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Summary FAQ

How is it ‘probable’ that it will be a Kirk ‘origin story’ in the TOS era
Director J.J. Abrams confirmed that James T. Kirk will is a character in the film and there have also been several hints about this from those close to the production. As for the ‘Kirk’s first mission’ plotline, this is an unconfirmed rumor, so it is less certain.

Will it fit with Star Trek History (canon)?
Yes.
The writer/producers (Abrams, Orci and Kurtzman) as well as star Leonard Nimoy have repeatedly said they will respect Trek history and canon.

Does ‘Trek canon’ allow for Kirk and Spock meeting before the Original Series?
Yes.
First it is not yet clear if the film will be set before the 5 year mission or not, but if so, there is nothing in established canon that would contradict meeting before.

How much is known about Kirk and Spock before the Original Series?
A few tidbits with some big gaps
There are 14 years to cover from the Academy to Kirk’s promotion to captain. A few events are known (such as Kirk’s solution to the Kobiashi Maru at the Academy or his being a Lieutenant on the USS Farragut), but for the most part there are large gaps where there is nothing known, including the 7 years immediately prior to the Original Series and its ‘5 year mission’. These gaps give the writers ample opportunities to work with.

Is it based on the unused ‘Academy movie’ story that Harve Bennet (Producer of the first five Trek films) developed for for STVI?
No.
What happened to the previously rumored Star Trek XI projects
John Logan and Brent Spiner who co-wrote the story for Star Trek Nemesis had stated they had a ‘crossover’ sequel planned, but after Nemesis failed at the box office this was not persued. In 2005 Paramount (through producer Jordon Kerner) commissioned a new ‘Romulan War’ script with Erik Jendresen, but after it (Star Trek: The Beginning) was submitted the project stalled. The announcement of the JJ Abrams film effectively negated the Kerner project.

Why a TOS film instead of another TNG film? (or even a new cast and crew)
The short answer is this is the story that Abrams (and his writers) want to tell.

Clearly Paramount had lost faith in Rick Berman and the rest of the Trek team (and possibly casts) and they have quite a lot of faith in Abrams. In addition Abram’s deal with Paramount gives him an unprecedented amount of creative control, including final cut. It is important to note that after the failures of both Star Trek Enterprise and Star Trek Nemesis the franchise was essentially dormant until JJ Abrams made it clear to Paramount that if they wanted him, he wanted Trek. Even though it may be Abrams idea, Paramount probably see it as a ‘get back to basics’ origin story along the lines of Warner’s Batman Begins, MGM’s Bond ‘restart’ Casino Royale and Fox’s 3 Star Wars prequels.

But "Star Trek Enterprise" was canceled and it was a prequel so doesn’t that mean a prequel film will fail too.
Enterprise did not fail because it was a prequel. In fact after being promoted as a prequel, Enterprise began with much higher ratings than the previous Trek series (Star Trek Voyager). In addition, ST:XI will be a ‘true prequel’ to the Original Series and its iconic characters.