10 Times Star Trek Hit The Reset Button

Without a doubt, Star Trek needed something new to save it from fading away into memory as the early '00s went on. While the hardcore fans (myself included) would continue to watch all previous series on repeat for all time, the franchise was less attractive for newcomers, as there was no promise of new material to digest.

Along came J.J. Abrams, fresh from his massive success that was Lost. He was hired to make the next Star Trek film, which audiences quickly discovered was going to be a prequel.

Star Trek did for the franchise what The Motion Picture had done back in 1979. It both breathed a new life into what had, objectively, become a stale franchise, while also honouring everything that had come before. Characters returned, either as major stars or in smaller cameos, and the Kelvin Universe films would become box office smashes in their own right, even if each successive film was a little less successful than its predecessor.

Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, along with Zoe Saldana, became an instantly likeable trio of heroes to root for. They were younger than their television counterparts and therefore a little easier for new audiences to relate to. The technology on board the Enterprise was updated to reflect more modern innovations, drawing ire from some long-term fans while undoubtedly serving to create a new ship for the times.

Star Trek 2009 was an enormous success, rejuvinating the franchise and winning an entirely new generation of fans, thus ensuring a continued Trek presence for several years to come.