Stranger Things' New Spinoff Could Commit The Worst Prequel Sin
Friends don’t lie, but they apparently do forget other friends exist.
Stranger Things may be over, but the franchise is just getting started. Before the fifth and final season even premiered on Netflix, fans were already gearing up for a brand-new spinoff: Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85, an animated series focusing on the time between Seasons 2 and 3. On top of that, the Broadway show Stranger Things: The First Shadow is being filmed for a future Netflix release.
But both of these projects have one big problem, something that could point out why a franchise can’t survive on prequels alone.
One of these faces is not like the others.
Netflix recently released a number of character posters ahead of Tales from ‘85’s release on April 23, and while all the Hawkins gang were present, including Eleven, there was also a completely unfamiliar face: Nikki Baxter, voiced by Marty Supreme star Odessa A’zion. “Nikki is a 14-year-old transfer student from the East Coast — by way of all over,” showrunner Eric Robles told Collider. “She’s kind and loyal, unafraid to use her intimidating size and punk-rock look to warn off any bullies that might try to cross her.”
That’s all well and good — especially when you’re little, friends can move away all the time — but how come we’ve never heard tell of her in the actual series? This character may be described as “pivotal,” but how pivotal could someone be if they’re never mentioned again after a couple of months?
It’s a classic problem with prequels: you can’t introduce a new character without trying to explain where they went in the original project. Where was Ahsoka Tano in Revenge of the Sith? Busy on Mandalore, according to canon, but you’d think Anakin would mention her when considering his future with the Jedi. Where’s Kim Wexler in Breaking Bad? As Better Call Saul conveniently revealed, she moved to Florida.
Hopefully, this new character survives the series, since she’s the only one in danger.
This isn’t even the first time Stranger Things has made this mistake. The First Shadow is set decades before Stranger Things, while Joyce, Hopper, and a number of other adult characters are still in high school. A new boy named Henry Creel starts school and soon strikes up a friendship with Patty Newby, the adopted sister of Joyce’s future boyfriend, Bob Newby. But not once in Stranger Things do any of these characters refer to these events or Henry’s existence. You’d think the goings-on in Hawkins would seem familiar to them, but it never comes up.
Hopefully, the reason Nikki never makes it to live-action is something innocuous, like yet another move in her transient life, because as it stands, we know all the other characters have to survive to go on more adventures, but she’s a complete enigma. Is she doomed by the timeline? Only time will tell.
