The film is obviously set at different time periods since we see Kirk as a young boy but in the trailer when we see Kirk on the bike looking at the Enterprises construction the year is 2245, obviously by the time McCoy, Spock and the rest are onboard the Enterprise it's probably been a few years since the Enterprise was launched, for those few years the Enterprise has been launched and under Pikes command Kirk and McCoy etc were probably at the academy.
So to make it easier to understand:
2245: Kirk etc join or are already at the Academy / The Enterprise is built at this time and is placed under the command of Pike.
Unlikely. IF Orci was faithful to Kirk's largely accepted birthdate of March 22nd, 2233, then he would have been all of 12 years old in 2245. Kirk would not be 18 until 2251. If he is the "late bloomer" the film is supposed to make him out to be, then he might not have graduated Academy until 2260 or therabouts, making a "Sixties" Star Trek much more likely than I previously thought.
2250+: McCoy etc are stationed aboard the Enterprise which is under the command of Pike and where Spock has already been made first officer because he completed the academy long before the others and made his way up the command chain.
Something happens and Kirk ends up taking over in Pike and Spocks absence and defeats Nero saving either Earth or Vulcan which eventually leads to him gaining command of the Enterprise.
The problem lies in the coincidence of the attack on the Kelvin being coincident with Kirk's birth. If Kirk's birth is still in 2233 (March or whenever), he isn't 18 until 2251.
Only then do we consider when he went to Starfleet Academy. If he doesn't graduate until, say, 2257 or 2259, how can we consider this episode to be anywhere coincident with the early 2250's (or "Cage") era?
The answer is that I don't believe we can. The story takes place, imho, much closer to 2260 or therabouts, towards the end of Pike's command. This allows "The Cage" to have happened. This also allows the Kelvin Incident to have taken place in the relative past (the 2230's-similar to the distance in time between the depths of the Great Depression and the Inauguration of Kennedy).
This would also explain the Go Go Uniforms of the crew, as well. The only thing that disappoints me is the lack of beehive hairdos on the women.
Lastly, this also allows Kirk to save Pike, transfer off and serve on the Farragut or the Republic, then return in 2264 to the Big E as a young prodigy captain. In the U.S. Navy, you serve literally
years in command positions, getting your ticket punched so you can get a surface fleet billet.
Starfleet would be similar. Shmoes like Riker who stay in one position for ten years end up going nowhere because all of the hard drivers. They got their tickets punched and got their captaincies while William was putting on his Grecian Formula to impress his Betazoid Girlfriend.
Apparently, in this story, what Kirk will do will be to take over command of the E under duress as a young, unwashed lad and skipper her brilliantly while no Captain or XO are about. This will get the young laddie noticed by Fleet Operations and the dreaded Promotion Board.
