Ah, but they still do have the most brilliant minds, and one that has century worth of advanced science in his brains...

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And the "Colony" means that it could serve as the place they visit in the series/movies whenever they visit "the Planet"... Which is very rare anyways and always looks more desolate than it should...
Anyways, my biggest gripe: Where is Gary Mitchell?! Yes, you could explain him off with the timeline changes, but I seriously think he should've been there...
PS. You're not Trekkie enough if you don't know off-hand who I'm referring to