Countdown , Number Two Summary . Aboard the , Captain Data orders his crew to continue firing on the Reman weapon s array and to move the " Enterprise " closer to the " Narada " . Aboard the " Narada " , the Reman infiltrators are preparing to kill Ambassador Spock , Nero , and his Romulan crew . Before they can do so , however , Data has the " Enterprise " beam the Remans ' weapons away . With the Remans now defenseless , Nero and his crew subdue them and take back the " Narada " . With the situation resolved , Data beams aboard the " Narada " , where he is greeted by Spock . Data explains that " Enterprise " came as soon they picked up Spock ' s identification beacon . Data then informs him that the Reman ships have been disabled and are being held in a tractor beam . After being introduced to Data , Nero asks Ayel for their status ; Ayel reports that they only have 78 % of the decalithium needed to carry out their plan . Drilling is no longer possible as the plasma power conduit was destroyed in the Reman attack , and repairing it will take time they do not have . At this , Data reveals that there are significant amounts of decalithium aboard the Reman ships , and since it is likely contraband , it would be within Federation law to confiscate it . Nero tells Data that he may be a machine , but he likes the way he thinks . The " Enterprise " helps to repair the damage to the " Narada " and then escorts the mining ship to . Nero and Spock are invited to spend the journey aboard the " Enterprise " , with the promise that Nero will be granted full access to the starship . Aboard the " Enterprise " , Nero searches the Federation database and begins to read on the commanding officer s of past starships named " Enterprise " , including the legendary James Tiberius Kirk . That night , Data asks to see Spock . Spock notes that he and Data have not seen each other since before Data ' s " resurrection " ; Data , however , believes " return " to be a more apt description since it denotes the fact that his neural net s were successfully imprinted onto the existing programming of B - 4 . ( ) Spock notes that he and Data share a unique experience . . . but that is not why Data called for him . Data informs Spock that the Federation has authorized a covert operation to the Hobus system – in Romulan space – to drill directly into the star to prevent it from going nova . Meanwhile , on Romulus , members of the Romulan Senate observe that the Hobus star is increasing in mass and is growing more unstable , meaning Spock was correct . A scientist predicts that it will take a few weeks at most for the shock wave to reach Romulus once the star goes nova . Believing that the fate of the Romulan Empire should not be left in the hands of Spock and the Vulcan s , it is suggested that the Romulans invade Vulcan and take the " red matter " weapon by force . The Praetor proclaims he will put the matter up for vote in the Senate , then gives the order to begin evacuation protocols for Romulus . In orbit of Vulcan , " Enterprise " is contacted by Vulcan security forces . They are greeted by the head of Vulcan security , M ' Kan , who tells Captain Data that , while he and the " Enterprise " crew are welcome , Spock and the Romulans are not . A moment later , however , M ' Kan is told that the Romulans have been cleared by the Vulcan High Command . M ' Kan then transmits transport coordinates to the " Enterprise " , informing them that the Federation Ambassador to Vulcan will be there to meet them . Data , Spock , and Nero then beam down to Vulcan , where Spock receives a cold welcome from M ' Kan . M ' Kan tells Spock that his decision to leave Vulcan and live on Romulus has left all of Vulcan mistrusting and suspicious of him . Since no one on Vulcan trusts him , Spock wonders why he was permitted to transport to the planet . He is answered by Jean - Luc Picard , now the Federation Ambassador to Vulcan . Picard explains he was the one who convinced the High Command to allow Spock on Vulcan , calling it " an old captain ' s prerogative . " Spock is taken to address the Vulcan Science Council . The ambassador presents a compelling case , but the council is reluctant to give their " red matter " manipulation technology to the Romulans . The council recesses to make a decision , but ultimately decides not to turn over secrets of Vulcan science to the Romulans . This enrages Nero , who proclaims that they should have taken what they needed rather than ask for it . Picard then informs Nero that the Romulan Senate has issued an evacuation order for Romulus and that Federation ships are en route to lend assistance . Nero , still angered , begins to storm away , wishing to return to his wife and child before it is too late . Before he leaves , however , Spock asks him to leave the decalithium on Vulcan , promising to do whatever they can to carry out their plan . Nero agrees , but warns Spock that if Romulus dies , he will hold the Vulcans responsible . After the decalithium is transported to the " Enterprise " , Nero orders Ayel to prepare the " Narada " for warp back to Romulus . Ayel asks what happened to the weapon they were supposed to bring back to save Romulus . Nero states they will return to Vulcan once they have evacuated as many Romulans as possible , again threatening Vulcan if they are too late . In Picard ' s quarters on Vulcan , Picard and Spock discuss the plan to use red matter to stop the Hobus star from going nova . Picard notes that even if they managed to convert the decalithium into red matter , delivering it would be a suicide mission . Spock replies that his path had been set the moment he learned of the star , and despite his work over the years , he knew that even the threat of mutual destruction might not have convinced the Vulcans to help . At this point , Captain Data contacts the ambassadors to inform them that the Hobus star has gone nova . The " Narada " arrives in Romulan space . On the viewscreen , Nero witnesses the shock wave from the Hobus star heading towards Romulus . As Nero recalls the last time he talked with his wife , the shock wave strikes Romulus , obliterating the planet .