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The following FAQ entries may contain spoilers. Only the biggest ones (if any) will be covered with spoiler tags. Spoiler tags have been used sparingly in order to make the page more readable.
For detailed information about the amounts and types of (a) sex and nudity, (b) violence and gore, (c) profanity, (d) alcohol, drugs, and smoking, and (e) frightening and intense scenes in this movie, consult the IMDb Parents Guide for this movie. The Parents Guide for Star Trek can be found here.
The film is based upon the characters created for the original 1960s Star Trek series, and makes multiple references to events established in that series, as well as the original series of theatrical features (particularly Wrath of Khan). However, the film does not directly tie into the events of any previous Star Trek film or TV episode, as it is set in an alternate timeline. However, the movie does have a comic book prequel called Star Trek: Countdown. It is set few years after the events narrated in Star Trek X - Nemesis, and it follows the characters of Spock and Nero, with their interactions with Picard and other Next Generation characters, just prior to the accidental travel of Spock and Nero to the 23rd century. The comic book series has been collected into a trade paperback, Star Trek: Countdown ( ISBN 1600104207), which was released in April 2009.
Yes and no. Nero (Eric Bana)'s time travel in the movie affects the timeline, introducing the canon discrepancies purists have noticed. Director J.J. Abrams does, however, state that the movie will tie up all canon questions and explain how they are brought in with the established Trek lore. Although the film incorporates canon details, its premise is that an alternate timeline was created when Nero traveled back in time, and it is within that timeline that the movie takes place. That is why the answer is yes and no: No, in the sense that the preexisting Star Trek legacy is acknowledged as having existed by the time traveling premise and the presence of the elderly Spock. (In fact, the elderly Spock even tells the young Kirk about some differences between the two timelines.) Yes, in the sense that having established that the film is an alternate timeline, with accompanying changes to character and storyline, it stands apart from previous episodes and films, and allows future episodes to differ from the old canon. In other words, had the plot of this movie not included old Spock and Nero arriving from the future and changing time, then it would be a reboot (same characters and concept, different character development and story).The creation of an alternate timeline is a storytelling device that allows Abrams and his writers a way of accounting for and acknowledging their changes to the old canon instead of ignoring it, while accomplishing the same function of a reboot in relieving them the burden of being a faithful prequel. Old Spock's wish of good luck to his younger self, and his private remark at the promotion ceremony of young Kirk, "thrusters on full," make it clear that the torch has been passed, and the crew he knew are about to embark on very different adventures. The question is, how much of the original canon will survive in this alternate timeline in future installments?
The key element to remember is that this is a sequel as well as a reboot. That means that everything that has happened before in the Star Trek universe is not necessarily guaranteed to happen again or with the same outcome. This gives the writers some freedom and audiences something to look forward to without feeling that they know how things will ultimately end. For better or worse, there is no canon or required events beyond the movie. This is explained in the movie by the fact that Nero's return to the past has changed the timeline and created an alternate universe which is where future Star Trek events will occur. This new alternate universe does not affect the original series at all. That series is still happily trekking on its way, because it is not in any way bound to what's happening in the alternate universe.
While the filmmakers acknowledge the canonical events of the established Star Trek universe (i.e. the former timeline), they have allowed themselves some artistic license in production design and the level of advancement in technology. Although the film takes place over ten years prior to The Original Series, the ships and shuttles look definitely more advanced than they were in series and movies that chronologically follow: compare, for instance, the scale and complexity of the engine rooms; the appearance of the bridge's head-up display viewscreen; the transporter beam, etc. The original designs are still recognizable, but they are more in line with what we would expect from starships 200 years in the future. These deviations/retcons are deliberate, as our idea of the future has dramatically changed since the 1960s, especially in light of the technical advances in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s; e.g., in 1966, the idea of a handheld wireless phone seemed quite futuristic, but is commonplace in the year 2009. Also, much of the technology used on Star Trek: Enterprise is far in advance of that used on The Original Series, despite Enterprise taking place over a century before TOS. As part of the new and fresh approach to the Star Trek universe, the filmmakers have chosen to give their representation of the future and not rigidly adhere to standards and conventions set by previous Star Trek material.Writers Orci and Kurtzman have said in interviews that the in-universe explanation for the increased technology is that Starfleet obtained detailed sensor scans of the Narada during her initial incursion into the 23rd century (of course, this does not explain why in the opening scene, the U.S.S. Kelvin already shows most of the improved technology while the Narada has not arrived yet). The increase in size of the USS Enterprise is explained by the ten year difference in the construction and launch of the NCC-1701. In the prime universe the Enterprise is launched in 2245 under Captain Robert April. In the alternate universe she is launched in 2255 under Captain Christopher Pike.
The only actors to return from the original franchise are Leonard Nimoy reprising his role as Spock and Majel Barrett as the Star Fleet computer voice. Character-wise, however, we'll see Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), Captain/Rear Admiral Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood), Doctor McCoy (Karl Urban), Lt Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Scotty (Simon Pegg), Sulu (John Cho), Chekov (Anton Yelchin), Spock's father Sarek (Ben Cross), and Spock's mother Amanda (Winona Ryder).
Old Spock is the same Spock that the one featured in the prime universe. He is from the 24th Century, and he interacts with young Kirk and Scotty. In the comic book prequel, Star Trek: Countdown, Old Spock and Nero are shown living in the 24th century and interacting with the characters Picard, Data, Worf, etc. Ultimately, Spock is pulled into a black hole at the end of the story, sacrificing himself, with Nero being pulled in as well. We now know that this phenomenon is not a traditional black hole and does serve as a sort of time portal, hence giving a reason as to why Nero and Old Spock are interacting with young Kirk and crew.
Nero is a Romulan from the late 24th century. He and his crew of the Narada served as miners for the Romulan Empire. When a supernova threatens the entire galaxy, he offers his services to Spock so that they might be able to obtain enough material to create "red matter" to contain the supernova. Their actions come too late to save Romulus, and Nero blames Spock and Vulcan for the destruction of his homeworld, and the death of his family. Vowing vengeance, he and his crew get equipment and materials to turn the Narada into a weapon of war, and set out to wreak havoc on the entire galaxy, and take vengeance out on Vulcan. He tries to prevent Spock from launching the red matter into the star that has gone supernova, but arrives too late. He and Spock are both sucked into the black hole which has been created, which takes both of their ships over a century into the past, setting up the events for the current film.
Yes, although this will be the third film in a series of 11. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) and Star Trek: First Contact (1996) both used time travel as a major plot device, not counting Captain Picard's voyage through the Nexus in Star Trek: Generations (1994). However, this is the first film where there is not a return to the future. The major changes brought about by Nero and Spock's trip to the past stay changed, causing an alternative timeline, one that will play out differently from what had been seen in the original series.
The beginning of the movie quickly details the birth of James Tiberius Kirk following the evacuation of the crew, including his very pregnant mother, from the USS Kelvin, where his father has assumed command following the death of Captain Robau at the hands of Nero in 2233. Growing up fatherless, Jim pursues a 22-year path of youthful rebelliousness, eventually meeting Starfleet Captain Christopher Pike and Lt. Nyota Uhura in 2255, who persuade him to enlist in Starfleet Academy, where he makes friends with Dr Leonard McCoy. The main storyline of the the movie takes place three years later in 2258, following Kirk's hearing at Starfleet Academy for cheating on the Kobayashi Maru test. For the rest of the movie, then, Kirk is 25 years old.
No. Klingons do not feature in the film, as Abrams reportedly believes them to be over-used and cliché. Also, in light of the fact that they eventually become allies in later Star Trek series and films, Abrams thought that it would not work to make them enemies again. They do, in a way, figure into the backstory of the film's villain, who is mentioned to have spent time in a Klingon prison. In the theatrical trailer, Nero is seen attempting to escape from two Klingon prison guards wearing helmets, but this scene was cut from the final film. A very quick scene of Klingon ships attacking the Kobayashi Maru in the simulation is shown, but no actual Klingons are on screen.
In the comic book prequel to the movie, Star Trek: Countdown, it is explained that the Romulans shave their heads and tattoo them after their planet and people are destroyed. The shaved heads and markings are explained as a Romulan martial ritual; soldiers having lost their family members will shave and paint themselves as a sign of loss, the markings and baldness fading as the pain subsides. Though Nero and his crew are miners, not soldiers, after seeing their planet destroyed, they decide to effectively assume the roles of soldiers. They decide to permanently tattoo the markings onto themselves to signify that their pain will not fade.
The altered timeline and alternate universe explain why Nimoy's Spock will not have knowledge of all that will happen, but it does leave open the fact that he knows of technology, species and discoveries that are in the future. Just as Scotty revealed future materials manufacturing in The Voyage Home, and as Nimoy's Spock showed Mr. Scott about transwarp teleportation in this movie, there are things that Nimoy's Spock will know about new technologies or alien species (e.g.: the Borg) that will be immensely beneficial to the Federation. Whether he reveals any of this knowledge or not is something that is yet to be answered.
Scotty refers to an accident while experimenting with the transporter, in which the prized beagle of Admiral Archer went missing, which caused him to be sent off to Delta Vega. This part of the movie is situated in the year 2258 AD. Jonathan Archer, who was the captain of the very first Starship Enterprise (NX-01) as seen in the series Star Trek: Enterprise, was born in 2112, and would have been well around 140 years old at the time of this incident. According to some unused script parts from Enterprise, Archer died in the year 2245 at the age of 133 years. Perhaps Scotty did not know Archer himself but only his surviving beagle. In any way, Archer must have reached an incredible age. This is not as impossible as it seems. Remember that this is the future, where Earth has established exchanges with other species, and medical science has advanced enough to cure cancer and significantly extend life spans. Dr. McCoy from The Original Series also made an inspection tour of the Enterprise NCC-1701D at the age of 137. Although, it is possible that Scotty might have been refering to another Admiral Archer, maybe a decendant of Johnathan's who shared his love of beagles. It's up to the individual movie-goer, really.
Almost all of them, including many of the episodes of the original TV series. She played a dark-haired Number One to Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) in the 1966 Star Trek pilot episode, Star Trek: The Cage (#1.0). She then appeared as blonde-haired Nurse Christine Chapell in 33 of the 79 episodes of the original series, Star Trek (1966-1969), and portrayed Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis)'s eccentric mother, Lwaxana Troi, in numerous episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994) and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999). She portrayed Dr Christine Chapell in the first Star Trek movie, Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), and again in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986). Barrett also did several voices, including that of the Enterprise computer, in various episodes of the five TV series--those already mentioned plus Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001) and Enterprise (2001-2005)--as well as the Star Trek movies, including this one.
From the movie, all we know is what Nero says. He claims that the Narada used to be a mining ship. Perhaps the weapons are for basic protection against meteorites, or they are necessary to blow up rocks for mining purposes. Also, remember that the Narada is almost 150 years more advanced than any ship she encounters, so phasers and torpedoes that are light in the 24th century would seem highly advanced for people in the 23rd century. The prequel comic "Countdown" details the outfitting of the Narada with advanced Romulan weapons derived from Borg technology. Romulans are known for their technological superiority, and their distrust towards other species, so it would not be unusual for them to outfit even mining ships with heavy weaponry..In "Countdown," the comic notes that the Narada used to be an old mining ship, but as mentioned above, she gets outfitted with Borg technology. The Romulans in 2387 are planning on building their own Borg super-fleet. What you see of the Narada is entirely Borg technology; the Borg parts of the ship surround the old mining vessel like a protective cocoon. Hence, why the ship is so powerful and is able to destroy a fleet of starships in minutes. The ship, according to "Countdown," has nanoprobes, regenerative abilities, and even the ability to adapt. It does not elaborate whether or not the Narada has transwarp capability.
The answer is not readily available within the movie. One can surmise that Old Spock gave Kirk a quick synopsis of the events without going into too much detail. The only extraordinary detail he provides is that the supernova threatened the entire galaxy, letting us know this may not be a typical event. Again, the comic book prequel "Countdown" explains things somewhat, by showing firstly that the Romulans didn't believe Spock's prediction of the supernova's danger, and secondly that the star went nova before Spock thought it would and was far more powerful than he had predicted, reaching (and destroying) Romulus in a matter of hours instead of his prediction of a few weeks.
The movie does not give a clear answer on whether the black hole created by the red matter has certain preference over what time-frame the Narada and Jellyfish were transported into. It is likely that Nero and older Spock were transported into the era of Commander Spock's and James T. Kirk's rise in Star Fleet to create a more interesting and intricate layer of plot. Realistically, if the black hole acted as a time machine, the likelihood of the Narada being transported exactly from the year 2387 to 2233 is infinitesimal as opposed to any other time at all. Additionally, Spock was transported in time from 2387 to 2258 (25 years after Nero arrived in 2233) This is a peculiar observation if we once again assume that a black hole is capable of time travel throughout any point in time.
George Takei (the original Sulu) explained to director J.J. Abrams that Sulu was intended to represent all of Asia, so using the Korean-America John Cho was acceptable. "Sulu" is not a Japanese surname, at any rate - as a result, in the Japanese dub of the original series, he was depicted as being a native of the Philippines.
The difference is that the first black hole was created far away from any ship. After the initial red matter detonation, an implosion ensues which creates the black hole. A black hole is essentially a point where extreme gravitational forces converge. These forces are so strong that not even light can escape (hence the name 'black hole'). Normal space-time is distorted, which, in this new Star Trek, creates a 'tunnel' through space and time. When a ship enters a black hole from outside, it enters the tunnel, comes out of the other end, and will not be damaged. At least, this is how it works in the new Star Trek universe!The second red matter detonation occurs within the Narada, because Spock's ship had first penetrated the hull. The black hole is consequently created inside the Narada, causing her to be subject to the same devastating gravitational forces as was the planet Vulcan. So the Narada is actually imploding the second time, giving the crew members little to no chance of survival.When Nero destroys Vulcan, he triggers the red matter within the planet's core. Even if a wormhole is created each time the red matter is used, neither the crew of the Narada nor inhabitants of the planet Vulcan would survive, as both the vessel and the planet would be turned inside out in the process.
It is likely that Old Spock will have to do calculations and experiments to figure out exactly what went wrong in his flight. The events of the supernova are events on a cosmic scale, and are unlikely to be altered by Nero's changes to the timeline. Even knowing how to do things correctly, those events are over a century forward of this film's time, and can therefore have no impact on the events of the planned sequels. Also, this Trek takes place in a alternate universe and events will likely unfold very differently to the original Trek universe.
No. The final screen following the credits is a dedication of the movie to Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and his wife, Majel Barrett Roddenberry. Gene died of a cardiac arrest in 1991; Majel died in 2008 of leukemia.
Somewhat, yes.- J.J. Abrams produced Cloverfield and directed Star Trek.- Uhura asks for a Slusho drink form the bar. The fake drink 'Slusho' is featured several times in Cloverfield and was used in the viral marketing for the movie.- Putting the head of the bear-thing that attacked Kirk in the snow and the body of the giant red monster that subsequently attacked him would make a monster similar to that of Cloverfield. These design similarities are mostly due to the fact that all these monsters were designed by the same studio, Bad Robot.
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