Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has always occupied a precarious place in the franchise's canon. On the face of it, it is simply a prequel series to The Original Series, but the show has seemingly contradicted established events and character dynamics seen in TOS many times over. The USS Enterprise is much more technologically advanced than it apparently will be 10 years later, the famously unemotional Spock engages in multiple romantic relationships, and a few crewmembers aren't in the roles we would expect them to be.
Take Joseph M'Benga, for example. As played by Babs Olusanmokun, M'Benga is the Enterprise's Chief Medical Officer and, as a veteran of the Klingon War, someone with a long and illustrious career in Starfleet. Yet, when the character made two appearances in TOS (portrayed by Booker Bradshaw), he was simply one of the ship's medical staff who was clearly lower in rank and status than Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy. It has taken four seasons, but Strange New Worlds has finally teased the real reason behind this odd discrepancy.
In SNW Season 4, Episode 8, "Orders of Magnitude," command of the Enterprise is temporarily assumed by Admiral Simon Reeger, with none other than James T. Kirk serving as his acting First Officer. Throughout the course of the episode, we learn that not only did Reeger and M'Benga serve together on the USS Constitution during the Klingon War, but Jim's father George was also the ship's Number One. Reeger is considered a Starfleet hero due to miraculously saving the Constitution from certain destruction, but it's clear he is no fan of George Kirk, and there is tension between him and M'Benga.
Although he is not seen on screen in "Orders of Magnitude," George Kirk was memorably played by Chris Hemsworth in 2009's Star Trek movie.
Reeger has taken over the Enterprise because he needs the ship to track down a dangerous enemy vessel responsible for a brutal attack on the Federation colony world Vaardan. The Admiral takes a militant approach to apprehending the vessel and, when they corner it on a small non-Federation planet, he is even prepared to implement General Order 24 — which gives a Starfleet ship authority to wipe out an entire world to neutralize a dangerous threat. Kirk discovers Reeger had family on Vaardan and deduces he is allowing his grief and thirst for revenge to cloud his judgment. When Kirk openly mutinies against him, Reeger snaps and holds a phaser to Jim's head to force him to comply. The crew incapacitate the Admiral, and he is relieved of duty.
It turns out Reeger's violent outburst was caused by a stimulant that had been slipped into his coffee. M'Benga takes the blame, and it is understood that this could put his Starfleet career in jeopardy. In private, Kirk confesses that he is the one who spiked Reeger's coffee, to prove that he was unfit for command. M'Benga admits that he is taking the fall to right the wrongs of the past: it was George Kirk who was the hero on board the Constitution, but Reeger covered it up and took the credit. M'Benga's punishment is left unknown as the episode ends.
With two episodes left to go of Season 4, and six to come in Strange New World's fifth and final season, it seems the show is already tidying up after itself as it prepares to put all its action figures in the right places to match up with the TOS timeline. Although the exact fallout is yet to be revealed, M'Benga facing the wrap for drugging Reeger could well see him stripped of his role as Chief Medical Officer, allowing him to remain aboard the Enterprise, but only as a subordinate to Bones. Dr. McCoy is confirmed to appear in Season 5, after all, as played by Thomas Jane.
Another medical officer seen in TOS, Dr. Boyce, also just appeared in Strange New Worlds, with Brian Markinson taking over from '60s actor John Hoyt in Season 4's "Off-Hour."
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