Star Trek (film)

Star Trek (film)

Star Trek is a 2009 American science fiction action film directed by J. J. Abrams, written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is the eleventh film of the Star Trek film franchise and features the main characters of the original Star Trek television series, portrayed by a new cast. The film follows James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) aboard the USS Enterprise as they combat Nero (Eric Bana), a Romulan from their future who threatens the United Federation of Planets. The story takes place in an alternate reality due to time travel by both Nero and the original Spock (Leonard Nimoy). The alternate timeline was created in an effort to free the film and the franchise from established continuity constraints while simultaneously preserving original story elements.

Development for Star Trek originated in 1968, when creator Gene Roddenberry announced plans to produce a prequel modeled after the television series. The concept resurfaced temporarily in the late 1980s, when it was postulated by Harve Bennett as a possible plotline for the movie that would become Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, but was rejected in lieu of other projects by Roddenberry. Following the critical and commercial failure of Star Trek: Nemesis and the cancellation of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise, franchise executive producer Rick Berman and screenwriter Erik Jendresen wrote an unproduced film, titled Star Trek: The Beginning, which would take place after Enterprise. After the split between Viacom and CBS Corporation, former Paramount president Gail Berman convinced CBS to produce a feature film. Orci and Kurtzman, both fans of the Star Trek series, were approached to write the film and Abrams was approached to direct it. Kurtzman and Orci used inspiration from novels and graduate school dissertations as well as the series itself.

Principal photography commenced on November 7, 2007 and ended on March 27, 2008. The film was shot in various locations around California and Utah. Abrams wanted to avoid using bluescreen and greenscreen, opting to use sets and locations instead. Heavy secrecy surrounded the film's production and was under the fake working title Corporate Headquarters. Industrial Light & Magic used digital ships for the film, as opposed to the previous films in the franchise. Production for the film concluded by the end of 2008.

Star Trek was heavily promoted the months preceding its release; prerelease screenings for the film premiered in select cities around the world including Austin, Texas, Sydney, Australia, and Calgary, Alberta. It was released in the United States and Canada on May 8, 2009, to very positive reviews. Critics praised the character development as well as the storyline in the film. Star Trek became a box office success, grossing over $385.7 million worldwide. It was nominated for several awards, including four Academy Awards at the 82nd Academy Awards, ultimately winning in the category for Best Makeup, making it the first Star Trek film to win an Academy Award. The DVD and Blu-ray for the film were released on November 17, 2009.

Following the success of the film, its cast members signed on for two sequels, making Star Trek the first of a planned trilogy. A sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness, is set for release on May 17, 2013 with Abrams returning as director and Orci and Kurtzman returning as screenwriters (with the addition of Star Trek producer Damon Lindelof as screenwriter).