Leonard Nimoy’s presence as Spock in JJ Abrams' 2009Star Trekmovie is the project’s biggest connection to the sci-fi saga’s Prime Universe, and although he’s a brilliant addition to theStar Trek2009 cast,Abrams' choice to include the franchise legend also poked a big hole in the logic of the Kelvin Timeline. That being said, it’s an issue that I am content with ignoring, as I really like the reboot movies, and the canonical blind spot doesn’t massively harm the story being told. If it did, I might feel slightly differently about the narrative dissonance caused.
After playing Spock as part ofStar Trek: The OriginalSeries' cast, Nimoy reprised his role when he returned to voice the Vulcan inStar Trek: The Animated Series. He also went on to embody the character in six movies alongside the cast of the show that started it all. However, the end of theTOS-eraStar Trekmovieswasn’t the final time the actor would return as Spock. Despite the character largely belonging to Zachary Quinto in the 2009 soft reboot, Nimoy starred in the same movie as the Prime version of the Vulcan. It was cool, but imperfect.
The Introduction Of Leonard Nimoy As Spock In 2009’s Star Trek Made The Newer Cast Harder To Accept
Kelvin Spock should really just look like an older version of Zachary Quinto
WhenStar Trekwas released in 2009, the franchise had been inert sinceStar Trek: Enterprisehad ended in 2005. As such,the JJ Abrams project was largely being marketed as a hard reboot of the franchisethat was more a tribute toStar Trek: The Original Seriesrather than having canonical ties. Every character was recast, which strengthened the impression that the movie was leaving the past in the past.
Abrams' decision to bring back Nimoy as Prime Spock in the same movie where Quinto had already replaced him sort of undid the creative overhaul.
However, Abrams' decision to set the movie in an alternate timeline set in motion by the destruction of the USS Kelvin meantthe 2009 effort was simply the beginning of a new in-universeStar Trekreality. I still think this was an incredibly respectful way of paying homage to the Prime Universe without changing or retconning anything from the larger franchise. That being said, Abrams' decision to bring back Nimoy as Prime Spock in the same movie where Quinto had already replaced him sort of undid the creative overhaul.
Star Trek 4 Is The Perfect Opportunity To Make Up For A 16-Year-Old William Shatner Disappointment
If Star Trek 4 happens, the franchise’s return to the Kelvin Timeline is a great chance to make up to William Shatner after so many years.
Spock’s birthdate is the same in the Prime Universe and the Kelvin Timeline. So, when the USS Kelvin was destroyed and the new timeline came into existence, Spock had already been born in both realities. Therefore,Spock should really look like Leonard Nimoy in the 2009 effort, not like Quinto. Without Nimoy in the cast, this would have been an easier quirk to ignore, but seeing both actors in the same place highlights how borderline nonsensical it is. This also applies to the other recastings, likeChris Pine taking William Shatner’s place as Captain Kirk.
Introducing Nimoy’s Spock To The Kelvin Timeline Was Too Cool Not To Do
It’s easy to forgive Abrams' strange decision to merge both Star Trek casts
Even though two actors share a role that shouldn’t technically be shared within the context of 2009’sStar Trek, recalling Leonard Nimoy to the franchise as the original version of the legendary Vulcan was still an awesome decision. I truly believe that connecting the reboot movies to the Prime Universe via such a recognizable figure was a big part of what helped them become successful. Furthermore,the movie stitched Nimoy’s Spock so expertly into the plot that it would have been completely different without him there, and the version we got was amazing.
2009
94%
2013
84%
2016
86%
There’s also the matter of the other possibilities that Nimoy’s presence in the movie opens up for future Kelvin Timeline installments. Althoughno other legacy actors have appeared in the current trilogy of Abrams movies,Star Trek 4is supposedly still in development. As such,William Shatner’s expectedStar Trekcomebackcould happen in the Kelvin Timeline as a future version of Pine’s Kirk. Plus, if the Kelvin Timeline movies ever move on to cover the franchise’s 24th century, then members of theStar Trek: The Next Generationcastcould cross over into the other arm of the franchise.
How Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Cast Got Around The Same Problem
2019 brought another Spock actor into the fold when Ethan Peck was cast inStar Trek: Discoveryseason 2. This scenario was a little different, as Peck’s version of the character is canonically a younger version of Nimoy’s, as both actors are playing Prime Spock. That being said, Peck is playing Spock just a handful of years before the character was first seen inStar Trek: The Original Series. As such,it makes about as much sense as recasting him with Quinto, which wasn’t much sense at all.
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Star Trek: The Original Series is not short on great episodes featuring the Vulcan Spock, one of the most popular characters in all of Star Trek.
I didn’t have as much of a problem with Peck’s casting, in that I had no problem with it at all. I worked out that the reason for this is thatPeck now owns the role in the Prime Universe, and hasn’t had to share the screen with the original actor in eitherStar Trek: DiscoveryorStar Trek: Strange New Worlds. Sure,Discoverydoes show Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) looking at some archive footage of her brother, in which he is played by Nimoy, but that’s very different from him being physically present in the project as he was with Quinto in 2009’sStar Trek.
