Claim: The Star Trek film series includes the 2009 film Star Trek.

Star Trek is a 2009 American science fiction adventure film directed by J. J. Abrams and written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman . It is the eleventh film in the Star Trek film franchise , and is also a reboot that features the main characters of the original Star Trek television series portrayed by a new cast , as the first in the rebooted film series . The film follows James T. Kirk -LRB- Chris Pine -RRB- and Spock -LRB- Zachary Quinto -RRB- aboard USS Enterprise as they combat Nero -LRB- Eric Bana -RRB- , a Romulan from their future who threatens the United Federation of Planets . The story takes place in an alternate reality because of time travel by both Nero and the original Spock -LRB- Leonard Nimoy -RRB- . The alternate timeline was created in an attempt to free the film and the franchise from established continuity constraints while simultaneously preserving original story elements .   The idea for a prequel film which would follow the Star Trek characters during their time in Starfleet Academy was discussed by series creator Gene Roddenberry in 1968 . The concept resurfaced in the late 1980s , when it was postulated by Harve Bennett as a possible plotline for what would become Star Trek VI : The Undiscovered Country , but was rejected in lieu of other projects by Roddenberry . Following the critical and commercial failure of Star Trek : Nemesis and the cancellation of the television series Star Trek : Enterprise , the franchise 's executive producer Rick Berman and screenwriter Erik Jendresen wrote an unproduced film titled Star Trek : The Beginning , which would take place after Enterprise . After the separation of Viacom and CBS Corporation in 2005 , former Paramount Pictures president Gail Berman convinced CBS to allow Paramount to produce a new film in the franchise . Orci and Kurtzman , both fans of Star Trek , were approached to write the film , and J. J. Abrams was approached to direct it . Kurtzman and Orci used inspiration from novels and graduate school dissertations , as well as the series itself . Principal photography commenced on November 7 , 2007 and ended on March 27 , 2008 . The film was shot in various locations around California and Utah . Abrams wanted to avoid using bluescreen and greenscreen , opting to use sets and locations instead . Heavy secrecy surrounded the film 's production and was under the fake working title Corporate Headquarters . Industrial Light & Magic used digital ships for the film , as opposed to the previous films in the franchise . Production for the film concluded by the end of 2008 .   Star Trek was heavily promoted in the months preceding its release ; pre-release screenings for the film premiered in select cities around the world , including Austin , Texas , Sydney , Australia , and Calgary , Alberta . It was released in the United States and Canada on May 8 , 2009 , to critical acclaim ; critics praised its character development , as well as its storyline , effects , stunts , action sequences , direction , and its score by Michael Giacchino . Star Trek was a box office success , grossing over $ 385.7 million worldwide against its $ 150 million production budget . It was nominated for several awards , including four Academy Awards at the 82nd Academy Awards , ultimately winning Best Makeup , making it the first Star Trek film to win an Academy Award . It was followed by two sequels , Star Trek Into Darkness -LRB- 2013 -RRB- and Star Trek Beyond -LRB- 2016 -RRB- , with a fourth having been announced .