star trek movie characters

Original Series Trivia
Interesting Characters
The Best Series and Movies, Ranked
'Make It So' - Picard
Fun Facts About the New Film Series
Store-Bought Items Used as Props
Exasperated Picard
The Greatest Star Trek Insults
Secrets from the Wardrobe Dept.
Accidents with the Transporter
Celebrating Spock and Bones McCoy
The Best ‘Star Trek’ Villains Who Give Starflee...
Times Scotty Saved the Day
Episodes That Get You Hooked
Every 'Star Trek' Captain, Ranked By True Trekkies

List of Star Trek Characters

Embark on an intriguing exploration of the beloved Star Trek constellation of characters, seamlessly woven in our specially curated list. From Captain Kirk's indomitable spirit to Spock's logical brilliance, absorb the enthralling essence of these timeless personalities from one of science fiction's most enduring enterprises.

Diving beyond the surface, our list traces the intricate pathways of each character's narrative journey. Grasp the transformational arcs and pivotal roles of these fascinating individuals who have defied space and time and entered the panorama of popular culture.

Our meticulous, well-researched explorations are founded on extensive knowledge providing a broad-view perspective of their strengths, weaknesses, and alliances, as well as the antagonistic relationships within the Starfleet universe. Immensely engaging, this list will satisfy the curiosity of those seeking depth and perspective into their favorite characters while tracing the cherished legacy of Star Trek.

However, this engaging exploration isn’t just a monologue. We want our opinion. Are you fascinated by the stoicism of Jean-Luc Picard or intrigued by the duality of Data? Here, your opinion matters. Cast your vote for your favorite character and become a part of an enriching, collective conversation on this beloved franchise.

Commence your celestial journey with us as you dig deeper into the intricacies and marvels of the Star Trek universe. Participate, discover, and contribute to the shared passion for one of sci-fi’s greatest phenoms.

James T. Kirk

Captain James T. Kirk, the iconic protagonist of the Star Trek universe, is a highly innovative and passionate leader who never shies away from taking risks. Known for his unwavering dedication to his crew and the ideals of the United Federation of Planets, Kirk's cunning mind, strategic thinking, and exceptional diplomatic skills set him apart from other Starfleet captains. His ability to think outside the box and make split-second decisions in critical situations solidifies his reputation as one of the most legendary characters in the Star Trek franchise.

The half-human, half-Vulcan First Officer of the USS Enterprise, Spock represents the epitome of stoicism, logic, and reason. Often struggling with the dichotomy between his Vulcan and human heritage, he brings an unparalleled level of intellect and curiosity to the crew while grappling with his emotions. His unwavering loyalty and deep understanding of both cultures make Spock not only a vital asset to the crew but also a symbol of unity and harmony between two seemingly disparate worlds. His unique upbringing and commitment to logic have made Spock one of the most beloved and enduring characters in the Star Trek universe.

Montgomery Scott

Affectionately known as "Scotty," Montgomery Scott is the brilliant and resourceful Chief Engineer of the USS Enterprise. With his unmistakable Scottish accent, wit, and humor, Scotty consistently saves the day by performing seemingly impossible engineering miracles. His uncanny ability to push the boundaries of the ship's systems, coupled with his unwavering loyalty to Captain Kirk and the rest of the crew, makes him an indispensable member of the Enterprise. Scotty's optimistic attitude and steadfast dedication to his work have endeared him to Star Trek fans throughout the years.

Nyota Uhura

A groundbreaking character for her time, Lieutenant Nyota Uhura serves as the Communications Officer aboard the USS Enterprise. Her linguistic and interpersonal skills play a significant role in fostering understanding between different races and cultures. As one of the first Black women to hold a central role in a major television series, Uhura broke barriers and shattered stereotypes during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Her poise, intelligence, and strength continue to serve as an inspiration for women and people of color in the science fiction genre and beyond.

Hikaru Sulu

As the talented Helmsman of the USS Enterprise, Hikaru Sulu is known for his calm demeanor and exceptional piloting abilities. His passion for botany, fencing, and astrophysics showcases his well-rounded personality and diverse interests outside of his Starfleet duties. Sulu's portrayal as a competent Asian character during a time of Hollywood whitewashing broke racial barriers, paving the way for greater representation and diversity onscreen. His quiet confidence, strong moral compass, and ability to navigate complex situations make Sulu a fan favorite and a staple of the Star Trek universe.

Leonard McCoy

Gruff yet compassionate, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy serves as the Enterprise's Chief Medical Officer. A skilled physician with a penchant for metaphors, Bones is often the voice of reason and humanity on the crew, reminding them of the ethical implications of their actions. His tumultuous yet endearing friendship with Spock provides a unique balance between logic and emotion that is rarely seen on television. Despite his grumbles and sharp wit, McCoy's unwavering concern for the wellbeing of his patients and crewmates solidifies him as a beloved and integral character.

Pavel Chekov

The young and enthusiastic Russian navigator of the Enterprise, Ensign Pavel Chekov brings a vibrant energy and eagerness to the crew. With his thick accent and unwavering patriotism, Chekov often serves as comic relief while providing valuable insights and ingenuity in critical situations. His youthful perspective and relentless loyalty to the crew, coupled with his exceptional problem-solving abilities, make him an indispensable and charismatic addition to the Star Trek universe.

Christopher Pike

Captain Christopher Pike, the original captain of the USS Enterprise before James T. Kirk, is a thoughtful and decisive leader with a strong moral compass. Known for his keen ability to judge character and motivate his crew, Pike serves as a mentor and guiding force for the younger members of Starfleet. His willingness to take risks for the greater good and unwavering dedication to the Starfleet ideals set an inspiring precedent for future captains. With his calm demeanor and tactical prowess, Captain Pike remains a revered and influential figure in the Star Trek universe.

A prominent Vulcan ambassador and Spock's father, Sarek embodies the intellect and stoicism characteristic of his race. Though he struggles with the emotional consequences of marrying a human woman, Amanda Grayson, his commitment to diplomacy and the pursuit of knowledge remains steadfast. Sarek's influence on Spock's upbringing is evident in his son's sense of honor and dedication to reason, making him an essential figure in shaping one of the franchise's most enduring characters. Despite his cool exterior, Sarek's complicated relationship with his family adds depth and complexity to his persona, solidifying his status as a beloved Star Trek character.

Amanda Grayson

The human wife of Sarek and mother of Spock, Amanda Grayson is a symbol of the potential for unity and understanding between different species and cultures. Her compassion, empathy, and love for her family serve as a powerful contrast to the Vulcan detachment and logic that often surrounds her. Amanda's influence on Spock is evident in his emotional growth throughout the series, as she encourages him to embrace his humanity and become a more well-rounded individual. Her quiet strength and unwavering love for her son make Amanda Grayson an essential and compelling character within the Star Trek universe.

Starfleet Computer

The Starfleet Computer is an indispensable component of the USS Enterprise, providing crucial information and analysis to the crew in their various missions and adventures. Capable of processing vast amounts of data in mere seconds, this advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system exemplifies the technological prowess of the Star Trek universe. With its neutral yet authoritative voice, the Starfleet Computer serves as a reliable source of knowledge and guidance for the crew, often assisting them in navigating complex situations and overcoming challenges. While not a typical character in the traditional sense, the Starfleet Computer is an iconic presence that greatly contributes to the distinctiveness of the franchise.

George Samuel Kirk, Sr.

The father of James T. Kirk, George Samuel Kirk, Sr., plays a pivotal role in shaping his son's character and values, even though his presence in the series is brief. As the First Officer of the USS Kelvin, George demonstrates bravery, self-sacrifice, and dedication to his crew by staying behind during the evacuation to save countless lives, including his wife and newborn son. His heroic actions leave a lasting impression on Kirk, inspiring him to follow in his father's footsteps and join Starfleet. The legacy of George Samuel Kirk establishes a strong foundation for the protagonist's journey, making him a significant figure within the Star Trek canon.

The Romulans, an enigmatic and cunning race, serve as one of the most formidable adversaries in the Star Trek universe. Characterized by their pointed ears, sharp eyebrows, and militaristic society, Romulans are driven by a desire for power and territorial expansion, often employing deception and subterfuge to achieve their goals. Despite their antagonistic role, the complex and nuanced portrayal of individual Romulans, such as Commander Sela and Senator Vreenak, adds depth and intrigue to the franchise. Ultimately, the Romulans represent the darker side of ambition and secrecy, albeit with glimmers of hope for peace and understanding.

Nero, a Romulan mining ship captain turned vengeful villain in Star Trek (2009) , serves as a testament to the devastating influence of grief and loss on an individual's actions. Driven by the destruction of his home planet and the death of his family, Nero's quest for vengeance against Spock and the Federation leads him down a path of ruthless destruction. His single-minded obsession and disregard for the lives of others makes him a formidable antagonist. However, the emotional backstory underlying his actions also highlights the complexities inherent in all beings, regardless of their race or allegiance.

Nero's wife

Although her presence is brief and mostly in flashbacks, Nero's wife Amandine plays a vital role in the development of Star Trek (2009)'s primary antagonist. Her tragic death during Romulus's destruction serves as the catalyst for her husband's descent into madness and vengeance, fueling his desire to punish the world he sees as responsible. The deep love and devotion Nero feels for his wife are testaments to the character's humanity, providing a glimpse of vulnerability beneath his hardened exterior. As such, Amandine serves as a symbol of the transformative power of love and heartbreak within the Star Trek universe.

Vulcan Bully #1

Appearing in Star Trek (2009) , the character of the Vulcan Bully illustrates the challenges faced by young Spock in his formative years, highlighting his struggle to reconcile his dual heritage. Despite the common perception that Vulcans are solely driven by logic and devoid of emotion, the bullies reveal that even this seemingly stoic race can fall prey to more base instincts such as prejudice and cruelty. The actions of the Vulcan Bully push Spock to explore his human side and ultimately become the multifaceted character we know and love. The presence of this character underscores the complexities that lie beneath the surface of the Vulcan race.

Captain Robau

Though his time onscreen is brief, Captain Richard Robau of the USS Kelvin plays a crucial role in the opening moments of Star Trek (2009) . When faced with the threat of Nero's ship, Captain Robau demonstrates bravery and selflessness by agreeing to leave his crew and board the enemy vessel in an attempt to negotiate peace. His unflinching dedication to his command and willingness to sacrifice himself for the safety of others serve as a prime example of the leadership qualities that define Starfleet captains. Robau's actions set a tone of heroism and duty that resonates throughout the film and the franchise as a whole.

Barracks Leader

The Barracks Leader in Star Trek (2009) serves as an authoritative figure within the Starfleet Academy, responsible for maintaining order and discipline among the cadets. While his role may be minimal, his presence establishes the structured environment and expectations placed upon those training to join the ranks of Starfleet officers. As a supportive figure, the Barracks Leader helps to guide young cadets like James T. Kirk on their paths to becoming the leaders and heroes of the future. His role underscores the importance of mentorship and guidance in the development of the franchise's beloved characters.

Winona Kirk

As the mother of James T. Kirk, Winona Kirk's influence on her son's life cannot be overstated. In the face of tragedy and loss, Winona demonstrates resilience and courage, raising Kirk and his brother in the aftermath of their father's death. Her strength and fortitude in the face of adversity inspire Kirk's own determination and drive to succeed in Starfleet. Although her appearance in the series is limited, Winona Kirk stands as a testament to the power of maternal love and endurance in shaping the lives of her children.

Gaila, an Orion woman attending Starfleet Academy in Star Trek (2009) , is a minor character who adds an element of intrigue to the film. As the roommate of Uhura, Gaila represents the diversity of species and cultures present within the Star Trek universe, particularly within the ranks of Starfleet. Her brief interactions with Kirk and Uhura also serve to showcase her intelligence and ambition, traits essential for success in the demanding environment of the Academy. Gaila's presence, though fleeting, highlights Star Trek's commitment to inclusivity and the celebration of unique individuals from all walks of life.

Admiral Richard Barnett

As the Superintendent of Starfleet Academy, Admiral Richard Barnett serves as an imposing presence and symbol of authority in Star Trek (2009) . His stern demeanor and high expectations for new recruits showcase the level of dedication required for a successful career in Starfleet. Additionally, his ability to recognize potential in cadets, such as Kirk, speaks to his keen understanding of the qualities necessary for leadership. Admiral Barnett's role is essential in reinforcing the discipline, commitment, and determination that define the Star Trek universe's most respected officers.

The Wrong Orion

The Wrong Orion, played by Rachel Nichols in Star Trek (2009), is an intriguing character who serves as an essential catalyst for the film's events, making her one of the best Star Trek characters to date. As the enigmatic and exotic green-skinned beauty, Nichols expertly captures the allure associated with the Orion race. However, she also brings a sense of vulnerability and depth to her character, highlighting the fact that she is more than just a stereotype. The Wrong Orion's presence on-screen not only adds intrigue and excitement to the plot but also challenges our preconceived notions of the Orions, enabling her character to leave an indelible mark on the Star Trek universe.

Ayel, Nero's second-in-command in Star Trek (2009) , serves as a loyal and ruthless supporter of his captain's quest for vengeance. The unwavering devotion he displays toward Nero's cause, even in the face of destruction, speaks to the strong bonds formed among Romulan comrades in their militaristic society. Ayel's fierce fighting skills and cunning tactics make him a dangerous adversary for the Enterprise crew. This character's blind loyalty serves as a stark contrast to the more nuanced relationships and moral compasses exhibited by the protagonists, emphasizing the complexities of friendship and allegiance within the Star Trek universe.

In Star Trek (2009) , Johnny is a childhood friend of James T. Kirk, providing insight into the protagonist's early life and experiences. Growing up in rural Iowa, Johnny's rebellious nature and youthful antics are mirrored by Kirk, offering glimpses of the future captain's defiant spirit and daring attitude. This character serves as a reminder that even legendary figures like Kirk have humble origins, highlighting the potential for growth and development in anyone. Although a minor character, Johnny's role in shaping Kirk's formative years adds depth to the franchise's beloved protagonist.

Kelvin Doctor

The Kelvin Doctor, portrayed by Sonita Henry in Star Trek (2009), is a fantastic character who proves that even small roles can have a significant impact. As the chief medical officer aboard the USS Kelvin, her character represents the compassionate and capable nature of Starfleet medical officers, despite the chaos unfolding around them. Henry's powerful portrayal of the Kelvin Doctor in the opening scenes provides the audience with an incredibly intense and emotional introduction to the rebooted Star Trek universe. This incredible performance cements the Kelvin Doctor as a standout character among the pantheon of Star Trek greats.

The Iowa Cop in Star Trek (2009) represents authority and law on Earth, contrasting with the interstellar focus of most characters in the series. Encountering a young James T. Kirk during one of his more reckless moments, the interaction between the two showcases Kirk's defiance and struggle to find his path in life before joining Starfleet. The Iowa Cop's presence emphasizes the importance of choices and consequences in shaping one's future, a theme that resonates throughout the Star Trek universe. Though a minor character, his brief appearance reminds audiences that even Earth-bound concerns play a role in the larger narrative of the series.

Med Evac Pilot

In Star Trek (2009) , the Med Evac Pilot's role is small but significant, as he helps transport an injured George Samuel Kirk, Sr. to safety. Despite the chaos and uncertainty of their circumstances, the pilot demonstrates courage and professionalism under pressure. His actions contribute to the foundations of the Kirk family saga and the heroics that would define James T. Kirk's life. In the grand tapestry of the Star Trek universe, characters like the Med Evac Pilot emphasize the importance of teamwork and bravery in the face of adversity.

Lew the Bartender

Lew the Bartender, played by the late Jeremy Roberts in Star Trek: Voyager, is a unique addition to the long list of memorable Star Trek personalities. Providing a human touch within the heart of the Delta Quadrant, Lew's character exemplifies the idea that despite being lightyears away from home, some things remain constant - like a friendly face tending the bar. The engaging storytelling nature of his character manages to create a profound connection between the crew and the audience. Through Lew the Bartender's warm demeanor and quick wit, Roberts brings a sense of warmth and familiarity to the otherwise unpredictable and often hostile environment of the Delta Quadrant.

Kelvin Helmsman

Kelvin Helmsman, portrayed by Greg Ellis in Star Trek (2009), is an exceptional character you can't help but appreciate. As the helmsman aboard the USS Kelvin, his character showcases a combination of unwavering loyalty and dedication to duty, even in the face of imminent danger. In what could have been a minor role, Ellis manages to imbue the character with a sense of purpose and skill that makes him stand out among the crew. Furthermore, the Kelvin Helmsman's actions under pressure leave an indelible mark on the audience, reinforcing his position as one of the best Star Trek characters of all time.

Romulan Helmsman

The Romulan Helmsman serves as an integral member of Nero's crew in Star Trek (2009) , expertly navigating the villain's formidable ship through challenging situations. Although not a primary focus of the story, his contributions to Nero's destructive mission hint at the skills and cunning of the Romulan race. As a loyal supporter of his captain's cause, the Romulan Helmsman's role showcases the strength of the bond between comrades in the face of adversity. His presence offers yet another dimension to the complexity and depth of the Star Trek universe.

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Star Trek (film)

View history

A cataclysm in the 24th century throws two ships back in time to the 23rd century, altering the course of history. With a different life where he never knew his father, James T. Kirk becomes a brilliant yet cynical misfit who is finally convinced to join Starfleet by Captain Christopher Pike in 2255. Three years later, Kirk, Vulcan First Officer Spock, and the young crew of the new USS Enterprise , with guidance from Spock's future self, must figure out a way to work together to prevent the one responsible for the death of Kirk's father, the future Romulan known as Nero, from destroying the Federation in a mad quest for vengeance.

1.1 Prologue
1.2 Act One
1.3 Act Two
1.4 Act Three
2 Log entries
3 Memorable quotes
4.1 Development
4.2 Story and script
4.3.2 Props
4.3.3 Costumes
4.3.4 Makeup
4.4.1 Rumors and gossip
4.4.2 Shatner controversy
4.5.1 Crew notes
4.5.2 Secrecy and security
4.5.3 Sets and locations
4.6.1 Music
4.7 Continuity
4.8 Deleted and expanded scenes
4.9 Apocrypha
5.1 Release delay
5.2 Premieres
5.3 General
5.4 Reception
5.5 Box office
6 Awards and honors
8.1 Posters
8.2 USB card wallpapers
8.3 Websites and viral marketing
8.4 Promotional images
8.5 Teaser trailer
8.6 Theatrical trailers
8.7 Super Bowl spot
8.8.1 Merchandise gallery
9.1.3 Star Trek Avionics
9.1.4 Second Unit
9.2 Unconfirmed cast and crew
9.3 Companies
9.4 Uncredited companies
9.5 Unconfirmed companies
9.7.1 Other references
9.7.2 Meta references
9.7.3 Unreferenced material
9.8 See also
9.9 External links

Summary [ ]

Prologue [ ].

The Narada emerges after passing through a black hole

In the year 2233 , the Federation starship USS Kelvin investigates a " lightning storm" near Klingon space , which they soon realize to be a black hole . Suddenly, the massive warship Narada emerges and immediately opens fire on the Kelvin , inflicting heavy damage on the vessel. The Narada ceases fire, and its first officer , Ayel , hails the outmatched Kelvin .

Speaking for its captain , Nero , Ayel demands that the Kelvin 's commanding officer, Richard Robau , come aboard the Narada via shuttlecraft . He states the captain's refusal to do so would be "unwise." Captain Robau agrees and hands command of the ship to his first officer, George Kirk . He orders Kirk to wait fifteen minutes for his signal or else evacuate the ship, telling him he is now captain.

Lieutenant George Kirk aboard the ill-fated USS Kelvin

Upon arriving aboard the Narada , Robau is taken to Nero, while the crew of the Kelvin monitors his life signs . While Nero remains silent, Ayel interrogates him first about a particular ship , which Robau does not recognize, and then about the whereabouts of Ambassador Spock , with whom Robau is also unfamiliar.

Robau reveals the stardate; the Romulans have ended up 150 Earth years in the past. Realizing that they will not get the answers they want out of Robau, he is killed by Nero himself and the Narada recommences its attack on the Kelvin . Kirk orders the Kelvin to return fire but as the situation worsens and he realizes that the damage to the Kelvin is compromising the lives and safety of everyone on board, he orders the crew to proceed to the escape pods and shuttles, including his wife Winona , who is just about to give birth.

Winona Kirk with Jim, moments after his birth

Kirk tries to plot a collision course with the Narada , but the ship's autopilot navigation is offline. The commander comes to the sad realization that he will need to control the Kelvin himself. He orders his wife to leave on the shuttle without him. She protests, but Kirk knows that he has no choice but to stay behind and continue the attack in order to protect his wife and child and the others. On the shuttlecraft, Winona Kirk gives birth to a baby boy.

As the Kelvin destroys the missiles aimed at the shuttles, Kirk can hear his newborn's cries, realizing that he will never meet his son. Just before the Kelvin is about to collide with the Romulan vessel, Kirk asks Winona what they should name their son. She suggests naming him after George's father , but he laughs the suggestion off, saying that "Tiberius" isn't much of a first name. They decide to name him "Jim", after Winona's father . Communication is cut off as the Kelvin smashes into the Narada , temporarily crippling it and giving the shuttles time to escape.

Act One [ ]

" My name is James Tiberius Kirk! "

Approximately ten years later, around the early to mid- 2240s , a young boy is seen racing down the road in an antique Corvette across the open Iowa landscape, blasting 20th century music . Soon, a policeman on a flying motorbike chases him, ordering the boy to stop the car. Evading the officer, the boy heads for a quarry and jumps out of the car, moments before it speeds over the edge and crashes on the canyon floor below. The policeman apprehends the boy, who defiantly identifies himself as " James Tiberius Kirk ".

Spock as a child on Vulcan

Around the same time on Vulcan , a young Spock is being tormented by his peers about his mixed heritage. The boys call his father a traitor for marrying a Human "whore". The three have previously failed 34 times to invoke an emotional response in Spock, but this time they take it too far and Spock knocks one of the older boys into a skill dome and beats him in an emotional rage.

He is later gently admonished by his father, Sarek , who is disappointed at his son's lack of emotional control. Spock suggests that his father wants him to be fully Vulcan, and yet Sarek married a Human woman. Sarek coldly replies that it was the logical choice, as his duties as ambassador to Earth required him to understand and observe Human behavior. Sarek then tells his son, " Spock, you are fully capable of deciding your own destiny. The question you face is: which path will you choose? This is something only you can decide. "

Many years later, Spock is conflicted about whether to participate in the kolinahr , the Vulcan ritual aimed at purging all vestigial emotions. He talks to his mother, Amanda Grayson , who tells him that she will always be proud of him, no matter what he decides.

Spock faces Vulcan Science Academy council

Spock defies the Vulcan elders

Later, Spock stands before a committee on Vulcan. The committee informs him of his acceptance into the Vulcan Science Academy and commends his accomplishments despite his "disadvantage" of being half-Human. In response to yet another underhanded insult to his heritage, Spock declines the offer of admission, stating that he has decided to enter Starfleet Academy instead. The committee expresses shock, as the offer of admission to the Vulcan Science Academy is one that no Vulcan has ever turned down – to which Spock replies that, as he isn't a real Vulcan, that statement is still accurate. Spock thanks the council and with a tinge of anger in his voice, tells the committee to " live long and prosper. "

In 2255 , in a bar in Iowa, a young Academy cadet named Uhura meets up with some friends, and while ordering drinks, a brash and intoxicated James Kirk introduces himself to her and offers to buy her a drink. His attempts at flirting with her are unsuccessful, however, and the situation escalates when three Starfleet recruits led by Hendorff intervene and end up in a fight during which Kirk is badly beaten. Fortunately, Captain Christopher Pike steps in and ends the fight, ordering all cadets inside the bar to step outside.

Pike tries to recruit Kirk in an Iowa bar

Pike, who is very familiar with Kirk's tragic past and the accomplishment of his father, having written his Academy dissertation about the Kelvin , sits down with him, trying to talk some sense into the rebellious young man by trying to persuade him to join Starfleet. Pike firmly believes that with his aptitude, Kirk can do more with himself than get into bar fights and be "the only genius-level repeat offender in the Midwest." Kirk doesn't want to hear it and laughs at the idea of joining Starfleet. Pike ends the conversation with a reminder that Kirk's father saved eight hundred lives in the course of just twelve minutes of command and challenges Kirk to do better.

USS Enterprise (alternate reality) under construction

Kirk looks on as the Enterprise takes shape

Early the next day, Kirk heads to Riverside Shipyard on his motorcycle , where the USS Enterprise is under construction. Pike is surprised to see Kirk turn up to join the new recruits. Before boarding the shuttle Bardeen , Kirk gives away his motorcycle and smugly tells Pike that he'll graduate in three years instead of four. On the recruit shuttle, he meets Leonard McCoy – a recently divorced , disgruntled recruit who dismisses Starfleet technology with smug pessimism. The two share a drink as the shuttlecraft leaves for the Academy in San Francisco .

Three years later, the Narada is waiting at an unknown part of space. Nero is called to the bridge by Ayel. Suddenly, a black hole temporal disturbance appears and a small starship flies out of the anomaly. Nero recognizes and welcomes the appearance of Ambassador Spock, and orders the ship to be captured.

Kirk has an encounter with Gaila

Meanwhile, at Starfleet Academy, Kirk is telling McCoy that he is taking the Kobayashi Maru test again the next day, and is certain he will pass it. McCoy is shocked at Kirk's confidence, as no one has ever passed the test, much less repeated it. However, Kirk is convinced that he will nail it and leaves to "study", which for him means an assignation with an Orion cadet named Gaila in her dorm room. Suddenly, Gaila's roommate enters and Kirk is forced to hide under the bed. He is mortified to find that the roommate is Uhura. Undressing down to her underwear, she describes to Gaila decoding Klingon transmissions about 47 battle cruisers destroyed near a prison planet . She hears him breathing however, and eventually discovers him and angrily kicks him out.

"Captain" Kirk in command during the Kobayashi Maru test

The next day, Kirk, McCoy, Uhura, and a few other Starfleet recruits are in the Kobayashi Maru simulation test on Kirk's third attempt. Kirk takes a comically casual approach to the test, including eating an apple . Everything goes as planned when, unexpectedly, the power systems momentarily fail, and then the attacking Klingon ships' shields go down and the ships are promptly destroyed. From above the simulator room, a technician asks how Kirk was able to beat this test. Spock, who is in the observation room, is equally puzzled.

Spock at Kirk's hearing at Starfleet Academy

During an official inquiry, the Starfleet Academy brass, namely Admiral Richard Barnett , informs Kirk that they have received evidence that Kirk entered a subroutine into the computer making it possible for him to win in the simulation, and accuse him of cheating. While Kirk faces his accuser, Spock, and tries to defend himself, the hearing is suddenly interrupted when the committee is informed that the Federation has received a distress call from Vulcan. With the primary fleet occupied in the Laurentian system , Starfleet is forced to commission the Academy cadets and dispatch ships immediately to begin a rescue mission.

Act Two [ ]

Starfleet cadets assemble at Hangar 1 for assignment

Spock quickly corrects that oversight. Kirk has been grounded pending a ruling on his inquiry and is not allowed to board the shuttles to join the mission. However, McCoy takes him to the medical bay , where he injects him with a vaccine against Melvaran mud fleas temporarily making him ill so that, as a doctor refusing to abandon his patient, he has an official reason to take him along on the mission.

The Enterprise is ready for her maiden voyage

The Enterprise leaves Starbase 1 for Vulcan, after a slight delay caused by the backup helmsman, Hikaru Sulu , forgetting to disengage the " parking brake " before jumping the Enterprise to warp . Pike orders the Enterprise 's very young navigator , Ensign Pavel Chekov , to make a ship-wide mission broadcast. Chekov announces that the crew's orders are to investigate seismic disturbances and aid in evacuation of the planet if necessary.

After hearing Chekov's announcement, Kirk suddenly realizes that the "lightning storm" is exactly the same occurrence the Kelvin encountered two decades earlier. Realizing that they are running straight into a trap, Kirk rushes through the ship to Uhura despite suffering a bad reaction to the vaccine McCoy gave him. Despite his initial difficulty to communicate coherently, he finally manages to ask her about the Klingon distress call she had deciphered earlier and she confirms that the attackers were Romulan.

USS Enterprise and Narada face off over Vulcan

The massive Narada looms over the Enterprise above Vulcan

At Vulcan, the Narada has lowered a drilling platform, which is boring into the planet. Ayel notifies Nero that seven Starfleet vessels are approaching. Kirk rushes to the bridge to inform Captain Pike. Pike and Spock, though initially quite skeptical, are convinced after Uhura confirms Kirk's suspicion. As they disengage warp drive, the Enterprise finds itself in a debris field of the other seven Starfleet ships which arrived shortly before they did.

At the direction of Pike, Sulu is able to navigate his way through the debris with minimal damage. As they clear the debris, they come upon the Narada , drilling above Vulcan's atmosphere . The Narada attacks the Enterprise , which takes heavy damage. But just as they are about to fire again, Nero realizes which ship he is firing at and orders a cease-fire.

" Hi, Christopher. I'm Nero. "

He hails the Enterprise and casually identifies himself. Pike, seeing a Romulan, accuses him of an act of war and offers to reach a settlement, but Nero states he stands apart from the Romulan Star Empire . He openly greets a confused Spock, and orders Pike to come aboard via shuttlecraft. Pike asks if there are any advanced hand-to-hand combat -trained officers on the bridge, and gathers Sulu, Spock, and Kirk for the away mission.

Pike promotes Spock to captain and puts him in charge of the Enterprise . He also commissions Kirk as first officer , much to Spock's chagrin. Pike outlines his plan to do two things at once: on the shuttle en route to the Narada he will drop Kirk, Sulu, and Chief Engineer Olson into an orbital skydive . They will land on Narada 's drill platform and disable it in order to contact Starfleet, since the drill has disabled communications and transporter capabilities.

Sulu sword-fights on the Romulan drill platform

Pike arrives on the Narada as the three begin their descent and, despite the immediate death of Olson, Kirk and Sulu eventually manage to fire on the drill and disable it.

A Narada crewman reports the drill's incapacitation, but tells Nero that the drill reached Vulcan's core before going offline. Nero orders the launch of the " red matter ", which is dropped from the ship down the hole and explodes at the planet's core. Chekov discovers what the "red matter" is doing: creating a black hole in the middle of the planet. Vulcan will be destroyed in a matter of minutes. Spock leaps up from his chair, ordering the Enterprise to signal an evacuation of the entire planet, while he himself hurries to the transporter room to beam down and evacuate the Vulcan Council , which includes his parents.

Spock attempts to save the Vulcan elders and his parents

Kirk signals the Enterprise to beam him and Sulu back at the same the moment when Nero orders the Narada to retract the drill and leave orbit. The jolt causes Sulu to fall off the drill platform without a chute. Kirk leaps from the platform into a controlled dive and grabs Sulu before releasing his own chute. Unfortunately, the drag is too powerful and Kirk's harness tears loose. Kirk frantically signals the Enterprise to beam them up, but the transport chief cannot lock on to them while they are moving too fast. Chekov, however, can, and rushes to the transporter room, creating a pinpoint beam that snatches Kirk and Sulu aboard mere moments before they hit the surface.

Uhura comforts Spock after the loss of Vulcan and his mother

Right after Kirk and Sulu are beamed back aboard, Spock tells Kirk that he is beaming down to save the Vulcan Council , which includes Spock's parents. Kirk tries to stop him, but he ignores Kirk and orders the transporter chief to beam him down immediately. The council members were taking refuge in the katric ark , a chamber within Mount Seleya , which they could not simply beam through.

Two of the elders in the council are killed by falling rocks and statues, but Spock is able to get five of them outside, including his parents. As the transporter is about to pick them up, the rock his mother is standing on collapses, causing the transporter to miss her. As they re-materialize on board the Enterprise , Spock stands on the transporter pad in shock, having lost his mother, with his hand still reached out to her. The Enterprise crew retreats and watches in horror as Vulcan implodes into oblivion.

The beginning of the end for Vulcan

Captain Pike held captive aboard the Narada

He placed blame on the Federation for doing nothing, and accused Spock of betraying them, promising himself retribution. Pike pleads that Romulus still exists, but Nero only knows that his world – the Romulus of the future – was destroyed, and he intends to destroy every world of the Federation, starting with Earth, so that others will know his pain. Forcing a Centaurian slug down Pike's throat, which will help coerce Pike to give out the security codes, Nero orders the Narada to continue to Earth.

" Whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. "

On the bridge of the Enterprise , Spock reasons that the Narada must have traveled back in time from the future. He states that they must regroup with the fleet, but Kirk says that in order to stop Nero they must go after him first. This culminates in an argument which ends in Spock ordering Kirk's removal from the bridge. When Kirk physically protests, Spock incapacitates Kirk with a Vulcan nerve pinch , orders him placed in an escape pod and jettisons him off the ship. Kirk awakens to find himself on the snow-covered world of Delta Vega , another planet in Vulcan's system. Picking up his gear, Kirk heads for the Starfleet station fourteen kilometers away.

Kirk is marooned on Delta Vega

He is chased down by a " drakoulias " which is in turn attacked by an even larger insectoid animal . It chases Kirk into a cave, and when it finally attaches a tendril to catch him, trying to consume him, it is spooked off by an elderly Vulcan man wielding a lit torch. Before he can thank his savior, the old man, who had recognized Kirk on sight, reveals himself to be Spock, Kirk's old friend, but the latter is skeptical – until the former identifies Nero as Pike's captor. Spock melds with Kirk so that he can understand why he is here.

Spock and Kirk share a mind meld

Spock explains that 129 years in the future, in the year 2387 , an impending supernova threatened to destroy the home worlds of the Romulan Star Empire and, potentially, the rest of the galaxy as well. Spock developed a stockpile of "red matter", a substance that can be ignited to form a singularity .

However, the star exploded while he was en route, and Romulus was destroyed. Spock launched the red matter from his ship, the Jellyfish , to prevent further damage. Immediately, Spock was confronted by a surviving Romulan mining vessel, the Narada , captained by Nero. Spock tried to escape, but the resultant black hole captured both the Jellyfish and the Narada , creating a disturbance in the space-time continuum sending both ships into the past.

A vision of the destruction of Romulus in the 24th century

The Narada exited over one hundred and fifty years in the past, where it confronted the Kelvin . Spock's ship entered moments later, but what appeared seconds to him was twenty-five years to Nero and the Narada . He explains that Nero captured his ship, but kept him alive, marooning him on Delta Vega, so that he could witness the destruction of his own home planet, Vulcan, just as he had to witness the destruction of Romulus.

Kirk explains he was left on the planet by the Spock he knows, who is currently in command of the Enterprise . The elder Spock is surprised, knowing that Kirk should be in command of the ship. It is then that Spock realizes that when Nero exited the black hole and confronted the Kelvin , he altered history and created an alternate reality , which changed everything, especially Kirk's life. Kirk asks Spock whether his father lived in the original timeline. Spock confirms that George Kirk proudly saw his son take command of the Enterprise , and often spoke of him as his inspiration to join Starfleet. Spock leads Kirk to the Starfleet base.

" Do you realize how completely unacceptable this is? "

Kirk and the elder Spock are met by a short alien officer, Keenser , who leads them inside, where they meet this timeline's Montgomery Scott . A transporter genius, Scott was "exiled" to Delta Vega after beaming Admiral Archer 's prized beagle to an unknown location during a failed experiment in " transwarp beaming ". Spock informs Kirk that he must relieve the Vulcan's younger self of command by provoking him and showing everyone that Spock is too personally and emotionally compromised to lead the mission and captain the ship.

Kirk saves Scotty from drowning

Giving Scott the formula for "transwarp beaming" – an operation originally devised by the Scott he knew – Spock, who had responded to Kirk's suggestion that he was now "cheating" by recalling the " old friend " who had taught him how to cheat, sends Kirk and Scott back to the Enterprise . Not too long after they are transported to the Enterprise (Scott had materialized in a water tank and nearly drowned), the two are spotted and eventually captured by security personnel – led by Hendorff, the very cadet who had started the bar brawl which led to Kirk joining Starfleet.

Spock attacks Kirk

Act Three [ ]

The Enterprise crew regards Spock when he returns to the bridge

Following his outburst, Spock returns to the transporter room, where Sarek tries to get Spock to open up to him. Spock admits to feeling conflicted and feels a rage he cannot control towards Nero over the death of his mother. Sarek offers that his mother would have said not to bother controlling it, and, recalling what he had said years before after another outburst of his son's Human side, sadly admits to his son that he married Amanda because he loved her.

Meanwhile, on the bridge, Chekov figures out a plan to get the Enterprise close to the Narada without them noticing: they can follow the Narada and stop at Titan 's orbit, remaining undetected by hiding in its magnetic field. Soon after, a cooled-off Spock returns to the bridge, confirms the logic of Chekov's plan, and offers to beam over to the Narada to get the "black hole device" and save Earth, the only home he has left. Kirk says he will go as well, to rescue Pike. Spock mentions regulations against the captain and first officer going on such a mission, but chooses not to cite something he knows Kirk will ignore. Kirk quips that they are finally getting to know each other and gives Spock a friendly slap on the shoulder.

USS Enterprise (alternate reality) hides in Saturn's rings

The Enterprise rises from Titan's atmosphere

The Narada has already arrived at Earth and deployed its drilling rig directly over San Francisco. Warping into Titan's atmosphere, the Enterprise remains undetected by the Narada . Before stepping onto the transporter pad, Kirk calls the bridge, telling Sulu that, if he believes the Enterprise can destroy the Narada , even if Kirk, Spock, and Pike are still aboard, he should not hesitate to take the opportunity. Sulu reluctantly acknowledges Kirk's order.

Before they beam over, Uhura kisses Spock and tells him that he better come back. In his reply, he calls her "Nyota." Kirk, who overheard, then asks Spock if that's the first name he had tried and failed to learn since the first time he met her; Spock coyly cuts him off, stating his refusal to comment on the matter. Right after they are beamed aboard, the Narada begins to drill its hole near the Golden Gate Bridge , cutting the ship off from the Enterprise and disabling transporter functions.

The Narada drills into San Francisco Bay

Scott thought he could beam Kirk and Spock to the Narada 's cargo bay without being seen, but it turns out to be a heavily occupied portion of the ship. After a brief firefight, Spock uncovers the location of the black hole device and Captain Pike by melding with an unconscious Romulan. When they board the Jellyfish , it recognizes Spock as its captain (at which Kirk sarcastically expresses surprise), and the Vulcan finally figures out what is going on, as the ship's computer confirms its origin stardate as 2387, constructed by the Vulcan Science Academy.

Spock confronts Kirk about withholding information from him, but Kirk dodges the question by asking Spock if he can fly the spacecraft, a question he is fairly confident Kirk already knows the answer to. For the first time, Spock calls Kirk, "Jim" and informs him that their chances of success are grim by citing his calculation of their odds, but Kirk assures him that their plan will work.

Kirk leaps away from Ayel on the Narada

Spock commandeers the Jellyfish and blasts out of the Narada . Spock uses the ships guns to destroy the drill's tether, plunging the platform into San Francisco Bay. Kirk runs into more trouble as he finds the Romulans' "bridge", where Nero and Ayel are waiting. Kirk is confronted by Nero, who has recognized him from Earth's history, and after a brief scuffle, Nero pins Kirk and tells him that, while he was a decorated officer and went on to captain the starship Enterprise , that was another life, and that he plans to deprive him of the same life his father once had.

Before he can finish Kirk off, however, Nero is informed that the Jellyfish has been stolen and the drill has been destroyed. Furious above all else, Nero storms off, leaving Kirk to Ayel while he plans to kill Spock. Ayel promptly grabs Kirk by the throat and lifts him in the air, surprised at how "weak" Humans appear to be. Seeing his prey attempting to talk, Ayel offers Kirk the chance to say something – and the Human replies that he is in possession of the Romulan's disruptor pistol . Kirk fires and kills Ayel as he plunges into the depths of the Romulan vessel. He then heads off to rescue Pike.

Kirk and Spock discuss Nero's fate

On the bridge, Nero hails Spock, declaring that he should have killed him when he had the chance. In reply, Spock taunts Nero by "ordering" him to surrender. Nero orders the Jellyfish destroyed, even though the ship still has "red matter" on it; with his plan for revenge ruined, now he only wants to kill Spock. The Jellyfish evades the missiles, then goes into warp, with Nero and the Narada in hot pursuit, leaving Earth behind.

When the ships drop out of warp, the Jellyfish turns to intercept and collide with the Narada , seeking to ignite the red matter and create a hole that will envelop both ships. Nero panics and orders all weapons fired, but the Enterprise arrives on the scene and destroys the missiles with a fierce volley of its phasers , allowing Spock to carry through with his plan to ram the Narada .

Inside the Narada , Kirk finds Pike, alive but injured due to his earlier torture. Pike is quite surprised, but Kirk reminds him of his previous order to "come and get me", and when two Romulan soldiers walk in and find Kirk, effectively defenseless while freeing Pike from the chamber, the captain returns the favor, grabbing the gun on Kirk's belt and killing the intruders before his rescuer even realizes what happened. Scott successfully beams back Kirk, Pike, and Spock, right before the Jellyfish collides with the Narada .

The Narada is pulled into a black hole and obliterated

The explosion of the Jellyfish ignites the entire stockpile of "red matter" on board, creating a black hole, which begins to swallow up the Narada . To Spock's surprise, Kirk offers to rescue the surviving crew, arguing that this might improve long-term relations between the Romulans and the Federation, and is thus only "logical."

Spock, mindful that Nero is the man who destroyed his planet and murdered his mother, coolly suggests that they dispense with logic in this case. Their debate is ended when Nero, belligerent to the last, says he prefers to die in agony than accept help from them. Kirk obliges and orders Sulu to fire all weapons, blowing the ship apart with phasers and photon torpedoes .

Escaping the black hole

The Narada is finally destroyed, but the gravitational pull of the black hole begins tugging on the Enterprise , keeping it from escaping, even with its engines running at warp speed. The pressure is heavily damaging the ship as Kirk orders Scott to get them out of there at all cost. Scott ejects the Enterprise 's multiple warp cores and detonates them near the black hole, propelling the Enterprise to safety on the resultant shockwave.

Back on Earth, the elder Spock meets with his younger counterpart, who presumed the former to be his/their father. Young Spock is confused as to why his older self didn't simply come with Kirk and explain the situation. The older Spock states that he implied there may be universe-destroying paradoxes if Kirk told him the truth so that they would have to rely on each other, thus ensuring "a friendship that will define you both, in ways you can not yet realize."

Spock salutes his older self from the Prime timeline

Young Spock asks if he was making a gambit; older Spock states that he made "an act of faith" to his old friend, which he hopes that he will show again in the future. However, younger Spock expresses his decision to resign from Starfleet to help rebuild the Vulcan race; older Spock points out that he can be in two places at once. He also advises his younger self, in this case, to put aside logic and do what feels right. The older Spock then raises his hand in the familiar Vulcan salute , and, feeling it would be inappropriate to say "live long and prosper" to himself, simply wishes his younger self "good luck."

Spock Prime watches Kirk's promotion ceremony

As the older Spock leaves to help the remaining Vulcans establish a colony , Kirk, now dressed in the gold uniform of a captain, walks on to the Enterprise bridge. After he tells McCoy to "buckle up", and receives assurances from Uhura, Sulu, Chekov, and Scott (who has barely finished talking to Kirk when he finds Keenser – now a member of his engineering staff – having climbed atop a console and orders him down) that their sections are ready to depart, the younger Spock returns to the Enterprise and asks Captain Kirk if he can be his first officer, offering to provide "character references". Kirk says it would be his honor.

USS Enterprise (alternate reality) bridge

Captain James T. Kirk officially takes command of the Enterprise

USS Enterprise (alternate reality) hull registry

The Enterprise departs for deep space

As the Enterprise begins its journey, the voice of the elder Spock intones the famous motto that other starships named Enterprise have voyaged forward from:

Log entries [ ]

" Acting Captain's Log , Stardate 2258.42. We have had no word from Captain Pike. I therefore classified him as a hostage of the war criminal known as Nero. Nero, who has destroyed my home planet and most of its six billion inhabitants. While the essence of our culture has been saved in the elders who now reside upon this ship, I estimate that no more than ten thousand [Vulcans] have survived. I am now a member of an endangered species. "
" Stardate 2258.42… four uh, four, whatever. Acting Captain Spock has marooned me on Delta Vega, in what I believe is a violation of Security Protocol 49.09 governing the treatment of prisoners on board a starship. "

Memorable quotes [ ]

" Citizen, what is your name? " " My name is James Tiberius Kirk. "

" I must decline. " " No Vulcan has ever declined admission to this academy ! " " Then, as I am half Human, your record remains untarnished. "

" I'm impressed. For a moment there, I thought you were just a dumb hick who only had sex with farm animals. " " Well… not only. "

" Oh relax, cupcake – it was a joke. " " Hey, farmboy! Maybe you can't count, but there are four of us and one of you! " " So get some more guys, and then it'll be an even fight. "

" You know, your father was captain of a starship for twelve minutes. He saved eight hundred lives, including your mother's – and yours. I dare you to do better. "

" Space is disease and danger, wrapped in darkness and silence. " " Well, I hate to break it to you, but Starfleet operates in space." " Yeah, well, I got nowhere else to go. The ex-wife got the whole damn planet in the divorce – all I got left is my bones. "

" I don't believe in no-win scenarios. "

" Who was that pointy-eared bastard? " " I don't know – but I like him. "

" You call this a favor?! " " Yeah, you owe me one. "

" No, I'm assigned to the Enterprise . " " … Yes, I believe you are. "

" Is the parking brake on? "

" The complexity of Human pranks escapes me. " " It's not a prank, Spock. And I'm not the captain – you are. "

" Move, move, move! I can do that! I can do that! "

" I am now a member of an endangered species. "

" Dammit, man! I'm a doctor, not a physicist! Are you actually suggesting they're from the future?! "

" If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains – however improbable – must be the truth. "

" I have been, and always shall be, your friend. "

" I don't know you. " " I… am Spock. " "Bullshit."

" Are you out of your Vulcan mind? Are you making a logical choice sending Kirk away? Probably. But the right one? You know, back home we have a saying: If you're gonna ride in the Kentucky Derby, you don't leave your prize stallion in the stable. " " A curious metaphor, doctor, as a stallion must first be broken before it can reach its potential. "

" Dr. Puri, report. " " It's McCoy. Dr. Puri was on deck six. He's dead. " " Then you have just inherited his duties as chief medical officer. " " Yeah, tell me something I don`t know! "

" Green-blooded hobgoblin! "

" Are you from the future? " " Yeah, he is – I'm not. " " Well that's brilliant! Do they still have sandwiches there? "

" So, the Enterprise has had its maiden voyage, has it? She is one well-endowed lady! I'd like to get my hands on her ample nacelles, if you'll pardon the engineering parlance. "

" You know, coming back in time, changing history… that's cheating. " " A trick I learned from an old friend . "

" Come with me… Cupcake!"

" Are you afraid or aren't you? " " I will not allow you to lecture me on the merits of emotion. " " Then why don't you stop me? "

" I like this ship! You know, it's exciting! "

" Well, congratulations, Jim – now we've got no captain and no goddamn first officer to replace him! " " Yeah, we do. " " What?! " " Pike made him first officer. " " You gotta to be kidding me! "

" I sure hope you know what you're doing… captain." " So do I. "

" My mother was Human – which makes Earth the only home I have left. "

" I would cite regulation, but I know you will simply ignore it. " " See? We are getting to know each other! "

" So her first name's Nyota? " " I have no comment on the matter. "

" You'll be able to fly this thing, right? " " Something tells me I already have. "

" James T. Kirk was considered to be a great man. He went on to captain the USS Enterprise , but that was another life. A life I will deprive you of, just like I did your father! "

" You can't even speak… What? " " I got your gun! "

" What're you doing here? " " Just following orders. "

" It's logic, Spock – I thought you'd like that. " " No, not really. Not this time. "

" I would rather suffer the end of Romulus a thousand times. I would rather die in agony than accept assistance from you. " " You got it. Arm phasers – fire everything we've got. "

" Thrusters on full. "

" Bones! Buckle up! "

" Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise . Her ongoing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new lifeforms and new civilizations; to boldly go where no one has gone before. "

Background information [ ]

Development [ ].

The first poster , designed by J.J. Abrams

Development on Star Trek began in 2005 when Paramount contacted Roberto Orci (who was working with J.J. Abrams and Alex Kurtzman on the studio's Mission: Impossible III at the time), asking for ideas on how to revive the franchise. [1] Former Star Trek franchise head Rick Berman , though, shortly before he was let go from Paramount, has credited Abrams with presenting the idea of revisiting Star Trek to the studio when the latter was signed for a five-movie deal in early 2006 . ( Star Trek Magazine issue 129 )

Daily Variety reported, on 20 April 2006 , that an eleventh Star Trek film was being developed by J.J. Abrams, having the story revolve around the iconic characters of James T. Kirk and Spock during their days at Starfleet Academy . [2] Several days later, Abrams confirmed some parts of the report while denouncing others, stating that the announcement was an unofficial leak and was "not entirely accurate." He also stated that, while he was given the option to direct the film, he had not decided to do so at that time. [3] [4] (X) Abrams declined to accept the director's position until the script was complete and he was sure he was the man for the job. He worked with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci on the story throughout 2006 and early 2007 and finally signed on to direct on 23 February 2007 , when he also publicly announced his decision to direct the film. Abrams was convinced to do so by his wife, Katie McGrath, who felt the film had strong female characters, and by acclaimed director Steven Spielberg , who was a friend of Abrams and was impressed by the script. [5] According to The Wrap , before Abrams signed up to direct the film, Paramount offered the position to Sam Raimi , the director of the Evil Dead and Spider-Man films. [6]

Fans got an official look at the movie's direction when Paramount released a poster for the new film on 22 July 2006 : the teaser bore the Enterprise crew uniform insignia from the original series, against a background half command gold and half science blue . It hinted at a film to be set in the 23rd century which might feature the Enterprise itself. The poster was designed by the film's director/producer, J.J. Abrams. [7]

The film was greenlit in late February, at which time pre-production officially began. [8] Paramount issued a press release on 27 February 2007 , which confirmed that production was under way, with Abrams directing, for a target premiere date of 25 December 2008 . [9] (X)

By 3 May 2007 , some of the art department – still being filled by Production Designer Scott Chambliss – were already working, mostly from home; offices on the Paramount lot weren't finished before mid-May. [10] [11]

Sound stage set construction began in September. Most design work was complete by 12 October 2007 . The budget was estimated between US$120 to $150 million, higher than any prior Star Trek film. [12]

Story and script [ ]

The original treatment for the film (the initial story outline) was completed in August. By the 24th of that month, writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman had begun working on a first draft of the screenplay, which was completed by 12 December 2006. [13] A second final draft was complete by 8 October 2007. [14] [15] In total, the script took approximately four months to write. The final script was about 128 pages long. [16]

In an interview posted 8 March 2007 , the writers stated that the "intended title" for the film was always simply Star Trek , without any colons or subtitles. [17] This was to encourage newcomers that they didn't have to watch any other film before it. [18]

This is the first Star Trek movie since Star Trek Generations to feature characters from the original series and to feature scenes set in the 23rd century . It is also the first in the film series to be set before the other films.

Co-writer Alex Kurtzman said the script draws inspiration from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . He and Roberto Orci hoped to recapture the spirit of The Wrath of Khan for this particular film. [19] Other inspirations for the film include the novels Prime Directive and Spock's World , as well as the TOS episode " Balance of Terror ", the TNG episode " Yesterday's Enterprise ", [20] , and the TAS episode " Yesteryear ". ( citation needed • edit )

The writers said that their goal was for the film to appeal not just to Trek fans, but to new audiences as well. [21] [22] They hoped to bring the feel of the original Star Wars trilogy into the movie, since Abrams has often said he's more a fan of Star Wars than Star Trek . [23]

Scenes featuring Kirk's former CO , Garrovick , and Kirk's service under Garrovick aboard the USS Farragut are not in the film as first reported. These elements, which were included in early drafts of the script, were removed in rewrites. [24] The character of Carol Marcus was also included in early drafts of the script, but she did not make it into the shooting script, either. [25]

Rumors that the film's story involved the Guardian of Forever from the classic episode " The City on the Edge of Forever " prompted the episode's writer, Harlan Ellison , to demand compensation if elements from his story were used in the film. [26] [27] The rumors ultimately turned out to be false. The script does, however, reference several elements from the original series episode " Journey to Babel " among these Spock's mother recalling when he was taunted by Vulcan boys during his youth, Sarek's recollection of how Spock turned down appointment to the Vulcan Science Academy, and Spock's conversation with Sarek at the end of the episode discussing why Sarek married Amanda (Sarek replying " At the time it seemed the logical thing to do ").

According to Roberto Orci, the most difficult characters to write for were the film's villain (Nero) and James T. Kirk. [28] One resource which Orci and Kurtzman utilized during the entire writing process was this website, Memory Alpha . The writers also occasionally referenced Memory Alpha during the film's production. [29]

Even though this film takes place in an alternate timeline , Orci has stated that any canon changes made in this timeline will not affect the former timeline, arguing that the scientific theory of quantum mechanics permits the existence of parallel timelines and universes, invoking the thousands of Enterprise s from various universes seen in TNG : " Parallels " to back up this theory. He also believes that this theory allows for the continuance of a timeline even after a change is effected and an alternate timeline is created. In addition, he argues that, although the timeline has changed, the true nature of the characters does not change and that Kirk and company are the same people they are in the original timeline. [30]

The film's production was designed by Scott Chambliss. Ryan Church was the primary designer of the USS Enterprise and other starships, while Trek veteran John Eaves designed the various shuttlecraft . Excepting the Industrial Light & Magic staffers, who had previously worked on the Star Trek franchise and were still in the employment of the company at the time, Eaves was the only regular production staffer who had worked on Star Trek productions, set in the prime universe, to be officially hired and credited for the re-imagined movie as conceptual illustrator (though there were a few uncredited others such as Graphic Designer Geoffrey Mandel ). While Abrams steered clear from hiring any former Star Trek staffers in order to be as unencumbered as possible for his take on the franchise, he was aware that some consistency needed to be observed, or as Chambliss has put it, " I brought John in because he knew the story and lore, what should and shouldn't be done. The ships in the Starfleet Armada to go to Vulcan were influenced by John's knowledge. " ( Star Trek - The Art of the Film , p. 58)

J.J. Abrams stated the difficulty of depicting the future was that much of modern technology was inspired by the original series, making it seem outdated. As such, the production design had to be consistent with the television series while also feeling more advanced than the real world technology developed after it. [31] Specifically, he felt that the original series had a "kitschy quality" to it which had to be abandoned for the sake of realism. [32]

According to production designer Scott Chambliss, redesigning the Enterprise and especially the main bridge began with laying out a framework of ground rules: the sets had to reflect the optimism of the original series, while also having a real functionality to them. " There was a strong, sleek, modernist vision at play in the 1960s when the television series began, " says Chambliss. " That was something we wanted to infuse in our look. " As such, the Enterprise draws inspiration from the work of Pierre Cardin and the sets from the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey . ( Production notes )

Chambliss maintained the layout of the bridge from the original series, but added more consoles and glass data displays to increase its functionality and make it more "busy." He also altered it aesthetically, with brighter lights and colors. The main viewscreen was turned into a window that could have images projected on it to make the space environment palpable. The bridge set was built on gimbals so the ship's rocking motions when it was attacked or when it accelerated to warp were more realistic. More railings were added to the bridge set to make it appear safer. [33] [34]

The Romulan ship, the Narada , was designed as purely practical with visible mechanics, as the Romulans were on a very specific mission, unlike the Enterprise crew, who give a respectable presentation on behalf of the Federation. [35] In designing the Narada , Chambliss was heavily influenced by the architecture of Antoni Gaudí , who created buildings that appeared to be inside out: by making the ship's exposed wires appear like bones or ligaments, it would create a foreboding atmosphere. The ship's interior was made of six pieces that could be rearranged to create a different room, thus allowing the production to utilize a single stage for the set. ( Production notes )

Different art directors were responsible for the sets of each ship: Dennis Bradford was responsible for the Federation starship sets (the Enterprise and the Kelvin ); Gary Kosko handled all the Vulcan-related sets; and Curt Beech oversaw the shuttlecraft sets. They were all supervised by Keith P. Cunningham , who ensured everything was organized and running properly. ( Production notes )

The props seen on the original Star Trek series were redesigned, as well, including the communicator , the tricorder , and the phaser . All props were the responsibility of property master Russell Bobbitt .

Bobbitt collaborated with engineers at Nokia to redesign the original communicator, creating a US$50,000 prototype. For the tricorder, Bobbitt brought the original prop to the set, but the actors found it too large to carry when filming action scenes. Bobbitt then approached technical advisor Doug Brody , who redesigned a smaller version of the prop. [36] The phaser props maintained the basic shape of the original props, but were designed with spring-triggered barrels that revolve and glow blue and red as the setting switches from "stun" to "kill".

A tribble can be seen in the film, sitting in a cage on Scott's desk in the Delta Vega outpost . [37] The production made use of the Aptera Typ-1 , a prototype electric vehicle. The Aptera was used on location at the CSUN campus, which was standing in as part of Starfleet Academy. [38] [39] [40]

Costumes [ ]

Abrams selected Michael Kaplan to design the costumes because Kaplan had not seen any of the films, meaning he would approach the costumes with a new angle. For Abrams, " The costumes were a microcosm of the entire project, which was how to take something that's kind of silly and make it feel real. But how do you make legitimate those near-primary color costumes? " [41]

Kaplan used the Star Trek Encyclopedia to get a sense of the evolution of the Starfleet uniforms and to look for repeated motifs. ( Production notes ) For the Enterprise uniforms, Kaplan followed color coding used on the original series. The uniforms were comprised of dark gray (almost black) undershirts and pants and colored overshirts showing each crew member's position. Kaplan wanted the shirts to be more sophisticated than the originals and decided to have the Starfleet emblem patterned on them. [42]

When designing the uniforms for the crew of the USS Kelvin , Kaplan drew inspiration from the retro-futuristic designs of 1940s and 1950s science fiction films. For the Romulans on the Narada , Kaplan wanted worn and rugged clothes because of their mining backgrounds. He found some aged, greasy-looking fabrics at a flea market, and commissioned the makers of the clothes (who were based in Bali) to create his designs using their fabrics. For the Vulcans, Kaplan designed costumes which shared the eloquent and austere qualities of the Vulcans themselves, while creating a new, corseted shape for the Vulcan women. ( Production notes )

The Vulcan and Romulan makeup was created by Joel Harlow , while Barney Burman designed and created the prosthetic makeup for other alien characters. Mindy Hall was the head of the makeup department. Both digital and physical makeup was used for aliens.

Burman and his team had to rush to create many of the aliens. Originally, the majority of the aliens were to feature in one scene towards the end of filming. However, Abrams deemed the scene too similar to the cantina sequence in Star Wars and decided to pepper aliens throughout the entire film, requiring Burman and his crew to design the aliens earlier than anticipated. [43]

The Romulan characters in the film were all bald to better distinguish them from the Vulcans, and their heads and faces are covered with tattoos. They lack the forehead ridges that were seen on Star Trek: Enterprise and in the TNG -era series and films. The Romulan actors spent two and a half to four hours getting their makeup done; the actors had three prosthetics applied to their ears and foreheads, while Eric Bana had a fourth prosthetic for the bite mark on his ear that extends to the back of his character's head. [44] [45]

Casting [ ]

This is the first of any Star Trek production to re-cast the regular characters of a Trek series and both William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy were given consultation rights for the recasting of their roles. [46] Casting for the film began as early as October 2006 . [47]

The only actors to participate in both this film and the first Star Trek film, Star Trek: The Motion Picture , were Majel Barrett and Leonard Nimoy . In The Motion Picture , Barrett played Dr. Christine Chapel and she voiced the Enterprise computer in Star Trek , while in both films, Nimoy played Spock.

Star Trek has Leonard Nimoy portraying his iconic role of Spock for the first time since 1991 . He came out of retirement to assume the role, having given up acting in favor of photography in 2000. He later gave three explicit reasons for doing this project: the fact that it is Star Trek , his admiration for Abrams, and an "essential" and "interesting Spock role". [48] Abrams has stated that the casting of Nimoy is "critical if we're going to look at reintroducing these characters", noting that, to make this a "great film", it must "both please the fans and those who have never seen Star Trek … having Leonard in the film shows that this film exists in a continuum of Trek history, as opposed to an absolute, page 1 reinvention." [49]

The first actor cast in the new film was Heroes star Zachary Quinto , who plays the younger Spock. His casting, and that of Nimoy, was officially announced at San Diego's Comic-Con International on 26 July 2007 . Quinto also signed up to play Spock in any potential sequels to this film. [50] The last recast member of the original series crew to sign on was Karl Urban as Leonard McCoy. [51] Rehearsals were held week of 19 October 2007. [52]

On 10 December 2008, Variety announced that Majel Barrett-Roddenberry reprised her role as the voice of the Enterprise computer. [53] [54] This announcement came just eight days before Barrett's death at the age of 76.

April Webster and Alyssa Weisberg oversaw the casting of the principal actors. Hollywood Operating System (Hollywood OS) and Headquarters Casting (HQC) were the agencies working in conjunction to hire extras for the film. They held an open casting call for extras on 10 November 2007, an event which hundreds attended, numbers that haven't been seen since Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979. [55]

In November 2009, Wil Wheaton , who played Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation , confirmed that he provided the voice for the minor Romulan characters who spoke in the movie. His dialogue was altered to make him sound different each time, with one exception: the Romulan towards the end of the film who tries to warn Nero about igniting the red matter aboard Spock's ship had Wheaton's normal voice. [56] [57]

Rumors and gossip [ ]

As the buzz around the film was building and word spread that the characters of the original Star Trek series were to be recast, rumors as to who would play the younger versions of these iconic characters also arose while a number of actors reportedly expressed interest in participating in the film.

J.J. Abrams' childhood friend Greg Grunberg expressed interest in playing a Klingon, Scott, or a Vulcan. [58] [59] [60] [61] [62] Although he was to have appeared in the film, Grunberg bowed out to star in, produce, and co-write another film. [63] However, he did visit the set of this movie while it was in production. ( Empire , issue 287, p. 79) Grunberg also managed to acquire a role in the film during post-production, as the voice of James Kirk's step-father.
Actor Matt Damon was rumored as Captain Kirk, even soliciting William Shatner's aid in signing him up. [64] Damon himself denied having been approached for the role, [65] although he later told Sci-fi Wire that he would be interested in playing a young Captain Kirk if the script met with his satisfaction. [66] In March 2007, Kurtzman, although not confirming that Damon will play Kirk, stated that he was " the hugest Matt Damon fan. If he became [Kirk], great. " [67] In a subsequent interview with IGN, Damon stated that the filmmakers were looking for someone younger than Damon (who in 2007, was merely two years older than William Shatner was in 1966). [68] In an interview with Entertainment Tonight , J.J. Abrams said he had approached Damon to play Kirk's father, but ultimately it didn't work out. [69]
Mike Vogel was a contender for the role of Kirk before the role went to Chris Pine. [70] [71]
Actors Ryan Gosling and Sam Rockwell also showed interest in portraying Jim Kirk. [72] [73]
Adrien Brody was rumored to be in talks to play Spock. Brody later confirmed that he had indeed had a discussion with J.J. Abrams about the role. [74] [75]
Oscar-nominated actor Gary Sinise ( Forrest Gump , CSI: NY ) was rumored to be in talks to play the role of Dr. McCoy. [76] Sinise subsequently denied the rumor. [77]
During a short phone interview with J.J. Abrams on his show, The Colbert Report , Stephen Colbert jokingly expressed that he felt he was perfect for the role of Dr. McCoy.
Alias star Kevin Weisman expressed interest in portraying Scott. [78]
Scottish actor James McAvoy was rumored as being sought to play Scott, which McAvoy's publicist subsequently denied. [79] [80]
Scottish actors Greg Hemphill and Martin Compston were also reportedly up for the role of Scott. [81] [82]
Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise guest actor and Lost star Daniel Dae Kim was named as a contender for the role of Sulu . [83]
Heroes actor James Kyson Lee expressed interest in playing Sulu. [84]
Sources reported that Academy Award-winner Philip Seymour Hoffman may have a role in the film, possibly as a doctor (but not "Bones" McCoy). [85]
There was a rumor that the new James Bond, Daniel Craig , was interested in a role. [86]
Actress Jennifer Garner , who starred in Abrams' Alias television series, said she would "absolutely" sign up to appear in Star Trek if she were asked. [87] Garner later expressed interest in showing up as a Klingon, even if it was just a quick walk-on role. [88]
Abrams thought it would "be awesome" if he were able to cast his Felicity and Mission: Impossible III actress Keri Russell as a Klingon. [89] Russell later told IESB that she had indeed been in talks for a role in Star Trek but that she and Abrams had decided not to go through with it. [90]
Actress Sydney Tamiia Poitier auditioned for a role in the film, [91] possibly Uhura. [92]
Ben Affleck was rumored to have been approached for a role in the film. [93]
Abrams' Mission: Impossible III star and producer, Tom Cruise , was frequently rumored to have a cameo in the film. He was even rumored to be appearing in the film as Captain Christopher Pike. Both Cruise and his publicist have denied any involvement in the film. [94] [95] [96] [97] [98] [99] [100] [101]
It was reported that Paramount was attempting to sign up Oscar-winner Russell Crowe to play the film's villain. [102] Crowe said he was "apparently" up for the role, but that he had yet to read anything and could not make a decision until he did. [103] Eric Bana ultimately won the role.
Actor Josh Lucas was being considered for the role of Pike, although he was never the leading candidate. [104] [105] The role ultimately went to Bruce Greenwood .
Starburst Magazine reported, in its 356th issue, that George Takei would be appearing in the film, reprising his role as Sulu in "a flash forward sequence" opposite Leonard Nimoy. This was later found to be incorrect. [106] (X) [107]
Star Trek: Enterprise star Dominic Keating auditioned for the role of Jim Kirk's stepfather, but he did not get the part. [108]
TOS actress Nichelle Nichols stated that she and J.J. Abrams discussed the possibility of Nichols making an appearance in the new film, perhaps as the grandmother of Uhura (the character she originated on TOS). Due to the writers' strike, however, her inclusion into the script was not possible. [109]
While filming the Star Trek:New Voyages fan film "World Enough and Time" as old Sulu, George Takei met the actor playing TOS-era Sulu, John Lim, and was impressed to the point that he thought Lim would do a good job in the 2009 film. [110]

Shatner controversy [ ]

Yet another actor who expressed interest in a role was William Shatner himself. [111] In an interview with Time magazine, Shatner claimed to have been approached by Abrams for a role in Star Trek . [112] Shatner even reported several times his belief that Abrams was planning for both him and Leonard Nimoy to appear in the film, although they would have to be meaningful roles. [113] [114]

Shatner learned he did not have a role in the film while discussing the script with Leonard Nimoy over the phone. [115] According to Nimoy, although Shatner did not have a role the film, Shatner was not "furious" about it as some reported. [116] The film's writers stated their wish for Shatner to be a part of the film's shoot, and the filmmakers were looking for a way to include Shatner in the film. [117] [118] [119] [120] It was implied by Nimoy that the reason Shatner did not have a role in the script was due to the events of Star Trek Generations , which featured the death of Captain Kirk. [121] This suggested that Nimoy's scenes as Spock might have taken place in the 24th century . As it turned out, the backstory for the movie did indeed start in the late 24th century in the year 2387 . Kirk's appearance and subsequent death in the 24th century occurred in the year 2371 , sixteen years prior. While Shatner could theoretically have appeared as a James T. Kirk circa 2387 (as depicted in the "Shatnerverse" novels), it would have been confusing to the audience that might only know of his last screen adventure and not the subsequent ones in the novels since the novels are not canon.

In an interview with then-executive producer Stratton Leopold , the Savannah Morning News stated that "studio executives still hope to convince William Shatner to suit up as Captain Kirk one more time. " [122] This contradicted previous reports stating that Shatner was the one attempting to convince Abrams and crew to find a way to put him in the movie. It is possible that the Savannah report was merely mistaken or that the line was taken out of context.

The fact that Nimoy had a role in the film and Shatner did not, disappointed Shatner. The fact also caused an uproar from some fans on forums and discussion boards. Shatner explained in later interviews that the writers had been looking for ways to include Kirk in the story, but couldn't find a way to do it without compromising the script or making his appearance feel "forced".

In an interview with IGN , J.J. Abrams finally put an end to the rumors by stating that William Shatner was not in the movie at all and Leonard Nimoy is the only actor from the original series who was. [123]

In another interview with AMC , Abrams admitted there was a scene written for Shatner, but he and the writers decided not to use it because "it didn't feel right" and they still had to respect canon. In addition, Shatner was vocal in his unwillingness to be involved unless he had a substantial role in the film. [124] Abrams called the omitted scene a "flashback", although co-writer Roberto Orci later stated that wasn't a technically accurate term. [125]

Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman eventually said that Shatner's scene was in the movie and then was written out in a later draft. It would have been at the very end of the movie when Spock Prime meets the younger Spock and speaks to him about the long and enduring friendship that Spock and Kirk needed to form. Spock Prime would have said " Don't take my word for it " and produced a small holographic device that would have projected a message from the elder Kirk. [126]

Production [ ]

A moment from the filming of this movie

Principal photography began 7 November 2007 [127] and wrapped 141 shoot days later on 27 March 2008 . Second unit and VFX plate shots continued until 17 April 2008 , under the direction of Visual Effects Supervisor Roger Guyett . Since it was the principal photography that had been reportedly scheduled to wrap in April, writer and executive producer Roberto Orci stated:

Shooting was once set to start summer 2007 [129] before the filmmakers made clear it could actually begin in April. [130] Shooting would have started on 5 November but was postponed two days. [131]

This was the first film in the Star Trek franchise which Paramount Pictures made in collaboration with a production partner, let alone two ( Bad Robot Productions and Spyglass Entertainment ). This was also the first Star Trek project which writer/director Rick Berman has not been involved with in over twenty years, and the first Trek film since Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country made without his involvement. In addition, this was the first film since Star Trek Generations that the soundtrack was not composed by Jerry Goldsmith , who passed away in 2004 .

Crew notes [ ]

Many of the crew members whom Abrams selected to work on this film are those he had worked with in the past, most notably writers/executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, producer Damon Lindelof , executive producer Bryan Burk , composer Michael Giacchino , cinematographer Dan Mindel , production designer Scott Chambliss , editors Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey , and casting directors April Webster and Alyssa Weisberg .

Stratton Leopold , a collaborator of Abrams' on Mission: Impossible III , was initially unit production manager and an executive producer for the film. [132] Before filming began, however, Leopold left the production and was replaced as executive producer by Jeffrey Chernov [133] and as unit production manager by David Witz . [134]

Originally, Vic Armstrong was to coordinate the stunts for Star Trek . He was looking forward to working with Abrams again, having served as stunt coordinator on Mission: Impossible III (2006), but Joey Box was ultimately given the job. (source: Vic Armstrong)

The first three months of shooting on Star Trek took place during the 2007 writers' strike . None of the filmmakers could make any changes to the film's script during the strike period, meaning the common practice of revising the script during production was not possible. Although Abrams complained about not being able to add new dialogue, the strike for the most part did not affect the film's production. Since it was one of the studio's "high priority" films, Paramount strove to help it despite the writing stoppage. [135] [136] Writers Kurtzman and Orci were able to stay on set without strikebreaking as they were also executive producers on the film. While they could not change any lines themselves, they could "make funny eyes and faces at the actors whenever they had a problem with the line and sort of nod when they had something better." [137]

Secrecy and security [ ]

Security on the set was very tight in order to keep aspects of the production a secret from the general public. Cast and crew members on location were not allowed to leave the set for cigarette breaks, [138] and actors could not walk in public in their costume – they were driven to and from set in golf carts, hidden behind black canvas. [139] Some actors, including Jennifer Morrison and Sonita Henry , were only given the part of the script containing their scenes, which they had to return at the end of the day. [140] [141] The script was also protected with members of the main cast, including Simon Pegg , who had to read the script with a security guard nearby. [142]

During its production process, the film was codenamed "Corporate Headquarters". [143] This was the official fake title chosen by Bad Robot, although various other fake titles were also used throughout the production. Each of the Key Assistant Location Managers was allowed to choose an additional fake title for paperwork, permits, and signage in an effort to thwart paparazzi and to protect the secrecy of the movie: Kathy McCurdy named the movie "Untitled Walter Lace Project" after her grandfather; Rob Swenson used "Christa & Christan's Big Adventure" after his twin step-daughters; Scott Trimble used "The Ernest Castelhun Chronicles" after his great-granduncle who drowned in beer at the Anheuser-Busch factory in 1937; and Steve Woroniecki named it "Untitled Blake Allen Project" after his son.

TOS stars Nichelle Nichols and Walter Koenig , TNG star Jonathan Frakes , and veteran Trek writer and producer Ronald D. Moore were among the few who were permitted to visit the Star Trek set. Other celebrities who visited the set include Tom Cruise , Ben Stiller , Harrison Ford , Michelle Monaghan , and Steven Spielberg . Ford dropped by the set during the last week of shooting; Spielberg was on set during filming on the Enterprise and assisted Abrams with the action of one of the scenes. [144] [145] (Abrams states that Koenig came when filming the space dive – since Pine and Cho had actually been standing on a mirror on top of a building, Koenig thought the film would be a flop.)

The wrap party was held on 18 April 2008 at Hangar 8 at the Santa Monica Airport between 7:00 pm and midnight. The invitation featured the note, " Please note that due to heightened security, you must R.S.V.P. in order to have your name placed on the guest list. Your photo I.D. will be required at the entrance. " (Source: Jon Donahue via Facebook)

Sets and locations [ ]

The production used a total of eleven sound stages. [146] Most filming took place on the studio lot, specifically on stages 8 , 9 , 11 , 14 , 15 , and 18 . These are stages where Star Trek has filmed in the past. Plans also reportedly included use of a Universal Studios stage for "planetary" shots needing more room, [147] but that location was never used.

A source told TrekMovie.com that more ship interiors were created for this film than any other Trek film. There was also a minimal amount of redressing used. [148]

Abrams has stated that his goal with this film is to make Star Trek "real." As such, he used live sets and location shooting rather than green- and blue-screen sets wherever possible. [149] The first days of shooting occurred on location in a Long Beach building. [150] California's Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park was used for a birthing scene involving a number of Vulcans. Vasquez Rocks has appeared in past Trek shoots, including the original series episode " Arena ". [151] )

Approximately four weeks out of the twenty weeks of shooting took place on the bridge of the USS Enterprise . [152] The last day of shooting on the set of the Enterprise bridge was 25 January 2008 . Scenes filmed included the intended final scene of the movie. During filming on that day, TrekMovie.com hosted a live chat in which J.J. Abrams, other crewmembers, and some of the cast answered fan-submitted questions from the bridge set. A transcript of this chat included a brief glimpse of the set – the first such on-set image – showing Abrams using his laptop at one of the stations. [153]

In addition to the bridge, other areas aboard the Enterprise seen in the movie are sickbay , crew quarters , corridors , engineering , and the transporter room . All of these sets were built at Paramount Studios, with the exception of engineering, which was done on a redressed industrial location. [154] That location was later revealed to be the Budweiser beer plant in Van Nuys, California. (Production notes at StarTrekMovie.com )

The bridge of the USS Kelvin reflects an earlier design than the Enterprise and is described as "a lot busier." This bridge set was redressed for use as the mock-up starship bridge in a scene depicting the Kobayashi Maru scenario . [155] Other areas we see on the Kelvin include sickbay, engineering, and some corridors. The Romulan ship, the Narada , utilizes an interior design that is different from previously seen Romulan ships and is described as "surreal." Scenes were also filmed on sets built to represent a medical shuttle and a transport shuttle. [156]

Some scenes were shot in a large Orange County hangar. Production later returned to Long Beach for scenes at its city hall. Filming there wrapped on 14 December 2007 , with several city staffers invited to the shoot, all of whom signed nondisclosure pacts. [157] [158]

During the week of 18 March 2008 , parts of the film were shot at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), with the university's Oviatt Library standing in as the lower levels of Starfleet Academy. Although blue screens were placed on the sides of the lawn, light fixtures were modified, and banners sporting the Starfleet emblem were hung on streetlights, little else was modified for the film. [159] Although it never appeared in the film, the lobby of the library was dressed with NASA and other space-related images and the main doors were emblazoned with the Starfleet emblem. There was also a "futuristic kiosk" placed in the lawn. Photos of the filming at CSUN feature dozens of extras dressed in red cadet uniforms (as well as some in more militaristic gray uniforms) as well as a futuristic-looking, functional vehicle called the Aptera . [160]

Also in March of 2008, filming took place at the Pastoria Energy Facility to the east of Interstate 5 at the bottom of "the grapevine," a stretch of Interstate 5 that drops out of the mountains north of Lebec, California, and south of Bakersfield. This location served as the Riverside Shipyards where the starship Enterprise was being constructed. This is where James T. Kirk rode his motorcycle into the shipyards, gave his bike to a shipyard worker, and boarded the shuttle headed to Starfleet Academy.

Four of the filmmakers, including production designer Scott Chambliss , first assistant director Tommy Gormley , then executive producer Stratton Leopold , and eventual second unit director Roger Guyett , scouted locations in Iceland during early Summer 2007. Despite some reports, J.J. Abrams never actually visited Iceland himself. Companies such as Pegasus-Panarctica Pictures (run by Snorri Þórisson), Sagafilm (Kjartan Thor Thordarson), Labrador (Pétur Hafsteinn Bjarnason), and Truenorth Productions (Leifur B. Dagfinnsson) vied for the opportunity to provide local production services. This would have been the first time a Star Trek movie was filmed outside of the United States. The plan was that two weeks of filming would take place there during Spring 2008, but, as it turned out, no filming whatsoever was ever done in Iceland. A location scout was also sent to British Columbia, Canada, but, in the end, the movie was filmed entirely in the United States. [161] [162] [163]

Many of the scenes featuring interior locations on Vulcan were filmed at the SkyRose Chapel in Whittier, California. These included the conversation between young Spock and Sarek, as well as Spock's confrontation with the Vulcan committee. [164] [165]

In early April, some second unit work took place on location in Bakersfield, California, which stood in for Iowa (the birthplace of James T. Kirk). While shooting in Bakersfield – near Highway 119 – on 8 April 2008 , an automobile accident occurred in front of the set in which a car being driven by the location's site manager (a local official in charge of the site) crashed head-on into a truck. A passenger in the car and the driver of the truck were injured but survived, and the crash did not disrupt filming. [166] [167]

Post-production [ ]

Industrial Light & Magic provided the special visual effects for the film. This was the company's seventh film project for the Star Trek franchise, the last being 1996's Star Trek: First Contact . Santa Barbara Studios did the VFX for Star Trek: Insurrection and Digital Domain provided the effects for Star Trek Nemesis . Visual Effects Supervisor Roger Guyett anticipated that Star Trek would use about 1,000 visual effects shots, [168] though the number had increased to over 1,300 by August. [169]

The first cut of the film was completed in July 2008. This cut was screened for studio executives at Paramount Pictures sometime in the last week of July and received a very positive response. [170]

Post-production on Star Trek was completed on 23 December 2008 . The film spent just under nine months in the post-production process, the second longest in the franchise behind Star Trek: The Motion Picture . The final step in the process was sound editing, provided by Academy Award-winning sound designer Ben Burtt (best known for his work on the Star Wars films) and supervising sound editor Mark Stoeckinger . [171]

The film's score was written by Academy Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino . He created a new version of the original theme by Alexander Courage in the score, along with new themes he created for the film. The original theme made a comeback for the ending credits. Giacchino admitted personal pressure in scoring the film, stating " I grew up listening to all of that great [ Trek ] music, and that's part of what inspired me to do what I'm doing… You just go in scared. You just hope you do your best. It's one of those things where the film will tell me what to do. " [172] [173] [174]

Finding a new musical direction for Star Trek proved challenging. " I wrote maybe 20 or so versions of the main theme and all of them sounded like Star Trek music – like big space opera music. And every time JJ and I would sit and listen to it JJ would say 'it just doesn't sound like our movie.' " Lindelof suggested Giacchino concentrate more on Kirk and Spock's friendship, and the main theme, specifically the Kirk/ Enterprise theme came out of that. Spock's theme developed out of a variation of the main theme that the producers liked. [175]

The score was recorded at the Sony Pictures Scoring Stage in Culver City, California. The scoring session was comprised of a 107-piece orchestra and forty-person choir. Giacchino composed new themes for the film, some of which were stylistically created as subtle homages to past Star Trek composers, Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner . An erhu was used to create Spock's theme; the same instrument was used for the Romulans, except in their case, the sound was processed and distorted. Several members of the music department wore clothing resembling Starfleet uniforms during the scoring session. [176] The score was released by Varèse Sarabande Records on 5 May 2009 .

Continuity [ ]

This is the second movie, the first being Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , to begin on James T. Kirk's birthday, in this case the actual day of his birth.
Aspects of Spock's life, like Sarek explaining his marriage to Amanda as "the logical thing to do", young Spock being bullied by Vulcan kids for having a Human mother, and later turning down the Vulcan Science Academy to Sarek's disappointment, were first mentioned in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode " Journey to Babel " and the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode " Yesteryear ".
Hikaru Sulu reveals that his advanced combat training is in fencing . Sulu was first seen fencing in the original series episode " The Naked Time ". Abrams later states he thought it a good idea to turn out that Sulu was in fact "a ninja". ( Star Trek DVD commentary)
Delta Vega in the film is a reference to an unrelated planet from the TOS episode " Where No Man Has Gone Before ". In an interview with TrekMovie.com, writer Roberto Orci said, " We moved the planet to suit our purposes. The familiarity of the name seemed more important as an Easter egg, than a new name with no importance. " [177]
When Kirk and McCoy first see the Enterprise in space the scene resembles the scene from Star Trek: The Motion Picture when the Enterprise refit is shown for the first time or the similar scene in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home with the new USS Enterprise -A . This was the general idea in Abrams' view. ( Star Trek DVD commentary)
When the cadets are assigned to the various ships prior to the destruction of Vulcan , one cadet, Fugeman , is assigned to Regula I , a station seen prominently in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan .
There is an established relationship between Spock and Uhura in this film. There have previously been hints of flirtation between the two characters. In " Charlie X ", Uhura sings a teasing song about Spock while he plays accompanying music on the Vulcan lyre , eliciting a rare smile from him. In " The Man Trap ", Uhura makes an attempt to get Spock to flirt with her, asking him to tell her she's an "… attractive young lady." The famous interracial kiss was originally to be between Uhura and Spock. [178] However, according to scriptwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, they only noticed these moments after coming up with the relationship for the film. [179]
At the end of the film, Admiral Christopher Pike is in a wheelchair . This is an allusion to Fleet Captain Christopher Pike from the original timeline who was crippled by delta radiation when a baffle plate had ruptured and then confined to an advanced wheelchair. [180] However, unlike in the Original Series , Pike isn't scarred or mute and in the next film is seen walking without the wheelchair, albeit with a cane .
Nero's statement that the Federation had done nothing as Romulus was destroyed by the supernova makes it look as though the Federation simply held still while their (former) enemies faced destruction. However, Jean-Luc Picard 's statements in PIC : " Remembrance " elaborate on that and make Nero's anger much more understandable: In fact, the Federation had initially agreed to mount a large-scale evacuation to help the Romulans who were threatened by the supernova, but deliberately chose to abandon it.
The sequence where Nero forces the Centaurian slug down Captain Pike's throat is a tribute to the Ceti eel sequence from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , even including similar dialogue. [181]
While taking the Kobayashi Maru test, Kirk's comic nonchalance extends to him casually munching on an apple as the Klingons attack. In the Genesis cave in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Kirk eats an apple while explaining to Saavik how he beat the Kobayashi Maru test. (In the DVD commentary on the film, it is noted that this was a coincidence.)
Dr. McCoy refers to Spock as a "green-blooded hobgoblin." In " Bread and Circuses ", McCoy referred to Spock as a "pointed-ear hobgoblin." McCoy also frequently referred to Spock as "green-blooded" throughout the classic series and the films.
Spock Prime tells Kirk " I have been, and always shall be, your friend ", which were his dying words to an older Kirk in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , and, recalling that conversation, his first words after his fal-tor-pan in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock .
In order to bring Kirk aboard the Enterprise as a patient, McCoy injects a vaccine to protect against viral infection from Melvaran mud fleas . The fleas were previously mentioned in " Canamar ".
On Delta Vega, Montgomery Scott mentions that he had used "Admiral Archer's prized beagle" to test his long-distance transporter theories, though the beagle had yet to turn up as of his meeting with Kirk and Spock Prime (which he speculated led to his "exile"). Writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci have confirmed that this Admiral Archer was indeed Jonathan Archer . [182] [183] Jonathan Archer would be 145 years old at the time of Scotty's exile, but Humans are long-lived in Star Trek ; Orci noted the appearance of Leonard McCoy in " Encounter at Farpoint ". However, it is unlikely that Porthos would still be alive at that time. J.J. Abrams intends the dog to reappear upon his leaving the Star Trek films. ( Star Trek DVD commentary)
When Nero discovers Spock commandeering the Jellyfish , he yells, "SPOOOOOCK!" This is likely a nod to the scene in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan where Kirk yells Khan's name in a similar fashion.
When the younger Spock approaches the pilot's seat in the Jellyfish , the location's design is that of the IDIC , a symbol of the Vulcan people. Also, in reaction to the ship's controls, Spock says " Fascinating… "
Chief Engineer Olson , who dies almost instantly on an away mission, is conspicuously dressed in a red space jump suit, a nod to the original series phenomenon of a hitherto unknown ensign dressed in red always being the first to die in any away mission. ( Star Trek Special Edition DVD ) Greg Ellis , who played Olson, had previously appeared on Star Trek , in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine finale " What You Leave Behind ", as Ekoor , one of the few Cardassians to survive the Dominion massacre.
Uhura orders a Klabnian fire tea , three Budweiser Classics , two Cardassian sunrises , a Slusho , and a Jack Daniel's at the Shipyard Bar . J.J. Abrams has previously used Slusho in the film Cloverfield and the television series Alias . Uhura's drink order is the first reference to the Cardassians in a Star Trek production set in the 23rd century. The Cardassians debuted in the 24th century Star Trek: The Next Generation episode " The Wounded ", and were mentioned in the 22nd century Star Trek: Enterprise by the Organians in " Observer Effect " and one was seen at a repair station Enterprise NX-01 visited in " Dead Stop ". The mention of Budweiser is a nod to the shooting location for engineering – a Budweiser plant.
As Kirk climbs out of the shuttle on Delta Vega, his backpack reads "NCC-1701-D." The USS Enterprise -D , commanded by Captain Picard , had this registry number.
At one point, Doctor McCoy tells Kirk that " A little suffering is good for the soul. " In " The Corbomite Maneuver " Kirk asks McCoy " Aren't you the one who always says a little suffering is good for the soul? " and McCoy dryly replies " I never say that ".
McCoy has a beard in civilian life, just as he did in Star Trek: The Motion Picture .
While trying to decipher the origins of Nero and his ship and crew, Spock says " Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. " In Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country , Spock says the same thing while investigating the mysteries surrounding Chancellor Gorkon 's assassination . The line ultimately derives from the Sherlock Holmes stories and novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle , and was also quoted by Data in " Data's Day ".
When Kirk first meets Scott on Delta Vega, a tribble can be seen and heard on his desk.
Kirk emotionally compromises Spock in order to gain command of the Enterprise as he did in " This Side of Paradise ".
At the end of the film, right after Spock Prime says " To boldly go where no man has gone before… ", the Enterprise goes into warp, similar to the Star Trek: The Next Generation series opening sequence.
This is the last Star Trek film to use the 2002-2012 Paramount Pictures logo.

Deleted and expanded scenes [ ]

Several scenes appear in the shooting script that are absent from the theatrical release. [184] Some have appeared on the Star Trek DVD releases.

A scene prior to the film's opening sequence shows Spock's birth and a conversation between Amanda Grayson and Sarek.
When the Narada is disabled by the Kelvin 's attack, several Klingon warbirds decloak and surround Nero's ship.
Preceding his joyride in a Corvette, scenes establish the child James T. Kirk residing with his older brother George and their uncle Frank while Winona Kirk is away. James is forced to wash the Corvette (which had in fact belonged to their late father) in a subsequent scene when, upon opening the visor above the drivers' seat, the keys fall into his lap, and he decides to steal it.

The unfinished Narada surrounded by Klingon ships in a deleted scene

Several scenes establish that Nero and his crew were taken to Rura Penthe and had been held there for several years. It is suggested that Nero formulated his plan for destroying the Federation while imprisoned. Klingons – as all are masked, it is unclear whether or not they bear the effects of the augment virus – interrogate Nero (at one point, having realized he was from the future, theorized that he likely knows about Federation defenses, and that they might be able to work together) and torture him with a Centaurian slug (in the hopes of getting red matter technology for themselves), a tactic Nero uses later in the film. Nero attempts to endure the torture by focusing on memories of his wife. A later scene shows Nero escaping the prison planet to resume his plan (the scene used in the trailer where Nero says " The wait is over " comes as he frees Ayel). Interviews with J.J. Abrams and the Star Trek DVD commentary indicates that they didn't want to address whether the Klingons in this film would look like they did in the original series, affected by the augment virus, or appear with forehead ridges as they did in the films and subsequent series although the helmets have the ridges on them, which is a nod toward the later look of the Klingons. Two images from this plot line were in fact included in the final film – the last shot of the Centaurian slug sequence, looking straight down at Nero, was used to show Nero aboard the Narada when Ayel comes in and informs him that the Jellyfish is about to emerge from the black hole, while the image of a shirtless Nero at work on Rura Penthe appears during Spock Prime's mind-meld with Kirk.
The Gaila/Uhura dorm room scene and Kobayashi Maru scenario is slightly expanded to show how Kirk reprogrammed the test. After Kirk responded to " I love you " with " That's so weird ", he explains that it's because he has written her a note, its contents too hard to say in person, that he needs her to open at precisely 3 pm the next day. At the appointed time, Gaila – a technician on the test – opens the letter, which reads " Gaila – I'm sorry. Jim ", before downloading a virus which reprograms the scenario. (In the DVD commentary it was stated that this is why Gaila has her arms crossed during the entirety of Kirk's subsequent hearing.) Another scene includes Kirk running into and attempting to apologize to an Orion woman within the Enterprise corridors that he thought was Gaila.
In one scene, Ayel expresses the Narada crew's desire to return to Romulus following the destruction of Vulcan and suggests to Nero that the plan for destroying the Federation be abandoned. Nero declines the suggestion and kills Ayel for displaying signs of mutiny. This is noted as being a significant difference from the theatrical release, since Ayel is involved in the film's final scenes.
As Spock Prime leaves the hangar following the conversation with his younger self, he passes Sarek, whose bewildered look (similar to the one his son had upon apparently seeing Kirk aboard the Enterprise ) is captured by the cameras.

Apocrypha [ ]

The novelization of Star Trek , written by Alan Dean Foster , shows several expanded sequences including some deleted scenes. In the novel, Winona is given an inhibitor that would help delay the birth of James until the Kelvin 's return to Earth. However, the impacts to the ship by the Narada 's attack cause her to go into early labor. For the scenes where she's off-planet, Kirk's Uncle Frank from a deleted scene and his step-father from the final cut are merged, as "Frank" is, in fact, his step-father. In several instances after Kirk is commissioned by Captain Pike, Kirk is referred to as "Lieutenant Kirk." The novel also further details Nero's motivations for attacking the Federation.

After the elder Spock is informed by young Kirk that Chekov, Sulu, and Uhura all serving aboard the Enterprise – at this point not even bothering to ask if McCoy is as well – he suggests that their meeting on Delta Vega and various other coincidences regarding the Enterprise crew are the result of the timeline attempting to mend itself – as for the one person not yet aboard the ship, Spock had been well aware of Scotty's presence at the outpost, but had deliberately kept his distance, until the arrival of Kirk made it absolutely clear that their being on the same world was no accident. After the young Spock resigns command and leaves the bridge, Uhura and Sulu demand to know how Kirk got aboard the Enterprise ; Kirk reveals to the bridge crew about the future Spock and what he told Kirk about Nero and how the past had been changed in an attempt to gain their trust. Kirk also tells them about how they cannot tell their Spock about the elder Spock's presence and the bridge crew agrees not to do so. At the end of the book, when the elder Spock speaks to his younger counterpart (who, upon hearing how his older self convinced Kirk to keep his secret, suggests that the would-be paradoxes were not outright impossible, but the displacement would have to have taken place far earlier for there to be any concern), the young Spock asks Spock Prime if he might call on him occasionally for advice and Spock Prime agrees, saying " Who better to consult with you than yourself? " The first mission under Kirk also includes a new passenger: Archer's dog rematerializes in the Enterprise 's transporter room just as the ship warps away from the Solar System.

The novel also makes a number of small quotes and passing mentions regarding certain figures and connecting the main characters to their prime selves:

During the skill dome sequence, young Spock identifies the authors of a piece of 20th century Earth music as John Lennon and Paul McCartney , on whom Orci and Kurtzman based the Kirk-Spock relationship.
Running for his life on Delta Vega, Kirk mutters under his breath that the drakoulias resembles the "bastard offspring" of a polar bear and a gorilla, the two Earth animals which the monster was modeled after.
Noting Kirk's unfamiliarity with Regulation 619, Spock admits that he had forgotten how unimportant such things had been to "his" Kirk.
During the bridge discussion after Kirk takes command, Sulu mentions having a doctorate in astrophysics , the field of study his counterpart was in during his first Trek appearance, " Where No Man Has Gone Before ".
In the midst of their battle with the Narada crew – largely a fistfight rather than a firefight – Kirk, noting that Spock displayed great logic even in combat (defeating the strongest Romulans first before moving on to the weaker ones until there were none left), concludes that he must play a "mean game" of three-dimensional chess , which Spock was in fact so skilled at that he would use the game to save Kirk's career .
The transport of Kirk, Spock, and Pike from the Narada back to the Enterprise , shown almost entirely from inside the transporter room and implied to be more difficult than the film suggests, is viewed by McCoy and Uhura, allowing a mention of the doctor's well-known feelings toward the device .

Foster initially refused to do the novelization. The producers flew him to Hollywood to meet with them, the cast, and the director. After having many conversations, Foster accepted the project, rushed to meet deadlines, and had the novel ready for a December 2008 release. Star Trek writers Howard Weinstein and Robert Greenberger mentioned this at the 2009 FarPoint Convention. The novelization also appears to have been written with either a first draft or very early version of the script. Many sequences and dialogues are out of order, missing, or otherwise inconsistent with the film.

Release [ ]

Release delay [ ].

At the time production began, Star Trek was set for a worldwide theatrical release on 25 December 2008 . Later, Paramount was reportedly considering bumping up the film's release date one or two days or moving it to 19 December 2008. [185] On 13 February 2008 , however, Variety magazine reported that the film's release would be put back, from 2008 to 8 May 2009 , in order to take advantage of the summer movie season. [186]

Around the time the delay was announced, a Paramount spokesperson stressed that the change in release date had nothing to do with the film's production or its script. The spokesman stated that the decision was all about box-office potential and the spokesman said that Star Trek is in the same league as such past summer blockbusters as Spider-Man , Shrek , Transformers , and the Star Wars prequels. [187] (X) Paramount vice chairman Rob Moore revealed to Entertainment Weekly that another reason the movie was pushed back was so they could "educate people that this is a whole new franchise." [188]

Premieres [ ]

The gala world premiere of Star Trek took place on 7 April 2009 at the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia. The film's cast and crew were in attendance. [189] This was followed by a number of additional premiere events around the world – Austria; Belgium; France; Germany; Japan; Korea; the Netherlands; New Zealand; Russia; Spain; London, UK: 20 April 2009 [190] ; Los Angeles, USA.

A few hours prior to the official premiere in Sydney, fans in Austin, Texas were given a surprise screening of the film. The event had been announced as a ten-minute preview following a showing of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , hosted by writers Roberto Orci , Alex Kurtzman , and Damon Lindelof . However, after two minutes the film of The Wrath of Khan appeared to melt. Orci, Kurtzman, and Lindelof proceeded to vamp for a few minutes but were interrupted by a surprise appearance of Leonard Nimoy , who asked the audience if they would like to watch the new film instead. [191]

The official American premiere was held at the famous Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood on 30 April 2009 . Attending the event were J.J. Abrams, most of the film crew, and nearly the entire cast. [192]

General [ ]

Although the United States release date was set for 8 May 2009 , advance screenings of the film began at 7 pm on 7 May 2009 . [193] However, the first worldwide release was in France, Belgium, and the French-speaking parts of Switzerland on 6 May 2009 . [194]

For the first time, a Star Trek film was released in IMAX as well as conventional theaters. Although the film was not shot with IMAX cameras, the film was able to be converted to the 70 mm IMAX format. This was the first Trek project since the abandoned Star Trek: IMAX to be considered for the medium. [195] [196]

Star Trek , released in May 2009, was the first Star Trek film released in the summer months since 1989's Star Trek V: The Final Frontier .

Reception [ ]

Star Trek has received nearly universal acclaim from film critics. Star Trek currently has a 95% "certified fresh" rating on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 278 reviews, with an average critic's rating of 8.1 on a scale of 10. [197] Based on the findings of Rotten Tomatoes, Star Trek is currently the second-best reviewed mainstream film of 2009, after Up . [198] On the review aggregator website Metacritic, Star Trek has a metascore of 83 out of 100, based on 37 critics' reviews. [199]

Based on listings tracked by Metacritic, twenty-three critics from twelve different publications ranked Star Trek as one of the ten best films of 2009. Among the publications whose critics praised Star Trek as such were Boston Globe , Empire Magazine , The Hollywood Reporter , Miami Herald , New York Daily News , The New Yorker , and the Washington Post . [200]

Bryan Burk recalled, " In general with Star Trek , a lot of people came out saying they really liked it and it wasn't what they thought it was going to be. For me, that was the biggest win. " ( SFX , issue 270, p. 71)

Despite the praise, some reviews criticized the lack of a classical Star Trek allegory. In Empire 's 4/5 review, Colin Kennedy noted the themes " primarily relate to the nature of friendship and teamwork, which is all very well, […] but in a time when the United States is engaged in two wars, the failure to even acknowledge the issues arising from space imperialism and the Prime Directive is to flinch from battle. Harsher critics may even deem it a dereliction of duty. " [201]

In a 2013 article about J.J. Abrams, Empire characterized the introduction of Kirk in this film as a prime example of how Abrams juxtaposes the everyday with the extraordinary to create "relatable spectacle," tonally similar to Steven Spielberg's film-making. ( Empire , issue 287, p. 77) In 2014, Empire readers ranked Star Trek at #188 in a poll to determine the 301 greatest movies of all time. [202]

In a 2016 interview, Brannon Braga commented, " I thought Star Trek was fantastic. It was beautifully directed and took Trek to a whole other level in terms of action. They had quadruple the budget when we did ours. But the casting was perfect and it was almost an impossible task. " Braga also prefers this film to Star Trek Into Darkness . ( SFX , issue 270, p. 68)

Jonathan Frakes is disappointed that, despite visiting the set of this film, he wasn't permitted to participate in the making of it. Nonetheless, he approved of this movie. ( SFX , issue 270, p. 63)

Box office [ ]

Star Trek topped the North American box office in its opening weekend, grossing US$75.2 million from Friday through Sunday. It also earned an estimated US$4 million from its Thursday night advance screenings, for a total of US$79.2 million over its first three and a quarter days. [203] It marked the highest opening weekend box office gross of any film in the franchise, surpassing Star Trek: First Contact 's opening weekend of US$30.7 million (approximately US$50 million when adjusted for inflation). [204] Star Trek had the sixth highest opening weekend of 2009, following The Twilight Saga: New Moon , Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen , X-Men Origins: Wolverine , Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince , and Avatar . [205]

Included in Star Trek 's opening weekend gross was US$8.5 million from 138 IMAX venues, setting a new weekend record for IMAX. It surpassed the previous benchmark set by The Dark Knight , which earned US$6.3 million from IMAX screenings in its first weekend. ( Star Trek 's IMAX record was subsequently beaten by Avatar .) In addition, Star Trek yielded the most-attended start ever for a movie debuting in the second weekend of May, topping 1996's Twister . [206] Star Trek also managed to top many overseas box office charts in its first weekend, grossing US$35.5 million from 54 international markets. [207]

Star Trek ended its domestic theatrical run on 1 October 2009 with a total gross of US$257,730,019, making it the seventh highest grossing film of 2009 in North America. [208] It was the year's highest-grossing film in the United States from Wednesday, 27 May, though Saturday, 27 June, a total of 31 days, after which it was overtaken by Disney/Pixar's Up (which, coincidentally, was also composed by Michael Giacchino ). Star Trek has also done good business internationally, earning more from foreign markets than any previous Star Trek films (with the possible exception of Star Trek: The Motion Picture ). Star Trek 's international gross is US$127,950,428, bringing its total worldwide gross to US$385,680,447. [209]

Awards and honors [ ]

Star Trek is the first film of the franchise to have won an Academy Award , the Academy Award for Best Achievement in Makeup. It also received three more Academy Award nominations. The National Board of Review named Star Trek one of the Ten Best Films of 2009.

Star Trek received the following awards and honors:

On 30 March 2009, it was announced that Paramount was moving forward with a sequel to Star Trek . Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman have again been hired to write the screenplay, along with the first film's producer, Damon Lindelof. J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk will again be producing via Bad Robot, along with Orci and Kurtzman. [210]

At his panel during the Supernova Convention, Perth 2009 in Australia, Karl Urban unofficially announced that he had seen a work in progress version of the script for a sequel, expected in 2011, or later.

Advertising and marketing [ ]

Posters [ ].

As of July 2008 , Paramount has distributed several teaser posters at various conventions to promote awareness and hype about the film. The first, as stated above, was released on 22 July 2007 (see early discussion and speculation above). A second teaser poster for the new film was introduced at the Comic-Con International in San Diego, California, on 27 July 2007 . This poster features a white background with the words Star Trek written in the TOS-style font and comprised of a star field backdrop seen throughout the original television series.

In August 2007 , a third teaser poster, this one containing the title inside the arrowhead-shaped Starfleet insignia , was created especially for distribution to the attendees at the Las Vegas Star Trek Convention. As with the second teaser poster, the Vegas poster features the film's release date hyped as "Stardate 12.25.08".

A fourth teaser poster was given away to attendees at the San Francisco Wondercon on the weekend of 24 February 2008 , sporting the new official logo, the tagline "Under Construction", and a date of "Summer 2009".

Four teaser posters, each featuring an image of a cast member from the film ( Eric Bana , Zoe Saldana , Chris Pine , and Zachary Quinto ), were distributed at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con from 24 through 27 July 2008. When combined, the four posters form the delta shield emblem of the USS Enterprise (and later of all Starfleet). There is also a single one-sheet version of the poster available via mail order from Comic-Con in conjunction with the Intel Corporation . [211] Four similar posters featuring John Cho , Simon Pegg , Anton Yelchin , and Karl Urban were distributed at the Official Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas the following month. [212]

On 10 November 2008, Paramount released the first teaser posters for the films designed for display in theaters, one featuring Pine as Kirk and the other featuring Quinto as Spock. Both posters were black and white, bearing nothing else save for the release date, the official site address, the production company logos for Paramount and Bad Robot, and the Starfleet delta shield emblem. [213]

A cardboard standup promoting the film was also made for display in theaters. The standup consists of the title in large cut-out letters, with each letter featuring the face of a different character from the film (Kirk on the "S", Nero on the "K", etc.) The title is placed upon a dais which contains the tagline ("The Future Begins"), the release date, and an orbital view of Earth. [214]

On 26 March 2009, European posters for Star Trek were posted online. [215] A day later, the US poster for the film was also revealed on MySpace Movies. The poster features the USS Enterprise within a warp effect against a white background, with the tagline "The future begins." [216]

USB card wallpapers [ ]

A set of nine exclusive wallpapers were released on Star Trek -themed USB cards, with three images per card.

Websites and viral marketing [ ]

The mysterious corridor that appears briefly on NCC-1701.com

A promotional website dedicated to the new film went live at 8:05pm EST on 16 January 2008 and can be found at paramount.com/startrek . The site introduced the new official logo for the film, which was also seen in the teaser trailer. [217] Paramount also set up a page for the movie on the social-networking website Facebook where fans may congregate. [218] [219]

Following the launch of the film's teaser trailer, the official website contained a hidden link to NCC-1701.com , a viral promotional site supposedly containing "surveillance footage" of the Enterprise under construction. The site features four screens, each for a different "surveillance camera", but only three are active at a time. The inactive camera, however, will sometimes come online and, for a brief instant, reveal an image of a dark corridor. [220] The corridor actually belonged to the USS Kelvin , seen very briefly during George Kirk's brief command of the ship.

Originally located on a subdomain of Paramount.com, the official site moved on 19 February 2008 , its address becoming StarTrekMovie.com . On 18 July 2008 , the site was updated with wallpapers and icons depicting the images from the Comic-Con Star Trek posters in addition to an overall redesign of the site. [221]

Promotional images [ ]

The first official promotional images from the film were released on 15 October 2008 , at six separate movie websites. The images showed Pine, Quinto, Urban, Pegg, Saldana, and Yelchin in costume on the Enterprise bridge; Quinto and Pine; Bana in makeup as Nero; Pine on an icy planet; the USS Kelvin engaged in combat; and a view of the Enterprise bridge. [222]

On 16 October 2008 , TrekMovie.com released two new images, another of the Kelvin in action, and one of Cho in his role as Sulu. [223]

Yet another load of images were released on 17 October 2008 , when Entertainment Weekly put up more promotional pictures of Pine, Quinto, Cho, Bana, and Pine and Urban. [224]

Teaser trailer [ ]

USS Enterprise (alternate reality) under construction, teaser

A first look at the new USS Enterprise

The film's teaser trailer was completed by 30 November 2007. [225] It debuted in theaters on 18 January 2008 , attached to Paramount's Cloverfield which, like Star Trek , is produced by J.J. Abrams. [226]

On 21 January 2008 , the teaser was made available for viewing at the official site and at Yahoo! Movies . Empire Online uploaded the United Kingdom's version of the teaser that same day. Paramount made the teaser available on a wider basis on 22 January. [227]

The teaser trailer features a glimpse of the remodeled USS Enterprise as it is being constructed, with the construction taking place in a drydock on Earth. Several sound bites recorded during the space race of the 1960s can be heard in the background leading up to a new recording of Leonard Nimoy reciting the famous line, " Space… the final frontier. " The opening notes of the original Star Trek series theme music begin playing during Nimoy's voiceover and the unveiling of the Enterprise 's saucer section , followed by the sound effect of the original series transporter as the lines "Under Construction" and "Christmas 2008" appear on-screen.

The teaser was shot in October, prior to the start of principal photography on the film. It was filmed on Paramount Stage 25 and also used a part of the Paramount back lot. Half of the stage was enveloped by greenscreen and greenfloor for the insertion of CGI effects, and a giant greenscreen was utilized in the back lot. The shoot involved real welding and the handling of actual welding equipment, so experienced welders were required.

The first welder seen in the teaser was played by Anthony Vitale . Vitale's scene was shot by the film's director, J.J. Abrams. This is unusual since scenes for trailers are generally directed by assistant directors. The rest of the teaser was directed by First Assistant Director Tommy Gormley , however. [228]

According to co-writer Roberto Orci, the message of the teaser is that the future as presented in Star Trek is not as far off as it once was. He also explained the logic of having the Enterprise being built on Earth rather than in space, noting that components of the ship can be built on Earth and assembled anywhere and that the Enterprise is not " some flimsy yacht that has to be delicately treated and assembled. " He also feels that it makes more sense to construct the ship within a natural gravity well rather than an area that will require an artificial gravity field. In addition, Orci states that the term "Under Construction" used in the teaser is to convey both a "literal interpretation" that the movie is currently being put together and to convey the idea that the future of Star Trek may be coming soon. [229]

Theatrical trailers [ ]

The production team was to begin working on the first theatrical trailer in January 2008 with the hopes to have it complete and in theaters by early or mid-summer, [230] however these plans changed once the film's release was pushed back to May 2009.

Editing on the first theatrical trailer was reportedly completed by 4 August 2008, although the visual effects to be seen in the trailer had not yet been finalized. [231] The trailer was enclosed with Quantum of Solace , the latest James Bond film, which opened in the US on 14 November 2008 . [232] [233] It became available for viewing in high definition on the official movie site on 17 November 2008 at 10 am PST. [234]

An alternate version of the first theatrical trailer was made available for view at Ain't It Cool News on 25 November 2008. This version is the same as the original for the most part, except that the final shot of Eric Bana's Nero proclaiming " The wait is over " is placed earlier in the trailer and in its place is a shot of Leonard Nimoy as the elder Spock, giving the Vulcan salute and proclaiming the famous line " Live long and prosper. " [235]

The incidental music used in the first theatrical trailer was a re-orchestration of Brian Tyler 's score from Children of Dune , created by Two Steps From Hell , and titled "Down With the Enterprise". [236] The use of Tyler's score in the trailer came about from its use as a temporary scoring track in early post-production on the movie. [237]

A second theatrical trailer for Star Trek was released on 6 March 2009 in front of select screenings of the film Watchmen . It was originally intended to premiere online the Monday after its release on Apple's Star Trek page , but, after an international version was released ahead of schedule, the online release was made on the same day. As with the first theatrical trailer, incidental music was provided by Two Steps from Hell, being a modified version of the track "Freedom Fighters" from their album Legend . [238] [239]

In a press release, Paramount announced that the second theatrical trailer broke all existing download records at Apple.com . The HD version of the trailer had more than 1.8 million downloads during its first 24 hours on Apple.com and had over five million downloads in its first five days. This makes the Star Trek trailer the most popular HD download in the history of the site. [240]

Super Bowl spot [ ]

A thirty-second trailer for the film aired during Super Bowl XLIII on 1 February 2009. It showed footage from the film not previously seen in the earlier trailers. Star Trek is the first film in the franchise to be given a Super Bowl spot, emphasizing the studio's attempts to draw in a larger audience.

Merchandising and promotional partners [ ]

The film's merchandising campaign was expected to be the biggest since Star Trek: The Motion Picture back in 1979 . [241]

A toy license was awarded to Playmates Toys , which produced action figures for the film, as well as prop toys, playsets and ship models. [242] [243] Corgi 's current Star Trek license covers the film, primarily for its Master Replicas brand of collectibles. [244] The company will be producing replicas of the USS Enterprise and a hand phaser . [245]

Quantum Mechanix announced in May 2009 they had secured some merchandising rights as well. The company has developed studio-scale models and 10" replicas of the ships seen in the movie, starting with the USS Enterprise . [246] They had previously been responsible for the construction of models used in the marketing campaign known as "The Enterprise Project". [247]

A novelization of the film written by Alan Dean Foster was published by Pocket Books . Comic book publisher IDW Publishing released a prequel series entitled Star Trek: Countdown from January through April 2009; an adaptation of the movie was released in January 2010 , and two follow-up series, Star Trek: Spock: Reflections and Star Trek: Nero have been produced. Rittenhouse Archives produced collectible cards for the movie. T-shirts marketing the film were created and distributed by Junk Food . A video game, Star Trek D-A-C was released by Naked Sky Entertainment . The motion picture soundtrack was released by Varèse Sarabande Records on 5 May 2009 . At least one reference book , Star Trek - The Art of the Film , has been licensed.

Burger King promoted a kids meal tie-in for this film, marking the first time Burger King has promoted a Star Trek film. [248] It was also the first time either one of the big two major fast food chains (Burger King or McDonald's ) had marketed Trek since the first film's release in 1979. [249] It was revealed in 2009 that the Burger King Star Trek commercials were shot on the set of the Enterprise . Dan Mindel, the cinematographer for Star Trek , also directed photography for the commercials. [250] Alex Beh is an actor who appeared in the Burger King television commercial. [251]

Besides the Burger King deal, Paramount also signed up Kellogg's as a promotional partner to bring Star Trek movie-branded products to grocery stores. A number of Kellogg's brand products offered Star Trek merchandise and memorabilia either by mail or included within the package. Specially-marked boxes of Kellogg's cereals contained a "Beam-Up Badge", of which there are five different designs. Boxes of Frosted Krispies offered a red or blue Starfleet tee by mail, while boxes of Frosted Flakes and packages of Keebler cookies feature offered for a Star Trek 1GB flash drive wristband. Kellogg's various Eggo waffle products offered a 3D Warp Speed Plate by mail, and boxes of Kellogg's Pop-Tarts offered a free pass to see the film. A varying amount of tokens were needed for each mail-order product. [252]

In addition, Paramount promoted the film in collaboration with auto insurance company Esurance , communications companies Nokia and Verizon Wireless , and computer technology companies Lenovo and the Intel Corporation . All of these companies held Star Trek -related contests and sweepstakes and all included pages on their sites containing Star Trek -related content. [253] [254] [255] Esurance Star Trek commercials also played on television and on public radio.

Merchandise gallery [ ]

Links and references [ ]

Credits [ ].

John Cho Ben Cross Bruce Greenwood Simon Pegg Chris Pine Zachary Quinto Winona Ryder Zoë Saldana Karl Urban Anton Yelchin With Eric Bana And Leonard Nimoy Chris Hemsworth Jennifer Morrison Clifton Collins, Jr. Faran Tahir Rachel Nichols Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment present

A Bad Robot Production

Jeffrey Chernov
Stratton P. Leopold
Tommy Gormley
Thomas Harper
David E. Waters
Heather Grierson
Kirk - Chris Pine
Spock - Zachary Quinto
Spock Prime - Leonard Nimoy
Nero - Eric Bana
Pike - Bruce Greenwood
Bones - Karl Urban
Uhura - Zoë Saldana
Scotty - Simon Pegg
Sulu - John Cho
Chekov - Anton Yelchin
Sarek - Ben Cross
Amanda Grayson - Winona Ryder
George Kirk - Chris Hemsworth
Winona Kirk - Jennifer Morrison
Captain Robau - Faran Tahir
Gaila - Rachel Nichols
Ayel - Clifton Collins, Jr.
Officer Pitts - Antonio Elias
Tactical Officer - Sean Gerace
Kelvin Crew Member - Randy Pausch
Kelvin Engineer - Tim Griffin
Kelvin Helmsman - Freda Foh Shen
Kelvin Alien - Katarzyna Kowalczyk
Romulan Helmsman - Jason Brooks
Kelvin Doctor - Sonita Henry
Kelvin Yu ( Medical Technician 1 )
Marta Martin ( Medical Technician 2 )
Tavarus Conley ( Kelvin Crew Member 1 )
Jeff Castle ( Kelvin Crew Member 2 )
Med Evac Pilot - Billy Brown
Young James T. Kirk - Jimmy Bennett
Stepdad - Greg Grunberg
Johnny - Spencer Daniels
Iowa Cop - Jeremy Fitzgerald
Zoe Chernov ( Vulcan Student 1 )
Max Chernov ( Vulcan Student 2 )
Young Spock - Jacob Kogan
James Henrie ( Vulcan Bully 1 )
Colby Paul ( Vulcan Bully 2 )
Cody Klop ( Vulcan Bully 3 )
Akiva Goldsman ( Vulcan Council Member 1 )
Anna Katarina ( Vulcan Council Member 2 )
Long Face Bar Alien - Douglas Tait
Lew the Bartender - Tony Guma
Gerald W. Abrams ( Barfly 1 )
James McGrath, Jr. ( Barfly 2 )
Jason Matthew Smith ( Burley Cadet 1 )
Marcus Young ( Burly Cadet 2 )
Shipyard Worker - Robert Clendenin
Flight Officer - Darlena Tejeiro
Reggie Lee ( Test Administrator 1 )
Jeffrey Byron ( Test Administrator 2 )
Simulator Tactical Officer - Jonathan Dixon
Admiral Richard Barnett - Tyler Perry
Admiral James Komack - Ben Binswagner
College Council Stenographer - Margot Farley
Barracks Leader - Paul McGillion
Barracks Officer - Lisa Vidal
Shuttle Officer - Alex Nevil
Kimberly Arland ( Cadet Alien 1 )
Sufe M. Bradshaw ( Cadet Alien 2 )
Jeff Chase ( Cadet Alien 3 )
Charlie Haugk ( Enterprise Crew Member 1 )
Nana Hill ( Enterprise Crew Member 2 )
Michael Saglimbeni ( Enterprise Crew Member 3 )
John Blackman (Enterprise Crew Member 4 )
Jack Millard ( Enterprise Crew Member 5 )
Shaela Luter ( Enterprise Crew Member 6 )
Sabrina Morris ( Enterprise Crew Member 7 )
Michelle Parylak ( Enterprise Crew Member 8 )
Enterprise Communications Officer - Oz Perkins
Hannity - Amanda Foreman
Romulan Tactical Officer - Michael Berry, Jr.
Romulan Communications Officer - Lucia Rijker
Romulan Commander - Pasha Lychnikoff
Matthew Beisner ( Romulan Crew Member 1 )
Neville Page ( Romulan Crew Member 2 )
Jesper Inglis ( Romulan Crew Member 3 )
Chief Engineer Olson - Greg Ellis
Transporter Chief - Marlene Forte
Leonard O. Turner ( Vulcan Elder 1 )
Mark Bramhall ( Vulcan Elder 2 )
Ronald F. Hoiseck ( Vulcan Elder 3 )
Irene Roseen ( Vulcan Elder 4 )
Jeff O'Haco ( Vulcan Elder 5 )
Nero's Wife - Scottie Thompson
Keenser - Deep Roy
Starfleet Computer - Majel Barrett Roddenberry
Robert Alonzo
Ilram Choi ( Enterprise security officer / Stunt double for John Cho )
Paul Lacovara ( Stunt double for Eric Bana and Chris Pine )
Daniel Arrias
Dennis Scott
Craig Jensen
Kofi Yiadom
Victor Paguia ( USS Kelvin bridge crewmember )
Kimberly Murphy
Jim Palmer ( USS Kelvin bridge crewmember )
Edward Perez
Chris Palermo ( Enterprise security officer )
Jon Braver ( Stunt double for Faran Tahir )
Dennis Keiffer
Dorenda Moore ( Stunt double for Winona Ryder )
Christina Weathersby ( USS Kelvin bridge crewmember )
Zach Duhame ( Burly Cadet #3 / Stunt double for Simon Pegg )
Rob Mars ( Burly Cadet #2 )
Brian Oerly ( Stunt double for Jason Matthew Smith )
Marcus Young ( Burly Cadet #1 )
Steve Blalock
Heidi Moneymaker ( USS Kelvin crewmember )
Mike Gunther ( Stunt double for Chris Pine )
Mike Massa ( Stunt double for Chris Pine )
Susan Purkhiser ( Stunt double for Jimmy Bennett )
Peter Epstein
Mike Snyder
Courtney Munch
Mark Chadwick
Michael Mukatis
Austin Priester
Joe Quinto ( Romulan crewman / Stunt double for Zachary Quinto )
Sala Baker ( Romulan guard )
Damion Poitier ( Romulan guard )
Chris Torres ( Romulan crewman )
Russell Earl
Paul Kavanagh
Jill Brooks
Debbi Bossi
Kathleen A. Petty
Keith P. Cunningham
Dennis Bradford
Luke Freeborn
Beat Frutiger
Ryan Church
James Clyne
Paul Ozzimo
Clint Schultz
C. Scott Baker
Kevin Cross
Andrea Dopaso
Scott Herbertson
Joseph Hiura
Billy Hunter
Dawn Brown Manser
Anne Porter
Andrew Reeder
Christine Youngstrom
Amy Lamendola
Richard Bennett
Neville Page
Karen Manthey
Amanda Moss Serino
Scott Bobbitt
Sara Gardner-Gail
Hector M. Gonzalez
Courtney J. Andersen
Richard Andrade
Antonio Andraus
Marcus Aurelius Epps
Chris Larsen
Merdyce McClaran
Eric Ramirez
Robert Sica
Ronald Sica
Ryan Steffen
Darlene Salinas
Dawn Gilliam
Colin Anderson
John T. Connor
Phil Carr-Forester
Wally Sweeterman
Brad Peterman
Matt F. Kennedy
Greg J. Schmidt
Brian McPherson
Craig M. Bauer
Peter J. Devlin
Michael Piotrowski
David Fiske Raymond
Daniel P. Moore
Peter Taylor
Julian Smirke
Lucyna Wojciechowski
Kerry J. Blackman
Martin Allan Kloner
Elana Livneh Lessem
Daniela Catherine Ovi
Christopher Prampin
Chris Weigand
Jimmy Ellis
Jimmy Harritos
Daniel P. Hawking
Douglas Kieffer
Billy Streit
Hootly Weedn
David Slodki
Joshua Thatcher
Bryan Booth
John Manocchia
Edward J. Cox
Richard M. Burkus, Jr.
Craig Campbell
James M. Cox
John Jack Davies
Gomidas Demerjian
Brad Thomas Emmons III
Sean Emmons
Earl D. Gayer
John Gutierrez
Steve Hastings
Ken Longballa
Dickinson Luke
Richard Maldonado
Marc Marino
Victor Mendoza
David H. Neale
Joel A. Ruiz
Stephen Saunders
Anthony Van Dyk
Mike Visencio
Jesse Mather
Jason Talbert
Larry Sweet
Michael Wahl
Bob Nice Arredondo
Jack Chouchanian
Tommy Donald
Joseph Macaluso
Philippe O. Meyer
David Salamone
Michael Salamone
Sean Slattery
Hilary Klym
Danny Andres
Albert F. Bagley
James Degeeter
Jared Dewitt
Jason W. Erler
William Gilleran
Jaime Heintz
Rick Johnson
George Kallimanis
Gary Louzon
Philip Noble
Nolan Pratt
Rick N. Pratt
Ignacio Woolfolk
Russell Bobbitt
Jim Stubblefield
Earl V. Thielen
Stephen McCumby
Eric Spencer Kagan
Jeff Khachadoorian
Robert Raineri
Brian Barnhart
Darryl B. Dodson
Jack Jennings
Paul J. Preshaw II
Jason Rosene
Brian Thoman
Paul O. Wright
Burt Dalton
Dale Ettema
William Aldridge
David F. Greene
Albert Delgado
Terry P. Chapman
Danny Cangemi
Jeff Jarvis
Steve Cremin
Greg Curtis
David P. Kelsey
Clay Pinney
Arnold Peterson
Rich Ratliff
Jeremiah Cooke
Curtis Decker
Jon Djanrelian
Eric Dressor
Dennis E. Drozdokiski
Joseph Judd
Edward Kennedy
Jesse Orozco
Jeff Pepiot
Bryan Phillips
Jonathan Tang
Tony Vandeneccker
Becky Brake
Kyle Oliver
Kathy McCurdy , LMGA
Scott Trimble
Rob Swenson
Brooks Bonstin
Shelly Spinks
Steve Woroniecki
Gavin Glennon
Linda Matthews
Stacy Caballero
Leslie Sungail
Hilary Niederer
Carrie Yoko Arakaki
Adrienne Greshock
Bega Metzner
Amelia Buhrman
Bernadine Morgan
Myron Baker
Shelli Nishino
Brenda M. Ware
Mustapha Mimis
Stacia Lang
Bill Traetta
Joseph Richard Collins
Kacy Treadway
Deborah Ambrosino
Maurice Polinski
Valfor D'Ambershay
David R. Roesler
Bethan Land
Phyllis Thurber-Moffitt
Leticia Sandoval
Natasha Paczkowski
Dodson Elliott
Nina Badrak
Leslie Miller
Esther B. Lopez
Seda Tufenkjian
Varsenik Antonyan
Madline Hana
Hasmig Karagiosian
Hermine Keossian
Mary Jegalian
Antonina Grib
Varsenik Korkhmazyan
Elizabet Markosyan
Karine Avakyan
Fahima Atrouni
Taylor Marie Cornell
Samantha Johnston
Brian Valenzuela
Phillip Boutte, Jr.
Debra S. Coleman
Kimberly Felix-Burke
Dave Snyder
Terrell Baliel
Lana Heying
Jason Orion Green
Jules Holdren
Joel Harlow
Barney Burman
Richard Alonzo
Mark Garbarino
Dave Dupuis
Richard Redlefsen
Rebecca Alling
Ned Neidhardt
Ken Niederbaumer
Margaret Prentice
Jamie Kelman
Andrew Clement
Marianna Elias
Bonita DeHaven
Steve Buscaino
Robert Freitas
Scott Gamble
Bonita G. Deneen
Simone Chavoor
Maryellen Aviano
Carla Lewis
Nicole Phillips
Matthew Pitts
Noreen O'Toole
Leigh Kittay
Adam Gaines
Erin M. Davis
Alex Katsnelson
Carol Keith
J. Elizabeth Ingram
John Steckert
Katherine Taylor
Lauren Pasternack
Nicole Treston Abranian
Sean Gerace
Cheryl Andryco
Nathan A. Aronson
Alex Betuel
Dan B. Cone
Michael P. Cone
Barry Curtis
Simon England
Felisha Grice
Micheal Edward King
Cory Bennett Lewis
Sebastian Mazzola
Cory McNeill
John Tyler Ott
Jill K. Perno
Melani Petrushkin
William F. Reed
Steve Rosolio
Ryan Roundy
Zach L. Smith
Helga Wool-Smith
Kelley L. Baker
Joseph Borrelli
Kristy Gomez
Diana P. Mejia
Dijana Camaj
Robin Nicole Williams
Sandra J. White
Maggie Martin
Carrie A.F. Carnevale
Gabriela Gutentag
Zade Rosenthal
Michael Hird
Mike McKean
Chris Whitaker
Paul Massey
Anna Behlmer
Andy Nelson
David Giammarco
Mark Stoeckinger
Alan Rankin , MPSE
Ann Scibelli , MPSE
Tim Walston , MPSE
Harry Cohen , MPSE
Scott Gershin
Geoff Rubay
Kerry Williams
Daniel Irwin , MPSE
Thomas Small , MPSE
Laura Harris
Victor Ray Ennis
Paul Flinchbaugh
Branden Spencer
David Barbee
Ben Wilkins
Mark Ormandy
Charlie Campagna
Sarah Monat
Robin Harlan
Randy Singer
Robert Deschaine , CAS
Charleen Richards-Steeves
Caitlin McKenna
20th Century Fox
Tim Gomillion
Dennis Rogers
Matt Patterson
Paul Pavelka
Stephen M. Davis
Tim Simonec
Michael Giacchino
Peter Boyer
Richard Bronskill
Larry Kenton
Chad Seiter
Chris Tilton
Booker White
Reggie Wilson
Andrea Datzman
Streisand Scoring Stage , Sony Pictures Studio
Eastwood Scoring Stage , Warner Bros. Studio
George Drakoulias
W. Kent Demaine
David August
Jorge Almeida
Cygnet Video
Cindy Jones
Monte Swann
Alfred Ainsworth
Todd Fullerton
Jared A. Rosen
Arin Artounian
For Stars Catering
Michael Kehoe
Chris Sweeney
Mary M. King
Sebastian Milito
Dixwell Stillman
Tony Wright
Dale Gordon
Sasha Madzar
Scott Mizagaites
Casey Morgan
Steven M. Pacheco
Richard W. Rose
Charles Blackwell
David Brenner
Anthony Centonze
Tony Chavez
Lucky Hoerner
Anthony R. Imperato
Sergey A. Mazurov
David H. McKlveen
Edward A. Price
Jeffrey J. Valdez
Bobby L. Vaughn
Mark A. Annis
Stephen Getz
William Mccarley
Desmond P. O'Regan
Johnny Barbera
Mark Magraudy
Mark Martucci
Glenn V. Braun
Lonnie Haspel
John Marshall
Bruce G. Smith
Robert Papegaay
Robert Campbell
Scott P. Shordon
Toby Swinehart
Michael W. Volz
Andy Flores
Jared Trepepi
Brian Richard Fernandez
Matthew Fuchs
Bryan A. McBrien
Tommy Safron

Second Unit [ ]

Roger Guyett
Robert Bruce McCleery
Terry Jackson
Vickie M. Hsieh
Julie Fay Ashborn
David M. Atkinson
Elizabeth Probst
Hal Olofsson
Danny Green
David Berke
Stephen P. Del Prete
Andrew Rowlands
Serge Rxtedi Nofield
Brandon M. Cox
Dale Myrand
John R. Woodward
Chris Garcia
Anders Yarbrough
Steven Constancio
David Perrone
Gilbert Zamorano
Alexander Cruz
Arnold Pena
Sean Devine
Josh Kuykendall
Anthony Mollicone
Anthony T. Marra II
Joseph Bergman
Nicole Rubio
Adam Harrison
Morty Peterson
Troy D. Webb
Jerry Gregoricka
Anthony Gudino
Jose O. Harb, Jr.
Kyle Kovacs
Jonathan Wiener
Phillip W. Palmer , CAS
Patrick Martens
Jim Harling
Gala Catering
Peter Chase
Aaron C. Fitzgerald
Cosmos Kiindarius
Gerard A. Facchini
William Batsel
Andrew Will
Cliff Fleming
Cory Fleming
David B. Nowell , ASC
Pete Romano
Marc Okrand
Carolyn Porco
Brandon Fayette
Tom Elder-Groebe
Clayton M. Lyons
Industrial Light & Magic , a Lucasfilm Ltd. Company, San Francisco, California
Eddie Pasquarello
Michael Dicomo
Joakim Arnesson
Thomas Fejes
Hilmar Koch
Nigel Sumner
Alex Jaeger
Chris Stoski
Bruce Holcomb
Giovanni Nakpil
Ron Woodall
James Tooley
Karin Cooper
Terry Chostner
Beth D'Amato
Richard Bluff
Matt Brumit
Grady Cofer
Brian Connor
Leandro Estebecorena
Conny Fauser
Gerald Gutschmidt
Katrin Klaiber
Francois Lambert
Tory Mercer
Mark Nettleton
Daniel Pearson
Jason Rosson
Greg Salter
Damian Steel
Chad Taylor
Todd Vaziri
John Walker
David Weitzberg
Steve Aplin
Colin Benoit
Derrick Carlin
Jessica Teach
Yanick Dusseault
Jon Alexander
Okan Ataman
Katharine Baird
Christopher Balog
Daniel Bayona
Jill Berger
Jason Billington
Matthew Blackwell
Jeremy Bloch
Daniel Bornstein
Amanda Braggs
Steve Braggs
James Brown
Kela Cabrales
Michaela Calanchini-Carter
Owen Calouro
Marshall Candland
Tami Carter
Lanny Cermak
Kien Geay Chan
Cheah Chin Chi
Peter Chesloff
Paul Churchill
Michael Conte
Michael Cordova
Christopher Crowell
Peter Demarest
Eran Dinour
Kalene Dunsmoor
Selwyn Eddy III
Katharine Evans
Dan Feinstein
Simon Fillat
Shine Fitzner
Jason Fleming
Tim Fortenberry
Christian Foucher
David Fuhrer
Robb Gardner
Grantland Gears
Angela Giannoni
Timothy Gibbons
Bill Gilman
David Gottlieb
Bryant Griffin
David Gutman
Christian Haley
Craig Hammack
Giles Hancock
David Hanks
Jeff Hatchel
Wendy Hendrickson
Neil Herzinger
Shawn Hillier
David Hirschfield
David Hisanaga
Sherry Hitch
Ryan Hopkins
Christopher Horvath
Jiri Jacknowitz
Danny Janevski
Patrick Jarvis
Jeff A. Johnson
Stephen Kennedy
Michael Kennen
Drew Klausner
Susan Klausner
Justin Kosnikowski
Matt Krentz
Marshall Krasser
Kimberly Lashbrook
Asier Hernaez Lavina
John Legrande
Melissa Lin
Noll Linsangan
Michael Logan
Jennifer Mackenzie
Dev Mannemela
Patrik Marek
David Marsh
Tia Marshall
Marcel Martinez
Didier Mathieu
Regan McGee
Vicky McCann
Scott Mease
Joseph Metten
Christopher James Miller
Jack Mongovan
Carlos Monzon
Katie Morris
Michelle Motta
Betsy Mueller
Timothy Mueller
Melissa Mullin
Brett Northcutt
Ben O'Brien
Saro Orfali
Akira Orikasa
Scott Palleiko
Frank Losasso Petterson
Zoltan Pogonyi
Jason Porter
Scott Prior
Ricardo Ramos
Satish Ratakonda
Michael Rich
Anthony Rispoli
Shane Roberts
Matthew Robinson
Elsa Rodriguez
Barry Safley
Jeff Saltzman
Frederick Schmidt
Eric Schweickert
Misty Segura
Paul Sharpe
Amy Shepard
John Sigurdson
Ken Sjogren
Sam Stewart
Russ Sueyoshi
David Sullivan
Andre Surya
Jeff Sutherland
Masahiko Tani
Stephanie Taubert
Alan Travis
Alex Tropiec
Yusei Uesugi
Bruce Vecchitto
David Washburn
Talmage Watson
Ronnie Williams, Jr.
Dan Wheaton
John Whisnant
Jeff Wozniak
Mark Youngren
Rita Zimmerman
Michael Bomgat
C. Michael Easton
Jean-Denis Haas
Geoff Hemphill
Makoto Koyama
Chris Mitchell
Erik Morgansen
Marla Newall
Rick O'Connor
Steve Rawlins
Greg Towner
Delio Tramontozzi
Chi Chung Tse
Leigh Barbier
Tim Brakensiek
Bradford De Caussin
Brian Clark
Rene Garcia
Maurizio Giglioli
Bridget Goodman
John Goodson
Greg Jonkajtys
Greg Killmaster
Robert Kosai
Jean-Claude Langer
James Orara
Steve Sauers
Renita Taylor
Katherine Farrar
Dale Taylor
Chrysta Burton
Stacy Bissell
Joseph Bell
Hui Ling Chang
Melanie Cussac
Cheng Peishan
Terran Benveniste
Cathleen Carden
Marilyn Chan
Benjamin Chua
Jennifer Coronado
Rachel Galbraith
George Gambetta
Christine Loo
Alejandro Melendez
Erik Pampel
Nikita Patel
Andrew Russell
Michael Sanders
Marci Velando
Sean Bittinger
Peter Bogatsky
Leah Brooks
Chantell Brown
Brian Cantwell
Jayesh Dalal
Jason Griger
Maura Hogan
Mark Kayfez
Charlie Ledogar
Brian McGraw
Elona Musha
Selma Sabera
Tommy Burnette
Andre Mazzone
Jennifer Suter
Vivek Verma
Gretchen Libby
Chrissie England
Lynwen Brennan
Miles Perkins
Janet Lewin
Vicki Dobbs Beck
Curt Miyashiro
Digital Domain , Venice, CA
Julian Levi
Darren M. Poe
Paul George Palop
Michelle Jacobs
Erik Gamache
Steve Avoujageli
Erik Zimmermann
Charles Abou Aad
Richard Grandy
George Saavedra
Melanie Okamura
BJ Christian
Raul Dominguez
David S. Sanchez
Bernard Obieta Ceguerra , PE
Shaun Comly
Kevin Sears
David Niednagel
Shelley Larocca Courte
Alfredo Ramirez
Dan Cobbett
Steven Fagerquist
Joe Farrell
Scott Gastellu
Aruna Inversin
Paul Kulikowski
Mike Ocoboc
Olivier P. Sarda
Craig A. Simms
Florian Strobl
Vanessa Cheung
Cathy Morin
Viviana Kim
Ian A. Harris
Janice Barlow Collier
Kevin LaNeave
Francisco Ramirez
Christopher Savides
Meagan Condito
Brian Holligan
Navjit Singh Gill
Antonio Freire
Shelby M. Ellis
Terry Clotiaux
Svengali FX
Stefano Trivelli
Jamie Venable
Eric Withee
Rocco Gioffre
Michele Moen
Nabil Schiantarelli
Jan Cilliers
Lawrence Littleton
Marcus Levere
Steve Norton
Junko Schurgardt
Laura Murillo
Edson Williams
Thomas Nittmann
Ryan Zuttermeister
Brian Nugent
Sean Wallitsch
Casey Allen
Trent Claus
Chris Ingersoll
Clark Parkhurst
Persistence of Vision Digital Entertainment
David Dozoretz
Brian J. Pohl
Chad Hofteig
Kevin Aguirre
Robert Rossoff
Simon Halpern
Patrick Rodriguez
Brian Magner
Amy Vatanakul
The Third Floor
Nicholas Markel
Austin Bonang
Dorian Bustamante
Eric Carney
Albert Cheng
Mark Nelson
Kerner Optical
Stefan Sonnenfeld
Nick Monton
Rob Doolittle
J. Cody Baker
Missy Papageorge
Mike Chiado
Mark Van Horne
Don Capoferri
Katherine Kane
Mary Nelson-Fraser
Andrew Kramer
Pacific Title and Art Studio
Digital Vortechs
Richard Massey
MavroCine Pictures

Mind Meld Soundscape by Mark Mangini and Mark Binder

Soundtrack Album on Varèse Sarabande Records

"Theme from Star Trek TV Series" Written by Alexander Courage & Gene Roddenberry

" Sabotage " Written by Michael Diamond , Adam Horovitz & Adam Nathaniel Yauch Performed by Beastie Boys Courtesy of Capitol Records Under license from EMI Film & Television Music

" Awasoruk Jam " Written & Performed by Cyrano Jones Courtesy of Bad Robot Music and Video LLC

" Josh Greenstein " Written & Performed by Cyrano Jones Courtesy of Bad Robot Music and Video LLC

" Future Blues " Written & Performed by Doyle Bramhall II Courtesy of Doyle Bramhall II by arrangement with Bug

Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
Kern County Film Commission
Cal Pine Pastoria Facility
Long Beach Generating Plant, LLC
City of Long Beach
Vasquez Rocks Los Angeles County Park
Utah Bureau of Land Management
Alaska Department of Natural Resource
Tejon Ranch Company
LA County Department of Sanitation
Rock of Ages, Vermont
Cal State University of Northridge
American Legion Hollywood Post 43
City of San Francisco
Siemens Medical

Color by deluxe ®

Filmed in Panavision ®

DOLBY DIGITAL ® In Selected Theatres

SDDS ™ Sony Dynamic Digital Sound In Selected Theatres

In memory of Gene Roddenberry and Majel Barrett Roddenberry

J.J. Abrams as Iowa Cop (voice)
Alex as Starfleet cadet [256]
Tansy Alexander as Alice Rawlings
James Anderson as injured soldier
Rico E. Anderson as councilmember
Ladesha Ard as Starfleet cadet
Richard Arnold as Romulan crewmembers
Ewen Audrey as Starfleet cadet [257]
Leslie Augustine as doctor
Jonathan Baca as Starfleet cadet
Corey Becker as Starfleet cadet
Leonard Baligaya as Starfleet cadet
Stefon Benson as Starfleet cadet
Jeff Boehm as Starfleet cadet
Anthony Bonaventura as Riverside Shipyard worker
Bill T. Brown as Romulan crewmember
Natishia Brown as medic
Susse Budde as med tech
Neil S. Bulk as Starfleet cadet
Sawyer Burke as Vulcan student
Anton Burman as Vulcan student
James Cawley as Enterprise crewmember
Jeff Chase as Romulan crewmember
Olivia London Choate as alien cadet
Mark E. Clason as Riverside Shipyard worker
Tiffany Collie as Starfleet Academy cadet
Jasmine Coussinat as Starfleet cadet
Zachary Culbertson as Starfleet cadet
Calvin Dean as security officer
Joy Dever as Baby James T. Kirk
Robert Dierx as Starfleet cadet
Christopher Doohan as Enterprise transporter technician
Robin Atkin Downes as ADR voices (Vulcan and Romulan chants and dialogue)
Richard D. Durden as barracks officer
Evan Dye as Vulcan student
April Marie Eden as Shipyard Bar patron
Owen Tanner Edinger as Starfleet cadet
Ken Edling as doctor
Yuri Elvin as Starfleet security officer
Kristine Fong as Starfleet cadet
Massi Furlan as Enterprise crewman
Mary Grace as Shipyard Bar patron
Wyatt Gray as Starfleet cadet
Joshua Greene as James T. Kirk ( body double , cave scene)
Jeff L. Green as security officer
Nancy Guerriero as crew member
Tania Gunadi as alien Enterprise crewmember
Aaron Haedt as Starfleet doctor
Justin Rodgers Hall as security officer
Song Han as anesthetist
Colleen Harris as Starfleet cadet
Melanie Harrison as medical technician
Arlo Hemphill as Riverside Shipyard worker
Rachel Jean Howard as Starfleet cadet
Ryan T. Husk as Enterprise crewmember
Elizabeth Ingalls as Enterprise nurse
Nikka Ischelle as Shipyard Bar patron
Rick Ituarte as Starfleet Academy instructor
James Jolly as Enterprise bridge crewmember
Johnny as Starfleet cadet
Jason Michael Johnson as alien cadet
Jillian Johnston as Starfleet cadet
Christopher Jude as Vulcan teacher
Jolene Kay as Enterprise crewmember
Barbara Keegan as Starfleet Academy instructor
Sarah Klaren as Starfleet Academy cadets
Makiko Konishi as Enterprise crewmember
Richard Krzemien as Starfleet councilmember
Joyce Lasley as Starfleet instructor
Bryan Lee as Starfleet cadet
Daniel D. Lee as Starfleet commander
Dominie Lee ( two different background parts )
Anne Marie Leighton as Starfleet officer
Michelle Lenhardt as USS Kelvin crewmember
Steve Luna as Starfleet Lieutenant
Justin Malachi as Starfleet cadet
Nav Mann as Romulan crewmember
Taylor McCluskey as Kelvin alien (unconfirmed)
Matthew McGregor as Starfleet cadet
Andrew Mew as Starfleet officer
Patrizia Milano as Erika Biordi
Andres Perez-Molina as Romulan crew member
Abe Molinares as Enterprise sciences division crewmember
Kevin Moser as USS Enterprise crewmember
Wednesday Mourning as Shipyard Bar patron
David Narloch as Starfleet cadet
Jonathan Newkerk as Starfleet cadet
Jacob Newton as Starfleet cadet
Westley Nguyen as Enterprise crewman
Jim Nieb as Shipyard Bar alien
Luke Novella as Starfleet cadet
Craig Nystrom as Riverside Shipyard worker
Jeffery Quinn as Vulcan scientist
Mark Phelan as Romulan crewmember
Paradox Pollack as Alien
Woody Porter as councilmember
Marc Primiani as Riverside construction worker
Rahvaunia as Academy teacher
Jessica Lauren Richmond as flirty cadette
Renie Rivas as Starfleet cadet
Bertrand Roberson, Jr. as Starfleet cadet
David Rodriguez as Starfleet cadet
Paul D. Rosa as USS Enterprise security chief
Paul Sass as Starfleet administrator
Roger Schueller as engineering officer
Darth Schuhe as Enterprise crewmember
Kyle Scudiere as Starfleet cadet
Ramona Seymour as Starfleet cadet
Eamon Sheehan as Romulan crew member
Justin Shenkarow – background voice artist
W. Morgan Sheppard as Vulcan Science Council minister
Nicholas Guy Smith as Professor Freemon Richter
Katie Soo as Starfleet Academy security guard
Arne Starr as Enterprise engineer
Joseph Steven as Romulan engineer
Sufi as Starfleet cadet [258]
Paul Sutherlin as Shipyard bar patron
David Jean Thomas as Vulcan elder
Sean Michael Tilghman as Vulcan student
Paul Townsend as security officer
Errik Tustenuggee as Starfleet councilmember
Ravi Valleti as Starfleet cadet
Jason Vaughn as Starfleet cadet
Brian Vowell as Starfleet cadet
Brian Waller as Vulcan council member
Steve Wharton as Starfleet cadet
Wil Wheaton as Romulan helmsman (voice)
Jerry Wible as Riverside Shipyard worker
Devin Williamson as Joe Fueller
John Williamson as fleet mechanic
Brianna Womick as Starfleet cadet
Stuart Wong as security officer
Lynnanne Zager as Jellyfish Computer Voice
Nensi Chandra
Christine Chapel (voice)
alternate reality
Mark Lenard
Gretchen Lui
Enterprise engineer
Enterprise operations division crewmember
Enterprise torpedo bay crewmember
Enterprise security officer
Female Shipyard Bar patron
Kelvin sciences crewwoman
Kelvin medical technician
Narada crewman
Vulcan council member
Vulcan Science Council member
Vulcan scientist
Vulcan student
Adam Absinthe as Rura Penthe prisoner
Tad Atkinson as Rura Penthe prisoner
Diora Baird as Orion Enterprise science officer
John Alan Bartlebaugh as Klingon guard
Fran Bennett as Vulcan midwife
Troy Brenna as Klingon guard
Paul A. Brown as Alien
Jeff Chase as Klingon guard
Terryl Daluz as Klingon guard
Mark Casimir Dyniewicz as Klingon camp prisoner
Victor Garber as Klingon interrogator
Tommy Germanovich as Rura Penthe prisoner
Brad William Henke as Uncle Frank
Jill Lover as Vulcan midwife
Michael Lovern as Rura Penthe prisoner
Brandon Stacy as Klingon guard
T.J. Storm as Klingon guard
Logan Strand as Nero ( body double )
Scott Trimble as Klingon guard
Jenna Vaughn as Baby Spock
James D. Weston II as Klingon guard
Trace Cheramie – Stunts
Shauna Duggins – Stunts
Doc Duhame – Stunt actor: Romulan Prison Guard
Derek Graf – Stunts
Terry Jackson – Stunt double
Jace Jeanes – Stunt double for Clifton Collins, Jr.
Lauren Kim – Utility stunts: Kelvin crewmember
Henry Kingi, Jr. – Utility stunts: Romulan crewmember
James Lew – Utility stunts: Romulan crewmember
Anthony Molinari – Stunt double for Greg Ellis
Panuvat Anthony Nanakornpanom – Stunts
Lin Oeding – Stunt double for John Cho
Xuyen Valdivia – Stunts
Webster Whinery, Jr. – Stunt double for Jimmy Bennett
Peipei Yuan – Stunt double for Freda Foh Shen
Stunt double for Jacob Kogan
Stunt double for Colby Paul
Alex Acuna – Drummer
Patrick Albani – Camera Production Assistant: Teaser Unit
Dave Archer – Artwork Provider: Paintings
Tammy Ashmore – Makeup Artist
Jennifer Aspinall – Makeup Artist: Romulans
Chris Ayers – Character Designer
Scott Bailey – Leadman
Ramiro Belgardt – Music Editor
Wayne Bergeron – Trumpeter
Nick Bergthold – Additional Set Production Assistant
Stephen Bettles – Prosthetic Make-Up Artist
Jason Bonnell – Location Scout (New Mexico)
J.D. Bowers – Makeup Effects Lab Technician
Peter Boyer – Orchestrator
Doug Brode – Props and Weapon Designer
Arlene Brown – Grip
Ryan Bruce – Makeup Lab Technician
Belinda Bryant – Special Effects Makeup Artist
Jessica Carpenter – Costumer
Ian Chriss – Visual Effects Best Boy Electric: Kerner Optical
Tom Cloutier – Visual Effects Key Grip: Kerner Optical
Kit Conners – Production Assistant
Larry Corbett – Cellist
Dan Crawley – Key Technician: Film Illusions
Jill Crosby – Key Hair Stylist
Joan Cunningham – First Assistant Director: 2nd Unit
Roxy D'Alonzo – Special Makeup Effects Artist
Ginger Damon – Hair Stylist
Patricia Dehaney-Le May – Hair Stylist
Natasha Delahunt – Extras Casting Assistant
Bernie Demolski – Visual Effects Best Boy Grip: Kerner Optical
Robert Kato DeStefan – Specialty Costumer: Quantum Creation FX
Jon Donahue – stand-in for Chris Pine
Jed Dornoff – Makeup Artist
Dennis Drozdowski – Special Effects Technician
Kathleen S. Dunn – Accent and Dialogue Coach for Chris Hemsworth
Earl Ellis – Make-Up Artist
Amber Erwin – Chorus singer
Megan Flagg – Specialty Costume Crew: Film Illusions
Tim Flattery – Concept Designer
Nicole Frank – Hair Stylist
Demitre Garza – Digital Artist
Scott Martin Gershin – Sound Editor
Casey Green – Computer/Video Engineer
Fabian H. Gutierrez – Makeup/ Hair Artist
Kevin Haggerty – First Assistant Camera Operator
Samara Hagopian – Prop maker
Greg Haines – stand-in : Ben Cross
Kevin Haney – Background Make-Up Artist
Clayton Haslop – Lead Violinist
Cynthia Hernandez – Make-Up Artist
Teressa Hill – Hair Stylist
Bryan Hitch – Production design
Kelly Hitman – photo double : Winona Ryder
Robert Hoffmeister – Visual Effects Artist: Industrial Light & Magic
John L. Jack – Executive Producer: Evil Eye Pictures
Clark James – Special Effects Technician
Rod M. Janusch – Visual Effects Gaffer: Kerner Optical
Derek Johnson – stand-in for Karl Urban
Petra Jorgensen – Second & Splinter Unit day-playing Script Supervisor
Tex Kadonaga – Digital Set Designer
Tina Kalliongis Hoffman – Make-Up Artist
René Dashiell Kerby – Makeup Artist
Erwin H. Kupitz – Wig Maker
Colleen LaBaff – Hair Stylist
Fabian Lacey – Concept Designer
Toby Lamm – Special Make-Up Effects Artist
Michelle Latham – Location Manager (Teaser Unit)
Daniel D. Lee – photo double for John Cho
Oleg Livits – Assistant to Producer
Norman Ludwin – Musician: Bass
Andreas Maaninka – Concept Modeler/Designer
James MacKinnon – Prosthetic Make-Up Artist
Geoffrey Mandel – Graphic Designer
Stephan Martiniere – Conceptual Designer
Rob McCabe – stand-in for Eric Bana
Frank McEldowney – Greens Foreman
Tracey McLean – Digital Artist: IMAX Version [259]
Beth Melnick – Location Scout
Ron Mendell – Concept Artist
Bart Mixon – Special Make-Up Effects Artist
Glenn T. Morgan – Sound Editor
Spencer Mulcahy – Visual Effects Dolly Grip: Kerner Optical
Christopher Allen Nelson – Special Makeup Effects Artist
Josh Neugass – Construction Welding Foreman
William Allen Olsen – Propmaker
Timothy Olyphant – Guest Conductor
Rhonda O'Neal – Hair Stylist
Leonardo Oregel – Production Assistant: Assistant Directors
Lygia Orta – Make-Up Artist
Garrik Palumbo – additional stand-in for Simon Pegg
Dan Patterson – Character Animator: Digital Domain
Cristina Patterson Ceret – Contact Lens Coordinator/Painter
Tom Piedmont – Digital Plate Restoration
Tom Pillifant – 2nd Assistant Camera Operator Alaska Unit
Paradox Pollack – Alien Choreographer and Movement Coach
Barbara Pollastrini – Food Stylist
Bryant Powell – stand-in for Simon Pegg
Alan D. Purwin – Helicopter Pilot
Anthony Ragonese – Location Assistant
Emil Richards – Percussionist
Eugene P. Rizzardi – Prop Shop/Special Effects
Benjamin D. Robertson – Set Dresser
Walter Rodriguez – Drummer
Ben Rosenblatt – Post-Production Executive
Mike Ross – Make-Up Effects Lab Technician
Geoffrey G. Rubay – Sound Editor
Peter Sattler – Graphic Designer
John Savedra – Lighting Electrician
Evan Schiff – Assistant Editor (short-term, during second digital intermediate and mix) [260]
Nathan Schroeder – Illustrator
Bill Spradlin – Lighting Technical Director: Digital Domain
Matthew D. Smith – Additional Second Assistant Director
Mike Smithson – Makeup Artist: Romulan make-up
Robert Snyder – Digital Compositor
Charles Sowles – Costume Props
Brandon Stacy – stand-in for Zachary Quinto
Justin Stafford – Special Contact Lens Painter
Martin P. Stankard – CG Artist
Amanda Starr DeMille – Production Assistant
Susan Stepanian – Makeup Artist (Hair and Hairpiece)
Lon Strickland – Second Unit Production Assistant
Victor Tang – Visual Effects Researcher
Mike Tsucalas – Set Production Assistant
Benton Ward – RF Technician: 2nd Unit (day play)
Clinton Wayne – Special Makeup Effects Artist
Mario West – Production Assistant
Richard B. Wester – Set Dresser
James D. Weston II – stand-in
Gerald White – Singer
Catherine J. Young – Make-Up Artist
Crist Ballas – Special Effects Makeup Artist
Christopher Bergschneider – Mold Maker
Barney Burman – Prosthetic Makeup Designer
Rob Burman – Moldshop Supervisor
Aida Caefer – Hair Stylist Supervisor
Brie Ford – Fabricator
Jamie Grove – Prosthetic Painter
Vincent J. Guastini – Additional Masks
Rufus Hearn – Makeup Effects Lab Technician
Russ Herpich – Makeup Lab Foreman
Jennifer Jackson – Makeup Lab Assistant
Don Lanning – Key Sculptor
Sue La Prelle – Plasterer
Jessica Nelson – Make-Up Effects Lab Technician
Christopher Payne – Makeup Effects Lab Technician
Jenn Rose – Key Mask Fabricator
Thomas Sanders – Makeup Lab Assistant
Ray Shaffer – Makeup Effects Lab Technician
Miho Suzuki – Makeup Effects Lab Technician
Vincent Van Dyke – Sculptor Lab Work
Hugo Villasenor – Shop Foreman
Hill Vinot – Mold Maker
Daphne Yap – Concept Artist
Clint Zoccoli – Sculptor

Unconfirmed cast and crew [ ]

Leslie Alnes as Nurse
Fallon Brooks as Starfleet cadet
Brad Champagne as Starfleet cadet
Sarah Abrams Char as Prisoner [261]
Talon DeSoto' as Engineer
Claire Doré as Enterprise crewman
Aliza Finley as Hurried cadet with clipboard
Ian Fisher as Shipyard worker #1
Cole Fritch as Klingon prison guard
Robert Grant as Starfleet officer
Jarrell Hall
Monte Hunter as Starfleet cadet
Paul Kumar as Kelvin cadet
Matthew Jennings
Michelle Lang (day player)
Anne Lockhart as voice of Kelvin computer
Aaron Lynch as Flight Operational Air Safety Conductor
Vadim Mantelzak as "Soldier Joe"
Owen Martin as Alien cadet / Enterprise crewmember
Jessica Mika as Enterprise bridgeport cadet
Kristen Rakes
Duane Ram as Starfleet cadet
Shanequa Reed as Starfleet cadet
Larramie Doc Shaw as War builder
Joseph Stephens, Jr. as Starfleet cadet
Renee Taglia
Barron Toler
Justin Riemer – Stunt Performer
A.J. Verel – Stunt Performer: Enterprise crewmember
Erik Aguirre – Assistant Construction Buyer
Nigel Albermaniche – Sound
Damon Allison – Propshop Foreman
Michael Avallon – Driver
P. Scott Bailey – Leadman
William D. Barber – "C" Camera Operator
Ted Basso – Production Van Driver Operator
Daniel Beals – Production Assistant
Matthew E. Bell – Look Development/Color & Lighting
Michael Boggs – Scanning Manager
Tony Bohorquez – Model Maker
James Bolt – Additional Sound Mixer
Dana Bonilla – Key Set Production Assistant: Kerner Optical
Mateo Bourdieu – First Assistant Camera
Lindsey Jayne Boyd – Production Assistant
Tony Bridgers – Construction Foreman
Margaret Bright-Ryan – Digital Artist
Kieran Brown – Paint Gang Boss
Alex E. Burns – Transportation
Tony Capasso – Construction Gang Boss
Mark Carlile – Lighting Technician
Derek Casari – Sound Stage Engineer
Lyle Christensen – Shotmaker Driver
Carol Collini – Makeup Artist
Greg Crawford – ADR Mixer (Atlanta)
Mark Cueto – Electrician
Val I. Deikov – Sculptor
Doug Devine – Set Dresser
Robin Atkin Downes – ADR Voice
William Doyle – Location Consultant
Jessica Drake – Dialect/Language Coach
Scott Dropkin – Remote Camera Technician (Sparrow Head)
Randy Eriksen – Second Unit Property Master
Christian G. Ervin – Driver
Anaïs Ganouna – Second Unit Camera Production Assistant
Danny Gonzalez – Electrician
Randy Haynie – Go Cam Rigger
Courtney Harrell – Visual Effects Production Coordinator
Kurt Herbel – Cable Video Assist
Patrick Hoeschen – Electrician
Tom Holzhauer – Production Assistant
Spencer Jambor – Stand-in for Spencer Daniels
Debra James – Production Manager
Jim C. Johnson – Gang Boss
Chris Jones – Special Effects Technician
Simeon Jones – Production Assistant
Kory Juul – Lighting Artist: Evil Eye Pictures
Tex Kadonaga – Set Designer
Jimmy Kaminsky – Driver
Jason Kaufman – Prop Shop
Rick Kelly – Second Unit Second Assistant Director
Lawrence Kim – Art Department Researcher
John Knox – Prop Shop
Scott M. Leonard – Grip
Frank Leasure – Propmaker
Alex Lee – Additional Production Assistant
Damon Liebowitz – Electrician
Eric Lozano – Set Dresser
Michelle Maloney – Additional Set Production Assistant
Cory Mandel – Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Canyon Martens – Set Dresser
Matt McDonald – Visual Effects Supervisor: Evil Eye Pictures
Chuck McSorley – Second Unit Property Assistant
Vanessa Meier – Second Unit Script Supervisor
Michael R. Melamed – Second Unit Second Second Assistant Director
Vicky Menke – Assistant Set Production Assistant
David Mesloh – Special Effects Technician
Ricky Dean Monsey – Production Assistant
Melissa Montague – Costume Aging and Dying
Glenn T. Morgan [262] – Sound Effects Editor
Michael Mosher [263] – Makeup Artist
Joe Murray – Production Assistant
Dillon Neaman – Production Assistant
Andrew Nelson – Costumer
Mark Nelson – Pre-visualization Artist
Timothy Oakley – Set Graphics
Tony Oberstar – Production Assistant
Bill O'Donnell – Production Assistant
Jason Pomerantz – Digital Artist (IMAX version)
Grace Pyke – Additional Costumer
Paul Pytlik – Digital Artist (IMAX version)
Norbert F. Quiban – Rigging Electrician
Chris Quilty – Second Unit Boom Operator
Justin Raleigh – Specialty Costume Supervisor: Quantum Creation FX
Robert Razavi – Consulting Producer
Michael Ray Reed – Stand-in for Anton Yelchin
Greg G. Reeves – Rigging Electrician
Graham Robertson – Set Dresser
Erik Rogers – Senior Digital Intermediate Producer: Company 3
Michael Roundy – Special Effects Technician
Maury Ruiz [264] – Concept Artist
Paul Samaniego – Underwater Camera Production Assistant
Scott Schutzki – Set Dresser
Paul Sinnott – Costume Assistant
Greg Smith – Prop Shop
Maciek Sokalski – Digital Compositor: Svengali FX
Scott Solan – Sound Utility and Second Unit Sound
Chad Stansbury – Sculptor
Mike Steaheli – Unit Medic
Christopher A. Suarez – Special Effects Technician
Donna Tegan Set Production Assistant
Thomas "Noe" Welch – Set Dresser
C. Jerome Williams [265] – Rotoscope Artist: Lola Visual Effects
Mark J. Williams Production Assistant
Helen Wilson – Props
Steve Wolfe – First Assistant Camera
Chris Qi Yao – Matchstick Technical Director
Dennis Yeager II – Special Effects Technician
Ryan Young – Production Assistant

Companies [ ]

Paramount Pictures – Distributor, Production Company
Spyglass Entertainment – Production Company
Bad Robot Productions – Production Company
MavroCine Pictures – Production Company
Industrial Light & Magic – Special Visual Effects
Digital Domain – Additional Visual Effects
Svengali Visual Effects – Additional Visual Effects
Lola VFX – Additional Visual Effects
Persistence of Vision Digital Entertainment – Previsualization Effects
The Third Floor – Additional Previsualization Effects
Kerner Optical – Models and Miniatures
Company 3 – Digital Intermediate
Pacific Title and Art Studio – End Titles & Opticals
Digital Vortechs – Avid Editing Equipment
For Stars Catering – Caterer
Gala Catering – Catering: Second Unit
Star Waggons – Cast Trailers

Uncredited companies [ ]

Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment, Inc. – Camera Systems and Cranes
Chef Robért Catering – Catering
Evil Eye Pictures – Additional Visual Effects
Film Illusions – Special Effects
Harlow FX – Makeup Effects and Prosthetics
Level 1 Entertainment – Former Production Company (replaced by Spyglass)
Movie Movers – Hair & Makeup Trailers, Production Trailers
Professional VisionCare Associates – Contact Lens company
Prop Docs – Set Dressing Documents
Quantum Creation FX – Specialty Costume and Prop Weapons
Sessions Payroll Management – Extras Payroll Services
SouthCoastHelicopters.com – aerial photography of Alaska
Tinsley Transfers – Special Makeup Effects Tattoos
Vital Distraction – Previsualization Effects (in collaboration with Persistence of Vision)

Unconfirmed companies [ ]

Executive Assurance – Security
Filmtools – Expendables
MoviePlacement.com – Product Placement
On Tour Productions – Transportation Services
Panavision Remote Systems – Supertechno Cranes
Transportation Resources – Transportation Equipment
Star Trek (soundtrack)
Star Trek (DVD)
Star Trek (Special Edition DVD)
Star Trek (single disc Blu-ray)
Star Trek (three disc Blu-ray)
Star Trek (4K Ultra HD)
Star Trek (iTunes)

References [ ]

2233 ; 2240s ; 2255 ; 2258 ; 2387 ; 313-C ; ability ; academic suspension ; accuser ; Airtrax ; Aldrin, Buzz ; Andorian shingles ; anger ; annular confinement beam ; Antares , USS ; apple ; Aptera Typ-1 ; aptitude test ; Archer, Jonathan ; armada ; Armstrong , USS ; Armstrong -type ; attack ; authorization code ; autopilot ; aviophobia ; backpack ; Battle of Earth ; battle stations ; blanket ; Bravo-six maneuver ; Destruction of Vulcan ; Bardeen ; bathroom ; beagle ; bean ; Beastie Boys ; black hole ; Blake ; blindfold ; brain stem ; bravo-six maneuver ; Budweiser Classic ; car ; Cardassian sunrise ; cellular phone ; Centaurian slug ; character reference ; christening ; Class III neutronic fuel carrier ; climbing frame ; code of conduct ; command officer ; Constitution -type escape pod ; confiscation ; construction zone ; commendation ; Constitution -class ; cortisone ; Corvette ; Counter ; court martial ; cupcake ; crystal ball ; damage report ; dead body ; deadly force ; death ; Delta Vega ; Delta Vega outpost ; delusion ; department ; Dimassa 01 ; dock control ; ear ; Earth ; ECS ; emotional response ; emotional transference ; endangered species ; Enterprise , USS ; ethics ; experience ; external inertial dampener ; extinction ; eyeball ; Farragut , USS ; favoritism ; fear ; Federation ; flag ; Flag of California ; Flag of the Federation ; flask ; flight officer ; friend ; fuckin ; Fugeman ; General Order 13 ; General Orders and Regulations ; Gerace ; Gilliam ; " God damn "; grapefruit ; " Grande Valse "; Grissom , USS ; Grumman F-14 Tomcat ; Hangar 1 ; Hangar 1 vehicle ; headache ; heart rate ; hick ; high energy pulse device ; hitchhiking ; hobgoblin ; Hood , USS ; hostage ; hoverbike ; hovercruiser ; Hovercruiser 924 ; Iowa ; Iowa State Police ; itch ; Jack Daniel's ; James ; jamming signal ; Jellyfish ; katric ark ; Kelvin , USS ; Kelvin -type ; Kelvin -type shuttlecraft ; Kentucky Derby ; kilometer ; Kirk, George ; Kirk, James T. ; Kirk, Tiberius ; Kirk, Winona ; kiss ; Klabnian fire tea ; Klingon ; Klingon prison planet ; Klingon warbird ; Kobayashi Maru , USS ; Kobayashi Maru scenario ; kohlinar ; Komack, James ; Leifer ; lie ; lightning ; lightning storm ; lungworm ; maneuvering board ; marooning ; Maximum security zone ; Mayflower , USS ; Mayflower -type ( starships ); McGrath ; media ; medical shuttle ; Medical shuttle 37 ; Melvaran mud flea ; meter ; Midwest ; military shuttle ; mining vessel ; mirage ; Moore ; Moore -type shuttlecraft ; morphology ; motorbike ; mouth breather ; name ; Narada ; natural disaster ; Newton , USS ; Newton -type ( starships ); Nokia ; nosebleed ; notebook ; numb tongue ; Odyssey , USS ; orator ; Orion ; paradox ; parking brake ; path ; PCAP-SYS ; Petrovsky ; phonology ; pi ; police ; Pomoroy ; prank ; prod ; programming code ; Prometheus nectar ; protein nibs ; quarry ; quota ; R2-D2 ; repeat offender ; Rader ; red alert ; red matter ; Regula I ; rescue mission ; Riverside ; Riverside Shipyard ; Romulan Bird-of-Prey ( unnamed ); Romulan disruptor pistol ; Romulan disruptor rifle ; Romulan language ; Romulan Star Empire ; Romulus ; roommate ; " Sabotage "; Saurian brandy ; Sect 7XT ; security protocol ; sex ; SFC Division ; shaker ; shield ; Shipyard Bar ; ships ; Shuttle 2 ( Enterprise ) ; Ship's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701 alternate reality) ; Shuttle 2 ( Kelvin ) ; Shuttle 3 ; Shuttle 37 ; Shuttle 43 ; Shuttle 89 ; Shuttle 12091 ; Shuttle 78072 ; skill dome ; Slusho ; solar flame ; sphere ; stallion ; starch amyloplast ; Starbase 1 ; stardate ; Starfleet Academy ; Starfleet Academy Board ; Starfleet ; Starfleet medical code ; Starfleet Regulation 619 ; Starfleet uniform ; startcard ; stenographer ; storm ; straw ; subroutine ; subspace transmission test ; supernova ; surname ; sweat ; syntax ; Tagruato ; telemetry ; Teral'n ; towel ; townie ; toxin ; T'Plana-Hath -type ( unnamed ); Trainer , USS ; transporter ; transporter control ; transporter signal ; transwarp beaming ; tribble ; truck ; Truman , USS ; turbine ; United We Are Strong, United We Will Win ; universe ; vision loss ; volume ; vomiting ; Vulcan ; Vulcan (planet) ; Vulcan High Council ; Vulcan Science Academy ; Vulcan ship ; water turbine control board ; whiz kid ; whore ; windows ; Wolcott , USS ; xenolinguistics ; yellow creature

Other references [ ]

Shipyard Bar menu: Chik burger ; Earth burger ; Fish and chips ; Hajjlaran surprise ; home base fries ; Jestral tea ; Mantickian paté ; Mareuvian tea ; Orion wing-slug ; Papalla juice ; Prometheus nectar ; prune juice ; SHM tofu bites ; Sinteel pasta ; space burger ; super combo

Meta references [ ]

47 ; Intertitle

Unreferenced material [ ]

book club ; cockaleekie soup ; cone ; Discount function ; Defiant , USS ; Endeavour , USS ; EM sensor ; Exponential discounting ; First contact protocol ; FC-3 procedure ; flo-yo ; fractal ; gastric stimulator ; gold rating ; Hawk-dove strategic interaction game ; hoverspeeder ; Hyperbolic discounter ; Jaxa ; Lennon, John ; Kyoto ; McCartney, Paul ; MIT ; mince and tatties ; narcissism ; Oxford invitational ; quantum cosmology ; piece and jam ; planetary security ; Power signature ; Prisoners' dilemma ; quark ; Quasi-hyperbolic discounter ; Spock ; Scalar discount ; slim-shot ; station chief ; Square root ; T'nag ; Universal greeting ; Vulcan creature ; Vulcana Regar

External links [ ]

Star Trek at StarTrek.com
Star Trek at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
Star Trek at Wikipedia
Star Trek at the Internet Movie Database
Star Trek script at IMSDb.com

Star Trek (2009)

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Star Trek is a 2009 science fiction film directed by J. J. Abrams , written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman , and distributed by Paramount Pictures . It is the eleventh film based on the Star Trek franchise and features the main characters of the original Star Trek television series, who are portrayed by a new cast. The film follows James T. Kirk ( Chris Pine ) and Spock ( Zachary Quinto ) before they unite aboard the USS Enterprise to combat Nero ( Eric Bana ), a Romulan from their future who threatens the United Federation of Planets . The story establishes an alternate reality [1] [2] through time-travel by both Nero and the original Spock ( Leonard Nimoy ), freeing the film and the franchise from established continuity constraints.

Development of the film began in 2005. Filming took place from November 2007 to March 2008 under intense secrecy. Midway through the shoot, Paramount chose to delay the release date from December 25, 2008 to May 2009, believing the film could reach a wider audience.

Star Trek has earned high critical praise, gaining a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes . [3] It is the thirteenth-highest-grossing film of 2009 —seventh-highest within North America—and has become the highest-grossing film in the Star Trek series and is credited by the media as a reboot of the series. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] It was nominated for four Oscars at the 82nd Academy Awards and won the Academy Award for Best Makeup , making it the first Star Trek film to win an Oscar.

1.1 Act One
1.2 Act Two
1.3 Act Three
3.1 Development
3.2 Writing
3.4 Filming
3.5 Effects
4.2 Sound effects
5.1 Marketing
5.2 Box office
5.3 Reception
5.4 Awards and nominations
5.5 Home release
7.1 Release Dates for Untitled Star Trek Sequel

A cataclysm over 150 years into the future throws two ships into the 23rd century, altering the course of history. With a different life where he never knew his father, James T. Kirk becomes a brilliant yet cynical misfit who is finally convinced to join Starfleet by Captain Christopher Pike in 2255. Three years later, Kirk, Spock, and the young crew of the USS Enterprise , with guidance from Spock's future self, must figure out a way to work together to prevent the one responsible for the death of Kirk's father, the future Romulan known as Nero, from wreaking destruction throughout the Federation in a mad quest for vengeance, using a powerful new weapon. For some, their help comes too late.

Act One [ ]

The Narada emerges after passing through a black hole.

Lieutenant Commander George Kirk aboard the ill-fated USS Kelvin .

Winona Kirk with Jim, moments after his birth.

In the year 2233 , the Template:USS investigates a " lightning storm" near Klingon space , which they soon realize to be a black hole . Suddenly, the massive Narada emerges from the maw and immediately opens fire on the Kelvin with devastating torpedoes , inflicting heavy damage and causing many casualties. The attack also knocks out the starship's warp drive . The Narada ceases fire, and its first officer , Ayel , hails the outmatched Kelvin . Speaking for Nero , Ayel demands that the Kelvin Template:'s captain, Richard Robau , come aboard the Narada via shuttlecraft to negotiate a cease-fire; his "unwise" refusal would mean the destruction of the Kelvin . Captain Robau agrees and turns over command of the ship to his first officer , Lieutenant Commander Template:Alt . Robau orders Kirk to wait fifteen minutes for his signal or else evacuate the ship.

Robau is taken to Nero, while the crew of the Kelvin monitors his life signs . Ayel interrogates him first about a particular ship, which Robau does not recognize, and then about the location of Ambassador Spock , with whom Robau is also unfamiliar. Upon citing the stardate , 2233.04, Nero rushes at Robau, impaling him with a teral'n , terminating Robau's vital signs on the Kelvin Template:'s viewscreen. Kirk assumes command as the Narada fires another volley of torpedoes, inflicting more damage. The severely-damaged Kelvin tries to return fire, but as the situation grows dire and he realizes that the damage to the ship is compromising the lives of everyone, Kirk orders the crew to escape pods and shuttles, including his wife Winona , who is about to give birth. She is sent to a specific shuttle - Medical Shuttle 37 . Kirk tells her to wait there while he plots a collision course on autopilot .

Unfortunately, the ship's autopilot navigation was destroyed in the attack. The lieutenant makes the grim realization that he will need to control the Kelvin himself. He orders his wife to leave on the shuttle without him. She protests, but Kirk tells her that he has no choice but to stay behind and continue the attack in order to protect the others who are leaving on escape pods . On the shuttlecraft, Winona Kirk gives birth to a baby boy. As the Kelvin destroys the missiles aimed at the shuttles, Kirk can hear his newborn's cries. Then, Kirk asks Winona what they should name their son. She suggests naming him after George's father, but he laughs the suggestion off and says that Tiberius isn't much of a first name. They decide to name him Jim, after Winona's father. Right before the collision, Kirk tells Winona that he loves her. Communication is cut off, and Winona looks out of the shuttle - all she can see is a bright ball of flame in the middle of the Narada .

Kirk as a child.

Spock as a child.

Approximately ten years later, in the year 2243 , a young Template:Alt is seen racing down the road in an antique Corvette across Iowa . Over the vehicle's comm system (a Nokia in-dash car phone), Kirk's stepfather yells at him, demanding that he return home, citing that the car is an antique and he doesn't want a scratch on it. Kirk ignores the demand, switching the comm off and blasting 20th century music . Soon, a policeman on a flying motorbike chases after him, ordering the boy to stop the car. Evading the officer, Kirk heads for a quarry and jumps out of the car, moments before it speeds over the edge and crashes on the canyon floor below. The policeman apprehends the boy and asks his name, to which he states "James Tiberius Kirk".

Around the same time on Template:Alt , a young Template:Alt , who has just successfully answered a barrage of advanced questions in a learning pod, is being tormented by his peers about his mixed heritage, calling his father a traitor for marrying a Human "whore". Spock knocks one of the older boys into a learning pod and beats him in an emotional rage - hardly the expected emotional response. He is later gently admonished by his father, Template:Alt , who is disappointed at his son's lack of emotional control. He explains to his son that despite the common misconception, Vulcans are very emotional, even more so than Humans, but it is necessary for their culture to control their emotions and not let them control them. Sarek advises Spock that he has a path to choose and that only he can make the decision. When Spock asks of his father why he married his mother, Sarek coldly replies that it was logical.

Years later, Spock is conflicted about whether to participate in the kolinahr ; the Vulcan ritual aimed at purging all vestigial emotions. He talks to his mother, Template:Alt , who tells him that she will always be proud of him, no matter what he decides. Later, Spock stands before a committee on Vulcan. The chairman comments on Spock's perfect record in his attempt to gain entry to the Vulcan Science Academy and that his only flaw is that he also applied to Starfleet Academy . Spock explains it was only logical for him to explore all options. The committee informs him of his acceptance into the Vulcan Science Academy and commends his accomplishments despite his "disadvantage" of being half-Human. In response to yet another underhanded attack on his mother, Spock declines the offer of admission, implying that he has decided to enter Starfleet Academy instead. The committee expresses shock, as Spock is the first Vulcan to decline an offer of admission to the Vulcan Science Academy. Spock sardonically tells the committee that their record still remains untarnished since he is, in fact, only half-Vulcan. Before departing he conveys his gratitude once again, sardonically wishing them to "live long and prosper."

Spock defies the Vulcan elders.

Pike discovers Kirk in the bar.

Meanwhile, in 2255 , in a bar in Iowa, a young Template:Alt meets up with some friends, and a brash and intoxicated James Kirk introduces himself to her. He unsuccessfully flirts with her, trying to find out her first name, but although amused by his wit and a little impressed by his knowledge, she is ultimately not interested. The situation escalates when another Starfleet recruit intervenes in an attempt to defend Uhura - despite her saying she does not need the defense. He and three other recruits get into a fight with Kirk and beat him badly before a senior officer, Captain Template:Alt , ends the fight. Pike, familiar with Kirk's tragic past from having written his dissertation on the Kelvin incident, sits down with him and tries to talk some sense into the rebellious young man by persuading him to join Starfleet . Pike firmly believes that with his aptitude, Kirk can do more with himself than get into bar fights and be "the only genius-level repeat offender in the Midwest." He tells Jim he could have his own ship in only eight years. However, Kirk doesn't want to hear it and laughs at the idea of joining Starfleet. Pike ends the conversation with a reminder that Kirk's father saved eight hundred lives, including his mother's and his own, in the course of only twelve minutes of command and challenges Kirk to do better. Kirk cannot help but take him up on the challenge.

Kirk accepts Pike's offer.

Early the next day, Kirk heads to Riverside Shipyard , where the Template:USS is under construction. Pike is surprised to see Kirk turn up to join the new recruits. Giving his motorbike away to the first person who compliments it, Kirk passes Pike, saying he'll graduate in three years instead of four. He enters the recruit shuttle, surprising Uhura and the recruits who had beat him up the night before. Another man, Template:Alt , is escorted to his seat after being found in the bathroom by a female shuttle officer. Sitting next to Kirk, the somewhat nervous doctor starts ranting about what could physically happen to them if anything goes wrong with the shuttle's systems. Kirk is amused and tries to remind him that Starfleet works in space. McCoy explains that he has nowhere else to go, having lost everything in a divorce; the only thing he has left are his bones. The two talk and become friends.

Three years later, in 2258 , the Narada is waiting at an unknown part of space. Nero is called to the bridge by Ayel. Suddenly, a black hole temporal disturbance appears and a small starship flies out of the anomaly. Nero recognizes and welcomes the appearance of Ambassador Spock, and orders the ship to be captured.

Kirk has an encounter with Gaila.

Meanwhile, at Starfleet Academy, Kirk is telling McCoy that he is taking the Kobayashi Maru test again the next day, and is certain he will pass it. McCoy is shocked at Kirk's attitude, as no one has ever passed the test, much less repeated it - much less three times. However, Kirk then leaves to "study", which for him means an assignation with an Orion cadet named Gaila in her dorm room. Suddenly, Gaila's roommate enters and Kirk gets shoved under the bed by an anxious Gaila only to find out that the roommate is Uhura. While changing out of her uniform, she tells her roommate about a message she has just decoded, alerting Starfleet to the destruction of 47 Klingon warships by a massive unidentified ship. Kirk watches Uhura undress while noting her words, but a casual comment from Gaila makes Uhura suspicious, and she guesses there's a "mouth-breather" under the bed, at which point Kirk, amazed that she could even hear him, comes out of hiding. Angry that her roommate brought yet another guy to their room and even angrier that it's Kirk, she kicks him out.

Kirk during the Kobayashi Maru test.

The next day, Kirk, McCoy, Uhura and a few other Starfleet recruits are in the Kobayashi Maru simulation test on Kirk's third attempt. Kirk takes a comically casual approach to the test, much to everyone's bewilderment. Everything goes as planned when, unexpectedly, the power systems momentarily fail, and then the attacking Klingon ships' shields go down and are promptly destroyed. From above the simulator room, a technician asks how Kirk was able to beat this test. Spock, who is in the observation room, simply states "I do not know."

Spock at Kirk's hearing at Starfleet Academy.

During an official inquiry presided over by Admiral Richard Barnett , Starfleet Academy informs Kirk that they have received evidence that Kirk entered a subroutine into the computer making it possible for him to win in the simulation and accuse him of cheating. Kirk demands to face his accuser. Commander Spock is called up to the podium and introduced as one of the Academy's most distinguished graduates and programmer of the Kobayashi Maru test for the past four years. Kirk and Spock debate the purpose of the Kobayashi Maru , which Kirk claims is unfair due to its no-win programming, and which Spock explains is a test of the subject's ability to maintain composure and command ability in the face of fear and certain death.

The hearing is suddenly interrupted when word comes that the Federation has received a distress call from Vulcan. With the primary fleet occupied in the Laurentian system , Starfleet is forced to commission the Academy cadets and dispatch ships immediately to begin a rescue mission.

Act Two [ ]

Cadets are assigned to ships based on their aptitude, with the most capable cadets assigned to the USS Enterprise , a ship completed so recently that it hasn't even been christened yet. Uhura is originally assigned to the Template:USS , but complains directly to Spock, citing her numerous commendations and recommendations (many from Spock himself) and insisting she had earned an assignment to the USS Enterprise . Spock suggests that he did not want to suggest impropriety, but when Uhura refuses to back down, he ultimately relents, and re-assigns her to the Enterprise . Kirk has been grounded pending a ruling on his inquiry, and is not allowed to board the shuttles and join the mission. However, McCoy takes him to the medical bay, where he injects him with a vaccine, temporarily making him ill. Consequently, he is allowed to take Kirk up to the Enterprise on medical grounds, seeing as he is the patient to the ship's medical officer.

Kirk and McCoy on the shuttle.

The Enterprise leaves the spacedock for Vulcan, but not before helmsman Template:Alt – standing in for the ill McKenna – disengages the external inertial dampener , which had prevented them from going to warp. Template:Alt uses the comm system to inform the crew about their first mission, reporting a "lightning storm in space" followed by strange planet-wide seismic disturbances. Their orders are to investigate the seismic disturbance and aid in evacuation of the planet if necessary. After hearing the announcement Kirk suddenly realizes that the "lightning storm" is exactly the same occurrence the Kelvin encountered two decades earlier. Realizing that they are running straight into a Romulan trap, Kirk rushes through the ship to Uhura despite suffering a bad reaction to the vaccine McCoy gave him: swollen hands and a numb tongue. Despite his initial difficulty to communicate coherently, he finally manages to ask her about the Klingon distress call she had deciphered earlier and she confirms that the attackers were Romulan.

Kirk then rushes to the bridge to inform Captain Pike. Pike, is at first skeptical, and furious that Kirk had snuck aboard, but after hearing about the call Uhura picked up, Spock concludes that Kirk's logic is correct. Uhura is placed at the communications console at the bridge as, unlike assigned communications officer Hawkins , she can distinguish Romulan from Vulcan. As they disengage warp drive, the Enterprise finds itself in a debris field of the other seven Starfleet ships which arrived shortly before they did. At the direction of Pike, Sulu is able to navigate his way through the debris field with minimal damage. As they clear the debris, they come upon the Narada , drilling above Vulcan's atmosphere. The Narada attacks the Enterprise , which takes heavy damage on the first volley of torpedoes, almost destroying the sickbay and reducing the ship's shields to 32%. But just as they are about to fire again, Nero realizes which ship he is firing at and orders a cease-fire.

He hails the Enterprise and politely identifies himself. Pike, seeing a Romulan, accuses him of an act of war and offers to reach a settlement, but Nero states he stands apart from the Romulan Star Empire . He pointedly greets a confused Spock, and orders Pike to come aboard via shuttlecraft. Pike asks if there are any advanced hand-to-hand combat -trained officers on the bridge. Sulu volunteers. Pike gathers Sulu, Spock, and Kirk, whom he grimly jokes "wasn't supposed to be here anyway," and begins on his way to the shuttle bay.

Pike promotes Spock to captain and puts him in charge of the Enterprise . He also commissions Kirk as first officer , much to Spock's chagrin. Pike outlines his plan to do two things at once: on the shuttle en route to the Narada he will drop Kirk, Sulu, and chief engineer Olson into an orbital skydive . They will land on Narada Template:'s drill platform and disable it in order to contact Starfleet about the incident, since the drill has disable communications and transporter capabilities. If all else fails, they are to fall back to the primary fleet at the Laurentian system . If Pike doesn't come back, they will also need to come get him.

Spock returns to the bridge and checks in on sickbay. He is surprised to hear Dr. McCoy instead of Dr. Puri , the chief medical officer , who was killed in the attack. Spock officially names McCoy the chief medical officer, a fact McCoy had already assumed as he works in the sickbay, heavily damaged and inundated with casualties.

The massive Narada looms over the Enterprise above Vulcan.

Sulu sword-fights on the Romulan drill platform.

Pike arrives on the Narada as the three begin their descent. Sulu opens his parachute first, followed by Kirk. An over-enthusiastic Olson, wearing a red space suit , waits too long to activate his parachute, and he falls underneath the drill, incinerated by the beam. Kirk lands safely on the platform, and proceeds to fight the first Romulan who attacks him. While grappling over the Romulan's disruptor rifle , the weapon fires, shooting holes into Sulu's parachute, sending him out of control. Kirk reaches for his phaser pistol, but the Romulan quickly knocks it out of his hand, forcing him to use his helmet as a weapon. As Sulu approaches the platform, a second Romulan with a disruptor rifle emerges, and Kirk wards both off, eventually taking away their rifles but not doing much to hurt either of them. Sulu lands dangling off the platform and swings close to the drilling beam. He uses the parachute's repacking mechanism to pull himself onto the platform, and uses his retractable sword to cut it off to avoid getting incinerated by a flame vent. Sulu then sword-fights with one Romulan, while the other goes hand-to-hand against Kirk, who is knocked over and hanging on the edge of the platform. Sulu knocks his adversary onto the vent, incinerating him. He then stabs the other one with his sword, and pulls Kirk back to safety. Olson had the charges they were going to use to destroy the platform, so they use the Romulans' disruptor rifles to fire on the drill and disable it.

Ayel reports the drill's incapacitation, but tells Nero that the drill reached Vulcan's core before going offline. Nero orders the release of " red matter ", and the return of the drill. Chekov discovers what the "red matter" is doing: creating a black hole in the middle of the planet. Vulcan will be destroyed in a matter of minutes. Just as Kirk and Sulu are to be beamed off, the drill moves and Sulu falls. Kirk jumps after him and catches him. Sulu activates Kirk's parachute, but it is unable to take the weight of two people and snaps off. As they can't get a transporter lock, Chekov races to the transporter room and mathematically works out how to do so. The two officers are rescued just before they hit solid rock, hitting the transporter pads with a loud thud, banged up but alive.

Spock beams onto Vulcan as it collapses.

Spock attempts to save the Vulcan elders and his parents.

Uhura comforts Spock after the loss of Vulcan and his mother.

Right after Kirk and Sulu are beamed aboard, Spock tells Kirk that he is down to save the Vulcan Council , which includes Spock's parents. Kirk tries to stop him but he ignores Kirk and orders the transporter chief to beam him down immediately. They were taking refuge in the katric ark , a chamber within Mount Seleya, which they could not simply beam through. Two of the elders in the council are killed by falling rocks and statues, but Spock is able to get five of them outside, including his parents. As the transporter is about to pick them up, the rock his mother is standing on collapses, causing the transporter to miss her. As they re-materialize on board the Enterprise , Spock stands on the transporter pad in shock, having lost his mother, with his hand still reached out to her. The Enterprise crew retreats and watches in horror as Vulcan implodes into oblivion.

Kirk, Sulu, and the few Vulcans who were able to be brought aboard the Enterprise are brought to sickbay for treatment. Soon after, Spock leaves the bridge, and he is followed into the turbolift by Uhura. She stops the turbolift and after a few words, kisses and embraces him, hoping to console him. Though Spock is responsive to her, when she asks what Spock needs, he stiffens back up and states that he needs the crew to continue to work "admirably".

Nero asks Pike for the security codes to defense systems around Earth , but Pike refuses to give them to him, disgusted by Nero's act of genocide on Vulcan. Nero speaks about how the Narada , in his time, was a mining ship, and he was laboring to support his wife, who was expecting his child, before they were killed when Romulus was destroyed. He placed blame on the Federation for doing nothing, and accused Spock of betraying them, promising himself retribution. Pike pleads that Romulus still exists, but Nero only knows that his world – the Romulus of the future – was destroyed, and he intends to destroy every world of the Federation, so that others will know his pain. Forcing a Centaurian slug down Pike's throat which will help coerce Pike to give out the security codes, Nero orders the Narada to continue to Earth.

Spock leads the bridge crew in trying to brainstorm what happened. They have determined that the Narada is heading for Earth. Judging from their "black hole" technology, Spock reasons that the Narada must have traveled back in time from the future, much to McCoy's confusion as he exclaims he is a doctor, not a physicist . He states that they must regroup with the fleet, but Kirk says that in order to stop Nero they must go after him first. Kirk believes that any delayed action will result in Earth being destroyed. If Nero is from the future, then he'll know what's going to happen next, so they'll have to be unpredictable; Spock states that Nero's very presence logically caused a chain of events that altered reality as they know it and therefore his foreknowledge is irrelevant. This culminates in an argument which ends in Spock ordering Kirk's removal from the bridge, but Kirk fights off his security escort, despite McCoy trying to reason with him. Spock ends it by delivering the Vulcan nerve pinch to Kirk, before placing him in an escape pod and jettisoning it off the ship. Kirk awakens to find himself on the snow-covered world of Delta Vega , another planet in Vulcan's system. Picking up his gear, Kirk heads for the Starfleet station fourteen kilometers away.

Kirk is marooned on Delta Vega.

He is chased down by a " polarilla " which is in turn attacked by an even larger insectoid animal . It chases Kirk into a cave, and when it finally attaches a tendril to catch him, trying to consume him, it is spooked off by an elderly man wielding a lit torch. The man reveals himself to be Spock , Kirk's old friend and is genuinely happy to see him. Kirk is skeptical, telling the old man, who had assumed Kirk was in command of the Enterprise , that "he" was, and they were hardly friends, and he had in fact marooned him for mutiny, and that Pike had been taken hostage. However, when Spock identifies Nero as Pike's captor, Kirk realizes that he might just be telling the truth.

Spock melds with Kirk so that he can understand why he is here. He explains that 129 years in the future, in the year 2387 , an impending supernova of a star threatened to destroy the home worlds of the Romulan Star Empire and, potentially, the rest of the galaxy as well. Spock developed a stockpile of "red matter", a substance that can be ignited to form a singularity , a black hole that would mop up the matter of the supernova. However, the star exploded while he was en route, and Romulus was destroyed. Spock launched the red matter from his ship, the Jellyfish , to prevent further damage. Immediately, Spock was confronted by a surviving Romulan mining vessel, the Narada , captained by Nero. Spock tried to escape, but the resultant black hole captured both the Jellyfish and the Narada , creating a disturbance in the space-time continuum sending both ships into the past. The Narada exited over 150 years in the past, where it confronted the Kelvin . Spock's ship entered moments later, but what appeared seconds to him, were 25 years after the Narada had entered. Nero then captured Spock's ship, but kept Spock alive, marooning him on Delta Vega, so that he could witness the destruction of his own home planet, Vulcan, just as he had to witness the destruction of Romulus. Kirk explains he was left on the planet by the Spock he knows, who is currently in command of the Enterprise . The elder Spock is surprised, knowing that Kirk should be in command of the ship. It is then that Spock realizes that when Nero exited the black hole and confronted the Kelvin , he altered history and created an alternate reality , which changed everything, especially Kirk's life. Kirk asks Spock whether his father lived in the original timeline. Spock confirms that George Kirk proudly saw his son take command of the Enterprise , and often spoke of him as his inspiration to join Starfleet. Spock leads Kirk to the Starfleet base.

Back on the Enterprise , McCoy walks onto the bridge. Recalling that McCoy had taken his side during the "mutiny", Spock tells the doctor that he is well aware of his friendship with Kirk, acknowledging that it could not have been easy to oppose his friend in such a manner, never actually thanking him. McCoy then asks to speak freely, which Spock "welcomes" - and the doctor furiously asks him if he has lost his mind; banishing Kirk may have been logical, but certainly wasn't the right move. Spock is unfazed, responding to McCoy's use of a horse racing analogy by reminding him of the need to break a stallion to reach its potential, which astounds McCoy, who would think Spock might at least pretend it was a difficult choice. Spock sarcastically ends the argument by telling McCoy that, if tearfully walking the ship would improve crew morale, he would gladly defer to the doctor's orders. As Spock walks off to greet Sarek and dismisses McCoy, the doctor, still stewing, mutters that Spock is a "green-blooded hobgoblin" under his breath.

Spock Prime gives Kirk the Vulcan salute on Delta Vega

Kirk and the elder Spock are met by a short alien officer, Keenser , who leads them inside, where they meet this timeline's Template:Alt . A transporter genius, Scotty was "exiled" to Delta Vega after beaming Admiral Archer 's prized beagle to an unknown location during a failed experiment in " transwarp beaming ". Spock, however, assures Scott that it does work, and gives him the formula devised many years later by the Scotty he knew . Spock informs Kirk that he must relieve the Vulcan's younger self of command by provoking him and showing everyone that Spock is too personally and emotionally compromised to lead the mission and captain the ship, a violation of Starfleet Regulation 619. However, Spock refuses to come along and explain things to his younger self, implying too many paradoxes. Kirk is unsure that this will work, and Spock, with his voice cracking with sadness, reminds Kirk that he just saw his planet destroyed, and assures him that his younger counterpart is emotionally compromised. Before the transport, Kirk tells Spock that he was "cheating", Spock reminds him just who he learned cheating from, and, after wishing them long life and prosperity, sends Kirk and Scotty back to the Enterprise .

As they are transported to the Enterprise , Scotty accidentally finds himself inside the ship's water main and Kirk is able to rescue Scotty before he meets a gruesome death. The two are spotted by Chekov's detection of the water main's open emergency valve, and captured by security personnel, led by the one who got into a bar fight with Kirk three years previously and still remembers the remark made against him.

Spock attacks Kirk

They are taken to the bridge where an astounded Spock attempts to find out how the two were able to transport on board the ship while it was in warp. Kirk refuses to answer and recommends Scotty do the same, and then proceeds to ask why Spock doesn't feel any anger or have any emotion over the destruction of his planet and the murder of his mother. He keeps pushing and provoking Spock, claiming he never loved his mother. Upon hearing this accusation, Spock finally snaps and lunges after Kirk, ruthlessly beating and strangling him to the point of nearly killing him, before Sarek begs Spock to stop. Realizing how far he has gone, Spock relieves himself of duty and leaves the bridge. McCoy chastises Kirk for getting rid of the ship's captain without a first officer to replace him. But Kirk, to the bridge crew's astonishment (except Sulu, who confirms Pike's promotion of Kirk to First Officer), assumes command and orders an immediate pursuit of the Narada . Uhura, still wary of Kirk, coldly whispers that she hopes he knows what he's doing. Kirk admits that he hopes so too.

The Enterprise crew regards Spock when he returns to the bridge

Act Three [ ]

Following his outburst, Spock returns to the transporter room, where Sarek tries to get Spock to open up to him. Spock admits to feeling conflicted, and feels a rage he cannot control towards Nero over the death of his mother. Sarek offers that his mother would have said not to bother controlling it, and, recalling what he had said years before after another outburst of his son's Human side, sadly admits to his son that he married Amanda because he loved her. Meanwhile, on the Bridge, Chekov figures out a plan to get the Enterprise close to the Narada without them noticing: they can follow the Narada and stop at Titan 's orbit, remaining undetected by hiding in its magnetic field. Soon after, a cooled off Spock returns to the bridge, confirms the logic of Chekov's plan, and offers to beam over to the Narada to get the "black hole device" and save Earth, the only home he has left. Kirk says he will go as well, to rescue Pike. Spock mentions regulations against the captain and first officer going on such a mission, but chooses not to cite something he knows Kirk will ignore. Kirk quips that they are finally getting to know each other and gives Spock a friendly slap to the back.

The Romulan ship arrives at Earth and deploys its drilling rig directly over San Francisco . Warping into Titan 's atmosphere, the Enterprise remains undetected by the Narada . Before stepping onto the transporter pad, Kirk calls the bridge, telling Sulu that, if he believes the Enterprise can destroy the Narada , even if Kirk, Spock and Pike are still aboard, he should not hesitate to take the opportunity. Sulu reluctantly acknowledge's Kirk's order. Before they beam over, Uhura kisses Spock and tells him that he better come back. In his reply, he calls her "Nyota." Kirk, who overheard, then asks Spock if that's the first name he had tried and failed to learn since the first time he met her; Spock coyly cuts him off, stating his refusal to comment on the matter. Right after they are beamed aboard, the Narada begins to drill its hole near the Golden Gate Bridge , cutting the ship off from the Enterprise .

Kirk leaps after Nero on the Narada

Scotty thought he would be beaming Kirk and Spock to the Narada Template:'s cargo bay, but it turns out to be a heavily occupied portion of the ship. After a brief firefight, Spock uncovers the location of the black hole device and Captain Pike by melding with an unconscious Romulan. When they board the Jellyfish , it recognizes Spock as its captain, and the Vulcan finally figures out what is going on, as the ship's computer confirms its origin stardate as 2387, constructed by the Vulcan Science Academy. Spock confronts Kirk about withholding information from him, but Kirk dodges the question by asking Spock if he can fly the spacecraft, a question he is fairly confident Kirk already knows the answer to. For the first time, Spock calls Kirk, "Jim" and informs him that their chances of success are grim by citing his calculation of their odds, but Kirk assures him that their plan will work.

As Spock commandeers the Jellyfish and blasts out of the Narada , Kirk runs into more trouble as he finds the Romulan's "bridge", where Nero and Ayel are waiting. Kirk is confronted by Nero, who has recognized him from Earth's history, and after a brief scuffle, Nero pins Kirk and tells him that, while he was a decorated officer and went on to captain the starship Enterprise , that was another life, and that he plans to deprive him of the same life his father once had. Before he can finish Kirk off, however, Nero is informed that the Jellyfish has been stolen and the drill has been destroyed. Furious above all else, Nero storms off, leaving Kirk to Ayel while he plans to kill Spock. Ayel promptly grabs Kirk by the throat and lifts him in the air, surprised at how "weak" Humans appear to be. Seeing his prey attempting to talk, Ayel offers Kirk the chance to say something - and the Human replies that he is in possession of the Romulan's disruptor pistol. Kirk fires and kills Ayel as he plunges into the depths of the Romulan vessel. He then heads off to rescue Pike. Meanwhile, Nero hails Spock, declaring that he should have killed him when he had the chance. In reply, Spock taunts Nero by "ordering" him to surrender. The Jellyfish then goes into warp with Nero and the Narada in hot pursuit.

The ships drop out of warp, and the Jellyfish turns to intercept and collide with the Narada . Nero orders all weapons to be fired, even though the ship still has " red matter " on it; with his plan for revenge ruined, now he only wants to kill Spock. The Enterprise arrives on the scene and destroys the missiles with a fierce volley of its phasers, allowing Spock to carry through with his plan to ram the Narada . Inside the Narada , Kirk finds Pike, alive but injured due to his earlier torture. Pike is quite surprised, but Kirk reminds him of his previous order to "come and get me", and when two Romulan soldiers walk in and find Kirk, effectively defenseless while freeing Pike from the chamber, the captain returns the favor, grabbing the gun on Kirk's belt and mowing down the intruders before his rescuer even realizes what happened. Scotty successfully beams back Kirk, Pike and Spock, right before the Jellyfish collides with the Narada .

Kirk and Spock discuss Nero's fate

The explosion of the Jellyfish ignites the entire stockpile of " red matter " on-board, creating a black hole, which begins to swallow up the Narada . Kirk offers to rescue the surviving crew, believing that the tense relations between the Romulans and the Federation might be aided by this. Spock disagreed. Belligerent to the last, Nero refuses assistance anyway and Kirk opens fire, blowing the ship apart with phasers and photon torpedoes. The Narada is finally destroyed, but the gravitational pull of the black hole begins tugging on the Enterprise , keeping it from escaping, even with its engines running at warp speed. The pressure is heavily damaging the ship as Kirk orders Scott to get them out of there at all cost. Scotty ejects the warp core and detonates it near the black hole, pushing the Enterprise to safety.

Spock salutes his older self from the Prime timeline

Back on Earth, the elder Spock meets with his younger counterpart, who presumed the former to be his/their father. Young Spock is confused as to why his older self didn't come with Kirk and explain the situation. The older Spock states that he implied there may be universe-destroying paradoxes if Kirk told him the truth so that they would have to rely on each other, thus ensuring "a friendship that will define you both, in ways you can not yet realize." Young Spock asks if he was making a gambit; older Spock states that he made "an act of faith" to his old friend, which he hopes that he will show again in the future. However, younger Spock expresses his decision to resign from Starfleet to help rebuild the Vulcan race; older Spock points out that he can be in two places at once. He also advises his younger self in this case to put aside logic and do what feels right. The older Spock then raises his hand in the familiar Vulcan salute , and simply wishes his younger self "good luck."

Kirk is commended by Starfleet Command , promoted to captain , and given permanent command of the Enterprise . He relieves Pike, who has been promoted to admiral and is now recovering in a wheelchair. A proud Pike shakes his successor's hand and notes that his father too would be very proud of Kirk. As the older Spock leaves to help the remaining Vulcans establish a colony, Kirk, now dressed in the gold uniform of a captain, walks on to the Enterprise bridge. After he tells McCoy to "buckle up", and receives assurances from Uhura, Sulu, Chekov and Scotty (who has barely finished talking to Kirk when he finds Keenser - now a member of his engineering staff - having climbed atop a console and orders him down) that their sections are ready to depart, the younger Spock returns to the Enterprise and asks Captain Kirk if he can be his first officer, offering to provide "character references". Kirk says it would be his honor.

The film ends with the elder Spock reciting Zefram Cochrane 's famous monologue, as the Enterprise Template:'s warp engines power up and engage, propelling the crew into the adventures that lie ahead.

Karl Urban, Chris Pine, executive producer Bryan Burk, Zachary Quinto, director J.J. Abrams, Eric Bana, and John Cho at the Sydney Opera House premiere of the film on April 7, 2009

Jimmy Bennett plays James Kirk as a boy.
Jacob Kogan plays Spock as a child.
Leonard Nimoy reprises his role as the elder Spock (referred to in the movie as Ambassador Spock, and in the ending credits as Spock Prime), who has come from the future. Nimoy befriended Quinto after being cast in the role. Although Quinto watched some episodes of the show during breaks in filming, Nimoy was his main resource in playing Spock. [13] Nimoy also chose the actor who portrayed his character "Spock" in the movie. Abrams and the writers met Nimoy at his house; writer Roberto Orci recalled the actor gave a Template:"' Who are you guys and what are you up to?' vibe" before being told how important he was to them. He was silent, and Nimoy's wife Susan Bay told the creative team he had remained in his chair after their conversation, emotionally overwhelmed by his decision after turning down many opportunities to revisit the role. [18] Had Nimoy disliked the script, production would have been delayed for it to be rewritten. [19] He was "genuinely excited" by the script's scope and its detailing of the characters' backstories, [15] saying, "We have dealt with [Spock being half-human, half-Vulcan], but never with quite the overview that this script has of the entire history of the character, the growth of the character, the beginnings of the character and the arrival of the character into the Enterprise crew." [20] Abrams said "it was surreal to direct him as Spock, because what the hell am I doing there? This guy has been doing it for forty years. It's like 'I think Spock would... Template:' " [21]
Karl Urban as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy . Like Pine, Urban said of taking on the role that "it is a case of not doing some sort of facsimile or carbon copy, but really taking the very essence of what DeForest Kelley has done and honoring that and bringing something new to the table". Urban has been a fan of the show since he was seven years old and actively pursued the role after rediscovering the series on DVD with his son. [22] Urban was cast at his first audition, which was two months after his initial meeting with Abrams. He said he was happy to play a role with lots of comedy, something he had not done since The Price of Milk , because he was tired of action-oriented roles. When asked why McCoy is so cantankerous, Urban joked the character might be a "little bipolar actually!" [23] Orci and Kurtzman had collaborated with Urban on Xena: Warrior Princess , in which he played Cupid and Caesar . [24]
Zoe Saldana as Nyota Uhura . Abrams had liked her work and requested that she play the role. Saldaña never saw the original series, though she had played a Trekkie in The Terminal (2004), but agreed to play the role after Abrams had complimented her. "For an actor, that's all you need, that's all you want. To get the acknowledgment and respect from your peers," she said. She met with Nichelle Nichols , who explained to her how she had created Uhura's background, and also named the character. [25] Saldaña's mother was a Star Trek fan and sent her voice mails during filming, giving advice on the part. [26] Sydney Tamiia Poitier also auditioned for the part. [27] The film officially establishes the character's first name, which had never been previously uttered on TV or in film.
Simon Pegg as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott . Abrams contacted Pegg by e-mail, offering him the part. [28] To perform Scotty's accent, Pegg was assisted by his wife Maureen, who is from Glasgow , although Pegg said Scotty was from Linlithgow and wanted to bring a more East Coast sound to his accent, so his resulting performance is a mix of both accents that leans towards the West sound. [28] He was also aided by Tommy Gormley, the film's Glaswegian first assistant director. [29] Pegg described Scotty as a positive Scottish stereotype, noting "Scots are the first people to laugh at the fact that they drink and fight a bit", and that Scotty comes from a long line of Scots with technical expertise, such as John Logie Baird and Alexander Graham Bell . Years before, Pegg's character in Spaced joked that every odd-numbered Star Trek film being "shit" was a fact of life. Pegg noted "Fate put me in the movie to show me I was talking out of my ass." [30]
John Cho as Hikaru Sulu . Abrams was concerned about casting a Korean-American as a Japanese character, but George Takei explained to the director that Sulu was meant to represent all of Asia on the Enterprise , so Abrams went ahead with Cho. [31] Cho acknowledged being an Asian-American, "there are certain acting roles that you are never going to get, and one of them is playing a cowboy. [Playing Sulu] is a realization of that dream — going into space." He cited the masculinity of the character as being important to him, and spent two weeks fight training. [32] Cho suffered an injury to his wrist during filming, although a representative assured it was "no big deal". [33] James Kyson Lee was interested in the part, but because Quinto was cast as Spock, the producers of the TV show Heroes did not want to lose another cast member for three months. [34]
Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov : As with the rest of the cast, Yelchin was allowed to choose what elements there were from their predecessor's performances. Yelchin decided to carry on Walter Koenig 's speech patterns of replacing "v"s with "w"s , although he and Abrams felt this was a trait more common of Polish accents than Russian ones. [35] He described Chekov as an odd character, being a Russian who was brought on to the show "in the middle of the Cold War ." He recalled a "scene where they're talking to Apollo [who says], 'I am Apollo.' And Chekov is like, 'And I am the czar of all Russias.' [...] They gave him these lines. I mean he really is the weirdest, weirdest character." [36]
Eric Bana as Captain Nero , the film's time-traveling Romulan villain. Bana shot his scenes toward the end of filming. He was "a huge Trekkie when [he] was a kid", [37] but had not seen the films. [38] Even if he were "crazy about the original series", he would not have accepted the role unless he liked the script, which he deemed "awesome" once he read it. [39] Bana knew Abrams because they coincidentally shared the same agent. [40] Bana improvised the character's speech patterns. [41]
Bruce Greenwood as Christopher Pike , the captain of the Enterprise . [11]
Ben Cross as Sarek , Spock's father.
Winona Ryder as Amanda Grayson , Spock's mother.
Clifton Collins, Jr. as Ayel, Nero's first officer.
Chris Hemsworth as George Samuel Kirk, Sr. , Kirk's father, who died aboard the USS Kelvin while battling Nero.
Jennifer Morrison as Winona Kirk, Kirk's mother.
Rachel Nichols as Gaila, an Orion Starfleet cadet.
Faran Tahir as Richard Robau , captain of the USS Kelvin .
Deep Roy as Keenser, Scotty's alien assistant on Delta Vega.
Greg Ellis as Chief Engineer Olson, the redshirt who is killed during the space jump . [42]
Chris Doohan , the son of the original Scotty, James Doohan , makes a cameo appearance in the transporter room. Pegg e-mailed Doohan about the role of Scotty, and the actor has promised him his performance "would be a complete tribute to his father". [43] Chris Doohan previously cameoed in Star Trek: The Motion Picture .
Paul McGillion auditioned for Scotty, and he impressed producers enough that he was given another role as a 'Barracks Leader'. [44]
Greg Grunberg has a vocal cameo as Kirk's alcoholic stepfather. [44] Brad William Henke filmed scenes in the role which were cut out. [45] Star Trek: Enterprise star Dominic Keating also auditioned for the role. [46] Grunberg was up for the role of Olson but dropped out due to a scheduling conflict. Grunberg was also interested in playing Harry Mudd , [47] who was in an early draft of the script. [48]
Amanda Foreman appears as Hannity, a Starfleet officer on the Enterprise bridge.
Spencer Daniels as Johnny, a childhood friend of Kirk. Daniels was set to play his older brother, George Samuel "Sam" Kirk, Jr., but the majority of his scenes were cut and the opening car chase scene where James Kirk can be heard calling out to him was overdubbed. [49]
Victor Garber as Klingon Interrogator, the officer who tortures Nero during his time on Rura Penthe. His scene was cut from the film and was featured on the DVD. [50]

Tyler Perry appears as the head of Starfleet Academy , Admiral Richard Barnett. James Cawley , producer and star of the webseries Star Trek: New Voyages , appears as a Starfleet officer, while Pavel Lychnikoff and Lucia Rijker play Romulans, Lychnikoff a Commander and Rijker a CO . W. Morgan Sheppard , who played a Klingon in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country , appears in this film as the head of the Vulcan Science Council. Wil Wheaton , known for portraying Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation , was brought in, through urging by Greg Grunberg, to voice several of the other Romulans in the film. [51] Star Trek fan and Carnegie Mellon University professor Randy Pausch (who died on July 25, 2008) cameoed as a Kelvin crew member, and has a line of dialogue. [52] Majel Barrett , the widow of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry , reprised her role as the voice of the Enterprise Template:'s computer, which she completed two weeks before her death on December 18, 2008. [53] Template:Dead link The film was dedicated to her as well as Gene, to whom the film was always going to be commemorated as a sign of respect. [54]

Orci and Kurtzman wrote a scene for William Shatner , where old Spock gives his younger self a recorded message by Kirk from the previous timeline. "It was basically a Happy Birthday wish knowing that Spock was going to go off to Romulus, and Kirk would probably be dead by the time," and it would have transitioned into Shatner reciting "Where no man has gone before". [55] But Shatner wanted to share Nimoy's major role, and did not want a cameo, [56] despite his character's death in Star Trek Generations . He suggested the film canonize his novels where Kirk is resurrected , [57] but Abrams decided if his character was accompanying Nimoy's, it would have become a film about the resurrection of Kirk, and not about introducing the new versions of the characters. [54] Nimoy disliked the character's death in Generations , but felt resurrecting Kirk would also be detrimental to this film. [19]

Nichelle Nichols suggested playing Uhura's grandmother, but Abrams could not write this in due to the Writers Guild strike . [58] Abrams was also interested in casting Keri Russell , but they deemed the role he had in mind for her too similar to her other roles. [59]

Production [ ]

Development [ ].

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At the 1968 World Science Fiction Convention , Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry declared he would make a film prequel to the television series . [60] The prequel concept resurfaced in the late 1980s with Ralph Winter and Harve Bennett during development of the fourth and sixth films. For the latter, David Loughery wrote a script entitled The Academy Years , but it was shelved in light of objections from the original cast and the fan base. In February 2005, following the financial failure of the tenth film, Star Trek Nemesis (2002), and the cancellation of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise , the franchise's executive producer Rick Berman and screenwriter Erik Jendresen were developing a new film entitled Star Trek: The Beginning . It was to revolve around a new set of characters, led by Kirk's ancestor Tiberius Chase. It would take place after Enterprise but before the original series, during the Earth-Romulan War . [61]

In 2005, Viacom , which owned Paramount Pictures , split from CBS Corporation , which retained Paramount's television properties, including ownership of the Star Trek brand. Gail Berman , then president of Paramount, convinced CBS' chief executive, Leslie Moonves , to allow them eighteen months to develop a new Star Trek film before CBS would re-earn the rights to develop a new television series (in return, CBS would keep merchandising rights). Berman approached Mission: Impossible III writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman for ideas on the new film, and after the film had completed shooting she asked their director, J. J. Abrams , to produce it. [62] Abrams, Orci and Kurtzman, plus producers Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk , felt the franchise had explored enough of what took place after the series, [63] Orci and Lindelof consider themselves trekkies , [64] and feel some of the Star Trek novels have canonical value, although Gene Roddenberry never considered the novels to be canon . [65] Kurtzman is a casual fan, while Burk was not. [11] Abrams' company, Bad Robot Productions produced the film with Paramount, marking the first time another company had financed a Star Trek film. [66] Bill Todman, Jr. 's Level 1 Entertainment also co-produced the film, but during 2008 Spyglass Entertainment replaced them as financial partner. [67]

Abrams had not seen Star Trek Nemesis because the franchise had "disconnected" for him, [68] explaining that for him, Star Trek was about Kirk and Spock, and the other series were like "separate space adventure[s] with the name Star Trek ". Abrams also preferred Star Wars as a child. [69] He noted his general knowledge of Star Trek made him suitable to making a film to introduce the franchise to newcomers though, [70] and being an optimistic person, he felt the optimistic nature of Star Trek would be a refreshing contrast to the likes of The Dark Knight . [11] He continued that he loved the focus on exploration in Star Trek and the idea of the Prime Directive , which forbids Starfleet to interfere in the development of primitive worlds. However, Abrams disliked that the budgetary limitations of the original show meant they "never had the resources to actually show the adventure". [71] He noted he only became involved with the project as producer initially because he wanted to help Orci, Kurtzman and Lindelof. [62]

On February 23, 2007, Abrams accepted Paramount's offer to direct the film, having been only attached as producer. [72] After reading the script, he had decided "I would be so agonizingly envious of whoever stepped in and directed the movie." [73] Orci and Kurtzman felt their aim had been to impress a casual fan like Abrams with their story. [74] Even when filming, Abrams was nervous "with all these tattooed faces and pointy ears, bizarre weaponry and Romulan linguists, with dialogue about 'Neutral Zones' and 'Starfleet' [but] I knew this would work, because the script Alex and Bob wrote was so emotional and so relatable. I didn't love Kirk and Spock when I began this journey – but I love them now." [11]

Writing [ ]

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Orci said creating a clean reboot would have been disrespectful, [75] and getting Leonard Nimoy in the film was very important. "Having him sitting around a camp fire sharing his memories was never gonna cut it" though, and time travel was going to be included in the film from the beginning. [76] Kurtzman added the time travel creates jeopardy, unlike other prequels where viewers "know how they all died". [77] The writers acknowledged time travel had been overused in the other series, but it served a good purpose in creating a new set of adventures for the original characters before they could completely do away with it in other films. [78] Abrams selected the Romulans as the villains because they had been featured less than the Klingons in the show, and thought it was "fun" to have them meet Kirk before he does in the show. [79] Orci and Kurtzman noted it would feel backward to demonize the Klingons again after they had become heroes in later Star Trek series, and the Romulan presence continues Spock's story from his last chronological appearance in " Unification ", an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation set in 2368. [78] The episode of the original continuity in which Kirk becomes the first human to ever see a Romulan, " Balance of Terror ", served as one of the influences for the film. [64] Orci said it was difficult giving a good explanation for the time travel without being gimmicky, like having Nero specifically seeking to assassinate Kirk. [80]

Orci noted while the time travel story allowed them to alter some backstory elements such as Kirk's first encounter with the Romulans, they could not use it as a crutch to change everything and they tried to approach the film as a prequel as much as possible. Kirk's service on the Farragut , a major backstory point to the original episode " Obsession ", was left out because it was deemed irrelevant to the story of Kirk meeting Spock, although Orci felt nothing in his script precluded it from the new film's backstory. [76] There was a scene involving Kirk meeting Carol Marcus, who becomes the mother of his son in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , as a child, but it was dropped because the film needed more time to introduce the core characters. [55] [81] Figuring out ways to get the crew together required some contrivances, which Orci and Kurtzman wanted to explain from old Spock as a way of the timeline mending itself, highlighting the theme of destiny. The line was very difficult to write and was ultimately cut out. [78] [82]

The filmmakers sought inspiration from novels such as Prime Directive , Spock's World , and Best Destiny to fill in gaps unexplained by canon; Best Destiny particularly explores Kirk's childhood and names his parents. [64] [76] [83] One idea that was justified through information from the novels was having the Enterprise built on Earth, which was inspired by a piece of fan art of the Enterprise being built in a ship yard. Orci had sent the fan art to Abrams to show how realistic the film could be. [84] Orci explained parts of the ship would have to be constructed on Earth because of the artificial gravity employed on the ship and its requirement for sustaining warp speed , and therefore the calibration of the ship's machinery would be best done in the exact gravity well which is to be simulated. [85] They felt free to have the ship built in Iowa because canon is ambiguous as to whether it was built in San Francisco , but this is a result of the time travel rather than something intended to overlap with the original timeline. [77] Abrams noted the continuity of the original show itself was inconsistent at times. [13]

Orci and Kurtzman said they wanted the general audience to like the film as much as the fans, by stripping away " Treknobabble ", making it action-packed and giving it the simple title of Star Trek (to indicate to newcomers they would not need to watch any of the other films). [86] Abrams saw humor and sex appeal as two integral and popular elements of the show that needed to be maintained. [70] Orci stated being realistic and being serious were not the same thing. [84] Abrams, Burk, Lindelof, Orci and Kurtzman were fans of The Wrath of Khan , and also cited The Next Generation episode " Yesterday's Enterprise " as an influence. [64] Abrams's wife Katie was regularly consulted on the script, as were Orci, Kurtzman and Lindelof's wives, to make the female characters as strong as possible. [75] Katie Abrams's approval of the strong female characters was partly why Abrams signed on to direct. [87]

Orci and Kurtzman read graduate school dissertations on the series for inspiration; [63] they noted comparisons of Kirk, Spock and McCoy to Shakespearian archetypes, and Kirk and Spock's friendship echoing that of John Lennon and Paul McCartney . [64] They also noted that, in the creation of this film, they were influenced by Star Wars , particularly in terms of pacing. "I want to feel the space, I want to feel speed and I want to feel all the things that can become a little bit lost when Star Trek becomes very stately" said Orci. [74] Star Wars permeated in the way they wrote the action sequences, [77] while Burk noted Kirk and Spock's initially cold relationship mirrors how " Han Solo wasn't friends with anyone when they started on their journey." [88] Spock and Uhura were put in an actual relationship as a nod to early episodes highlighting her interest in him. [82] Orci wanted to introduce strong Starfleet captains, concurring with an interviewer that most captains in other films were "patsies" included to make Kirk look greater by comparison. [75]

The USS Kelvin , the ship Kirk's father serves on, is named after J. J. Abrams' grandfather, as well as the physicist and engineer Lord Kelvin (William Thomson) . The Kelvin Template:'s captain, Richard Robau ( Faran Tahir ), is named after Orci's Cuban uncle: Orci theorized the fictional character was born in Cuba and grew up in the Middle East. [84] Another reference to Abrams' previous works is Slusho, which Uhura orders at the bar where she meets Kirk. Abrams created the fictitious drink for Alias and it reappeared in viral marketing for Cloverfield . Its owners, Tagruato, is also from Cloverfield and appears on a building in San Francisco . [44] The red matter in the film is in the shape of a red ball, an Abrams motif dating back to the pilot of Alias . [89]

The film was primarily designed by Ryan Church , Neville Page, the Cloverfield monster's creator, [35] and Star Trek veteran John Eaves . [90] Abrams stated the difficulty of depicting the future was that much of modern technology was inspired by the original show, and made it seem outdated. Thus the production design had to be consistent with the television series but also feel more advanced than the real world technology developed after it. [63] "We all have the iPhone that does more than the communicator ," said Abrams. "I feel like there's a certain thing that you can't really hold onto, which is kind of the kitschy quality. That must go if it's going to be something that you believe is real." [91] Prop master Russell Bobbitt collaborated with Nokia on recreating the original communicator, creating a $50,000 prototype. Another prop recreated for the film was the tricorder . Bobbitt brought the original prop to the set, but the actors found it too large to carry when filming action scenes, so technical advisor Doug Brody redesigned it to be smaller. [92] The phaser props were designed as spring-triggered barrels that revolve and glow as the setting switches from "stun" to "kill". [11] An Aptera Typ-1 prototype car was used on location. [93]

Panorama of the Enterprise Template:'s redesigned bridge

Production designer Scott Chambliss maintained the layout of the original bridge, but aesthetically altered it with brighter colors to reflect the optimism of Star Trek . The viewscreen was made into a window that could have images projected on it to make the space environment palpable. Abrams compared the redesign to the sleek modernist work of Pierre Cardin and the sets from 2001: A Space Odyssey , which were from the 1960s. [94] He joked the redesigned bridge made the Apple Store look "uncool". At the director's behest, more railings were added to the bridge to make it look safer, [11] and the set was built on gimbals so its rocking motions when the ship accelerates and is attacked was more realistic. [94] To emphasize the size of the ship, Abrams chose to give the engine room a highly industrial appearance: he explained to Simon Pegg that he was inspired by Template:RMS , a sleek ship in which there was an "incredible gut". [95]

Abrams selected Michael Kaplan to design the costumes because he had not seen any of the films, meaning he would approach the costumes with a new angle. For the Starfleet uniforms , Kaplan followed the show's original color coding, with dark gray (almost black) undershirts and pants and colored overshirts showing each crew member's position (command officers wear gold shirts, science and medical officers wear blue, and operations (technicians/engineers) and security personnel wear red). Kaplan wanted the shirts to be more sophisticated than the originals and selected to have the Starfleet symbol patterned on them. [94] Kirk wears only the undershirt because he is a cadet. [11] Kaplan modelled the uniforms on the Kelvin on science fiction films of the 1940s and 1950s, to contrast with the Enterprise -era uniforms based on the ones created in the 1960s. [94] For Abrams, "The costumes were a microcosm of the entire project, which was how to take something that's kind of silly and make it feel real. But how do you make legitimate those near-primary color costumes?" [96]

Lindelof compared the film's Romulan faction to pirates with their bald, tattooed heads and disorganized costuming. Their ship, the Narada , is purely practical with visible mechanics as it is a "working ship", unlike the Enterprise crew who give a respectable presentation on behalf of the Federation . [97] Chambliss was heavily influenced by the architecture of Antoni Gaudí for the Narada , who created buildings that appeared to be inside out: by making the ship's exposed wires appear like bones or ligaments, it would create a foreboding atmosphere. The ship's interior was made of six pieces that could be rearranged to create a different room. [94] The Romulan actors spent two to four hours applying make-up: Template:Citation needed the actors had three prosthetics applied to their ears and foreheads, while Bana had a fourth prosthetic for the bitemark on his ear that extends to the back of his character's head. [98] The film's Romulans lacked the 'V'-shaped ridges on the foreheads, which had been present in all of their depictions outside the original series. Neville Page wanted to honor that by having Nero's crew ritually scar themselves too, forming keloids reminiscent of the 'V'-ridges. It was abandoned as they did not pursue the idea enough. [99] Kaplan wanted aged, worn and rugged clothes for the Romulans because of their mining backgrounds, and found some greasy looking fabrics at a flea market . Kaplan tracked down the makers of those clothes, who turned out to be based in Bali , and commissioned them to create his designs. [11]

Barney Burman supervised the makeup for the other aliens: his team had to rush the creation of many of the aliens, because originally the majority of them were to feature in one scene towards the end of filming. Abrams deemed the scene too similar to the cantina sequence in Star Wars , and decided to dot the designs around the film. [98] A tribble was placed in the background of Scotty's introduction. [44] Both digital and physical makeup was used for aliens. [100]

Filming [ ]

Filming began on November 7, 2007, [101] and finished on March 27, 2008, [102] although second unit filming took place during early April in Bakersfield, California , which stood in for Kirk's childhood home in Iowa . [103] Filming was also done at the City Hall of Long Beach, California ; [104] the San Rafael Swell in Utah; [105] and the California State University, Northridge (which was used for establishing shots of students at Starfleet Academy ). [106] A parking lot outside Dodger Stadium was used for the ice planet of Delta Vega and the Romulan drilling rig on Vulcan . [54] The filmmakers had been interested in filming in Iceland for scenes on Delta Vega, but decided against it: Chambliss enjoyed the challenge of filming scenes with snow in southern California. The drilling rig was built 16 feet into the air. Other Vulcan exteriors were shot at Vasquez Rocks , a location that was used in various episodes of the original show. A Budweiser plant in Van Nuys was used for the Enterprise ' s engine room, while a Long Beach power plant was used for the Kelvin Template:'s engine room. [94]

The Oviatt Library at California State University, Northridge was used for shots of Starfleet Academy

Following the commencement of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike on November 5, 2007, Abrams, himself a WGA member, told Variety that while he would not render writing services for the film and intended to walk the picket line, he did not expect the strike to impact his directing of the production. [107] In the final few weeks before the strike and start of production, Abrams and Lindelof polished the script a final time. [108] Abrams was frustrated that he was unable to alter lines during the strike, whereas normally they would have been able to improvise new ideas during rehearsal, although Lindelof acknowledged they could dub some lines in post-production. [109] Orci and Kurtzman were able to stay on set without strikebreaking because they were also executive producers on the film; they could "make funny eyes and faces at the actors whenever they had a problem with the line and sort of nod when they had something better". [110] Abrams was able to alter a scene where Spock combats six Romulans from a fistfight to a gunfight, having decided there were too many physical brawls in the film. [16]

The production team maintained heavily enforced security around the film. Karl Urban revealed, "[There is a] level of security and secrecy that we have all been forced to adopt. I mean, it's really kind of paranoid crazy, but sort of justified. We're not allowed to walk around in public in our costumes and we have to be herded around everywhere in these golf carts that are completely concealed and covered in black canvas. The security of it is immense. You feel your freedom is a big challenge." [111] Actors like Jennifer Morrison were only given the scripts of their scenes. [112] The film's shooting script was fiercely protected even with the main cast. Simon Pegg said, "I read [the script] with a security guard near me – it's that secretive." [113] The film used the fake working title of Corporate Headquarters . [114] Some of the few outside of the production allowed to visit the set included Rod Roddenberry , [115] Ronald D. Moore , [116] Jonathan Frakes , [117] Walter Koenig , Nichelle Nichols , Ben Stiller , Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg (who had partially convinced Abrams to direct because he liked the script, and he even advised the action scenes during his visit). [87]

Abrams chose to shoot the film in the anamorphic format on 35 mm film after discussions about whether the film should be shot in high-definition digital video. Cinematographer Dan Mindel and Abrams agreed the choice gave the film a big-screen feel and the realistic, organic look they wanted for the film setting. [118] Abrams and Mindel used lens flares throughout filming to create an optimistic atmosphere and a feeling activity was taking place off-camera, making the Star Trek universe feel more real. "There's something about those flares, especially in a movie that potentially could be incredibly sterile and CG and overly controlled. There’s just something incredibly unpredictable and gorgeous about them." Mindel would create more flares by shining a flashlight or pointing a mirror at the camera lens, or using two cameras simultaneously and therefore two lighting set-ups. [54]

When the shoot ended, Abrams gave the cast small boxes containing little telescopes, which allowed them to read the name of each constellation it was pointed at. "I think he just wanted each of us to look at the stars a little differently," said John Cho . [71] After the shoot, Abrams cut out some scenes of Kirk and Spock as children, including seeing the latter as a baby, as well as a subplot involving Nero being imprisoned by the Klingons and his escape: this explanation for his absence during Kirk's life confused many to whom Abrams screened the film. [54] Other scenes cut out explained the teenage Kirk stole his stepfather's antique car because he had forced him to clean it before an auction; and that the Orion he seduced at the Academy worked in the operations division. Afterwards, she agrees to open the e-mail containing his patch that allows him to pass the Kobayashi Maru test. [82]

Effects [ ]

Industrial Light & Magic and Digital Domain were among several companies that created over 1,000 special effect shots. [119] The visual effects supervisors were Roger Guyett, who collaborated with Abrams on Mission: Impossible III and also served as second unit director, and Russell Earl. Abrams avoided shooting only against bluescreen and greenscreen , because it "makes me insane", using them instead to extend the scale of sets and locations. [63] The Delta Vega sequence required the mixing of digital snow with real snow. [120]

Star Trek was the first film ILM worked on using entirely digital ships. [120] The Enterprise was intended by Abrams to be a merging of its design in the show and the refitted version from the original film. Abrams had fond memories of the reveal of the Enterprise Template:'s refit in Star Trek: The Motion Picture , because it was the first time the ship felt tangible and real to him. [121] The iridescent pattern on the ship from The Motion Picture was maintained to give the ship depth, while model maker Roger Goodson also applied the " Aztec " pattern from The Next Generation . Goodson recalled Abrams also wanted to bring a " hot rod " aesthetic to the ship. Effects supervisor Roger Guyett wanted the ship to have more moving parts, which stemmed from his childhood dissatisfaction with the ship's design: The new Enterprise Template:'s dish can expand and move, while the fins on its engines split slightly when they begin warping . [122] The Enterprise was originally redesigned by Ryan Church using features of the original, at Template:Convert long, [123] but was later scaled up by a factor of two to Template:Convert long to make it seem "grander", [123] while the Romulan Narada is five miles long and several miles wide. [94] [124] The filmmakers had to simulate lens flares on the ships in keeping with the film's cinematography. [120]

Carolyn Porco of NASA was consulted on the planetary science and imagery. [125] The animators realistically recreated what an explosion would look like in space: short blasts, which suck inward and leave debris from a ship floating. For shots of an imploding planet, the same explosion program was used to simulate it breaking up, while the animators could manually composite multiple layers of rocks and wind sucking into the planet. [120] Unlike other Star Trek films and shows, the transporter beam effects swirl rather than speckle. [35] Abrams conceived the redesign to emphasize the notion of transporters as beams that can pick up and move people, rather than a signal composed of scrambled atoms. [119]

Lola Visual Effects worked on 48 shots, including some animation to Eric Bana and Leonard Nimoy. Bana required extensive damage to his teeth, which was significant enough to completely replace his mouth in some shots. Nimoy's mouth was reanimated in his first scene with Kirk following a rerecording session. The filmmakers had filmed Nimoy when he rerecorded his lines so they could rotoscope his mouth into the film, even recreating the lighting conditions, but they realized they had to digitally recreate his lips because of the bouncing light created by the camp fire. [119]

Michael Giacchino , Abrams' most frequent collaborator, composed the music for Star Trek . He kept the original theme by Alexander Courage for the end credits, which Abrams said symbolized the momentum of the crew coming together. [54] Giacchino admitted personal pressure in scoring the film, as "I grew up listening to all of that great [Trek] music, and that's part of what inspired me to do what I'm doing [...] You just go in scared. You just hope you do your best. It's one of those things where the film will tell me what to do." [126] Scoring took place at the Sony Scoring Stage with a 107-piece orchestra and 40-person choir. An erhu , performed by Karen Han , was used for the Vulcan themes. A distorted recording was used for the Romulans. [127] Varese Sarabande , the record label responsible for releasing albums of Giacchino's previous scores for Alias , Lost , Mission: Impossible III , and Speed Racer , released the soundtrack for the film on May 5. [128]

Sound effects [ ]

The sound effects were designed by Star Wars veteran Ben Burtt . Whereas the phaser blast noises from the television series were derived from The War of the Worlds (1953), Burtt made his phaser sounds more like his blasters from Star Wars , because Abrams' depiction of phasers were closer to the blasters' bullet-like fire, rather than the steady beams of energy in previous Star Trek films. Burtt reproduced the classic photon torpedo and warp drive sounds: he tapped a long spring against a contact microphone , and combined that with cannon fire. Burtt used a 1960s oscillator to create a musical and emotional hum to the warping and transporting sounds. [129]

Release [ ]

In February 2008, Paramount announced they would move Star Trek from its December 25, 2008 release date to May 8, 2009, as the studio felt more people would see the film during summer than winter. The film was practically finished by the end of 2008. [130] Paramount's decision came about after visiting the set and watching dailies , as they realized the film could appeal to a much broader audience. Even though the filmmakers liked the Christmas release date, Damon Lindelof acknowledged it would allow more time to perfect the visual effects. [109] The months-long gap between the completion of the production and release meant Alan Dean Foster was allowed to watch the whole film before writing the novelization , although the novel would contain scenes absent from the final edit. [131] Quinto narrated the audiobook. [132]

Eric Bana with U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines at Camp Arifjan , Kuwait , for the April 11, 2009 screening of Star Trek .

A surprise public screening was held on April 6, 2009, at the Alamo Drafthouse theater in Austin, Texas , hosted by writers Robert Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and producer Damon Lindelof. The showing was publicized as a screening of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , followed by a ten-minute preview of the new Star Trek film. A few minutes into Khan, the film appeared to melt and Leonard Nimoy appeared on stage with Orci, Kurtzman and Lindelof, asking the audience, "wouldn’t you rather see the new movie?" [133] Following the surprise screening in Texas, the first of many premieres across the world was held at the Sydney Opera House on April 7, 2009. [134] For almost two years, the town of Vulcan, Alberta had campaigned to have the film premiere there, but because it had no theater, Paramount arranged instead a lottery where 300 winning residents would be taken to a prerelease screening in Calgary . [135] The film was requested by astronaut Michael R. Barratt , before boarding the International Space Station . Paramount provided NASA with a copy that was uploaded to the International Space Station on May 14, 2009. [136]

Marketing [ ]

Template:See also The first teaser trailer debuted in theaters with Cloverfield on January 18, 2008, which showed the Enterprise under construction. Abrams himself directed the first part of the trailer, where a welder removes his goggles. Professional welders were hired for the teaser. [137] The voices of the 1960s played over the trailer were intended to link the film to the present day; John F. Kennedy in particular was chosen because of similarities with the character of James T. Kirk and because he is seen to have "kicked off" the space race . Orci explained that: "If we do indeed have a Federation , I think Kennedy’s words will be inscribed in there someplace." [85] Star Trek's later trailers would win four awards, including Best in Show, in the tenth annual Golden Trailer Awards . [138] [139]

Paramount faced two obstacles in promoting the film: the unfamiliarity of the " MySpace generation" with the franchise and the relatively weak international performance of the films. Six months before the film's release, Abrams toured Rome ; Cologne ; Madrid ; Paris ; London ; New York City and Los Angeles with 25 minutes of footage. Abrams noted the large-scale campaign started unusually early, but this was because the release delay allowed him to show more completed scenes than normal. The director preferred promoting his projects quietly, but concurred Paramount needed to remove Star Trek Template:'s stigma. [140] Abrams would exaggerate his preference for other shows to Star Trek as a child to the press, with statements like "I'm not a Star Trek fan" and "this movie is not made for Star Trek fans necessarily". Orci compared Abrams' approach to The Next Generation episode " A Matter of Honor ", where William Riker is stationed aboard a Klingon vessel. "On that ship when someone talks back to you, you would have to beat them down or you lose the respect of your crew, which is protocol, whereas on a Federation ship that would be a crime. So we have to give JJ a little bit of leeway, when he is traveling the 'galaxy' over there where they don’t know Trek, to say the things that need to be said in order to get people onto our side." [84]

Promotional partners on the film include Nokia , Verizon Wireless , Esurance , Kellogg's , Burger King and Intel Corporation , as well as various companies specializing in home decorating, apparel, jewelry, gift items and "Tiberius," "Pon Farr" and "Red Shirt" fragrances. [141] [142] Playmates Toys , who owned the Star Trek toy license until 2000, earned Template:Clarify the merchandise rights for the new film. [143] The first wave was released in March and April 2009. Playmates hope to continue their toy line into 2010. [144] The first wave consists of 3.75", 6" and 12" action figures, an Enterprise replica, prop toys and play sets. In order to recreate the whole bridge, one would have to buy more 3.75" figures, which come with chairs and consoles to add to the main set consisting of Kirk's chair, the floor, the main console and the viewscreen. [145] Master Replicas , [146] Mattel , Hasbro and Fundex Games will promote the film via playing cards, Monopoly , UNO , Scrabble , Magic 8-Ball , Hot Wheels , Tyco R/C , 20Q , Scene It? and Barbie lines. Some of these are based on previous Star Trek iterations rather than the film. [142] [147] CBS also created a merchandising line based around Star Trek caricatures named "Quogs". [148]

Box office [ ]

The film's first normal US screenings were at 7 p.m. on May 7, 2009, [149] grossing $4 million on its opening day. By the end of the weekend, Star Trek had opened with $79,204,300, as well as $35,500,000 from other countries. Adjusted and unadjusted for inflation, it beat Star Trek: First Contact for the largest US opening for a Star Trek film. The film made $8.5 million from its IMAX screenings, breaking The Dark Knight Template:'s $6.3 million IMAX opening record. [150] The film is the highest-grossing in the United States and Canada from the entire Star Trek film franchise, eclipsing the previous leader, The Voyage Home (which made $109,713,100 unadjusted for inflation), and adjusted for inflation, Star Trek: The Motion Picture . Its opening weekend numbers alone outgross the entire runs of The Undiscovered Country , The Final Frontier , Insurrection and Nemesis . [151] Star Trek ended its United States theatrical run on October 1, 2009, with a box office total of $257,730,019, which currently places it as the seventh highest-grossing film for 2009 behind The Hangover . [4] The film's total international gross is $127,764,536 [152] , for a total worldwide gross of $385,494,555, ranking it currently thirteenth behind Sherlock Holmes . [153] While foreign grosses represent only 31% of the total box office receipts, Paramount is happy with the international sales, as Star Trek historically as a movie franchise has never been a big draw overseas. [154]

Reception [ ]

Template:As of , the film holds a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with 262 out of 278 critics giving it a positive review with an average rating of 8.1/10, surpassing all other feature films in the franchise. RT's consensus is that " Star Trek reignites a classic franchise with action, humor, a strong story, and brilliant visuals, and will please traditional Trekkies and new fans alike." [3] Among Rotten Tomatoes' "Top Critics", which consists of popular and notable critics from the top newspapers, websites, television and radio programs, the film holds an overall approval rating of 92% (7.8/10), based on a sample of 39 reviews. The film also holds a score of 83 based on 37 reviews Template:As of on the review aggregator website Metacritic , which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from film critics, tying for ninth of The Best-Reviewed Movies in 2009 to date. [155] [156]

Ty Burr of the Boston Globe gave it 4/4 stars, describing it as "ridiculously satisfying", and the "best prequel ever". [157] Owen Gleiberman from Entertainment Weekly gave the film an A- commenting that: "But in Star Trek , the clever and infectious reboot of the amazingly enduring sci-fi classic, director J.J. Abrams crafts an origin story that avoids any hint of the origin doldrums." The film also received positive reviews from The New York Times , Slate Magazine and Rolling Stone . [158] [159] [160]

Although only two reviews were categorized by Metacritic as "yellow", or mixed, a recurring critical complaint held that the franchise's tradition of providing morally challenging stories had been neglected or even violated. The AV Club gave the film a "green" B+, but asserted that it was "a reconsideration of what constitutes Star Trek , one that deemphasizes heady concepts and plainly stated humanist virtues in favor of breathless action punctuated by bursts of emotion. It might not even be immediately recognizable to veteran fans." [161] Roger Ebert agreed, lamenting in his 2.5/4 star-review that "the Gene Roddenberry years, when stories might play with questions of science, ideals or philosophy, have been replaced by stories reduced to loud and colorful action." [162] Non-review articles also echoed this concern: Marc Bain asked in Newsweek if the franchise had "lost its moral relevance", [163] and Juliet Lapidos argued in Slate that the new film, with its "standard Hollywood torture scene," failed to live up to the intellectual standard set by the 1992 Next Generation episode " Chain of Command ", whose treatment of the issue she found both more sophisticated and pertinent to the ongoing debate over the United States ' use of enhanced interrogation techniques . [164]

Awards and nominations [ ]

On December 2, 2009, Star Trek was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Score Soundtrack Album category, but did not win. On November 10, 2009, the People’s Choice Awards nominated the film for 4 awards: Breakout Actress, Breakout Actor, Favorite Franchise, Favorite Movie; it failed to win any award. In October, 2009, Star Trek won the Hollywood Award for Best Movie. That same month, it also won 6 Scream Awards for Ultimate Scream, Best Science Fiction Movie, Best Director, Best Science Fiction Actor, Best Cameo, and Best Fight Scene. On June 15, 2009, the film was nominated for 5 Teen Choice Awards , but did not win any of them. It won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture . The film also received several peer-reviewed guild awards for Asst. Location Manager of the year and Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Big Budget Feature. On December 14, 2009, the Broadcast Film Critics Association – Critics Choice Awards nominated it for Best Action Movie, Best Acting Ensemble, Best Makeup, Best Visual Effects and Best Sound, but did not win any of them. On December 9, 2009, the film was also named one of the top 10 films of the year by the National Board of Review . In addition it has appeared on several local film critics top 10 lists, including St. Louis, Las Vegas, Boston and Washington DC. [165]

In 2010, Star Trek was nominated for four Academy Awards , including Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Visual Effects, and winning the franchise's first Oscar for Best Makeup. At the same ceremony, Star Trek composer Michael Giacchino won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for Pixar 's Up . [166] The film was also nominated for three Empire Awards , and it won in the best sci-fi/fantasy category. [167]

Home release [ ]

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 17, 2009 in North America, [168] November 16 in the UK [169] and October 26 in Australia and New Zealand. [170] In Sweden and Germany, it was released on November 4. [171] First week sales stand at 5.7 million DVD's along with 1.1 million Blu-ray Discs [172] giving Paramount Pictures their third chart topping release in five weeks following Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra . [173]

The story of the film is completed by two comics books by IDW Publishing . The first one, titled Star Trek: Countdown , takes place in the Prime Star Trek universe, after the events of Nemesis and before the back story of Star Trek Online . The second one, Star Trek: Nero , covers the gap between the destruction of the USS Kelvin and the reappearance of the Narada in the new timeline.

The film's major cast members have signed on for two sequels. [174] Roberto Orci , Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof began writing the script for a sequel in March 2009. J. J. Abrams and Bryan Burk will produce, although Abrams has not signed to direct. [175] When speaking on the alternate reality [1] set up in Star Trek , Abrams commented that it would be "ridiculous to not be open" to ideas like resurrecting William Shatner 's James T. Kirk or recasting Khan Noonien Singh . "The idea, now that we are in an independent timeline, allows us to use any of the ingredients from the past — or come up with brand-new ones — to make potential stories," he said. [2] Orci and Kurtzman explained the dilemma for the sequel was whether to pit the crew against another villain, or to have an "exploration sci-fi plot where the unknown and nature itself is somehow an adversary." On recasting Khan, Orci questioned "why take the chance?" [176] Paramount is planning to release the sequel on June 29, 2012. [177] [178]

In an interview with the BBC, Abrams confirmed that no script for a sequel yet exists as of March 5, 2010. He also acknowledged that both cast and director have yet to be confirmed. [179]

Release Dates for Untitled Star Trek Sequel [ ]

June 29, 2012 (US)
July 22, 2012 (UK)
September 15, 2012 ( Australia )
September 22, 2012 ( New Zealand )
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↑ " [1] BBC talks to Abrams"
2 Star Trek: The Motion Picture
3 Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan

The Cast Of Star Trek: Then And Now

Over 50 years since it first aired, Star Trek remains a cultural juggernaut – from the J.J. Abrams -driven big-screen saga, to the forthcoming return of The Next Generation , and the continuation of Star Trek Discovery on Netflix (where you can also find every episode of every Trek show, including the animated series). In salute to Gene Roddenberry's groundbreaking, iconic show, we take stock of those original actors who paved the way for everything that followed.

William Shatner

Cast as captain of the starship Enterprise, it was Shatner who set the standard as James T. Kirk. Born in 1931 in Canada, and having a career that has spanned television, stage, screen, novels, video games, comic books, music and lord knows what else, this is a an 85-year-old who will not stop until he drops, and even then he’d probably argue, “What does God need with a starship…captain?”

Leonard Nimoy

Mr. Spock was far from the first television sidekick to equal if not eclipse a TV show’s main star. Given what Shatner brought to Kirk, it’s says a lot about Leonard Nimoy’s ability that he could make a character in complete control (most of the time) of his emotions come across as more than a cardboard cut-out. He never allowed Spock’s quiet dignity to fade away, even when reprising the role as recently as in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek Into Darkness . Born in 1931, Nimoy enjoyed a working life in theatre, on TV and film (as both actor and director), and as an author, recording artist and photographer. He died on February 27, 2015, and received a touching tribute in Star Trek Beyond .

DeForest Kelley

If there was one actor who brought the most humanity to Star Trek , it had to be the late DeForest Kelley as Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy. Born in 1920, he had built a career playing TV bad guys, usually in Westerns, which is what made it so surprising when Roddenberry cast him as The Enterprise's chief medical officer and Kirk’s conscience. After Star Trek finished its run, Kelley took on a couple of roles, but pretty much retired except for conventions, the first six big screen Star Trek adventures and a guest spot on the premiere episode of The Next Generation . He died on June 11, 1999.

James Doohan

He gave the engines all they had…and then some. It’s why James Doohan’s chief engineer, Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott,” was the best in the fleet. Born in in Canada in 1920, Doohan enjoyed a career in Canadian radio and television before making the shift to America. Like many of his co-stars, following the end of Star Trek he found himself typecast and other acting opportunities difficult to come by. He scored character roles here and there, and, of course, reprised the role of Scotty in the feature films based on the show. He died on July 20, 2005.

Nichelle Nichols

She opened those hailing frequencies like a boss, making communications officer Uhura an essential member of the Enterprise bridge crew. Born in 1932, Nichols took on the laudable challenge of being an African American actress on television at a time when America was struggling with civil rights. As such, she became a symbol and an inspiration for many African-American women. Early in her career she enjoyed some success as a dancer and singer, eventually making her way to television, where she met Gene Roddenberry on The Lieutenant . When he was casting Trek , he knew he wanted her to be a part of it. For some years following the series acting roles were sparse, but she did parlay the growing popularity of Trek into a job at NASA, where she recruited minority and female personnel to the space agency.

George Takei

Like his co-stars, George Takei , born in 1937, spent many years trying to shake off the persona of Enterprise helmsman Hikaru Sulu. But after embracing all of what Star Trek represented, Takei enjoyed something of a career renaissance. He acted in mostly small roles before Trek , co-starred in John Wayne’s The Green Berets . Besides reprising the role of Sulu in six feature films, he immersed himself in California politics, became an author, and in recent years seems to be almost everywhere , appearing on a wide variety of TV shows and most recently on stage in the musical Allegiance , set during the Japanese American interment of World War II, which Takei himself experienced as a child.

Walter Koenig

He joined Star Trek in its second season and, as navigator Pavel Chekov, was supposed to be the 23rd Century’s answer to the youth-appealing Monkees or The Beatles. Koenig was another actor who had come to Roddenberry’s attention through The Lieutenant , and was brought aboard the Enterprise in 1967, where he served through the remainder of the series and seven feature films (he joined Shatner and Doohan in 1994’s Star Trek: Generations ). In between he worked as a television writer, gained popularity for his portrayal of Alfred Bester in the series Babylon 5 and appeared in a number of films. He also wrote a number of books – both fiction and non-fiction – and worked in comics as well.

Notable Movie Guest Stars

Stephen collins.

He portrayed Commander Willard Decker in Star Trek: The Motion Picture . Born in 1947, Collins is best known for roles in in TV shows such as Tales of the Gold Monkey , No Ordinary Family and Revolution , as well as the films The First Wives Club and Because I Said So . He also spent eleven seasons as the patriarch on 7th Heaven .

Kirstie Alley

Born in 1951, Alley portrayed Vulcan/Romulan hybrid Lt. Saavik in 1982’s Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan . Following the film she co-starred in the long-running Cheers , and went on to such shows as Veronica’s Closet and Kirstie , a number of guest star appearances and starring roles in films Look Who’s Talking, It Takes Two, For Richer or Poorer and Accidental Love .

Ricardo Montalban

Montalban guest-starred on the original Star Trek in the 1967 episode “Space Seed,” portraying 20th Century genetic superman Khan Noonien Singh. Revived from suspended animation, Khan attempted to take control of the Enterprise and, instead of being sent to prison, was given a planet to tame by Kirk. After that, Montalban (born in 1920 in Mexico), just as he had before that show, appeared in a wide variety of TV series, television movies and feature films, but is largely remembered for playing Mr. Roarke in Fantasy Island and Zach Powers in Dynasty and The Colbys . In 1982 he reprised the role of Khan in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , in which, as the title suggests, his genetic superman and his people escape the planet they had been left on, seeking vengeance against Kirk. Montalban died on January 14, 2009.

Christopher Lloyd

As the Klingon Kruge, Christopher Lloyd looked to be having a grand old time chewing the soundstage scenery with Shatner in 1984’s Star Trek III: The Search For Spock . Lloyd’s long list of credits include the TV series Taxi , as well as Who Framed Roger Rabbit? . He is undoubtedly most beloved for his role as Dr. Emmett Brown in the Back To The Future trilogy.

Robin Curtis

When contractual issues came up between Kirstie Alley and Paramount following Wrath Of Khan , Robin Curtis stepped in to play Lt. Saavik for Star Trek III: The Search For Spock and, briefly, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home . Prior to her tour of duty on the Enterprise, she guest starred on some TV shows, appeared in several films and amassed an impressive number of regional and national theatre stage roles. Between acting gigs, she's also worked as a real estate agent.

Catherine Hicks

In the years prior to endearing herself to Star Trek fans as marine biologist Gillian Taylor in Star Trek IV , Catherine Hicks (born in 1951) had spent three years on the soap opera Ryan's Hope , starred in several short-lived series, was Emmy-nominated for her role as Marilyn Monroe in the TV movie Marilyn: The Untold Story and would go on to star in Child's Play . Most notably she co-starred with Commander Decker (actually Stephen Collins) in 7th Heaven , which ran for eleven seasons beginning in 1996.

Laurence Luckinbill

Did you know Spock had a half-brother named Sybok? Nope, neither did we. Even Kirk had no idea, but that was one of the revelations of 1989's Star Trek V: The Final Frontier , and it was Sybok who hi-jacked the Enterprise so everyone could meet (not) God. Laurence Luckinbill, born in 1934, has a long history of roles on television, stage and in film. He also happens to be married to Lucie Arnaz, daughter of Lucille Ball (who gave the green light for the original Star Trek in the first place) and Desi Arnaz.

Christopher Plummer

Not that we didn't already know that Canadian-born Christopher Plummer could perform Shakespeare, but that point was really driven home in 1991's Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country , for which he portrayed Klingon general Chang and which should have provided the Bard co-writing credit, given the number of quotes utilised. Born in 1929, Plummer's extensive film credits (not to mention his acclaimed stage work) includes The Sound Of Music , Battle Of Britain , Waterloo, Inside Man , Up , The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo .

Kim Cattrall

Admittedly it wasn't Sex In The Starship , but the Liverpool-born Kim Cattrall definitely brought a lot of sexual energy to her role as the Vulcan Valeris in Star Trek VI , serving as part of a conspiracy to destroy a newly brokered peace between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Born in 1956, her film career began in 1975 with Rosebud and went on to include such efforts as Ticket To Heaven, Porky's , Police Academy , Big Trouble In Little China , and Midnight Crossing . She is, of course, most famous for portraying Samantha Jones in the TV series Sex And The City and the two feature films spun off from it.

Head to Empire's 10 Essential Star Trek Articles

Star Trek movies in order: Chronological and release

Untangle the different timelines and get the popcorn: Here are the Star Trek movies in order — both chronological and release.

Chronological order
Prime Timeline

The Original Series movies

The next generation movies.

Kelvin Timeline
Release order

Upcoming Star Trek movies

We've got a guide to watching the Star Trek movies in order, decloaking off our starboard side!

So long as movies stick numbers on the ends of their titles, it’s easy to watch them in order. Once they start branching out, however, things can get a little muddled, especially when reboots come along and start the whole process over from scratch.

You may have heard that the even-numbered ones are good and the odd-numbered ones are not. That’s spot on for the films starring the cast of The Original Series (aka Kirk and friends) falls apart once you reach the tenth entry in the series. It would probably be worth your while to have this list of the Star Trek movies, ranked worst to best around to steer clear of the clunkers. Look, we’re not going to pretend everything here is worth two hours of your day, we’re just letting you know which came out after which.

Should your Trek appetite remain unsatiated after your movie watchathon, feel free to pull from either our list of the best Star Trek: The Original series episode s or best Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes . Either one will set you up for a weekend jam-packed with great Trek moments. Consult our Star Trek streaming guide for all the details on where to watch the movies and shows online

Star Trek movies: Chronological order

Below is the quick version of our list if you just need to check something to win an argument, but it comes with a lot of in-universe time travel-related caveats that we'll explain below.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Star Trek: Generations
Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: Insurrection
Star Trek: Nemesis
Star Trek Into Darkness
Star Trek Beyond

Star Trek: Prime Timeline

The first thing you need to know about the Star Trek films is that while they travel back and forth in time, they also diverge into two (for now) different timelines. The films of the original crew (well, the first iteration of them, anyway – more on that later) are all in what is known as the Prime Timeline.

Within the Prime Timeline, the movies are then split between The Original Series movies and The Next Generation movies.

1. Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Crew in Star Trek: The Motion Picture_Paramount Pictures

Release date: December 8, 1979
Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley

This is the film that brought the voyages of the U.S.S. Enterprise to the big screen. An energy cloud is making its way toward Earth, destroying everything in its path. Kirk and crew intercept it and discover an ancient NASA probe at the heart of the cloud. Voyager – known as V’ger now – encountered a planet of living machines, learned all it could, and returned home to report its findings, only to find no one who knew how to answer. It’s a slow-paced film, and the costumes are about as 70s as they come, but there’s classic Star Trek at the heart of this film.

2. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Ricardo Montalban in Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan (1982)_Paramount Pictures

Release date: June 4, 1982
Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Ricardo Montalban

Ask a Star Trek fan what the best Star Trek movie is and more often than not, you’ll get Khan as your answer. A sequel to the events of the “Space Seed” episode of The Original Series, Khan is a retelling of Moby Dick with Khan throwing reason to the wind as he hunts his nemesis, James T. Kirk. Montalban delivers a pitch-perfect performance, giving us a Khan with charisma and obsession in equal parts.

3. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Walter Koenig, William Shatner, James Doohan, DeForest Kelley, and George Takei in Star Trek III The Search for Spock (1984)_Paramount Pictures

Release date: June 1, 1984

Spock might have died in The Wrath of Khan, but this third entry set up the premise for his return, with the creation of the Genesis planet. Essentially a heist movie in reverse, Search for Spock has the crew defying orders from Starfleet in an attempt to reunite Spock’s consciousness with his newly-rejuvenated body. It’s not a great movie, but it does include two very important events: the rebirth of Spock and the death of Kirk’s son at the hands of the Klingons. That’ll be important a few flicks from now.

4. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Walter Koenig, Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, James Doohan, DeForest Kelley, George Takei, and Nichelle Nichols in Star Trek IV The Voyage Home (1986)_Paramount Pictures

Release date: November 26, 1986
Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Catherine Hicks

If Star Trek fans don’t say Khan is the best Star Trek movie, odds are very high they say Voyage Home is. It’s a funny film where the mission isn’t destruction, but creation – or more accurately, repairing the devastating effects of humankind’s ecological short-sightedness.

A probe arrives at Earth, knocking out the power of everything in its path as it looks for someone to respond to its message (yeah, it happens a lot). This time, however, the intended recipient is the long-extinct blue whale. To save Earth, Kirk and co. go back in time to 1980s San Francisco to snag some blue whales. The eco-messaging isn’t exactly subtle, but it doesn’t get in the way of a highly enjoyable movie.

5. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, DeForest Kelley, and Laurence Luckinbill in Star Trek V The Final Frontier (1989)

Release date: June 9, 1989

A writers’ strike and Shatner’s directorial skills (or lack thereof) doomed this film before a single scene was shot. The core plot is actually pretty good: Spock’s half-brother hijacks the Enterprise so that he can meet God, which he believes to be… himself. Some Star Trek fans have an odd fondness for this movie, as it showcases the camaraderie of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy when they’re off-duty.

6. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, and Christopher Plummer in Star Trek VI The Undiscovered Country (1991)_Paramount Pictures

Release date: December 6, 1991
Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Christopher Plummer

Right, so if that Star Trek fan you’ve been talking to doesn’t choose either Khan or Voyage Home as the best Star Trek movie ever, they almost certainly name Undiscovered Country (and if they don’t, they have highly questionable taste, frankly). The Klingon moon of Praxis explodes, putting the entire Klingon race at risk. The Enterprise hosts a diplomatic entourage of Klingons, much to Kirk’s discomfort.

Remember how Klingons murdered Kirk’s son? Well, he certainly hasn’t forgotten. Kirk’s lingering rage makes him the perfect patsy for the murder of the Klingon Chancellor, sending him and McCoy to a prison planet and setting the stage for war. Christopher Plummer is perfection as a Shakespeare-quoting Klingon general with no taste for peace.

7. Star Trek: Generations

Malcolm McDowell, Brian Thompson, and Gwynyth Walsh in Star Trek Generations (1994)_Paramount Pictures

Release date: November 18, 1994
Cast: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner

And thus the torch is passed from the crew of The Original Series to that of The Next Generation. It’s a bit of a fumble, to be honest, but they all did their best to get Kirk and Picard into the same film and have it make sense. Malcolm McDowell plays Soran, a scientist who will stop at nothing to control the Nexus, a giant space rainbow that exists outside of space-time.

Soran lost his family when his home world was destroyed and he wants to re-join them (or at least an illusion of them) in the Nexus. He’s not so much a villain as a tragic figure, but the Nexus makes a meeting between Kirk and Picard possible. Not all that sensible, but possible.

8. Star Trek: First Contact

U.S.S. Enterprise battling the Borg in Star Trek First Contact (1996)_Paramount Pictures

Release date: November 22, 1996
Cast: Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, Alice Krige

Okay, no, for real, if your Star Trek pal didn’t pick Khan or Voyage Home or… oh, nevermind. Cueing off the iconic two-part episode “Best of Both Worlds,” in which Picard is assimilated by the Borg, First Contact sees the collective traveling back in time in order to disrupt First Contact, the day Earth’s first foray into space attracted the attention of the Vulcans, kicking off the events that would eventually lead to Starfleet’s victory over the Borg. The Borg Queen torments Picard with visions of the past and tempts Data with humanity, going so far as to give him some human skin.

The fight with the Borg aboard the Enterprise is thrilling, and the work on the surface to get first contact back on track is fun. Plus, there’s just nothing like Patrick Stewart turning it up to 11 as he lashes out at the enemy that haunts his dreams.

9. Star Trek: Insurrection

Brent Spiner and Patrick Stewart in Star Trek Insurrection (1998)_Paramount Pictures

Release date: December 11, 1998
Cast: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, F. Murray Abraham

Essentially an episode inflated for the big screen, Insurrection is about the Federation conspiring to displace a planet’s population in order to harvest the planet’s unique resource – super healing metaphasic particles. In addition to the rejuvenating natural resource, the Ba’ku also have access to exceptional technology, which they shun in favor of a more simple lifestyle.

Data malfunctions, the villains are Federation allies (and former Ba’ku!), Picard gets to knock boots with a local – Insurrection is the very definition of “fine.” Chronologically, Insurrection is relevant for rekindling the romance between Riker and Troi, but not much else.

10. Star Trek: Nemesis

Patrick Stewart and Tom Hardy in Star Trek Nemesis (2002)_Paramount Pictures

Release date: December 13, 2002
Cast: Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, Tom Hardy

Before he mumbled his way into our hearts as Bane, Tom Hardy was Shinzon, a clone of Picard the Romulans created in an eventually abandoned attempt to infiltrate Starfleet. Shinzon is dying, and all that will save him is a transfusion of Picard’s blood. Unfortunately, Shinzon also happens to be a megalomaniac who happens to want to destroy all life on Earth and maybe a few other planets, too, if he’s feeling saucy.

Nemesis is notable mostly for killing Data with a noble sacrifice, only to resurrect him moments later in a duplicate body found earlier by the Enterprise crew.

Star Trek: Kelvin Timeline

The last of the Prime Timeline movies failed to impress at the box office, so it was a few years before anyone tried to bring the Enterprise back to the big screen. Rather than lean on any of the TV crews, this new slate of movies would serve as a reboot, welcoming new audiences while honoring long-time fans. Welcome to the Kelvin Timeline. (For all the ins and outs, check out our Star Trek: Kelvin Timeline explained article).

11. Star Trek

John Cho, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin, and Chris Pine in Star Trek (2009)_Paramount Pictures

Release date: May 8, 2009
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban

Back to the beginning! Star Trek introduces us to James T. Kirk, Spock, and “Bones” McCoy as they meet and join the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Though the plot is a relatively straightforward affair of a Romulan named Nero trying to destroy the Earth. His anger borne out of grief, what matters most is how it all came to be. In the future, Spock – the Prime Timeline version – tries to save Romulus from being destroyed by a supernova, but fails. Both his ship and Nero’s are kicked back in time, setting off a chain of events that diverge from the original, “true” timeline.

The name “Kelvin” refers to the U.S.S. Kelvin, the ship heroically captained by Kirk’s father, which is destroyed in the opening moments of the movie.

12. Star Trek Into Darkness

Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, and Chris Pine in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)_© Zade Rosenthal_Paramount Pictures

Release date: May 16, 2013
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch

The benefit of the Kelvin Timeline is that it not only allows Star Trek to explore canon material – such as Khan (he of the Wrath) – but to do something completely new with it. Khan features heavily in Into Darkness, but he has no beef with Kirk. Instead, a Starfleet Admiral is threatening the lives of Khan’s crew, forcing them to craft weapons of mass destruction.

Khan inevitably eludes captivity and strikes out against Starfleet, killing Captain Pike (and a bunch of others) in the process. Kirk and company eventually take Khan down, but not before Kirk sacrifices himself to save his crew. Don’t worry, these things don’t last in either Star Trek timeline, as Kirk gets better moments later thanks to *checks notes* Khan's super blood.

13. Star Trek Beyond

Idris Elba and Chris Pine in Star Trek Beyond (2016)_© Kimberley French_Paramount Pictures

Release date: July 22, 2016
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Idris Elba

Beyond leans into the camaraderie of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy now that they’ve had some time together, much to the movie’s benefit. The Enterprise is lured to Altamid under false pretenses, leading to much of the crew being marooned on the planet. The architect of the deception was Krall, who wants an opportunity to return to a galaxy where war is the order of the day.

Beyond is a significant point in the timeline for two reasons. First, it sadly marked the death of Spock Prime due to the passing of Leonard Nimoy. Second, it culminates in the Enterprise embarking on the five-year-mission that started everything back in 1966.

Star Trek movies: Release order

If you can't be bothered remembering two different orders for the Star Trek movies then we've got good news for you — the release order is identical to the chronological order that we've shown above (accounting for the Kelvin timeline as it's own entity anyway).

The full run of Star Trek films currently tops out at 13 entries; the fate of the 14th was hidden within a nebula of conflicting information. “Star Trek 4” was slated for December 22, 2023, but given that filming had yet to begin as of July 2022, it seems inevitable that date will change. Back in February 2022, Paramount that the principal cast would be returning for the fourth installment of the Kelvin timeline, a claim quickly disputed by the agents of those selfsame actors. Awkward.

Soon after, however, Chris Pine eventually signed on the dotted line, and his shipmates reached their own agreements. As of right now, Kirk (Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), McCoy (Karl Urban, assuming he can make it work around filming of The Boys), Scotty (Simon Pegg), Uhura (Zoe Saldaña), and Sulu (John Cho) are all ready to beam up and get filming. Sadly, this will be the first of the Kelvin films to not feature Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov. Yelchin died in an accident at his home in 2016. It’s currently unclear if Chekov will be recast or if a different character will take his place on the bridge of the Enterprise.

Though the Kelvin timeline is often referred to as “J.J. Abrams Trek,” he won’t be directing Star Trek 4; Matt Shakman will take on that responsibility, leaving Abrams to produce. As for what it will be about, that’s anyone’s guess, but Chris Pine told Deadline he hopes this one tells a smaller story that appeals to the core Trek audience. “Let’s make the movie for the people that love this group of people, that love this story, that love Star Trek,” he said. “Let’s make it for them and then, if people want to come to the party, great.” It’s a strategy that makes sense; the disappointment with recent Trek films hasn’t been their content so much as their box office. A Trek film with a smaller scope (and budget) would almost certainly have a very healthy profit margin while also resonating with the fanbase.

With no new announcements coming from San Diego Comic-Con 2022, it seems that we’ll have to wait for any more insight into the next Star Trek film. Sill, recent comments from Paramount CEO Brian Robbins have us cautiously optimistic: “We’re deep into [Star Trek 4] with J.J. Abrams, and it feels like we’re getting close to the starting line and excited about where we’re going creatively,” he told Variety .

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Susan Arendt is a freelance writer, editor, and consultant living in Burleson, TX. She's a huge sci-fi TV and movie buff, and will talk your Vulcan ears off about Star Trek. You can find more of her work at Wired, IGN, Polygon, or look for her on Twitter: @SusanArendt. Be prepared to see too many pictures of her dogs.

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93-Year-Old William Shatner ‘Might Consider’ Returning as Captain Kirk in New ‘Star Trek’ Project Through De-Aging: ‘It Takes Years Off of Your Face’

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William Shatner recently told Canadian Press that he wouldn’t rule out returning as Captain Kirk in a new “ Star Trek ” project if the script impressed him. While the actor’s age might pose an issue as Shatner turned 93 years old in March, that’s nothing a bit of de-aging technology couldn’t fix.

“It’s an intriguing idea,” Shatner said about returning as Kirk. “It’s almost impossible. But if was a great role and so well-written and if there were a reason to be there not just to make a cameo appearance, but if there were a genuine reason for the character appearing, I might consider it.”

Popular on Variety

“[It] takes years off of your face, so that in a film you can look 10, 20, 30, 50 years younger than you are,” Shatner said.

Another issue around Shatner’s “Star Trek” return is Kirk’s death in the 1994 film “Star Trek Generations,” which is the last time Shatner appeared in the iconic franchise. He’s already brainstormed a plot device that could serve as a workaround and have his version of Kirk come back to life.

“A company that wants to freeze my body and my brain for the future might be a way of going about it,” Shatner said. “‘We’ve got Captain Kirk’s brain frozen here.’ There’s a scenario. ‘Let’s see if we can bring back a little bit of this, a little salt, a little pepper. Oh, look at that. Here comes Captain Kirk!’”

Variety exclusively reported in March that Steve Yockey, creator of the Max series “The Flight Attendant,” had signed on to write the script for “Star Trek 4.” The movie is being designed as the final installment for Pine and the cast. Several attempts to get a fourth “Star Trek” movie off the ground with this cast have failed over the years. One version of the project was to be directed by Matt Shakman (“WandaVision”) and written by Lindsey Beer (“Sierra Burgess Is a Loser”) and Geneva Robertson-Dworet (“Captain Marvel”). Shakman left the project to direct Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four” instead.

Other “Star Trek” projects remain in development at Paramount as well. The studio is working with screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith (“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”) and director by Toby Haynes (“Black Mirror: USS Callister”) on an origin story movie, while a project with screenwriter Kalinda Vazquez (“Fear the Walking Dead”) that was first announced in 2021 also remains in development.

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Star trek's biggest year what discovery's callback to 2371 in tng's era means.

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Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Returning Cast & New Character Guide

Star trek: discovery proves ds9's dominion war still matters 800 years later, star trek: discovery's elias toufexis breaks down lak's fate in season 5, episode 7.

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 7 - "Erigah"

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, Episode 7, "Erigah," references the monumental year 2371 of the Star Trek universe.
The year 2371 featured significant expansions in the Star Trek franchise with multiple TV series and a movie.
References to Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager enrich the storytelling in Discovery season 5.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 7, "Erigah" calls back to the year 2371, which is one of the most monumental time periods of Star Trek: The Next Generation 's 24th century era. Written by M. Raven Metzner and directed by Jon Dudkowski, "Erigah" sees Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp), Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman), Ensign Adira Tal (Blu del Barrio), and Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) team up to determine the location of the fifth and final clue to the Progenitors' ancient treasure: a novel titled "Labyrinths of the Mind" written by Betazoid scientist Dr. Marina Derex in 2371.

2371 is a milestone year that marked a major expansion of the Star Trek franchise. In the real world, the events of 2371 in Star Trek equate to the years 1994 and 1995, which saw Star Trek Generations , the first Star Trek: The Next Generation movie, arrive in theaters in November 1994. At the same time, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was in its third season, while Star Trek: Voyager launched in January 1995. For the first time, two Star Trek TV series were on the air while there was a Star Trek movie in theaters. Star Trek 's year 2371 encompasses 50 combined episodes of DS9 and Voyager as well as Star Trek Generations . And now, Star Trek: Discovery 's final clue to the Progenitors' treasure points to a book written during that fateful year of 2371.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is a sequel to Star Trek: The Next Generation 's season 6 episode, "The Chase," and contains more references to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager than ever before.

As Burnham seeks the universe's greatest treasure in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, she'll need help from a host of new and returning characters.

What Happened In Star Trek Generations In 2371

The first star trek: the next generation movie saw captain kirk meet captain picard.

Star Trek Generations is set in 2371, months after the end of Star Trek: The Next Generation . In Star Trek Generations, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) discovered Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), who was believed to have died in 2293, was alive in the interdimensional reality called the Nexus. Kirk joined Picard in returning to 2371 to stop Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell) from destroying the Veridian sun. Tragically, Kirk died in the effort to stop Soran and was buried by Picard on Veridan III.

Captain Kirk's remains were moved into storage at Section 31's black site, Daystrom Station, as seen in Star Trek: Picard season 3.

Another significant event in Star Trek Generations was the destruction of the USS Enterprise-D. The Galaxy Class flagship of the United Federation of Planets saw its stardrive section destroyed by a Klingon attack, and its separated saucer section crash-landed on Veridian III. In addition, Worf (Michael Dorn) was promoted to Lieutenant Commander while Data (Brent Spiner) activated his emotion chip and struggled with his rampant feelings. Captain Picard also learned his family in La Barre, France, died in a house fire.

The USS Enterprise-D was restored by Commodore Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) and saved the galaxy one last time in Star Trek: Picard season 3.

What Happened On Star Trek: Deep Space Nine In 2371

The seeds of the dominion war were planted on ds9.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3 took place in 2371, and it set the stage for the Dominion War that would alter the fate of the galaxy as the Federation becomes aware of the authoritarian threat coming from the Gamma Quadrant. Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) and members of Deep Space Nine's crew time-travel to the 21st century where Sisko took the place of Gabriel Bell in the infamous San Francisco Bell Riots. Lt. Thomas Riker (Jonathan Frakes), joined the Maquis and posed as Commander William Riker to steal the USS Defiant, which led to his imprisonment on Cardassia.

The Federation learns that the Dominion's shapeshifting Founders have infiltrated the Alpha Quadrant.

Later in 2371, Benjamin Sisko is promoted to Captain, and he and his son, Jake (Cirroc Lofton), sail to Cardassia on a solar ship like ancient Bajorans did. The Bajoran-Cardassia Peace Treaty is signed as Shakaar Edon (Duncan Regehr) becomes First Minister of Bajor. The female Changeling (Salome Jens) sets a trap to force Constable Odo (Rene Auberjonois) admit his love for Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor). By the end of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3 , the Federation learns that the Dominion's shapeshifting Founders have infiltrated the Alpha Quadrant, and the Cardassian Obsidian Order and Romulan Tal Shiar are severely crippled after a failed attack on the Dominion.

What Happened On Star Trek: Voyager In 2371

Year one of the uss voyager's journey home from the delta quadrant.

Star Trek: Voyager season 1 and the first episode of season 2, "The 37s" (which was originally intended as Voyager season 1's finale) take place in 2371. Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) assembles the crew of the USS Voyager to find the Maquis ship Val Jean in the Badlands, but both starships are transported 75,000 lightyears into the Delta Quadrant by the Caretaker. Joined by the Talaxian Neelix (Ethan Phillips) and the Ocampan Kes (Jennifer Lien), the USS Voyager absorbs the Maquis into its Starfleet crew as a measure of survival, and the Intrepid Class starship begins a long journey home to Earth.

The USS Voyager's first year in the Delta Quadrant saw them encounter the villainous Kazon. Ensign Seska (Martha Hackett) reveals herself as a Cardassian spy and joins the Kazon, while Ensign Samantha Wildman (Nancy Hower) learns she is pregnant with her daughter, Naomi Wildman (Scarlett Pomers). To kick off Star Trek: Voyager season 2, the USS Voyager discovers the missing 20th century pilot Amelia Earhart (Sharon Lawrence), who was abducted and brought to the Delta Quadrant by the Briori. But while all that and more happened in Star Trek in 2371, Dr. Marina Derex published "Labyrinths of the Mind" , and she would hide her clue to the Progenitors' treasure in her original manuscript stored in the Eternal Gallery and Archive for Star Trek: Discovery to find.

New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery season 5 stream Thursdays on Paramount+

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager are streaming on Paramount+

Star Trek Generations is streaming on Max

Star Trek: Generations

Star Trek: Best Book-Only Characters

The Star Trek novels introduce unique characters like Akaar and Treir, adding depth to the expansive Starfleet universe.
Characters like Nick Keller and Elias Vaughn bring new perspectives to the post- DS9 era, facing challenging galactic events.
Mackenzie Calhoun leads the USS Excalibur in a new hero ship series, showcasing tactical genius in the New Frontier books.

Just like the universe itself, the Star Trek franchise is huge and far-reaching, encompassing several television shows, and numerous video games, movies, and books. While many of Star Trek 's most iconic characters appear in various series and films, there are many other great characters who only feature in alternative media sources. For instance, the final frontier has spawned some memorable video game-based characters .

Star Trek: 8 Most Powerful Federation Starships, Ranked

Yet perhaps the richest source of characters is the now questionably canon series of books that take place following The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine . From fresh takes on classic species like the Andorians and Orions, to some of Starfleet's finest officers, the Star Trek novels are a treasure trove of notable figures.

Leonard James Akaar

First appearence: star trek mission gamma book one: twilight.

Author: David R. George III
Publication Date: September 2002

Leonard James Akaar is unique among novel-only characters in that he does, in fact, make a blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance on televised Trek . "Friday's Child," an episode of The Original Series , ends with his birth; however, the Capellan royal would not be seriously fleshed out until 2002's Mission Gamma: Twilight . By the time of the Deep Space 9 novels, Akaar had risen through the ranks of Starfleet to become an influential admiral with the ear of the Federation president.

Akaar's strategic mindset and steely resolve proved essential in preserving the Federation through some of its darkest periods, including the Borg invasion depicted in the Star Trek: Destiny series. The Starfleet legend may have been born in The Original Series , but the Star Trek novels were where he made his name.

First Appearence: Star Trek: Demons of Air and Darkness

Author: Keith R. A. DeCandido
Publication Date: September 2001

Star Trek features many inspirational female characters, from Kira Nerys to Katherine Janeway. However, few are as resourceful or as motivated as Treir , an Orion Dabo girl who transformed Quark's Bar into a highly successful business during the post- DS9 novels. Following her escape from Orion servitude, Treir earned her place as Quark's right-hand woman by implementing a series of radical reforms, including hiring a Dabo boy to attract more customers.

Star Trek: The Fates Of Every Live-Action TV Show's Main Character

Treir may not play a significant role in the canon-shattering events depicted in the Deep Space 9 novels, but this ruthless businesswoman helped to make Star Trek 's prose universe feel like a living, breathing place. If anyone is capable of giving Quark a run for his latinum, it's her.

Nick Keller

First appearence: star trek new earth: challenger.

Author: Diane Carey
Publication Date: August 2000

New Earth , a series of six novels that take place between Star Trek: The Motion Picture and The Wrath of Khan , was intended to act as a backdoor pilot for a new narrative focusing on Commander Nick Keller . In the final novel, Keller takes command of a makeshift starship in order to defend the human colony of Belle Terre from alien attack. Keller was conflicted between overthrowing his inept captain and preserving the lives of his comrades, and it's a great shame that a full series based on the space cowboy's adventures never emerged.

Interestingly, author Diane Carey based Keller's appearance on Scott Bakula, who would go on to play Captain Jonathan Archer in Star Trek: Enterprise . Keller, however, would make only two more appearances in the Star Trek universe, with both being part of the multi-series Gateways crossover event.

Elias Vaughn

First appearence: star trek: avatar (book one).

Author: S. D. Perry
Publication Date: July 2001

Elias Vaughn was a Starfleet officer and intelligence operative who joined Deep Space 9's command staff following the end of the Dominion War . Despite only holding the rank of commander, Vaughn's expertise proved a boon to the Federation outpost, and he played a role in several key events, including the USS Defiant 's post-war exploration of the Gamma Quadrant (depicted in the Mission Gamma sub-series).

Star Trek: 8 Impressive Things Kirk Did Before Joining The USS Enterprise

Vaughn was haunted by the death of his wife, Ruriko, and his troubled relationship with his estranged daughter, Prynn. This relationship was complicated by the fact that Prynn was also assigned to Deep Space 9. However, father and daughter were eventually able to reconcile–but not without some bumps along the way.

Christine Vale

First appearence: star trek: the belly of the beast.

Author: Dean Wesley Smith

While William Riker's USS Titan has made notable appearances in Star Trek: Lower Decks , the starship's adventures were originally chronicled in a series of spin-off novels. These books featured Christine Vale , a former detective turned Starfleet officer, as Riker's second-in-command. Vale was initially unwilling to take the post, as she disliked the idea of Riker working so closely with his wife, Deanna Troi.

Luckily, Vale took the post, which allowed her to act as a counterweight to any of Riker's Troi-related biases. During her time aboard the USS Titan , she helped to explore the Beta Quadrant and fend off a Borg invasion. Indeed, her record was so good that, following Riker's promotion to admiral, she took command of the Luna -class starship.

Thirishar ch'Thane

From their initial appearance in 1967's "Journey to Babel" and 2001's "The Andorian Incident," references to Star Trek 's Andorians were true and far between. One important detail was disclosed in The Next Generation , however: Andorians have four sexes , with all four required for successful reproduction.

The character of Thirishar ch'Thane (or "Shar") was a response to this premise. Shar served as Deep Space Nine's science officer following the end of the Dominion War, but was torn between his commitments to Starfleet and to his mating group, who wished him to return to Andor. This dilemma was further complicated by a dangerous decline in Andorian fertility, which threatened to cause the Andorians' extinction in the long term. Shar was eventually able to use his scientific knowledge to help solve the Andorian fertility crisis.

The Jem'Hadar are one of Star Trek 's most iconic creations , a powerful race of warriors motivated by their addiction to the chemical ketracel-white. During the Dominion War of 2373–2375, the Jem'Hadar were central to the Dominion assaults which nearly overwhelmed the Federation Alliance.

8 Best Starfleet Ships During The Dominion War

After the war's conclusion, Taran'atar , a Jem'Hadar without a ketracel-white dependency, was sent to Deep Space Nine as a cultural observer. Taran'atar's struggle to adjust to the Alpha Quadrant during peacetime makes for fascinating reading, as does seeing the fearsome warrior growing closer to his former enemies. Taran'atar's story takes some strange twists and turns, but he remains a fascinating character.

Mackenzie Calhoun

First appearence: star trek new frontier: house of cards.

Author: Peter David
Publication Date: July 1997

In 1997, Pocket Books published the first of Peter David's New Frontier books. While these novels included several characters from TV Trek (mostly notably Commander Shelby from "The Best of Both Worlds" ), they focused on a new hero ship, the USS Excalibur , and a new captain: Mackenzie Calhoun . Calhoun, an alien warrior modeled after Mel Gibson, was depicted as a tactical genius capable of beating Starfleet's toughest challenges–including the infamous Kobayashi Maru test.

Calhoun soon became a fan-favorite, with his New Frontier series including over 20 volumes. The Xenanian captain was even popular enough to be made into an action figure, the only example of this honor being bestowed on a character originating from any of Star Trek 's novels.

Created by Gene Roddenberry

First Film Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Latest Film Star Trek Beyond

First TV Show Star Trek: The Original Series

Latest TV Show Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Creation Year 1966

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Doug Jones Explains His Recent Absence From ‘Star Trek: Discovery’… And Confirms Saru’s Return

| May 5, 2024 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 17 comments so far

Fans have noticed how actor Doug Jones has been missing from the most recent episodes of Star Trek: Discovery . The actor has now explained what kept him away and confirmed his return.

Where is Saru?

Doug Jones has been a series regular for Discovery since the first episode. With the exception of a couple of episodes in season 3, likely for story reasons, he had appeared in every episode, but that changed in season 5. He appeared (and was in the main credits) for the first three episodes, which saw Saru move from the USS Discovery to Starfleet HQ to take up a new position as an ambassador for Starfleet. While Saru was seen and heard briefly in the fourth episode, Jones was not credited as the time travel episode utilized old footage from season 3. Jones’ Saru also didn’t appear in episodes 5 and 6.

Doug Jones as Saru in Star Trek: Discovery, episode 3, season 5 (Marni Grossman /Paramount+)

Fans have been curious about this absence, but the actor explained, saying he took time off Discovery to promote his appearance in the 2022 film Hocus Pocus 2 , where Jones reprised his role as Billy Butcherson from the original 1993 film. Jones’ explanation was in a reply to question on Twitter/X, so it may have been missed by most fans…

I was off promoting Hocus Pocus 2 at the time, but I will be back for more before the season ends! — Doug Jones (@actordougjones) April 27, 2024

The fifth season of Star Trek: Discovery was in production in Toronto during the summer and fall of 2022. Hocus Pocus 2 was released on September 3oth, 2022. Jones did a lot of press for the film around this period. You can see an image below of Jones at the red carpet premiere in New York on September 27th, below.

Production on season 5 of Discovery wrapped up on November 20th . Jones has confirmed he will be back, but it isn’t known for how many episodes. Given the time frame, he should be back for at least the finale and possibly one or two additional episodes. Jones also confirmed in a TrekMovie interview from earlier this year that he also returned for the “epilogue” shot in 2023 to turn the season 5 finale into a series finale. In that same interview, he talked about how he was of two minds when it comes to the series ending:

There’s a part of me that’s melancholy that it’s the fifth and final season. Nobody wants to hear “final,” but at the same time, I think in this day and age to get five seasons is really good with television the way it is now. But the other part is a bit of relief. I was just talking about memorizing large blocks of science fiction dialogue. That’s very difficult and so I don’t have to do that anymore. “Oh, yay!” And also the rubber bits. I love Saru. He is a part of me now. But he also comes with a look that’s glued onto me and taking that off for the last time was like, “Oh, oh that’s good. I don’t have to wear that again.”

It does appear that the producers of the show had time to work around Jones’ schedule, which likely resulted in Callum Keith Rennie joining the cast as a series regular as Rayner. By the third episode, Rayner had stepped into Saru’s former role as first officer of the USS Discovery.

Sonequa Martin-Green as Burnham and Callum Keith Rennie as Rayner in episode 2 (Marni Grossman /Paramount+)

But Saru will be back. If nothing else, the show has to finish Saru’s romance storyline. By the third episode Saru and T’Rina (Tara Rosling) were just announcing they were getting married. Could the season finale include a Kelpien/Vulcan wedding?

Doug Jones as Saru and Tara Rosling as T’Rina in season 4 (Marni Grossman/Paramount+)

The fifth and final season of Discovery debuted with two episodes on Thursday, April 4 exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the UK, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia, and Austria. Discovery will also premiere on April 4 on Paramount+ in Canada and will be broadcast on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel in Canada. The rest of the 10-episode final season will be available to stream weekly on Thursdays. Season 5 debuts on SkyShowtime in select European countries on April 5.

Keep up with news about the Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com

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I regret that he wasn’t able to be more involved with the fifth season – especially because it became the final season. At least we got Commander Rayner as part of the deal though.

Good to know but I do wonder if it was a cost saving measure in general. The show feels a lot more budgeted this season.

Well that makes sense. Honestly I’d like to see Saru get role in Starfleet Academy or his own spin off show or movie. He’s been my favorite character from the show so far.

It’s a shame because that time off was wasted promoting a movie that flopped hard.

I don’t even remember it coming out lol.

I haven’t seen it (or the first one) but it was a Disney+ movie, I did see a lot of chatter about it my social media so I think some people were into it.

Flopped? First of all it was a Disney + movie, secondly they are developing a third. It might not have been popular in your mind, but it was well liked from what I remember.

Saru is the best part of the show. Doug Jones is a phenomenon. Would love to see him in the future, in his own show or a spin-off …

He brings so much heart and soul to the character. Saru is just one of the most likeable characters of any Trek.

leave it to the writers’ room of DSC to take the one likable character and sideline him. uhhh hey they like smartass shaw lets uh replace Saru with a smartass not Romulan but looks Romulan

Why would we leave it to them when clearly they weren’t even involved in the decision? Leave it to Sean not to read an article! (I assume it’s okay for me to just make that little fact up seen as it’s what you do lol)

Have you even read the article? Obviously not. How about going back to do that before commenting next time.

Not a fan of the show, but every single Saru storyline has been written well and performed beautifully. I’m actually excited for this prospective Kelpien/Vulcan wedding LOL.

I’m glad he’ll be back but his absences, for me has been notable. Especially knowing that this is the final season.

And why are Owo and Detmer also MIA?

Probably scheduling problems as well. For example, Oyin Oladejo (who plays Owo) starred in Orah, a movie that was shot in 2022 and released in 2023.

My favorite character from Discovery. Can easily forget he is human. This is how amazing is his acting. Jones gave an excellent character to the franchise.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation

Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before. Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before. Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before.

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Trivia Almost everyone in the cast became life-long friends. At LeVar Burton 's 1992 wedding, Brent Spiner served as best man, and Sir Patrick Stewart , Jonathan Frakes , and Michael Dorn all served as ushers. Man of the People (1992) (#6.3) aired on that day.
Goofs It is claimed that Data can't use contractions (Can't, Isn't, Don't, etc) yet there are several instances throughout the series where he does. One of the first such examples is heard in Encounter at Farpoint (1987) , where Data uses the word "Can't" while the Enterprise is being chased by Q's "ship".

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Alternate versions The first and last episodes were originally broadcast as two-hour TV movies, and were later re-edited into two one-hour episodes each. Both edits involved removing some scenes from each episode.
Connections Edited into Reading Rainbow: The Bionic Bunny Show (1988)

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