Yeah. There is definitely several stories that could play out here, for both M’Benga and Chapel.
Continuity wise McCoy didn't join the Enterprise until after the first couple of episodes of TOS s1, Mark Piper was the CMO for those so there is definitely a thread they could pick on prior to Kirk taking command of the Enterprise.
For Chapel we know she gets engaged to Roger Korby at some point. Will be interesting to see how they move the character to line up with 'What Are Little Girls Made Of?'
A bit of whiplash from the switch in tone from the last episode but this was a masterpiece. Strange New Worlds seems to be successfully synthesizing all the Trek shows that have gone before it to create something that is classic Trek, but also something new.
I wonder if the first episode of the season would have worked better if this had been before it in the running order?
I think Star Trek is one of Paramount/CBS' more bankable franchises so will continue in some form. I think for the moment that will be on streaming. I don't think the movie format works particularly well given the size and ensemble nature of the cast.
As for the future, Discovery is closing out after S5. Not sure if they will try and spin something out of that. Maybe that rumored Star Fleet Academy series?
SNW will get another couple of seasons with Pike in command. After that I suspect it will continue with Kirk et al. If they are smart they will jump forward to the point just after The Motion Picture and pick up there. That gives them the opportunity to lean into The Motion Picture redesign to make it visually different from SNW and a fairly clear 5-10 years of timeline to fill before the red uniforms and ST:TWOK.
I think having 2-3 shows with 10 episodes a season and a season per year is probably the right balance.
A little bit of a dip from last week but otherwise an enjoyable episode even if it learned a bit too much on the fan service.
Although kudos to the writers for cleverly weaving around existing continuity and throwing in the Gorn misdirection.
The whole ensemble got something to do, except Ortegas who slowly turns into SNW’s Travis Mayweather: that one cast member that is just there physically but doesn’t get anything to do.
I get the feeling the writers don't really know what to do with Ortegas beyond that she "flies the ship".
Pretty solid episode. Usually I dislike time travel episodes but this one worked given that it gave La'an opportunity for character development and the beginning of closure. I was a little worried that were edging back towards the temporal Cold War plot thread from Enterprise with the ending. Hopefully they will stay well clear of it.
One thing is the last 3 episodes in terms of content have felt like they belong in the back half of season 1. Not that it is bad thing, but there is the feeling that we are waiting for the season proper to kick off.
It's been a good while since we had a good old fashioned courtroom episode. Given how high the bar had been set in the past, well done to everyone involved that they managed to comfortably clear it.
TNG: 'Q Who'
DS9: 'In The Pale Moonlight'
Voyager: 'Scorpion'
Enterprise: 'Carbon Creek'
Discovery: 'Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad' or 'Die Trying'
(I also have a soft spot for parts of Picard season 1)