Star Trek (film)/Background information/Continuity

* This is the second movie, the first being , to begin on James T. Kirk's birthday, in this case the actual day of his birth.
* Aspects of Spock's life, like Sarek explaining his marriage to Amanda as "the logical thing to do", young Spock being bullied by Vulcan kids for having a Human mother, and later turning down the Vulcan Science Academy to Sarek's disappointment, were first mentioned in the episode and the episode .
* Hikaru Sulu reveals that his advanced combat training is in fencing. Sulu was first seen fencing in the original series episode . Abrams later states he thought it a good idea to turn out that Sulu was in fact "a ninja". (Star Trek DVD commentary)
* in the film is a reference to an unrelated planet from the TOS episode . In an interview with TrekMovie.com, writer Roberto Orci said, "We moved the planet to suit our purposes. The familiarity of the name seemed more important as an Easter egg, than a new name with no importance." 
* When Kirk and McCoy first see the Enterprise in space the scene resembles the scene from when the Enterprise refit is shown for the first time or the similar scene in with the new . This was the general idea in Abrams' view. (Star Trek DVD commentary)
* When the cadets are assigned to the various ships prior to the destruction of Vulcan, one cadet, Fugeman, is assigned to , a station seen prominently in .
* There is an established relationship between Spock and Uhura in this film. There have previously been hints of flirtation between the two characters. In , Uhura sings a teasing song about Spock while he plays accompanying music on the Vulcan lyre, eliciting a rare smile from him. In , Uhura makes an attempt to get Spock to flirt with her, asking him to tell her she's an "… attractive young lady." The famous interracial kiss was originally to be between Uhura and Spock. However, according to scriptwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, they only noticed these moments after coming up with the relationship for the film. 
* At the end of the film, Admiral Christopher Pike is in a wheelchair. This is an allusion to Fleet Captain Christopher Pike from the original timeline who was crippled by delta radiation when a baffle plate had ruptured and then confined to an advanced wheelchair. However, unlike in the Original Series, Pike isn't scarred or mute and in the next film is seen walking without the wheelchair, albeit with a cane.
* Nero's statement that the Federation had done nothing as Romulus was destroyed by the supernova makes it look as though the Federation simply held still while their (former) enemies faced destruction. However, Jean-Luc Picard's statements in elaborate on that and make Nero's anger much more understandable: In fact, the Federation had initially agreed to mount a large-scale evacuation to help the Romulans who were threatened by the supernova, but deliberately chose to abandon it.
* The sequence where Nero forces the Centaurian slug down Captain Pike's throat is a tribute to the Ceti eel sequence from , even including similar dialogue. 
* While taking the Kobayashi Maru test, Kirk's comic nonchalance extends to him casually munching on an apple as the Klingons attack. In the Genesis cave in , Kirk eats an apple while explaining to Saavik how he beat the Kobayashi Maru test. (In the DVD commentary on the film, it is noted that this was a coincidence.)
* Dr. McCoy refers to Spock as a "green-blooded hobgoblin." In , McCoy referred to Spock as a "pointed-ear hobgoblin." McCoy also frequently referred to Spock as "green-blooded" throughout the classic series and the films.
* Spock Prime tells Kirk "I have been, and always shall be, your friend", which were his dying words to an older Kirk in , and, recalling that conversation, his first words after his fal-tor-pan in .
* In order to bring Kirk aboard the Enterprise as a patient, McCoy injects a vaccine to protect against viral infection from Melvaran mud fleas. The fleas were previously mentioned in .
* On Delta Vega, Montgomery Scott mentions that he had used "Admiral Archer's prized beagle" to test his long-distance transporter theories, though the beagle had yet to turn up as of his meeting with Kirk and Spock Prime (which he speculated led to his "exile"). Writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci have confirmed that this Admiral Archer was indeed Jonathan Archer. Jonathan Archer would be 145 years old at the time of Scotty's exile, but Humans are long-lived in Star Trek; Orci noted the appearance of Leonard McCoy in . However, it is unlikely that Porthos would still be alive at that time. J.J. Abrams intends the dog to reappear upon his leaving the Star Trek films. (Star Trek DVD commentary)
* When Nero discovers Spock commandeering the Jellyfish, he yells, "SPOOOOOCK!" This is likely a nod to the scene in where Kirk yells Khan's name in a similar fashion.
* When the younger Spock approaches the pilot's seat in the Jellyfish, the location's design is that of the IDIC, a symbol of the Vulcan people. Also, in reaction to the ship's controls, Spock says "Fascinating… " 
* Chief Engineer Olson, who dies almost instantly on an away mission, is conspicuously dressed in a red space jump suit, a nod to the original series phenomenon of a hitherto unknown ensign dressed in red always being the first to die in any away mission. (Star Trek Special Edition DVD) Greg Ellis, who played Olson, had previously appeared on Star Trek, in the finale , as Ekoor, one of the few Cardassians to survive the Dominion massacre.
* Uhura orders a Klabnian fire tea, three Budweiser Classics, two Cardassian sunrises, a Slusho, and a Jack Daniel's at the Shipyard Bar. J.J. Abrams has previously used Slusho in the film and the television series . Uhura's drink order is the first reference to the Cardassians in a Star Trek production set in the 23rd century. The Cardassians debuted in the 24th century episode , and were mentioned in the 22nd century by the Organians in and one was seen at a repair station visited in . The mention of Budweiser is a nod to the shooting location for engineering – a Budweiser plant.
* As Kirk climbs out of the shuttle on Delta Vega, his backpack reads "NCC-1701-D." The , commanded by Captain Picard, had this registry number.
* At one point, Doctor McCoy tells Kirk that "A little suffering is good for the soul." In Kirk asks McCoy "Aren't you the one who always says a little suffering is good for the soul?" and McCoy dryly replies "I never say that".
* McCoy has a beard in civilian life, just as he did in .
* While trying to decipher the origins of Nero and his ship and crew, Spock says "Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." In , Spock says the same thing while investigating the mysteries surrounding Chancellor Gorkon's assassination. The line ultimately derives from the Sherlock Holmes stories and novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and was also quoted by Data in .
* When Kirk first meets Scott on Delta Vega, a tribble can be seen and heard on his desk.
* Kirk emotionally compromises Spock in order to gain command of the Enterprise as he did in .
* At the end of the film, right after Spock Prime says "To boldly go where no man has gone before…", the Enterprise goes into warp, similar to the series opening sequence.
* This is the last Star Trek film to use the 2002-2012 Paramount Pictures logo.