

TLDR; Is PRO TNG or PIC era? Do Trek eras as we know them even matter anymore?
Edit: Fixed TOK to be TWOK era. My 2 brain cells had failed me there.
Before I give my problem, here’s what I find the conventional Star Trek eras to be (including some common sub-eras that some might consider distinct):
I think most newer series have obvious placements, e.g:
However, the main thing that is ruffling my feathers is that PRO’s placement in my framework is very confusing. It exists on an awkward border between TNG and PIC.
On one hand, some of its storytelling conventions fit better with PIC, not to mention the fact that the Utopia Planetia attack occurs at the end of PRO.
On the other hand, PRO continues some TNG era characters that aren’t yet elderly versions of themselves.
This goes back to the initial question: Do we place the vast majority of PRO in the TNG era (and have like the last five minutes of season 2 [hopefully not the show] in PIC era), or do we extend the Picard era backwards to 2383 to include PRO in its entirety?
The 2383 solution might work, as that leaves 2382 in the TNG era for the 5th season of Lower Decks.
It’s super annoying, but even though they’re all airing at the same time, Picard, Lower Decks, and Prodigy all take place at slightly different times. At least they’re consistent with TNG stardates, where 41000 is 2364, and each 1000 stardates equals one Earth year, so you can get a year from a captain’s log entry. From Memory Alpha:
Lower Decks: 2380-2382
Prodigy: 2383–2385
Picard: 2399-2341 (Ignoring flashbacks)
I miss the TNG / DS9 / VOY era, when shows airing concurrently all take place at the same time.