Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Episode 1 - "Strange New Worlds"

The premiere episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds shows that the human race still resents the Vulcans over First Contact as seen in Star Trek: Enterprise. Strange New Worlds picks up the story of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and the Starship Enterprise one year after the events of Star Trek: Discovery season 2. With a new crew, including Science Officer Spock (Ethan Peck) and Number One (Rebecca Romijn), Captain Pike launches on a new mission of exploration in the years before he passes command of the Enterprise to Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner). But 200 years after First Contact, there's still lingering irritation towards the Vulcans from the human race.

First Contact between Earth and Vulcan, which took place on April 5, 2063, as seen in Star Trek: First Contact, is the most pivotal day in Star Trek history. Although Vulcans and other aliens, including Star Trek: Picard's Romulan, Tallinn (Orla Brady), visited the third rock from the sun throughout history, it was Zephram Cochrane's (James Cromwell) successful first warp flight that provoked the Vulcans to officially reveal that humans aren't alone in the universe. After Earth was devastated by World War III, working with the Vulcans lifted the human race up and led to the establishment of Starfleet to explore the galaxy. However, in Star Trek: Enterprise's 22nd century, humans and Vulcans were often at loggerheads. Starfleet felt the Vulcans were holding them back from their galactic destiny while the Vulcans had strong reservations about whether Mankind was ready to face the dangers of deep space. T'Pol (Jolene Blalock) faced human prejudices, even from Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula), at the start of Star Trek: Enterprise.

Related: Strange New Worlds: Pike's Bridge Makes Kirk's TOS Enterprise Look Worse

Strange New Worlds' premiere shows that a hundred years after Star Trek: Enterprise, there's still resentment towards Vulcans and their important role in humanity's success. When Spock briefed Captain Pike and Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) about the warp bomb the Enterprise found on Kiley 279, the Science Officer noted, "As you know, the Vulcans invented First Contact." To which Captain Pike immediately replied, "As they never fail to remind us." Although Pike was tongue-in-cheek, the Captain's wisecrack indicates that Star Trek: Enterprise-era prejudice against the Vulcans still exists in the 23rd century. Indeed, in Star Trek: The Original Series, Spock (Leonard Nimoy) faced hostility and prejudice from his own Enterprise crewmates in episodes like "Balance of Terror" and "The Galileo Seven."

Strange New Worlds Spock Pike Galaxy Map

Meanwhile, when Spock said that Vulcans invented First Contact, he means that his people established the rule of only revealing themselves to alien races who have achieved warp capability. The establishment of warp drive is the sole criteria the Vulcans use to determine when a species is ready to know they're not alone in the universe. Indeed, Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets adopted the Vulcans' rule of warp drive as the determining factor for First Contact, and the rule of non-interference, i.e. General Order 1, AKA the Prime Directive, is based upon the identification of an alien race's warp capability. The Vulcans also had a considerable headstart at establishing First Contact, long before Earth became warp-capable, which still rankles humans in spite of all they've accomplished by the 23rd century.

Further, the Vulcans' innate smugness has always bothered many humans who can't wrap their heads around the Vulcans' logic-based and emotion-free way of life. Even by the 24th century, Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) feuded with Vulcans resulting in Sisko coaching the crew of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine against his pointy-eared enemies in a baseball game. Of course, Tuvok (Tim Russ) was accepted by the crew of Star Trek: Voyager, but overall, Vulcans still find resentment among humans no matter the era. The fact that Spock is half-human gives him a leg-up on fitting in the Enterprise but Star Trek: Strange New Worlds shows that humans' rivalry with the Vulcans is alive and well in the 23rd century.

Next: Strange New Worlds Can Finally Show How Kirk Met Spock In Star Trek Canon

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streams Thursdays on Paramount+.