Star Trek, J.J. Abrams' 2009 reboot of Gene Roddenberry's fictional universe created some significant changes, and here are the biggest differences between the Prime and Kelvin timelines. Following the devastating destruction of Romulus, an embittered miner named Nero (Eric Bana) traveled back in time, attacking the USS Kelvin and creating an alternate Star Trek reality. The consequences of this event continued to ripple throughout the so-called Kelvin timeline for decades, meaning that history progressed similarly to established Star Trek canon, but with some major changes.
Two of the biggest changes was how Nero's attack on the USS Kelvin impacted a young James T. Kirk (William Shatner), and how it considerably changed the character of Spock (Zachary Quinto). However, there are other huge changes to the timeline that go much further than just the original 2009 film. Here are the 12 biggest ways that Star Trek differs in the three J.J. Abrams movies.
12 Kirk Grew Up Without His Father, George
It's established in Star Trek: The Original Series that Kirk's brother Sam and his family waved him off on his first five-year mission in command of the USS Enterprise. In Star Trek, Spock reveals that Kirk's father George was also present to witness his son's crowning achievement, something his Kelvin Timeline counterpart could never do. Lieutenant Commander George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth) was killed aboard the USS Kelvin when it was attacked by Nero. This drastically changed Kirk's upbringing, grounding him on Earth, whereas his prime counterpart moved to Tarsus IV with his family. It also gave Kirk a more rebellious streak than he had previously, brought about by the strained relationship with his stepfather.
11 Spock & Uhura Were A Couple
While Uhura and Spock once performed a musical duet together, the Abrams Trek movies went considerably further by putting both characters together. In Star Trek: The Original Series, Spock was deeply private when it came to affairs of the heart. He was engaged to T'Pring, and was also the object of Nurse Christine Chapel's affections. The Spock and Uhura relationship was presumably designed to demonstrate that the Kelvin Timeline Spock was more human than his counterpart. It's not a huge stretch to suggest that Kelvin Spock's embracing of his human emotions was a means to maintain his connection to his mother Amanda Grayson (Winona Ryder) after her death.
10 Kirk & Crew Were Cadets Together In Starfleet Academy
In Star Trek: The Original Series, the Enterprise crew all came through the Academy at different times. For example, Hikaru Sulu (George Takei) was undergoing pilot training in the late 2250s/early 2260s, the same time that Spock was serving alongside Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) on the USS Enterprise. In Star Trek (2009) however, the majority of the Enterprise crew - except for Scotty (Simon Pegg) - were fresh-faced recruits on their first mission. Nero's attack on Vulcan brought their first mission forward, and proved to be a valuable training ground for the crew.
9 Spock Instructed In Starfleet Academy, Programmed Kobayashi Maru
Interestingly, in the Prime Star Trek universe, Kirk spent time as an instructor at Starfleet Academy. However, the reckless behavior of the Kelvin Kirk made this an unlikely career move in the Abrams movies. Instead, it was the more methodical, and professional Spock who was an instructor, devising various training simulations. One of these simulations was Starfleet's Kobayashi Maru test, which Spock apparently originated. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan established that it was a rite-of-passage for Starfleet Cadets, rather than the brainchild of Spock. Perhaps the writers misunderstood Spock's role during Lieutenant Saavik's attempt at the infamous no-win scenario in Wrath of Khan.
8 Vulcan Was Destroyed
Vulcan is a hugely important planet in the Prime Star Trek universe, so it was a bold statement of intent to destroy it in the first Abrams movie. The destruction of Vulcan was part of Nero's revenge for the Romulan supernova, and robbed Spock of his mother Amanda, and perhaps even his betrothed, T'Pring. With Vulcan destroyed, it drastically changes Spock's Star Trek story, meaning that he'll never go there to attempt the kohlinahr ritual. The destruction of Vulcan could have brought Spock and Sarek closer together, bonding them in grief. However, the Prime Universe Spock (Leonard Nimoy) felt much more like a father figure to Quinto's version than Sarek did.
7 Kirk Became Captain of The Enterprise At 25
Kirk rapidly rose through the ranks in the lead-up to Star Trek: TOS, rising from Lieutenant to Captain in the space of six years. By the time Kirk took command of the Prime Universe, he was 32, and had proved himself multiple times while serving on the USS Farragut, and elsewhere. However, that's nothing compared to the Kelvin Kirk, who practically went straight to Captain when he was fresh out of the Academy. It was while serving as Spock's first officer during the Nero crisis that Kirk proved himself as a Captain. Despite his age, it would be hard to deny that Kirk wasn't a capable Captain after he defeated Nero and saved Pike.
6 Khan Was Awakened Earlier
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In the Kelvin Timeline, Khan Noonien-Singh (Benedict Cumberbatch) was discovered by Starfleet Intelligence rather than the USS Enterprise. Khan's history as a tyrant and a military leader convinced Admiral Alexander Marcus (Peter Weller) that he could be an asset in the upcoming war against the Klingon Empire. Khan's awakening took place much earlier, as a result of Marcus' search for military assets after the destruction of Vulcan. In the Kelvin Timeline, Khan was discovered in 2258, nine whole years before the Prime Enterprise found the S.S. Botany Bay adrift in space. Khan was returned to suspended animation, reducing the risk of him unleashing his wrath on Kirk and Spock at a later date.
5 Pike Became Admiral & Died
Tragically, Captain Pike didn't become a Star Trek Admiral in the Prime Timeline, due to his tragic accident and retirement to Talos IV. While the Kelvin Timeline's Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) was promoted to Admiral for his role in defeating Nero, he was killed many years before his Prime counterpart's accident. In Star Trek Into Darkness, Pike was killed in the attack on Starfleet Headquarters, which took place in 2259. This is the exact same year that the Prime Pike returns to the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1, proving that while there's tragedy in Pike's future, it could be a lot worse.
4 Kirk & Carol Marcus Didn’t Have A Son
Kirk is still in a relationship with Dr. Carol Marcus (Alice Eve) in Star Trek Into Darkness, it's not on the same level as the one between their Prime counterparts. In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, it was revealed that Kirk and Carol were both dedicated to their careers and ultimately drifted apart. They also had a son together, David Marcus (Merritt Butrick), but Kirk respected Carol's wishes that she not be part of the boy's life. While there's nothing to stop Star Trek 4 revealing that Kirk and Carol also had a son, there is currently no confirmed Kelvin timeline counterpart for David.
3 Sulu Is Gay
Star Trek Beyond revealed that the Kelvin Timeline's Sulu was gay, and had a husband, Ben (Doug Jung) and a daughter. It was a nod by Simon Pegg and Zachary Quinto as a tribute to origina Sulu actor George Takei, who came out as gay in 2005. Takei is a vocal and prominent LGBTQ+ activist, but the actor disagreed with the decision to make Sulu gay, because Gene Roddenberry had created the character as heterosexual. However, it was still a positive move for diversity as, up to that point, Star Trek had a poor track record of prominent LGBTQ+ characters - something that modern Trek is finally making up for on TV.
2 Enterprise Was Destroyed In 2263, Replaced With Enterprise-A
The Kelvin Timeline's original USS Enterprise was destroyed a staggering 22 years before its Prime universe counterpart. In Star Trek Beyond, the Enterprise was only halfway through its five-year mission when it was attacked by a swarm of unstoppable alien ships. This early destruction of the USS Enterprise is more likely a side effect of the need for the Abrams movies to be huge action movie spectacles for a broader audience than a comment on the Kelvin Kirk's skills as Captain. After fighting their way back to Starfleet and defeating Krall, the Enterprise crew were rewarded with the USS Enterprise-A, however to date, their ongoing adventures haven't reached theaters.
1 Kelvin Timeline Is Aware Of Prime Timeline (But Not Vice Versa)
A throwaway gag in Star Trek: Lower Decks hints that the prime TNG era's aware of Star Trek's Kelvin timeline, but the TOS era is unaware of its existence. Thanks to the older Spock, Starfleet is aware of their own alternate future. For example, a moving scene at the end of Star Trek Beyond sees Kelvin Spock look at one of his elder counterpart's prized possessions - a framed photo of the older Enterprise crew. It reveals to Spock that he's made friends for life, and their adventuring will continue for decades to come. Hopefully, theater audiences will get to see those adventures continue in future Star Trek movies at some point in the near future.