As the Federation Starship U.S.S. Kelvin, NCC 0514 investigates a unusual gravitational anomaly a strange ship emerges from what the bridge crew describes as a lighting storm and opens fire with torpedoes. "Prepare shuttles for evacuation" orders Captain Robau as the ship suffers heavy damage.
A communication is received from the attacking ship strongly requesting that the Kelvin's captain come aboard their ship via shuttlecraft to negotiate a cease-fire.
Captain Robau orders his second officer Kirk to put the Kelvin on autopilot and evacuate the crew, if he does not report back within 15 minutes.
Aboard the alien vessel Captain Robau is asked to identify a hologram of a strange ship and to divulge the location of Ambassador Spock. He denies any knowledge of either. He is then asked what the current stardate is. When Robau replies Stardate 223304, he is killed by Ayel, the first officer on the Narada. {I assume that this is actually 2233.04, much closer to the established Star Trek canon}
The attack on the Kelvin resumes and Kirk orders the ship evacuated. His pregnant wife Winona contacts him and Says "George, the baby is coming." She makes it to medical shuttle 37 but Kirk can't leave because the autopilot has been destroyed and somebody has to fight off the enemy.
Kirk mans the weapons, destroying enemy torpedoes and protecting the escaping shuttles as his wife gives birth on shuttle 37. Kirk sets a collision course with the attacking ship and then discusses names for his new son with his wife Winona. She decides on Jim, after her father and Tiberies after his father.
A young Jim Kirk is shown racing down a country road in an antique Corvette. He released the convertible top at 70 MPH -- with predictable results -- and then crashes the car over a cliff while trying to evade a RoboCop on a motorcycle. {So begins the legion of Kirk the Jerk!}
On Vulcan we see a young Spock studying when approached by three schoolmates who taunt him because of his ancestry. There is a fight follow by separate conversations with Spock's father and his mother at different ages.
An older Spock is accepted into the Vulcan Science Academy despite his "Disadvantages".
Faced with the obvious discrimination of the selection council, he declines admission if favor of Star Fleet Academy.
In a bar, Jim tries to pick up Uhura and ends up losing a fight with four of her academy classmates. Captain Pike, a friend of Jim's father, intervenes and asks Kirk to enlist in Starfleet. Kirk is reluctant and finds the suggestion laughable. "Now," Pike says, "your father was captain of a starship for 12 minutes. He saves 800 lives including your mother's. And yours. I dare you to do better". {This is a very large crew for such an early ship. The crew complement of the original Enterprise NCC 1701 was only 430 people.}
The next day Kirk shows up at the Riverside Shipyard where the U.S.S. Enterprise is under construction. He arrives on a futuristic motorcycle with no visible support for the wheels and sounded like a pod-racer from Star Wars. "Nice ride man", a construction worker says. "It's yours" says Kirk throwing him the key. "Four years," says Pike. "I'll do it in three" says Kirk as he boards a Starfleet shuttle full of academy cadets and recruits.
He is joined by another recruit, Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy, who complains about his ex-wife, space flight and other paranoid palter.
As the shuttle departs, it flies by the U.S.S. Enterprise under construction.
{I don't understand the departure from the established canon by having a terrestrial shipyard when the ships of this time were constructed in space and were not capable of flying in the atmosphere. Even in an Alternative Time Line it is a stretch to have a technological breakthrough of that magnitude. I would like to have seen a Starfleet staging area with flatbed shuttles ferrying large pieces of the Enterprise up to an orbital assembly station or space dock.}
Three years later we see the Romulan ship that killed Kirk's father in space. Captain Nero of the Narada is called to the bridge.
As Ambassador Spock's ship emerges from a temporal vortex, Nero orders the crew to capture the ship as it warbles through space making a sound reminiscent of a Star Wars vessel.
At Starfleet Academy Bones and Kirk discuss Jim's third attempt to pass the Kobayashi Maru test.
As Jim and Gaila, an Orion with a beautiful green complexion, are making love, her roommate Uhura comes in and starts changing her clothes. As Uhura discusses an emergence Klingon signal she intercepted in the lab, she discovers Jim under the bed and kicks him out of the room.
During the Kobayashi Maru test, Kirk is nonchalant as he buffoons his way through the test not taking anything seriously. As the Klingons open fire, Kirk refuses to return fire as he picks up an apple and crunches into it. The simulation goes blank for a moment and then resets. When the Klingon's shields mysteriously go down, Kirk order the crew to fire one photon, and only one, at each of the Klingon ships as he continues to crunch his way through the apple. As Kirk struts around slurping his apple, taking finger shots at the Klingons while congratulating himself like a vacuous jerk, the test administrator asks Spock "How the hell did that kid beat your test."
Admiral James Komack, convenes an administrative session regarding Kirk's violation of Starfleet's ethical code of conduct. Commander Spock testifies that Kirk installed and activated a subroutine in the Kobayashi Maru test's code. While Kirk is berated by Spock the hearing is interrupted. A distress call has been received from Vulcan and all cadets are ordered to report to hanger one immediately.
{This is a real disappointment. Here Abrams had an opportunity to extend the Star Trek mythology with a clever and believable Kobayashi Maru test. Instead we get a farce, a cheap joke too berate the Star Trek legacy and further establish the legend of Kirk the Jerk.}
In hanger one all available cadets are assigned to the few Starships available to render assistance to Vulcan, all except Kirk who is on academic suspension.
Uhura confronts Spock who has assigned her to the U.S.S. Farragut. She berates him for the assignment and demands to be assigned to the U.S.S. Enterprise revealing a history with Spock.
Bones, injects Kirk with a vaccination against Malvaran mud fleas that gives him symptoms of a viral infection. When Kirk is denied entrance to the Enterprise, Bones bullies their way onto the Enterprise as Kirk's attending physician who can't abandon his patient.
They board the Enterprise docked at a space station. The Enterprise leaves on her maiden voyage under command of Captain Pike with Commander Spock serving as first officer. Pike orders the fleet's newest flagship to warp, but it will not engage. Sulu eventually gets the Enterprise to engage with help from Spock.
Chekov makes a ship wide announcement that at 20:00 hours, telemetry from the Neutral Zone detected what appeared to be a lighting storm in space. Soon after, Starfleet received a distress call from the Vulcan High Command that their planet was experiencing seismic activity and that the Enterprise's mission is to assess the conditions on Vulcan and render assistance.
In sick bay Jim, swollen and sick from the vaccination, hears the phrase "lighting storm in space" and realizes they are flying into a trap. He rushes of to find Uhura as Bones tags along sticking needles into him. "The transmission from the Klingon prison planet", Kirk slurs with a swollen tongue, "Who exactly was responsible and was the ship Romulan?" "Yes", Uhura confirms.
Above Vulcan a mining platform from the Romulan vessel Narada is shown drilling into the crust of Vulcan with an energy beam. The planet reacts violently as the seven Starfleet ships approach Vulcan.
"Captain Pike," yells Jim as he rushes onto the bridge, "we have to stop the ship. Vulcan is not suffering a natural disaster; it's being attacked by Romulans!" Berated by Pike and Spock, Kirk is finally aloud to explain that the same ship that destroyed the U.S.S. Kelvin on the day of his birth was responsible for the attack. Kirk explains: Near the Klingon Neutral Zone at 23:00 hours last night there was an attack where forty-seven Klingon warbirds were destroyed by a single Romulan ship. Uhura confirms the information to Pike. "The Romulans are waiting for us," Kirk tells Pike, "I promise you that."
Pike orders Uhura to look for any Romulan transmissions and to contact the other six starships.
"No transmutations of any kind, sir." "Shields up. Red alert." Pike orders as the Enterprise approaches Vulcan.
The Enterprise drops out of warp amid the wreckage of the six starships that preceded them and is attacked by the Romulan mining vessel Narada. As the Enterprise takes heavy damage, Captain Nero of the Narada, realizes it is the Enterprise and halts the attack. Pike is ordered to take a shuttle craft to the Narada for negotiations. Pike asks for officers who have been trained in advanced hand-to-hand combat. Sulu & Kirk volunteer.
Aboard the Narada, First Officer Ayel prepares the "Red Matter".
Pike orders Mr. Sulu, Mr. Kirk and Engineer Olson (in a red tunic) to space-jump from a shuttle to the mining device. Spock is left in command and Kirk is promoted to first officer.
The three jump from the shuttle, pulling their chutes at the last minute. Olson pulls his chute late, lands hot, and slides off the platform; red shirt and all. Kirk lands and activates his chute retrieval mechanism which sucks his chute back into it's pack just as a Romulan opens a hatch and climes out. Sulo overshoots the platform but his chute snags on the platform. He uses his chute retrieval mechanism to pull him up, pulls his dagger -- which unfolds into a Samurai sword -- dispatches one of the Romulans, then the other, saving Kirk. Without Olson's explosive charges, they grab the Romulan "Projectile" weapons and fire on the platform's hub. It works.
On the Enterprise Captain Spock orders Chekov to take gravitational readings of Vulcan to find out what the Romulans are doing to the planet now that the enemy's jamming signal is down.
Aboard the Narada, Ayel reports that the drill has been sabotaged but it has reached Vulcan's core. "Launch the red matter," orders Captain Nero.
Chekov reports that the gravitational readings are off the scale. "They're creating a singularity that will consume the planet." Spock leaves to evacuate the Vulcan High Council. "Can't you beam them out?" asks Uhura. "It is impossible, says Spock. "They will be in the Katrac ark."
Narada retrieves the drilling platform knocking Kirk and Sulu off, but they are beamed back to the Enterprise at the last minute.
Spock beams to the surface, enters the Katrac ark and tries to rescues his parents and several others; however, his mother is lost. Vulcan implodes as the Enterprise speeds away.
On Stardate 2258.42, a morose Acting Captain Spock logs that Vulcan has been destroyed along with most of its six billion inhabitants. {According to established stardate convention this is only 44 days after Kirk was born. i.e. One Earth-day is slightly less than one Star-day. Abrams should have hired a technical consultant to clean up these minor inconsistencies.}
Spock enters the turbo-lift followed by Uhura. They embrace passionately and Uhura asks, "What do you need? Tell me." "I need everyone," says Spock "to continue performing admirably." "Ok" she says as they embrace again.
"I need the subspace frequencies," says Nero aboard the Narada "of Starfleet's border Protection grids, specifically those surrounding Earth." "No," responds Pike, strapped to an interrogation table. "You answer for the genocide you just committed against a peaceful planet." Nero explains how in his time his wife and expectant child were killed when Romulus was split in half while Spock betrayed them and the federation did nothing. For 25 years Nero has suffered the pain that every surviving Vulcan now feels as he planed his revenge. His plan is to save the planet he loves and create a Romulus that is free of the Federation. "That is why I will destroy all the remaining Federation planets." Pike refuses to divulge the frequencies. Using long tweezers, Nero removes a Centaurian slug that latch on to one's brain stem and force the victim to answer. Pike's mouth is forced open and the creature is dropped in.
As Kirk, Spock and Bones argue over strategy, Spock deduces that Nero is from the future and that he disrupted the time line, starting with the destruction of the U.S.S. Kelvin. Spock order Sulu to plot a course for the Laurentian system to join with the rest of Starfleet. Kirk argues that they must rescue Pike and destroy Nero. He orders Spock not to go backwards. Spock orders him removes from the bridge. Kirk breaks away from two security guards and Spock disables him with a Vulcan nerve pinch, then orders Kirk removed from the ship. He is placed in an escape pod and ejected onto a passing planet.
Kirk lands on Delta Vega, a glacial Class M Planet with a Starfleet outpost 14 kilometers from the landing site. As Kirk heads northwest a large Wolf-like beast runs towards him. At the last minute an even larger monster devours the beast. {Reminiscent of "there is always a larger fish" from Star wars Episode 1. Also of the BEM, Bug Eyed Monsters; a bit of nostalgia from the late 30's to the early 50's.}
Kirk is chased into a cave where a future Spock appears waving a torch that scares the monster away. He recognized Kirk and greets him as his friend. "Bullshit!" replies Kirk. Spock mind-melds with Kirk and explains: One hundred twenty-nine years from now a star will go supernova and threaten to destroy the galaxy. {A few star-systems, maybe, but not the galaxy} I promised the Romulans that I would save their planet using "Red Matter" to create a black-hole and absorb the exploding star. I was too late to save Romulus but I did manage to stop the supernova. On my way back I met Nero, the last of the Romulan Empire. Both of our ships were pulled through the black-hole; Nero first then me 25 years later. What was years for Nero was only seconds for me. Nero captured my vessel and marooned me here so I could observe his vengeance and suffer his pain when he destroyed Vulcan.
"Where you came from," asks Kirk, did I know my father?" "Yes," Spock answers. "You often spoke of him as being your inspiration for joining Starfleet. He proudly lived to see you become Captain of the Enterprise."
As the Enterprise arrives at the Laurentian system Dr. McCoy reports to Spock. Spock acknowledges that it must have been difficult for the doctor to support him. Given permission to speak freely, Bones asks "Are you out of your Vulcan mind?" Exiling your best man! Spock is unimpressed.
Spock and Kirk jog to the Starfleet outpost where they meet a small alien who leads them to the command center. "Fascinating," says Spock, "You are Montgomery Scott." Scotty explains that the was assigned to the outpost as punishment for attempting to test a new "transwarp" transporter theory by transporting Admiral Archer's prize beagle, which never reappeared. Spock says that his theory was correct. It is possible to transport people between planets or at warp speed and shows the formula to him.
Spock explains that he must stay behind and that Jim must take command of the Enterprise. "There is Starfleet regulation 619," says Spock, "that states that any commanding officer who is emotional compromised by the mission at hand must resign said command." We have just lost our planet, and we are emotional compromised. You must get Spock to resins as Captain of the Enterprise.
Kirk and Scotty transport from the command center to the Enterprise traveling at warp speed, someplace in the Laurentian system light years away.
{One of Gene Roddenberry's cardinal rules was that the transporter has an effective range of 40,000 kilometers. That rule has held through all of the series and movies until now. It was a good rule that forced a writer to think instead of waving a magic-wand and transporting a character between star-systems. Roddenberry once stated in an interview, who needs starships if you can instantly transport any one to any destination at any distance at any
time.
What would I have done? Some time after Spock maroons Kirk he
contacts Starfleet and warns them that the Romulan mining vessel Narada is
heading for Earth. Admiral Archer rebukes Spock's plan to join with the fleet in the
Laurentian system and orders him to turn around. Spock is ordered to pursue
the Romulan ship, to report on its progress and take advantage of any opportunity
to rescue Captain Pile, or to delay or destroy the vessel. Spock
turns the Enterprise around and as they pass by the planet Delta Vega at high warp,
Scotty and Kirk beam aboard.}
They land on the Enterprise; however, Scotty is trapped inside a huge, transparent water pipe heading for a large turbine pump until Kirk finds a relief valve to free him.
{This is another gag that just doesn't fit. A water system large enough to satisfy Manhattan Island is not needed on a Starship. I would have preferred to see them materialize in a shower room next to some pretty young woman -- rank not visible anywhere at all! -- who chases them out of the shower into a workout room with some futurists exercise equipment.}
Chekov, detects their presents and Spock orders Security to bring them to the bridge.
On the bridge Spock asks how they managed to beam aboard the vessel while traveling at warp speed. Kirk is belligerent and Scotty is mystified by the exchange. "Are you a member of Starfleet?" Spock asks Scotty. "Yes," he replies, "Can I get a towel, please?" Kirk continues to rebuke and frustrate Spock by pointing out that his planet is destroyed, his mother is dead and he doesn't give a damn! Spock loses control and attacks Kirk. "Spock!" yell his father as Spock chokes Kirk. Spock, releases Kirk and regains control of himself, then relinquishes his command of the ship because he is emotional compromised.
Kirk assumes command and orders a pursuit course of the enemy ship to Earth.
Spock's father talks to him and helps him understand that some times you have to follow your emotions. He confesses that he married Spock's mother not because it was logical, but because he loved her!
Chekov comes up with a plan to hide behind one of Saturn's moons so they can beam aboard the Narada as it passes Saturn. Spock reenters the bridge and supports Chekov's plan.
"Prepare the drill," orders Captain Nero as the Narada orbits Earth over San Francisco.
Sulu
gets them to the proper position above Saturn's moon Titan. Kirk orders Sulu to fire on the Narada if he thinks he has a tactical advantage even if he and Spock are still onboard. Then Kirk joins Spock on the transporter pad as Spock is locked in a long passionate kiss with Uhura.
Spock and Kirk are transported onto the Narada in an area filled with Romulans.
{Again with the magic transporter. The mean distance from Earth to Saturn is
1216 billion
meters. At light speed -- 299,792,458 meters per second -- that's
4056.139 light seconds or 1.1267 light hours from Earth.
What would I have done? When Spock realizes that they arrived too late
to intercept the Narada he orders the Enterprise to go to warp-five (Warp 5 is 53 or 125 time
the speed of light) for precisely
3.449 seconds towards the Narada. When they drop out of warp, the
Enterprise is to create a diversion by open fire with all weapons for one
concentrated volley on the Narada's bridge while transport Spock and Kirk into
the cargo bay at the other end of the ship before retreating to wait for
orders to retrieve Spock, Kirk and hopefully Captain Pike.}
There is a running battle with the Romulans. Kirk switched his phaser to stun, shoots a Romulan and covers Spock as he mind-melds with the unconscious Romulan in an attempt to locate the black-hole device and Captain Pike.
The drill starts boring into San Francisco Bay as Starfleet cadets rush to watch it.
On the Enterprise, Uhura reports that she has lost contact with Spock and Kirk.
Spock and Kirk arrive at Ambassador Spock's captured ship containing the "Red Matter". The ship recognizes Spock and fires up when he sits in the command chair. "Fascinating." he says as Kirk leaves the ship and Spock pilots it through the interior of the Narada.
Kirk spots Captain Nero and covers him with his phaser just as he is blind-sided by Nero's first officer Ayel. Nero rushes over and starts beating on Kirk as Spock blasts his way out of the Narada. Captain Nero recognizes Kirk and says "I am going to deprive you of your life just like I did your father."
Spock destroys the drill and when its destruction is reported to Captain Nero, he rushes off to contact Spock. When Spock rebuts him, Nero orders Spock destroyed. Spock goes to warp and Nero orders his ship to pursue him.
Kirk battles Ayel who grabs him by the throat and lifts him of the deck. Kirk mumbles something.
"What," asks Ayel as he loosens his grip. "I've got your gun!" Kirk replies as he blast's him.
Spock drops out of warp and turns to intercept the Narada as it drops out of warp and opens fire. Spock blasts through a burgage of torpedoes on a collision course with the Narada. The Enterprise arrives and
opens up on the Narada.
Kirk locates Pike and starts to free him from the interrogation table when Pike grabs his phaser and blasts two Romulans rushing them. With Pike free, Kirk Orders, "Enterprise, now!" just as Spock closes in on the Narada's bridge.
Pike, Kirk and Spock appear on the Enterprise's transporter pad.
"Captain," says Chekov, as Kirk and Spock enter the bridge, "the enemy ship is losing power! Their shields are down, sir." "Hale them now," orders Kirk as the "Red Matter" coalesces and then explodes, creating a singularity.
{The nucleus of a black-hole.}
"This is James T. Kirk of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Your ship is compromised." When Kirk offers to provide assistance, Spock takes him aside and asks him what he is doing. "Showing them compassion... It's logic, Spock. I thought you'd like that." "No, not really," Spock replies with a shrug. "Not this time."
Captain Nero refuses with a long bitter speech. Kirk smiles and orders, "Arm Phasers, fire everything we've got." The Narada is destroyed and sucked into the singularity.
"Captain, we're caught in the gravity well! It's got us!" Reports Scotty, as the Enterprise attempts to go to warp. As cracks appear in the inner hull Scotty says "... If we eject the core and detonate, the blast may be enough to push us away." A half a dozen warp cores are seen ejecting from the Enterprise; they detonate and the Enterprise is pushed free.
"Father!" says Commander Spock now back on Earth. "I am not our
father," says Ambassador Spock as he turns, approaches Spock and explains his motivation for not beaming onto the Enterprise with Kirk and Scotty and how Kirk's and Spock's futures are intertwined on the Enterprise.
"This assembly calls Captain James Tiberius Kirk." says Admiral James Komack -- in the same hall as the administrative session regarding Kirk's violation of Starfleet's ethical code of conduct.
Kirk receives a commendation and is ordered to report to Admiral Pike on the U.S.S. Enterprise as his relief and Captain of the Enterprise.
On Board the Enterprise the newly formed crew greets their Captain. The
turbo-lift door opens; Spock steps out and requests permission to come aboard
then submits his candidacy for first officer.
The Enterprise departs to a familiar voice over by Ambassador Spock as the Starship departs to explore "strange new worlds" in the sequel.
