Star Trek: 10 Ways The Romulan Supernova Impacted The Multiverse

Fandom can be a fickle thing, and no follower is a saint. When it comes to canon, the hagiographers of Star Trek might prefer to make a few omissions, but the unholiest of truths is that it's not for anyone watching to decide on a whim from up-high what stays in. J.J. Abrams split the viewership as much as he did the universe, but the canonicity of Kelvin, and the supernova that began it, is beyond doubt.

Leave it to Spock - no, really, leave it to Spock - to go solo when the Federation had taken a collective sonic shower after throwing in the replicated towel. 'Red Matter and the Jellyfish' was not a long-lost fable of Aesop or La Fontaine, but the last hope for Romulus. More important than the MacGuffin, however, was the MacGuffin that didn't work in time: single supernova, countless destinies altered, twice the timelines for the price of one cinema ticket.

It's called 'Kelvin' for a reason, and history there took a few different turns after the death of a certain father of James in 2233. Starfleet ships had already become much beefier than their Prime counterparts, but Nero's subsequent attacks on Vulcan and Earth in 2258 bolstered the likes of Admiral Marcus and Section 31 to push for full-scale militarisation in preparation for war with the Klingons. Kelvin Kirk's life was equally different, and he took the circuitous route to the captaincy. Khan also got up way too early on the wrong side of the stasis unit.