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Star Trek: Kelvin Timeline explained

We've remodulated our tricorders to help you make sense of the Star Trek Kelvin timeline from the recent Star Trek movies.

Our Star Trek: Kelvin Timeline explained article is here to tell Spock from Spock.

How do you reboot a franchise that’s been around more than 50 years old and whose fan base is, shall we say, passionate about the accuracy of its canon? If you wipe the slate completely clean and start afresh, you lose the benefit of five decades of lore from which to draw inspiration and characters. If you keep the continuity, you’re shackled to decades of details from which you can’t escape. What can you do? If you’re Star Trek, you create the Kelvin Timeline.

The Kelvin timeline, or "alternate universe Trek", creates a new environment in which the events of the more recent Star Trek films (Star Trek, Into Darkness, Beyond) won’t contradict those that came before. It’s also how Spock ended up meeting himself.

If you want to rewatch the new Star Trek movies, our Star Trek streaming guide will show you where to watch them all online. And if you're curious to see how the new movies stack up against the classics, check out our Star Trek movies, ranked worst to best article. Now, let's dive into the Star Trek Kelvin timeline.

Star Trek movies in order: Chronological and release
Star Trek streaming guide: Where to watch the Star Trek movies and TV shows online

Event One: Nero Travels Through Time

Star Trek What is the Kelvin Timeline: image shows Eric Bana as Nero in Star Trek (2009)

According to Star Trek (2009), the planet Romulus was destroyed by a supernova in the year 2387. Ambassador Spock attempted to use "red matter", a substance so powerful that a single drop can destroy a planet, to save Romulus by destroying the supernova. He did indeed manage to destroy the supernova, but not in time to prevent the planet’s destruction. To make matters worse, both his ship, the experimental Jellyfish, and the Romulan mining ship Narada were pulled into the black hole’s wake and sent hurtling backwards in time. Spock emerged in 2258 while the Romulans landed in 2233.

The Narada’s captain, Nero decides to use this opportunity to take out his grief on the organization he holds responsible for the ruin of Romulus and, by extension, the death of his family: the Federation. One of his first acts is to destroy the U.S.S. Kelvin, captained heroically to the very last minute by George Kirk, who lives just long enough to name his newborn son James.

And thus begins the Kelvin timeline.

Spock, Meet Spock

Star Trek what is the kelvin timeline: image shows Spock in Star Trek movie (2009)

Jim Kirk grows up as a rebellious punk constantly trying to outrun his father’s long shadow. Christopher Pike sees something of value in him and urges him to join Starfleet, which he eventually does. Through a contrivance of events, he ends up aboard the Enterprise along with Spock, Bones McCoy, Uhura, and the rest of the Original Series crew.

It’s now 2258 and Ambassador Spock emerges from the black hole just in time to be scooped up by Nero, who keeps the Jellyfish — and its cache of red matter — for himself while abandoning Spock on the frozen planet of Delta Vega. He wants Spock to bear witness as the Narada drills a hole into the center of Vulcan and releases red matter at the planet’s core. The Enterprise tries to stop him and fails, though they do manage to rescue Spock’s father, Sarek. Nero is eventually defeated, and Spock's young and old take a moment to reflect on their coexistence

Enter Khan, Exit Kirk

star trek what is the kelvin timeline: image shows Benedict Cumberbatch as Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

Nero’s too-close-to-success-for-comfort attempt to destroy Earth shifts Starfleet’s ethos from one of discovery to one of protection. They still want to "seek out new life forms," but only to find out how dangerous they are. In Into Darkness (2013), Alexander Marcus, leader of the secretive Section 31, finds the SS Botany Bay, stuffed to the rafters full of augmented humans in cryostasis. He wakes one of them up — Khan Noonien Singh — and forces him to build weapons that Earth could use to defend itself against alien threats.

Huge surprise, Khan betrays Marcus, exacting vengeance on various Starfleet targets. In doing so, he kills Kirk’s father figure Christopher Pike. Marcus tries to leverage Kirk’s hot-headedness by sending Kirk after Khan, who has fled to the Klingon homeworld of Kronos. He figures Kirk will kill, not capture, Khan, thus removing a threat and evidence of Marcus’ secret project.

Kirk goes off script and keeps Khan alive, much to the chagrin of Admiral Marcus, who tries to blow them all the heck up. The sacrifice that leads to victory happens just as in the original, except in the Kelvin timeline it’s Kirk who gives his life to save his crew. In the prime timeline, Genesis brought Spock back to life, but here it’s Khan’s blood that gets the job done.

That bit of ugliness behind them, the Enterprise receives its five-year-mission. You know the one.

Farewell to Spock

Star Trek what is the Kelvin Timeline: image shows Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) in Star Trek Beyond (2016)

In Star Trek: Beyond (2016), the Enterprise discovers the USS Franklin, a Federation ship that had been lost for decades. Here’s what’s fun about that: the Kelvin timeline doesn’t start until 2233. The Franklin disappeared before that, so it exists in both timelines, which means a different version of it could theoretically pop up in Star Trek media that doesn’t adhere to the Kelvin timeline.

In Kelvin, however, the Franklin is half-buried after crashing into the surface of the planet Altamid. Few of its former crew remain, and those that do are unrecognizable, having been transformed by technology they’ve used to keep themselves alive. The Franklin’s captain, Balthazar Edison, now known as Krall, rejects Starfleet ideals of peace. He’s a soldier and he believes that he should be allowed to do what he does best. He returns to starbase Yorktown with the goal of commandeering it to launch an attack on the Federation, but first he’ll have to kill every living thing in residence. Kirk et al save the day, of course.

This is also the point at which Ambassador Spock leaves the timeline due to the passing of the peerless Leonard Nimoy. Kelvin Spock had been planning to rejoin what remains of the Vulcan people, but instead chooses to honor his other self by remaining in Starfleet.

Crossover With the Prime Timeline

Keeping track of the Kelvin timeline is important because there are still Star Trek properties operating in the prime timeline, such as Picard . However, there has been a little bit of crossover between the two. Picard takes place long after the titular character has quit Starfleet, and early on we discover the destruction of Romulus was why.

Picard wanted to launch a rescue mission to save as many Romulans as possible before the detonation of the supernova, but Starfleet pushed back. He went forward with it anyway, but when his ships were decimated by a fleet of rogue synths, Starfleet gave up all rescue efforts. Picard resigned in disgust. Everything that happens after that — and therefore everything taking place in the show — is part of the prime timeline, despite being kicked off by Event One.

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Susan Arendt is a freelance writer, editor, and consultant living in Burleson, TX. She's a huge sci-fi TV and movie buff, and will talk your Vulcan ears off about Star Trek. You can find more of her work at Wired, IGN, Polygon, or look for her on Twitter: @SusanArendt. Be prepared to see too many pictures of her dogs.

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Other realities
Alternate realities

Kelvin timeline

The Kelvin timeline or alternate reality was a parallel universe created in the year 2233 with the temporal incursion of the Narada , a Romulan civilian mining vessel under the command of Nero , from the year 2387 . The alternate reality differed from the primary reality in a number of capacities, including the attack upon the USS Kelvin , the launch of the USS Enterprise in 2258 , and the destruction of the planet Vulcan by the Narada . ( TOS movie , novelization & comic adaptation : Star Trek )

1.1 Alteration
1.2 Destruction of Vulcan
1.3 Attack on Earth
1.4.1 Q's gambit
1.4.2 Final mission of USS Enterprise NCC-1701
1.4.3 The Endeavour
1.4.4 Terminal expanse
1.5 Far future
2.1.1 Nomenclature
2.2 External link

History [ ]

Alteration [ ].

The Narada was pulled into a black hole and appeared in the year 2233 . Nero launched an attack on the Federation starship USS Kelvin . The Narada severely damaged the Kelvin with its powerful weapons but was crippled when George Kirk rammed his ship into it. The disabled Narada soon attracted the attention of the Klingons. A fleet led by Captain Kor of the IKS Klothos attacked. The Narada 's crew did their best to repel the Klingons, but despite killing many could not hold back the stronger Klingon force. ( TOS movie , novelization & comic adaptation : Star Trek ; TOS comic : " Nero, Number One ")

Destruction of Vulcan [ ]

The Narada attacked Vulcan, destroying all of the Starfleet ships that attempted to intervene save one: the Federation starship USS Enterprise , fresh on her maiden voyage (which due to the timeline change was pushed back to 2258 when it should have been 2245). Though the Enterprise crew tried to foil this plan, the Narada successfully drilled into the core of the planet and placed Red matter there, creating an artificial black hole at the core, which promptly consumed the planet. ( TOS movie : Star Trek )

Attack on Earth [ ]

The Narada then attempted to destroy Earth in a similar manner, but through the actions of Captain Kirk and Spock , an artificial black hole was created which then consumed the Narada . ( TOS movie : Star Trek )

Later missions [ ]

The Enterprise engaged in a series of campaigns against the Klingon Empire , the Cardassian Union , and the Romulan Star Empire , going up against some of the most advanced starships of each. ( TOS video game : The Mobile Game )

After stopping at the Aldebaran colony, the Enterprise prepared to leave the Milky Way galaxy when it intercepted a record-marker from the SS Valiant . Spock was able to analyze the memory banks, revealing an unknown force in the region that forced her captain to destroy his own ship.

Continuing its course to our galaxy's boundary, the Enterprise encountered an unusual force field known as the galactic barrier . Nine crewmembers died, and another was injured—Kirk's friend, Lieutenant Mitchell . The Enterprise also lost her warp capability.

Under the care of Leonard McCoy , Mitchell began to exhibit unusual powers, such as levitation and telepathy. At a senior staff meeting in the briefing room , the crew agreed to maroon Lieutenant Mitchell on "another Delta Vega."

Arriving at Delta Vega I , Kirk and McCoy prepared Mitchell for exile when he attacked Kirk with a blast of energy from his hands. McCoy made a split decision to knock him out with a sedative. He was later beamed down to the planet, with Kirk and Spock, while Scott and Kelso searched the facility for materials they needed to restore the ship's warp drive.

Mitchell revived, escaped his force field, then stunned Kirk and Spock with the energy from his hands. He later met Kelso, and forced his former friend to shoot and kill himself with his phaser.

Scott revived Kirk and Spock, telling them Mitchell had escaped and Kelso was dead. Kirk made a command decision to confront Mitchell, ordering Spock to quarantine the planet and leave if he had not returned in three hours.

Awaiting him in the desert, Mitchell demonstrated his power of illusion to Kirk by transforming the landscape around them into the bar from Iowa. Returning the landscape to its original state, Mitchell forced Kirk to kneel before him and beg forgiveness for his failure and his humanity. As he did so, Spock came up behind Mitchell and nerve-pinched him. Kirk ordered Spock to stand back, then shot and killed his friend.

Kelso and Mitchell were buried in space. Spock later joined Kirk in the briefing room, offering to play chess with him. Kirk accepted the offer, and Spock left for Engineering , leaving him alone in the briefing room.

The Galileo Seven, Part 1 and Part 2
Operation: Annihilate, Part 1 and Part 2
Vulcan's Vengeance, Part 1 and Part 2
The Return of the Archons, Part 1 and Part 2
The Truth About Tribbles, Part 1 and Part 2
Countdown to Darkness, Issue 1 , Issue 2 , Issue 3 , and Issue 4
I, Enterprise!, Part 1 , and Part 2
Star Trek Into Darkness
After Darkness, Part 1 , Part 2 , and Part 3
The Khitomer Conflict, Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 , and Part 4
Parallel Lives, Part 1 and Part 2
Lost Apollo, Part 1 and Part 2

Q's gambit [ ]

Following the apparent "death" of Ambassador Spock in 2387 , Q went back in time and had the USS Enterprise transported a hundred years into the future. In the future, the Cardassian Union and the Dominion had conquered both Bajor and the Federation. However, following Dukat releasing both a prophet and Pah-wraith from the Reckoning Tablet , Q then became a vessel for the prophet and was able to destroy Dukat and the pah-wraith. Q then returned the Enterprise and its crew back to its proper time.( TOS - The Q Gambit comics : " Part 1 ", " Part 2 ", " Part 3 ", " Part 4 ", " Part 5 ", " Part 6 ")

Behemoth, Part 1 , and Part 2
Eurydice, Part 1 , Part 2 , and Part 3
Tholian Web, Part 1 and Part 2

Final mission of USS Enterprise NCC-1701 [ ]

Following negotiations between the Teenaxi Delegation and the Fabona Republic , the Enterprise docked at Yorktown Station to resupply. During this time, Ambassador Spock has died, Spock and Uhura took a time out from their relationship and Kirk applied for promotion to vice admiral .

An escape pod was found and its occupant, Kalara , informed the Yorktown crew that her ship was stranded on Altamid . Commodore Paris agreed to let Kirk and the Enterprise enter the Necro Cloud to assist her. However, once in orbit around Altamid, the Enterprise came under attack by a swarm of ships . The Enterprise tried to escape but was crippled and boarded by Swarm drones led by warlord Krall and Manas . Kirk and his crew were then forced to abandon ship before it's saucer section crash-landed on Altamid. However, most of the crew had been captured save for Kirk, Chekov, Spock, Kalara, McCoy and Scotty.

With the assistance of fellow crash victim Jaylah , the still-free members of the senior staff were able to reunite at her "house", the wreck of the NX -class variant USS Franklin . After rescuing the prisoners in a raid on Krall's base, they repaired USS Franklin and pursued Krall's swarm to Yorktown Station, where they were able to destroy the swarm by using a radio transmission of the Beastie Boys ' song " Sabotage " to jam its communications. They then pursued Krall into the station and were able to foil his attempt to deploy a biological weapon against its inhabitants.

Kirk turned down promotion to vice admiral and was placed in command of the USS Enterprise -A , still under construction at the time. ( TOS movie : Star Trek Beyond )

During Enterprise -A's construction, Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy were then assigned to the USS Endeavour . Commander Sulu was assigned to the USS Concord and Commander Scott then took a position at Starfleet Academy . Commander Spock and Lieutenant Uhura then took a sabbatical to New Vulcan to assist in rebuilding the Vulcan Science Academy . ( TOS - Boldly Go comic : " Issue 1 ")

The Endeavour [ ]

Kirk and his crew on the Endeavour encountered the Borg , who had followed traces of Borg technology from the Narada to the Alpha Quadrant. Kirk tracked the lonely sphere back to Romulus , where the combined forces of the Endeavour and the Romulans were able to destroy it. ( TOS - Boldly Go comics : " Issue 1 ", " Issue 2 ", " Issue 3 ", " Issue 4 ")

Terminal expanse [ ]

Temporal Agent Daniels takes an early 25th century prime timeline temporal agent into the Kelvin Timeline to help the constitution -class USS Yorktown fight the Sphere Builders and their Klingon allies, who had invaded the Kelvin Timeline to gain an advantage in the Temporal Cold War. Daniels and his assistants are helped in defeated the Sphere Builders by the Yorktown 's Captain, Isaac Garret, and its Science Officer, 0718.

Far future [ ]

Vulcan civilization continued to thrive on New Vulcan by as late as approximately 5259 , where a statue of Spock Prime still stood. While many of the surrounding monuments were larger than life, the monument of Spock was life size. This was at Spock's request, as he felt a larger than life monument would not be logical. ( TOS - Legacy of Spock comic : " Part 4 ")

Appendices [ ]

Background [ ], nomenclature [ ].

The name "Kelvin timeline" does not appear in any canon material, but is CBS Television 's internal name for the alternate timeline created by Nero's attack on USS Kelvin . The name was first revealed to the public in a 2016 interview with Al Rivera , the lead designer of the Star Trek Online video game , before it appeared in the fourth edition of The Star Trek Encyclopedia and The Star Trek Book .

In " Terminal Expanse ", Daniels specifically calls this timeline the "Kelvin timeline".