Summary
- Abrams' 2009 Star Trek reboot revived the franchise after a hiatus, marking the start of a new era.
- The success of the film ensured Star Trek still had mass appeal and opened the door for new content.
- While Abrams' approach missed classic Trek themes, his high-octane reboot paved the way for modern Star Trek.
When longtime Star Trek fans think of J.J. Abrams, the reaction tends to fall somewhere between a resigned sigh and an outright warp core breach. Yes, Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek Beyond split fandom like a bat’leth through a redshirt, but there's one thing some forget. Without Abrams, there might not have been any more Star Trek at all.
After Star Trek: Enterprise wrapped in 2005, the franchise went dark. No new shows. No new movies. No new boldly going anywhere. That hadn’t happened since the late 70s. For years, Star Trek was in a cryogenic sleep pod, floating listlessly through the cosmos of nostalgia and reruns. And then came Abrams — lens flares, flippant continuity, and all. He didn’t just reboot the USS Enterprise; he reignited Starfleet and the whole franchise.
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Star Trek's Hiatus
Nemesis Was the Deathnail, Enterprise Was the End
By the time Star Trek: Enterprise ended with a whimper in “These Are the Voyages…” in 2005, the franchise was exhausted. Viewership had dropped, stories had gotten stale, and even the most dedicated fans were wondering if the Federation needed a break. But the cracks had started showing earlier — specifically with Star Trek: Nemesis in 2002.
Despite a cast led by TNG legends Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner, and the intriguing (if undercooked) addition of a young clone villain played by Tom Hardy, Nemesis was a box office failure and critical flop. It earned just $67 million worldwide on a budget of $60 million, making it the lowest-grossing film in Star Trek history. It also marked the end of The Next Generation crew’s time on the big screen, at least for nearly two decades.
So, by 2005, with Enterprise off the air and no new movies on the docket, Star Trek had vanished from the mainstream. Abrams’ first film didn’t release until 2009, which meant there was a seven-year drought of new entries in the franchise and four years of total radio silence. The franchise was adrift in space, with its reputation at an all-time low. Paramount had no plans for a new series. The movie division had iced any potential scripts after Nemesis tanked, despite the Romulans giving it their best shot. Star Trek needed a new face. Or maybe several new faces. Maybe it needed new everything.
The 2009 Star Trek Reboot Changed Everything
When Paramount handed the keys of the Enterprise to J.J. Abrams — then best known for Lost and Alias — the move raised eyebrows to Vulcan heights. Abrams wasn’t a Star Trek guy, he was a Star Wars guy. But he was also a guy who knew how to sell a story with a great hook. And more importantly, he had clout.
In Star Trek (2009), Abrams cast Hollywood heartthrob Chris Pine as Captain Kirk and threw canon out the airlock. The movie opens with the destruction of the USS Kelvin and the death of George Kirk (played by Chris Hemsworth in a prophetic bit of casting). This event created an alternate timeline — dubbed the Kelvin Timeline — which gave Abrams and his team carte blanche to rewrite Star Trek without erasing what had come before. It was a bold move, but not one that many Trekkies liked. After all, this film wasn’t just going to be sold to the dwindling niche Star Trek audience — it was going to be marketed to everyone.
The movie was sleek and fast. Kirk’s arc had some heart. Spock’s internal conflict felt dangerous. The Enterprise bridge looked like an Apple Store with photon torpedoes. Yes, there were lens flares, but there was also money…so much money.
Box Office Success Proved Star Trek Still Had Mass Appeal
Abrams’ Star Trek earned an incredible $385 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing Trek film at that point. It earned 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. New fans poured into theaters. People who couldn’t tell a Klingon from a Tribble suddenly cared about Starfleet, and a new generation of Trek fans was born.
Post-2000 Trek Movie Box Office Comparison
| Movie Title | Release Year | Worldwide Gross | Director | Studio | Lead Actor |
| Star Trek: Nemesis | 2002 | $67 million | Stuart Baird | Paramount Pictures | Patrick Stewart |
| Star Trek (2009) | 2009 | $385 million | J.J. Abrams | Paramount/Bad Robot | Chris Pine |
| Star Trek Into Darkness | 2013 | $467 million | J.J. Abrams | Paramount/Bad Robot | Chris Pine |
| Star Trek Beyond | 2016 | $343 million | Justin Lin | Paramount/Bad Robot | Chris Pine |
Perhaps most importantly, Abrams proved to Paramount execs that Star Trek could still compete with the big guns of sci-fi. This wasn’t a niche intellectual property for convention-goers anymore. This was popcorn blockbuster territory. And while longtime fans had plenty of gripes — Khan was whitewashed; the science was fuzzy; everyone rolled their eyes at the transwarp beaming nonsense — the cash registers were undeniable.
The Kelvin Timeline Paved the Way for Star Trek’s Streaming Era
J.J. Abrams reminded Hollywood and filmgoers alike that Star Trek still mattered. His reboot opened the door for a whole new wave of Trek content:
- Star Trek: Discovery (2017): A bold, high-concept prequel series that embraced serialized storytelling and sparked debate across the fandom.
- Star Trek: Picard (2020): Sir Patrick Stewart returns, older, wiser, and dealing with the aftermath of Romulus’s destruction — a plot point straight from the Abrams additions.
- Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020): An irreverent animated comedy aimed at superfans that digs deep into franchise lore.
- Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022): A back-to-basics show about exploration featuring Anson Mount’s Captain Pike, who first appeared in Discovery.
- Star Trek: Prodigy (2021): Aimed at younger audiences but still steeped in Trek canon, with Kate Mulgrew returning as Hologram Janeway.
- Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (2026): An upcoming series that follows a new class of Starfleet cadets as they come of age and train to be officers.
Viewers who stuck around for Star Trek: Picard Season 3 saw how much reverence the new era holds for the old canon — something Abrams’ movies mostly sidestepped.
What Abrams Got Wrong About Star Trek (The Main Thing)
Abrams didn't always understand Star Trek; he even said so himself. The philosophical depth, the ethical dilemmas, the slow-burn diplomacy of episodes like “The Drumhead” or “The Inner Light” — those higher-minded themes weren’t really Abrams' forte. During the Kelvin Timeline era, many fans felt they were getting Star Wars with phasers, rather than Roddenberry’s thoughtful utopia.
Abrams’ approach often missed what made Star Trek beloved in the first place. To Trekkies, the franchise wasn’t built on space battles and shootouts — at least, not primarily. Classic Trek is more about ideas. Episodes like “The Measure of a Man,” “Duet,” and “The City on the Edge of Forever” made audiences think about humanity, morality, politics, and the consequences of power. It’s a universe where characters debate the ethics of interfering with alien cultures, not just beam down and blow stuff up. Abrams leaned into spectacle over substance, a move that lined the studio's pockets but left longtime Trek fans behind. Philosophy, diplomacy, and ethical debates took a backseat to kinetic action and punchy emotional grabs.
His instincts weren’t necessarily wrong, however. Abrams knew that the franchise needed a jolt, and he delivered it with high-octane spectacle and stakes. Even Into Darkness, as misguided as its Khan plot twist was, showed a willingness to wrestle with ideas about vengeance, war, and sacrifice. (Though, to be fair, “KHAAAN!” In reverse didn't hit the same.)
Star Trek: Beyond (which Abrams only produced) hit the closest to classic Trek sensibilities, telling a story about unity, survival, and finding peace in the unknown. Directed by Justin Lin and written by Simon Pegg, Beyond is a gem that has gained more appreciation among fans over time.
Without Abrams, Star Trek Might Not Be Where It Is Today
Abrams may have played fast and loose with the rules of Star Trek, but without his reboot, the franchise might still be stuck in the neutral zone. He reminded the world that Trek wasn’t just about technobabble and nostalgia; it was about heart, action, and optimism. He kicked the doors open, so new creators could step in, explore new worlds, and boldly go where Star Trek hadn’t been in nearly a decade: back into relevance. Even if he never understood the Prime Directive, the man knew how to press “engage.”
Today, the franchise has returned to the strategy of creating for its devoted niche audience. The streaming era has allowed Paramount+ shows to continue on the power of faithful Trekkies paying monthly subscription fees. However, it may not be long before the studio brings in another Abrams-type to aim high at the box office.
- Created by
- Gene Roddenberry
- First Film
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture
- Latest Film
- Star Trek Beyond
- First TV Show
- Star Trek: The Original Series
- Latest TV Show
- Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
- Creation Year
- 1966