Star Trek: Is There A Place For The Kelvin Timeline Anymore?
J.J. Abrams blasted the franchise back to life in 2009 but two sequels later has it sputtered out?
When J.J. Abrams took over the reigns in 2008/2009 for Star Trek, the Trek franchise was in a pretty sire state. The most recent film had bombed at the box office, causing lead actor Tom Hardy to spiral into a deep depression and the cast of The Next Generation to end their run on a low. Along with this, Enterprise had been cancelled at the end of its fourth season, making it the first live action series since The Original Series to have been cut down early.
The world had moved on from Star Trek. The movie landscape that Star Trek Nemesis had attempted to do business in was already something drastically different from that which had served First Contact and, to a lesser extent, Insurrection so well. The slow space operas of The Motion Picture were a thing of the distant past and it seemed that Star Trek itself was due to join them.
So, when Abrams was announced to be directing a reboot of the Original Series, there was hesitation and pause. Where would this go? Was this going to be your Daddy's Star Trek? Looking at the world of the late '00s and the world of today, let's see how it has changed since the arrival of Star Trek 2009.
7. Abrams Was Not A Trekkie
Interviewed by The New York Times in 2009, Abrams spoke about the fact that he was not necessarily a Star Trek fan when he took on the directing role. He approached the project with a relatively blank slate, which allowed him to avoid pandering to crowds.
He described the earlier incarnations of Star Trek as being a little inaccessible to new audiences, as they believed from the off that all viewers would care about all characters. This was an approach he decided not to take with this film.
Whether that came across in the finished product, the intention to Star Trek 2009 was to bring modern audiences into the world of James T. Kirk and Spock. This was really the first on-screen origin story for the crew (apart from back stories littered throughout the franchise).
The action was dialled up to 11 and the USS Enterprise was turbo-charged. This was a decision that left some fans of the older style Trek in the cold, seeing these younger views wrapped and their Star Trek. But the gamble paid off - Star Trek 2009 took in just under $386million at the box office, securing a sequel quickly.