg are finally defeated, until they're not, as usual. The Enterprise D goes for one last joyride,
03:46and the USS Titan A is rechristened in honour of the former ship's crew. As Picard, Crusher,
03:53and Jack's shuttle rose through space dock, the Neo-Constitution-class ship's new name and registry
03:59were revealed, USS Enterprise NCC-1701G. This symbolic gesture serves to honour the legacy of
04:08those who came before, while also serving as wholesome wish fulfilment for a production team
04:12who were having the time of their lives. Though technically not a new ship, it was a new commission,
04:18and as such required a captain. The previous captain having faced the wrong end of a phaser.
04:23Seven of Nine, formerly of the USS Voyager, was promoted to captain on the recommendation of Shaw,
04:30and presented with her pip by her former crewmate, Tuvok. With Seven in command, Commander Rafi Musiker
04:36serving as First Officer and Ensign Jack Crusher there for the ride, this new Enterprise is poised to
04:42create a new saga of stories set in the 25th century. While there is as yet no word on a
04:49series
04:49focusing on said ship and crew, the audience has already been teased with a certain god-like being
04:55popping up on board, though more on that now. Number eight, The Trial Continues. Thanks to Star
05:03Trek Discovery's fourth season episode, The Examples, we know that the Q Continuum ceased
05:08contact with the Federation by around 2590. Though there is as yet no explanation as to why,
05:16this is perhaps something that Starfleet Academy may explore, this, when combined with John Delancey's
05:21cameo in The Last Generation, means the Q were active in the interim. Q emphatically states that the
05:29infamous trial goes on, though now the focus of said trial has moved from Jean-Luc Picard to his son,
05:37Jack Crusher. It's possible that this was sequel baiting in the hopes of a Star Trek Legacy spin-off,
05:42but it also connects to the wider universe. In 2402, Jack Crusher meets Q, who informs him that there is
05:50much to do still. Though at present we have no way of knowing just how old our Jack lives to
05:55be,
05:56he can't be the last Federation representative to see a Q. He is, allegedly, in his early twenties
06:01by this point, which would mean he would be pushing 120 at least by the dawn of the 26th century.
06:07Now Admiral Leonard McCoy was at least 137 by the time he died, though we hope he was old and
06:12that
06:12data didn't just push him out of an airlock. Asking Jack to stick around until 2590 seems like a bit
06:18of an ask.
06:19It feels then like a sure bet to say that the Q Continuum were active in the 25th century,
06:23perhaps with Jack alone in that century, but far more likely with several members of Starfleet.
06:29After all, our favourite Q spent time with Captains Picard, Sisko and Janeway at roughly the same
06:35time. There was that run in with Captain Pike as well, but that's all very hush-hush and swept
06:40under the wedding bells. Number seven, Admiral Crusher, head of Starfleet Medical again.
06:46Admiral Beverly Crusher must have installed a revolving door at Starfleet Medical because,
06:51thanks once again to the events of the last generation, we know that she took up her old
06:56position as the head of the facility. This time, it came with a nice promotion, but it was hardly
07:02her first crack at the biobet. Gates McFadden's absence for the next generation's sophomore year
07:07was that she left the Enterprise to head up Starfleet Medical. In reality, then showrunner Morris Hurley
07:14fired McFadden only for her to return the following year when Hurley exited. That would have taken place
07:20around 2364 and 2365, which is a good 30 or so years earlier than her eventual posting. However,
07:29Star Trek Nemesis, via a deleted scene, ends with Crusher resuming her duties as the head of Starfleet
07:35Medical. The film, set in 2379, shows her at the facility some 22 years before she finally returns in
07:43Star Trek Picard. While much of the time between her first and second tenures were spent on ships
07:48named Enterprise, the time between her second and third tenures were spent operating her own ship,
07:54the SS Elios-12, with her son Jack. This was a far more rugged lifestyle, helping where they could,
08:02keeping mobile to avoid any who might try to gain leverage to Admiral Picard via his son. Taking this
08:09experience into her third tenure, after a spot of changeling identification, offers Crusher and
08:14Starfleet Medical a new perspective on what they can achieve. The Federation and Starfleet are,
08:19arguably, at the height of their influence and power as they head into the 25th century,
08:25though there is now a leader who understands the lives lived by those outside of the main supply routes.
08:32Starfleet Medical of the 25th century, thanks to Admiral Crusher and influence from such doctors as
08:37Bashir and the emergency medical hologram, must easily be one of the most well positioned facilities
08:42to do good in the galaxy. 6. Romulans in Starfleet and the first steps towards Nivar
08:49Star Trek Picard, in being the show so closely set to the focus of this piece, has offered many
08:55of the answers we have sought for so long. The Romulan Star Empire, introduced in Balance of Terror,
09:00has been one of Star Trek's oldest adversarial forces, despite being nearly destroyed on multiple
09:06occasions. The neutral zone re-introduced them after 70 years of in-universe silence,
09:12though the plan had been to bring them back to kill them off. They would have been victims of the
09:16Borg at a time before anyone truly understood who or what the Borg were. Thankfully they were spared,
09:23thus becoming one of the great enemies of the Federation in the next generation. Unification brought
09:29the Romulans into the limelight again, this time in the context of a possible reunification with their
09:35Vulcan cousins. Despite Spock's initial work, by the early 2380s this dream looked like just that,
09:43a dream. The Romulan supernova in the mid-2380s altered the landscape, reducing the Empire to a
09:49handful of fractured groups and gangs. The Stargazer, opening Picard's second season, depicted Elnor
09:56before attending Starfleet Academy in 2401. Being the first fully Romulan cadet, he carried the weight
10:03of history on his shoulders, though he acquitted himself well and ended up serving aboard the USS
10:09Excelsior. Star Trek Discovery, jumping forward to the 32nd century, demonstrated the outcome of Spock's
10:16efforts. By the time of Unification Part III, the Romulans had returned to Vulcan, which was renamed
10:22Nivar to reflect both races. It may have taken the long road, but the 25th century was the dawn of
10:29a
10:29new age for the Romulan Star Empire, becoming a part of the Federation eventually and even serving
10:35in Starfleet itself. Number five, a time for peace. The first couple of years of the 25th century were
10:42busy for a certain ex-Admiral Jean-Luc Picard. While the events of Frontier Day in 2401 saw the return
10:49of
10:49Enterprise D along with an alliance between the Changelings and the Borg, the year began with a
10:55monumental moment in galactic affairs. Answering a message blasted through a transwarp conduit,
11:01Picard and the crew of the Stargazer encounter a new, huge Borg vessel. After some temporal shenanigans,
11:08it is revealed that this mini-collective is controlled by Agnes Jurati, formerly of the Daystrom Institute.
11:14In a move very few people could have seen coming, and one that Captain Lee and Shaw still struggled
11:20with some time later, Jurati and the collective ask for, and are granted, Provisional Federation
11:26membership. Though perhaps not the true Borg collective, this is still an enormous moment in
11:32history. The Borg, the cause of so much pain and devastation, can adapt and grow with the right
11:38guide. The death of the Borg Queen on Frontier Day may spell the end of the remnants of the wider
11:45collective, but this leaves Jurati's Borg guarding the gate, members of the Federation, and still,
11:51presumably, in possession of all of the knowledge that the Borg have amassed. Though it wasn't the end
11:57of hostilities between the two powers, it was a major change for the galaxy in the 2400s.
12:05The 25th century saw advancements in robotics, despite the ban on synthetic development that
12:11had been in place for almost 20 years. The attack on Mars by synthetic life, orchestrated by the
12:17Zhat Vash, resulted in more than 90,000 lives lost, along with hundreds of vessels being destroyed.
12:24Dr. Alton Soong, along with Bruce Maddox, began their secret work on new positronic life,
12:29with Alton going one step further. He created a golem body, originally for his own use,
12:36designed to extend organic life beyond a standard lifespan. Though he wouldn't benefit directly
12:42from it, Jean-Luc Picard did. With the death of his human body, his consciousness was transferred
12:47across, thus saving him. This all took place as the truth of the Mars attack was revealed,
12:53which led to a reversal of the ban, freeing positronic life from having to remain hidden.
12:58This was certainly good news for Lieutenant Commander Data in 2401, but it would go on
13:04to have long-lasting results. In the 32nd century, the success of Picard's transfer was used as
13:10justification by Dr. Hugh Culber to attempt the procedure again. This time, it was to transfer
13:16Grey's consciousness out of Adira's body and into their own new golem. Once again, the procedure was
13:22a success, though Culber warned that it was far from a done deal. This suggests that Picard's success was
13:30an exception rather than a rule in the 25th century. Data's was a slightly different set of circumstances,
13:37as he had always been synthetic. The 25th century then paved the way for these procedures, though it
13:44was clearly a long journey. Number three, there's a stable multiversal gate out by Starbase 80. In 2382,
13:52the USS Anaximander travelled through several realities, attempting to close rifts that were
13:57causing damage to the fabric of space and time. They were largely successful, channeling all of that
14:03energy into one final place. As long as the crew there could deal with the issue, everything would come
14:08out okay. Cue Lieutenant Junior Grade Bradbury Boimler screaming that everyone was going to die.
14:13Classic Boims. The events of Fisher Quest and the New Next Generation led to the creation of the first
14:20stable multiversal subspace rift, allowing ships like the Anaximander to travel from one reality to another.
14:28Though this has yet to be revisited on screen, the possibilities here are endless. The Romulan
14:34supernova of the mid-2380s may never have occurred in another reality, thus offering the Romulans plenty
14:41of reason to explore. The Borg may seem to be entirely wiped out by Jurati's collective in 2401,
14:48but is that the case everywhere? With Starbase 80 in place and barely functional, the mission is clear.
14:56If Starfleet's mission has always been to seek out new life and new civilizations, it's clear that the
15:02exploration of this new rift is very much a part of that mission. There is also the small matter of
15:08the synthetic creatures that promise to wipe out all organic life, those same creatures who peeked their
15:13tentacles through yet another rift in A in Arcadia Ego Part 2. Perhaps someone should use this rift to
15:19check up on that? Soon? Number 2. Celosus III can support life again and what this will mean.
15:27Deep Space Nine went hard. That is perhaps the understatement of the century, but it does bear
15:33mention, as here we discuss one of Captain Sisko's war crimes of the week. In For the Uniform, Sisko's
15:39obsession with catching Michael Eddington, former security chief of Deep Space Nine and then current
15:44head of the Maquis, leads him to poison the atmosphere of Celosus III. Though there were plenty of mitigating
15:51circumstances that led to Ben's decision, the fact is that Celosus III was unable to maintain life for 50
15:57years, with that half-century coming to a close in 2423. The entire geography of the Alpha Quadrant
16:05has changed in the meantime. When Sisko ordered those trilithium-loaded torpedoes into the planet's
16:11atmosphere, it was a colony used by displaced Federation citizens. Though the path to war was already
16:17paved by that point, the Dominion War had not truly erupted. This changed quickly. Dukat's deal to link
16:24the Cardassian Union and the Dominion is followed by the extermination of the Maquis and the annexation
16:30of the Demilitarized Zone. Celosus III, being poisoned, didn't present any kind of target to their forces,
16:36but it was very much in their line of sight. With the cessation of hostilities and the redrawing of maps,
16:42Celosus III may find itself an untapped beacon in the 25th century. Though the Maquis are long gone
16:49at that point, there is no guarantee that the planet finds itself in Federation territory. It was a pawn
16:55in a Starfleet officer's gamble. Could this become a symbol of separation from that same organization
17:01that tossed it aside? Number one, the Protostar lands on Solum. Star Trek Prodigy may be the underdog of
17:09the franchise, but it also contains some of the most far-reaching events. Though much of the action
17:15is set in the early 2380s, some of the key moments take place in the 25th century, including that one
17:21crash landing from which everything springs. When traveling through a temporal wormhole, the USS Protostar
17:28emerges on Solum in the year 2436. Its crew are captured by the Vauna Cat, though it is later
17:34rescued by the second crew of the Protostar. Time travel, eh? This sets a chain of events in motion
17:41that almost leads to the end of the space-time continuum. A new terrifying villain known as the
17:48Loom emerges to feed on anything it can get its tentacles on, erasing them from history. That truly is
17:54a fate worse than death, and they call this a kids show. Though the Loom are eventually beaten back to
18:00where they came from, the Protostar's crash landing almost led to an interstellar war, the deaths of
18:07countless millions, civil war, and the end of all life as we know it. There is no changing the fact
18:13that it happens, for so much of the history of the future springs out from this moment. Star Trek
18:19Prodigy told some of the biggest stories in Trek during its short run, but when it comes to the 25th
18:25century, it foretold both the beginning of, and Resolution 2, one of the greatest challenges that
18:31Starfleet had ever faced. That is everything for our list today folks, thank you so so much for
18:37watching along. Do you like speculative lists like this? Let us know in the comments below and we will
18:42do more for you. In the meantime please make sure that you're subscribed to the channel, please make
18:46sure you follow us in the various socials. I am at Sean Ferrick, we are of course at TrekCulture,
18:51and we're at TrekCultureYT on Instagram. Thank you so much Brandon who edited this video,
18:55ya legend. Everyone until I see you again, live long and prosper, look after yourself,
19:00be kind to yourself, lead with that kindness one day at a time folks, one day at a time. Thank
19:07you so much.
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