Star Trek's writing team dove deep into the Trek canon to develop this new film. The plot remains secret, but their influences provide some intriguing clues.
Balance of Terror, TV Original Series Episode
Kirk and the Enterprise crew come face-to-face with Romulans, an alien
race Earth has warred with but has never actually seen. The Romulans
have sophisticated technology, but Kirk's tactical brilliance saves the
day.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Movie
The best of the original films, Khan imported a strong villain from the
TV series and refocused the franchise around the Kirk/Spock friendship,
establishing a mythic arc for future installments. Spock's tragic
sacrifice provides the emotional wallop.
Unification, 'The Next Generation' TV Episode
Spock (Leonard Nimoy), now an aged ambassador, tries to reunify the
fractured Romulan/Vulcan cultures through unsanctioned cowboy diplomacy.
The two-part episode ends with Spock grieving for his dead father by
mind-melding with Captain Picard.
Yesterday's Enterprise, 'The Next Generation' TV Episode
This twisty time-travel narrative brings Picard's new Enterprise into
contact with an older model of the ship that has leapt into the future
through a ''temporal rift.'' The quantum fiasco creates an altered
timeline that must be rectified.
Best Destiny, Novel
Published in 1992, this Star Trek novel finds an older Kirk on the verge of retirement and involved in an adventure that will reveal details
about his troubled teenage years and serious father issues. The
screenwriters also drew from the 1990 Trek novel Prime Directive.
