Spock's (Leonard Nimoy) shocking mutiny in Star Trek's original, unaired pilot, "The Cage." Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will give even greater context to Spock's (Ethan Peck) relationship with Captain Pike (Anson Mount) and his decision to mutiny to save his former commanding officer in TOS.
Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Commodore Jose Mendez (Malachi Throne) caught up to Spock, the Vulcan was put on trial until the Starfleet flag officers saw what actually happened to Pike on Talos IV in 2254, which was projected by the aliens' illusion-casting powers. In the end, Pike was mercifully allowed to live out his life on Talos IV while charges were dropped against Spock so he avoided the death penalty.
"The Menagerie's" explanation for Spock's mutiny is simply that he was loyal to Captain Pike and he understood Pike's plight since the Vulcan Science Officer was also part of the Talos IV mission in "The Cage." However, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds adds intriguing new depth to this story. In Star Trek: Discovery season 2, Pike saw a vision of his tragic future while he was at the Klingon monastery on Boreth, and this changes everything about Chris. Pike now has foreknowledge of his fate, which haunts him. In a new Captain Pike teaser for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, he tells Spock, "I know exactly how and when my life ends." This means that Spock also shares foreknowledge of Pike's sad future, which informs the decision he makes to mutiny years later in "The Menagerie."
While it's unclear how much Pike will tell Spock about why he becomes disfigured in the future, the fact that Spock also knows sheds new light on his mutiny in TOS. It wasn't established in "The Menagerie" whether it was Spock or the Talosians who ed the other after Pike's accident, and how they collaborated to save Chris. But now that Spock has some awareness of Strange New Worlds, it illuminates the deep bond of trust between the Captain and his Vulcan Science Officer, which helps explain why Spock would go to such great lengths and risk his own life and career to ensure Pike is delivered safely to Talos IV.
Whether or not Pike shares the exact details of "where and when" his "life ends" with Spock in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, it still establishes how and why Spock was so prepared and singleminded in his plan in "The Menagerie." A great benefit of Strange New Worlds is also being able to chart Pike and Spock's true relationship, which will explain why, exactly, the Vulcan was so willing to break numerous Starfleet laws to save his former Captain after Pike is bound to his wheelchair. A mutiny is one of the gravest crimes in Starfleet, after all. Spock's choice to mutiny in order to rescue Pike likely wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision, but it could well have been a plan the Vulcan has been harboring for years if he already knew about Captain Pike's tragic destiny in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premieres Thursday, May 5, 2022, on Paramount+.