Star Trek: 8 Things The Kelvin Timeline Movies Got Right

"Souped up" and "badass" aren't words generally associated with Star Trek's more stately fleet of ships. But JJ Abrams' dictum that the Enterprise be a hot rod pushed the classic, comfortable design of the iconic starship into a streamlined, muscular new form.

Designed by Ryan Church, the Kelvin Timeline Enterprise is an immediately recognizable, bold image that (like the characters) matured over the course of the trilogy. By the time of Star Trek Beyond, designer Sean Hargreaves had tweaked the ship to be more elegant, fitting the more grown up feel of the crew themselves.

While the Enterprise herself might've been a departure from previous incarnations, the films also featured starships firmly rooted in Star Trek's history: Both the USS Kelvin and the USS Franklin recall Star Trek's earlier ships, while featuring distinctive configurations.

And of course there's Star Trek Into Darkness' USS Vengeance: The "Black Enterprise", the Decepticon of starships. A forbearer to Star Trek: Discovery's USS Discovery and Section 31's Stealth Ship, the Vengeance is a twisted, angular version of the sleek Enterprise that remains a beautiful, aggressive feat of production design.