Here's when Star Trek: Strange New Worlds takes place in the Star Trek timeline in relation to "The Cage" and Star Trek: Discovery. Trekkers were so enamored with Anson Mount's courageous portrayal of Captain Pike in Star Trek: Discovery season 2 that they clamored and received a new series showing Pike's adventures as Captain of the Starship Enterprise. Pike will be joined by Rebecca Romijn as Number One and Ethan Peck as Lieutenant Spock in Strange New Worlds, which will also reintroduce classic Star Trek characters like Cadet Nyota Uhura (Celia Gooding) and Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush).
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a prequel series set years before Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) takes command of the Enterprise from Pike. Excitingly, Strange New Worlds will break from the serialized style of Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard and will return to the episodic style of Star Trek: The Original Series. Yet Strange New Worlds is only the third TV series set during Star Trek's 23rd-century era, along with TOS and the first two seasons of Star Trek: Discovery. Strange New Worlds is also a sequel to "The Cage," the original pilot of Star Trek that was scrapped by NBC in favor of a successful second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before." The footage of "The Cage" was later incorporated into the two-part Star Trek: TOS episode, "The Menagerie."
While the exact year (or Stardate) of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1 hasn't been revealed yet, the show should be set between 2259 and 2266. Strange New Worlds happens at least 5 years after "The Cage," which took place in 2254. In "The Cage," Captain Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) was held prisoner by the illusion-casting aliens of Talos IV as a possible mate for their human refugee, Vina (Susan Oliver). Captain Pike then joined the crew of the USS Discovery in Star Trek: Discovery season 2 four years later, in 2258. Pike led Discovery and Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) to solve the mystery of the Red Angel and stop a sentient A.I. called Control from attacking the galaxy. Pike also encountered Vina again thanks to the Talosians' illusions, with Anson Mount and Melissa George picking from where Jeffrey Hunter and Susan Oliver left off as Pike and Vina.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is also, presumably, set after the two Short Treks that starred Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, and Ethan Peck as Pike, Number One, and Spock. The first Short Trek with the Strange New Worlds cast, "Q&A," showed Spock's first day aboard the Starship Enterprise. This means "Q&A" was set before "The Cage" happened in 2254. It's not clear when the second Short Trek starring Mount as Pike, "Ask Not," happened but it was before Strange New Worlds judging from the fact that the color-coded Starfleet uniforms were identical to what the Enterprise crew wore in Star Trek: Discovery season 2, as opposed to the new uniforms in Strange New Worlds.
Possibly the most important carry-over from Star Trek: Discovery season 2 into Strange New Worlds is that Pike is aware of his tragic destiny of being horribly injured and confined to a wheelchair. In 2266, Pike will save the crew of a J-class starship from a radiation leak, and the exposure to the delta rays will leave the Captain horribly disfigured. In Star Trek: Discovery season 2, Pike saw a vision of his future when he visited a Klingon monastery on Boreth. Captain Pike coping with foreknowledge of his unavoidable fate will surely factor into Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, as will the season 2 introduction of James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley), who is destined to succeed Pike as the Captain of the Enterprise.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premieres Thursday, May 5, 2022, on Paramount+.