In a conversation with Sci-Fi Wire, writer Roberto Orci clarified that the intent was not to wipe away the rich history that preceded the film, a move that would have surely upset loyal fans. Instead, the goal was to preserve the existing canon while crafting a new timeline, offering a fresh perspective and more creative possibilities. Thus, the film served as both a continuation and a new beginning, as Orci described it: “It’s a continuation of canon.”

In this cinematic venture, the original Mr. Spock, portrayed by Leonard Nimoy, travels back in time to thwart a Romulan adversary, played by Eric Bana, who aims to destroy his younger self. This act gives rise to what fans now call the Kelvin Timeline, a parallel narrative that reimagines the “Star Trek” universe while allowing the original storyline to persist independently.

J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek” introduced dual continuities into the franchise: the “Prime timeline,” which includes the original 1966 series and its subsequent spin-offs, and the “Kelvin timeline,” which consists of Abrams’ trilogy. Despite being a continuation, some fans worried that the new films marginalized the original timeline, particularly when “Star Trek: Discovery” launched in 2017, drawing inspiration from Abrams’ aesthetic and narrative style. These concerns were finally alleviated with the arrival of “Star Trek: Picard” in 2020.

Thanks to the use of time travel in the J.J. Abrams-directed “Star Trek,” there were now two main continuities in the franchise: The “Prime timeline,” which encompassed the original 1966 series and its spin-offs up to “Star Trek: Enterprise,” and the “Kelvin timeline” that included the J.J. Abrams trilogy. Despite technically being a continuation, some fans still felt that the films all but erased the original timeline, fearing that all future “Trek” media would be set in the alternate universe (the Kelvin timeline is confusing enough that we wrote a guide). When “Star Trek: Discovery” debuted in 2017 and seemed inspired by the Abrams films, timeline hijinks and visual flair and all, fans feared the worst — until the release of “Star Trek: Picard” in 2020.

The first on-screen “Trek” story to continue the Prime timeline, “Star Trek: Picard,” opens 12 years after the departure of Mr. Spock, who was flung into the past during 2009’s “Star Trek.” In fact, “Picard” makes some reference to the events of that film, continuing parts of the story (and Spock’s overall quest for reunification between Vulcans and Romulans). In the first season, it’s revealed that just prior to the destruction of the planet Romulus — the event that prompted Nero’s (Eric Bana) quest for vengeance — Admiral Jean-Luc Picard had personally led an attempt to evacuate the planet. It was a plan that Starfleet impeded, driving Picard away from the organization that had been his life.

Season 3 of “Star Trek: Discovery” also put any question of its timeline to bed when the ship is vaulted into a very different future. There, Captain Burnham learns that, after the destruction of Romulus, the Romulans and the Vulcans finally put their rivalry to the side and eventually became one, combined people. Vulcan was renamed as the planet Ni’Var — which later became one of the poignant easter eggs hidden in Season 2 of “Picard.”