what do you think about the "split timeline"

[Infern0]

Not sure if this belongs in the movies section, but it is about all Trek so went for it here.

I like the thought of having the diverging timeline, but for me it just doesn't work out so well.

I mean we know that the timeline split when Nero came back and destroyed the Kelvin, but for me the difference is just way too much.

I can understand that starfleet "had to respond" to the threat after that, so they beefed up the tech which is the explaination for everything seeming so much more advanced but meh, we all know the real reason is that effects are better now. After all it's not like starfleet hadn't faced threats before.

Overall I wouldn't have a problem with it, but things like the engineering sections are just WAY too different for me to accept, and i still shake my head when I see the "Warp Core"

To me, I wish they just left off with the split timeline and did a pure reboot, it would have actually been easier to accept, as it is I find the differences take me out of the movie.

Thoughts on the split timeline?

 

[F. King Daniel]

I LOVE IT. New and modern stories with my favourite Trek crew and era? Fantastic!

Remember, it's all fiction so the way things look is immaterial. If Kirk can look like William Shatner or Chris Pine, or Zefram Cochrane look like Glen Corbett or James Cromwell, or even Saavik look like Kirsty Alley or Robin Curtis, then a warp core can look like random pipes and tanks (TOS), a blue lava lamp (TMP and beyond) or a gigantic machine (Into Darkness). It's not so much a change in-universe as it is the 23rd century being imagined from the perspective of 2013 and not 1966 or 1979.

 

[Gojira]

I have really come to like it. I almost see it as how DC comics has Earth 2. It is a great way to have my favorite time period and my favorite characters back in action. I really accept these actors in their roles too just as much as I accepted the original cast. I really like them both pretty equally.

 

[Relayer1]

Yeah, I like it too. While I'm not wild about the look of the JJprise, the difference in look isn't any more jarring than between Enterprise/TOS/TNG.

 

[Greg Cox]

Just think of it as updated art direction, like the new-and-improved Klingons in TMP. Not sure an in-universe explanation is required.

 

[C.E. Evans]

The split timeline is a great idea because it allows ENT, TOS, TNG, DS9, and VOY to stay for their fans and even continue to be licensed for various merchandise (books, toys, video games, etc). At the same time, the new timeline reboots TOS for today's audiences and allows it to continue forward with a clean slate and to do things differently. I think for the majority of Trek fans, it's a win-win situation.

 

[Chensams]

I hope they do something like that. I want more stories from the original timeline; however, I'm afraid TPTB would think it's "too confusing" for Joe Smoe.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I hope they do something like that. I want more stories from the original timeline; however, I'm afraid TPTB would think it's "too confusing" for Joe Smoe.

Try the novels, which have been continuing TNG, DS9, VOY and ENT beyond their series finales for many years now. The quality is on par with the episodes.

 

[bbailey861]

I LOVE IT. New and modern stories with my favourite Trek crew and era? Fantastic!

Remember, it's all fiction so the way things look is immaterial. If Kirk can look like William Shatner or Chris Pine, or Zefram Cochrane look like Glen Corbett or James Cromwell, or even Saavik look like Kirsty Alley or Robin Curtis, then a warp core can look like random pipes and tanks (TOS), a blue lava lamp (TMP and beyond) or a gigantic machine (Into Darkness). It's not so much a change in-universe as it is the 23rd century being imagined from the perspective of 2013 and not 1966 or 1979.

Well said.

I hope they do something like that. I want more stories from the original timeline; however, I'm afraid TPTB would think it's "too confusing" for Joe Smoe.

Try the novels, which have been continuing TNG, DS9, VOY and ENT beyond their series finales for many years now. The quality is on par with the episodes.

That's two for two.

 

[CaptPapa]

I LOVE IT. New and modern stories with my favourite Trek crew and era? Fantastic!

Remember, it's all fiction so the way things look is immaterial. If Kirk can look like William Shatner or Chris Pine, or Zefram Cochrane look like Glen Corbett or James Cromwell, or even Saavik look like Kirsty Alley or Robin Curtis, then a warp core can look like random pipes and tanks (TOS), a blue lava lamp (TMP and beyond) or a gigantic machine (Into Darkness). It's not so much a change in-universe as it is the 23rd century being imagined from the perspective of 2013 and not 1966 or 1979.

This hit me as the best reasoning I've seen so far to like the JJverse.
I'm an old TOS-only dinosaur and have been having quite a bit of trouble wrapping myself around the new version. I watched the 2009 movie because it had Leonard Nimoy in it, and accepted it (as much as I could) as a one-off. Like Mirror, Mirror; a nice story, but that's it - next episode (movie in this case) is back to reality (as in real timeline). But this alternate timeline might be here to stay, so maybe I can treat it like TNG, or DS9 - another version that others enjoy. It's not wrong, it's just different - to each their own.
A couple of things I can say in its favor though. I enjoy the new actors in these roles, with the exception of Chris Pine - I just don't care for him as Kirk. I attribute some or most of that to my own prejudices though - Capt Kirk was always my favorite - and to me William Shatner is and will always be the Capt Kirk. The other item I can see favorably is the comics with this cast - don't have to squint much to be able to ignore the fact that the 2009-2013 actors are being portrayed, not the 1966-1969 actors.
So, my thanks to King Daniel; I'm not there yet, but this helps!

 

[Chensams]

I hope they do something like that. I want more stories from the original timeline; however, I'm afraid TPTB would think it's "too confusing" for Joe Smoe.

Try the novels, which have been continuing TNG, DS9, VOY and ENT beyond their series finales for many years now. The quality is on par with the episodes.

I used to read them the ones out while TNG was on but haven't since except maybe one or two. I've wiki'd a lot of them, just curious where everyone is. I just wish we could have the same, original timeline on TV. Not necessarily during TNGs time, maybe more in the future (no more of this prequel crap).

 

[Greg Cox]

I hope they do something like that. I want more stories from the original timeline; however, I'm afraid TPTB would think it's "too confusing" for Joe Smoe.

Try the novels, which have been continuing TNG, DS9, VOY and ENT beyond their series finales for many years now. The quality is on par with the episodes.

And, of course, there are plenty of new TOS novels as well.

 

[R. Star]

The JJverse was an alternate timeline long before Nero showed up. It's pretty much just the reboot fad in Hollywood right now with a makeover.

 

[Greg Cox]

The JJverse was an alternate timeline long before Nero showed up. It's pretty much just the reboot fad in Hollywood right now with a makeover.

Exactly.Although one could argue that it's hardly a fad. Hollywood has been "rebooting" past hits since the beginning. Just look at Tarzan, Frankenstein, the Saint, Fu Manchu, Charlie Chan, Sam Spade, Zorro, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, Perry Mason, Dr. Kildare, etc.

Works for me.

 

[R. Star]

The JJverse was an alternate timeline long before Nero showed up. It's pretty much just the reboot fad in Hollywood right now with a makeover.

Exactly.Although one could argue that it's hardly a fad. Hollywood has been "rebooting" past hits since the beginning. Just look at Tarzan, Frankenstein, the Saint, Fu Manchu, Charlie Chan, Sam Spade, Zorro, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, etc.

Works for me.

No doubt, I guess fad's a poor choice of word, but they've really been going crazy with rebooting everything they can the past ten or so years.

 

[sbk1234]

The split timeline is a great idea because it allows ENT, TOS, TNG, DS9, and VOY to stay for their fans and even continue to be licensed for various merchandise (books, toys, video games, etc). At the same time, the new timeline reboots TOS for today's audiences and allows it to continue forward with a clean slate and to do things differently. I think for the majority of Trek fans, it's a win-win situation.

Agreed. As stupid as this sounds, the new timeline/alternate reality gimmick allowed me easier buy-in.

 

[Mysterion]

I think the situation is just fine.

The "Purists" still have everything they've always had, plus an alternate universe to play with if they wanna.

The "New Fans" have a fresher-looking version of what the Purists have been going on about the last 45 years or so, plus they might want to take a closer look at the original version.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

They had no choice.

They wanted to do their own, modern thing with the franchise.

But, Star Trek was actively producing TV series and movies pretty recently before 2009, so it would have been weird to just do a normal reboot. It's not like Spiderman or Batman, a franchise that'd already been rebooted and reimagined ten thousand times: It's a franchise that only had one core universe. They had to link it somehow to the prime-verse.

If it happened ten years later they could have just done a reboot without the 'alternate timeline' crap, but at the time it was too soon.

 

[R. Star]

It's not like any of the comic reboots haven't been around as long. They didn't "have to" do anything.

 

[The Wormhole]

The idea of the timeline split is rather unnecessary. I have no objection to Star Trek being rebooted in principle, but it should have been a clean reboot, not something that clings to the Prime Trek by thin threads refusing to let go while at the same time blatantly ignoring it. But whatever, my opinions apparentally make me an "Abrams hating dinosaur."