The new Timeline

[Graham Kennedy]

Okay, so this thread is here to summarise and explain how the timeline changed as a result of Nero. Basically to come up with plausible reasons why things panned out the way they did.

First, and most obviously, the ships seem much more advanced looking in XI than they did in TOS. Sleeker, much closer to the TMP ideal but decades before that time. They are also apparently much larger - if the nEnt really is 3,000 feet then it's almost 30 times the volume of the original ship, and something like three times the size of a Galaxy class. They also seem to be far, far faster, though I am a little dubious on this point given just how damn fast they seem to be.

So I would suggest that the loss of the Kelvin was something of a watershed moment for Starfleet. They seem to know - or assume - that the mystery ship was Romulan. So they must have presumed that the Romulans had gained some massive technological and industrial edge, and responded by massively ramping up the size and capability of their own ships. The 2250s fleet is therefore the result of over twenty years of what is essentially a massive arms race that didn't previously happen.

Starfleet also seems to be rather less choosy than before. This is hard to judge because it's based more on what we saw in TNG than TOS, but in TNG you had to be the very best of the best to even get into the academy - remember Wesley going through extensive testing for that, and only one of four or so finalists got in? Or look to TOS, where Commodore Stone said "Not one man in a million could do what you and I have done - command a starship." Contrast that with XI where getting into the academy is a matter of turning up and getting on the shuttle, where he practically guarantees Kirk a command of his own within four years of graduating. Admittedly Kirk had "off the chart" scores on his aptitude tests, but still! There's also the fact that you can and Kirk did graduate a year early, something we have never heard of before.

And indeed we see that not only are they willing to graduate Kirk a year early, but they are also willing to plant him directly into the Big Chair of the fleet flagship.

I'd suggest part of Starfleet's buildup was to expand recruitment greatly. The huge new ships must have required huge crews - the nEnt is certainly far busier than the TOS one was - and filling the officer and enlisted posts alike must have been a nightmare. So they seem to be rather more accepting of recruits; I'm not suggesting they let literally anybody in, but pretty much any reasonably qualified person. What certainly seems true is that if you are good at the job you are fast tracked to an almost incredible degree.

Any other thoughts?

[Lt. Staplic]

wow...I'm impressed.

[Lazar]

They are also apparently much larger - if the nEnt really is 3,000 feet then it's almost 30 times the volume of the original ship, and something like three times the size of a Galaxy class.

Wait, what? I thought stuff like the bridge window shot, the shuttlebay shot, the docking ports and the TMP-style window rows on the saucer indicates that it's about the same size as the original.

[LaughingCheese]

They are also apparently much larger - if the nEnt really is 3,000 feet then it's almost 30 times the volume of the original ship, and something like three times the size of a Galaxy class.

Wait, what? I thought stuff like the bridge window shot, the shuttlebay shot, the docking ports and the TMP-style window rows on the saucer indicates that it's about the same size as the original.

Similar features yes, but on a much larger scale; apparently sources are emerging with the new dimensions. Not sure I like it. Oh well.

Also, can someone please tell me why there were multiple cores?!?! Or what they thought of that?

[Lazar]

Similar features yes, but on a much larger scale; apparently sources are emerging with the new dimensions. Not sure I like it. Oh well.

Did I miss something? How did the ship suddenly become 1 km long? If you look at the shot of the shuttlecraft entering the hangar bay, for example, it looks pretty much the same as TMP in terms of dimensions.

[Lazar]

Apparently the source of this (insane) number is a comment that the visual effects supervisor made in some interview. Maybe he misspoke and turned "300 meters" into "3 000 feet". (Offhand comments, and even production notes, are not traditionally considered canon.) But going by the movie, I see no indication that the ship is that size. Look at the shot of the shuttles entering the hangar bay, look at the shot of the bridge window, look at the elements that were ripped exactly or nearly exactly from TMP (the saucer section rim, the docking ports, the torpedo launcher area, the phaser banks); there's no way that the ship is 1 km long.

[LaughingCheese]

Apparently the source of this (insane) number is a comment that the visual effects supervisor made in some interview. Maybe he misspoke and turned "300 meters" into "3 000 feet". (Offhand comments, and even production notes, are not traditionally considered canon.) But going by the movie, I see no indication that the ship is that size. Look at the shot of the shuttles entering the hangar bay, look at the shot of the bridge window, look at the elements that were ripped exactly or nearly exactly from TMP (the saucer section rim, the docking ports, the torpedo launcher area, the phaser banks); there's no way that the ship is 1 km long.

Believe me, I hope you're right!!

[SuperSaiyaMan12]

Personally, I prefer the larger Enterprise. Since this still takes place in the continuity of Star Trek: Enterprise, jumping from a 225 meter ship to a 757/914 meter ship shows a gap in the decades.

[Mark]

What I picked up on, most noticeably was the age thing. Assuming Kirk was 18 when he joined the Academy (which has always been standard), then he made Captain at 21, SIGNIFICANTLY younger than in the original time line , which also bypassed his experiences with Finney on the Republic, Garrovick on the Farragut, and Gary Mitchell must be alive and well SOMEWHERE....

Somehow, Chekov earned a commission and the rank of Ensign at 17??? To me THAT'S a big, WTF...........as the ages don't add up. If he was 34 in TOS when Chekov was 22, Kirk would have had to be 29 in the movie...............does THAT jive?

And it seems Sulu skipped his stint in science and went straight to the helm..........but I can accept that with GKs theory of a more tactical Starfleet.

And it seems Pike got A WHOLE LOT luckier in THIS time line as well.

And I guess Robert April was completely written out of the story, although granted, he was never completely cannon anyway.

[Graham Kennedy]

No, actually those ages are off. Nero waited 25 years for Spock to emerge from the black hole, which happened 3 years after Kirk enlisted. So Kirk enlisted at 22, not 17, and graduated at 25.

As for the sizes, I've said on another thread I am reluctant to accept them myself. But the VFX people are apparently claiming the new Enterprise is much larger than the original. Either way, it's certainly a much more crowded ship.

[Sionnach Glic]

Chekov being 17 is actualy quite interesting. He seems to have actualy graduated the Academy, despite being so young. If we take Pike's four years comment, then that means that Chekov enrolled at the age of 13!

Regarding the size of the nEnterprise, I'm just going by the creator's claims until I see a comparison done.

[Mark]

No, actually those ages are off. Nero waited 25 years for Spock to emerge from the black hole, which happened 3 years after Kirk enlisted. So Kirk enlisted at 22, not 17, and graduated at 25.

As for the sizes, I've said on another thread I am reluctant to accept them myself. But the VFX people are apparently claiming the new Enterprise is much larger than the original. Either way, it's certainly a much more crowded ship.

I forgot about that 25 year wait.

[Graham Kennedy]

One of the benefits of having seen it six times

[LaughingCheese]

One of the benefits of having seen it six times

LOL.

Did they have like a "25 years later" kind of thing?

All I remember was "3 Years Later."

[Bryan Moore]

How can it be that big? Look at it in the ship yards. 3000 feet?!