Star Trek: 8 Things The Kelvin Timeline Movies Got Wrong

Earth in the Kelvin Timeline feels like a real place, with both San Francisco and London making substantial, street-level appearances in Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness. In fact, most of Into Darkness' third act is set in and above San Francisco, on a garbage truck no less.

Unfortunately, the rest of the Federation doesn't get so much focus. At the start of the first film, Bruce Greenwood's Captain Pike tells young, ruffian Kirk that Starfleet is a "peacekeeping and humanitarian armada", but that's the most explanation the organization gets. The casual audience member doesn't know the Federation from Starfleet and the films have no interest in explaining it.

In the Kelvin Timeline, Star Trek hews much closer to Star Wars style of face value world building. The depth and breadth of the universe left for fans who are already in the know or who choose to seek out descriptions of Vulcan's relationship with Earth, just exactly what the United Federation of Planets is, or even why the Romulans look so much like Vulcans anyway.