What was the most fateful moment in the new timeline?

[Franklin]

Obviously, the appearance of Nero was the most fateful moment in the movie. But once the new timeline was created, what one moment was the most critical to all else falling into place? That is, to the original seven coming together. I'm not talking about pure luck or coincidence (like finding Spock Prime or Scotty, or Kirk happening to sit next to McCoy on the shuttle), but conscious decisions made by the characters that affected the outcome.

My most critical moment in the movie would have to be when McCoy decides to get Jim onto the Enterprise. If he hadn't done that, the story ends there. Period.

Any other moments? Pike's fatherly speech to Kirk in the bar, perhaps? Uhura getting herself assigned to the Enterprise?

 

[Ultramann]

I think the new timeline was created BEFORE Nero appeared. There is too much history based off the original Enterprise and E - D to suggest everything wasw change d just 25 years ago.

 

[TwoJakes]

The supernova, all events in the movie originate from there.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Kirk deciding to enlist in Strfleet. Unless Kirk was there, Spock rendezvous with the rest of the fleet, leaving Nero unopposed when he reaches Earth. Earth is destroyed.

Somewhere, in a distant corner of the galaxy, the Xindi reptillians and insectoids declare a national holiday

 

[Set Harth]

I think the new timeline was created BEFORE Nero appeared.

It wasn't.

 

[spaceoddity]

Uhura coming to the bar. If she didn't, Kirk wouldn't have made a fool out of himself, and Captain Pike wouldn't have noticed him lol

basically it's a lot of coincidences? or fate? idk

 

[Gojira]

How about when the Enterprise didn't get sucked into the Black Hole after the destruction of the Narada? If it had been sucked in I think that would have been the most significant change in this new time line.

 

[C.E. Evans]

The decision by George Kirk to stay behind on the doomed Kelvin to allow the rest of the crew and his newborn son to escape.

 

[Cyke101]

Uhura coming to the bar. If she didn't, Kirk wouldn't have made a fool out of himself, and Captain Pike wouldn't have noticed him lol

basically it's a lot of coincidences? or fate? idk

The conversation in the bar probably indicates that Pike had studied Kirk's file well in advance to that night, however. After all, his thesis involved the Kirk family, and Kirk lived awfully close to Pike's next command.

The decision by George Kirk to stay behind on the doomed Kelvin to allow the rest of the crew and his newborn son to escape.

Yeah, probably this. Additionally, George Kirk's actions perhaps indirectly helped Starfleet upgrade its tech (via informatioon carried by the shuttles) and helped Pike out during his Academy days, too.

 

[Yevetha]

The Narada destroying an entyre fleet.

 

[Psion]

I think the new timeline was created BEFORE Nero appeared.

It wasn't.

Kirk was originally born in Iowa, not on a starship. The fact that George and Winona were on the Kelvin when James was due proves something else changed before the Narada showed up.

 

[Hythlodeus]

I think the new timeline was created BEFORE Nero appeared.

It wasn't.

Kirk was originally born in Iowa, not on a starship. The fact that George and Winona were on the Kelvin when James was due proves something else changed before the Narada showed up.

Because of the Narada incident, Kirk was born a couple of weeks earlier. He would've been born in Iowa if the Kelvin hadn't encountered the Narada.

 

[Franklin]

I think the new timeline was created BEFORE Nero appeared.

It wasn't.

Kirk was originally born in Iowa, not on a starship. The fact that George and Winona were on the Kelvin when James was due proves something else changed before the Narada showed up.

I realize I'm getting nit-picky here, but I don't think anything on air or on screen says Kirk was born in Iowa, just that he was from Iowa.
The only lines about this are in TVH where he tells Gillian in the pickup that he's from Iowa, then says in the restaurant, "No, I'm from Iowa, I only work in outer space."

To rationalize that with being born on the Kelvin (well, the shuttle in ST09), where should he have told Gillian he was from if he had been born on the starship? Further, given his mom seemed very much in labor on the Kelvin before the Narada appeared, they must've planned that she would give birth on the Kelvin. That would've happened if the Narada attacked or not.

Before TVH, Kirk being from Iowa was only mentioned in the character description in The Making of Star Trek. Although it was accepted as convention, it didn't become canon by the "on screen test" until TVH. Whether that meant, native born or just from (as in not born there but grew up there) is actually up in the air given what Kirk said.
We also don't know where the on-Earth home of Kirk's parents was. If it was Iowa, then being born on the starship might have technically made him native Iowan by the laws of the times. Bear in mind I'm not a 23rd century immigration lawyer, though.

In fun, Riverside, Iowa does lay claim to being the future birthplace of James T. Kirk, but they did that all on their own and it was obviously presumptuous.

 

[Psion]

It wasn't.

Kirk was originally born in Iowa, not on a starship. The fact that George and Winona were on the Kelvin when James was due proves something else changed before the Narada showed up.

I realize I'm getting nit-picky here, but I don't think anything on air or on screen says Kirk was born in Iowa, just that he was from Iowa.
The only lines about this are in TVH where he tells Gillian in the pickup that he's from Iowa, then says in the restaurant, "No, I'm from Iowa, I only work in outer space."

To rationalize that with being born on the Kelvin (well, the shuttle in ST09), where should he have told Gillian he was from if he had been born on the starship? Further, given his mom was very much in labor on the Kelvin before the Narada appeared, so they must've planned that she would give birth on the Kelvin.

Before TVH, Kirk being from Iowa was only mentioned in the character description in The Making of Star Trek. Although it was accepted as convention, it didn't become canon by the "on screen test" until TVH. Whether that meant, native born or just from (as in not born there but grew up there) is actually up in the air.
We also don't know where the on-Earth home of Kirk's parents was. If it was Iowa, then being born on the starship might have technically made him native Iowan by the laws of the times. Bear in mind I'm not a 23rd century immigration lawyer, though.

In fun, Riverside, Iowa does lay claim to being the future birthplace of James T. Kirk, but they did that all on their own and it was obviously presumptuous.

As you point out, Kirk says he's from Iowa. Had be been born in outer space, he'd have answered Doctor Taylor's question differently. One usually says they're from the place they're born. Yes, I agree there's room for debate on this subject, but there would have been no debate until Trek 2009 was released. Curiously, early production drawings of the Kelvin seem to refer to the ship as the Iowa ... which would have changed things considerably, I think.

There's also this graphic from the Enterprise episode "In a Mirror Darkly", which gives a time and place for Kirk's birth.

 

[F. King Daniel]

That graphic wasn't actualy used in the episode - and the ones that were were contradicted a few episodes later in the finale.

"From Iowa" does not mean "Born in Iowa". He was raised there, he lived his life there. My Aunt was born in Africa, and spent all of two days of her life there. The next 60 years were in England. She's certainly doesn't think of herself as African.

 

[Franklin]

There's also this graphic from the Enterprise episode "In a Mirror Darkly", which gives a time and place for Kirk's birth.

Never saw that graphic before. That does create a bit of a contradiction. I could try to rationalize it, but I'd rather go have lunch right now rather than into geek mode.

Either way, wheter he's native or just from Iowa, as an Iowan myself (native born and from there), I gladly claim Kirk as a fellow Iowan in any universe.

 

[Psion]

There's also this graphic from the Enterprise episode "In a Mirror Darkly", which gives a time and place for Kirk's birth.

Never saw that graphic before. That does create a bit of a contradiction. I could try to rationalize it, but I'd rather go have lunch right now rather than into geek mode.

Either way, wheter he's native or just from Iowa, as an Iowan myself (native born and from there), I gladly claim Kirk as a fellow Iowan in any universe.

Enjoy your lunch!

 

[TwoJakes]

Kirk deciding to enlist in Strfleet.

If he wanted to be an officer, why was he enlisting?

George Kirk's actions perhaps indirectly helped Starfleet upgrade its tech (via informatioon carried by the shuttles)

Some fans mention this a lot it seems, but is there any on screen evidence that the shuttles even did this?

 

[Franklin]

That graphic wasn't actualy used in the episode - and the ones that were were contradicted a few episodes later in the finale.

"From Iowa" does not mean "Born in Iowa". He was raised there, he lived his life there. My Aunt was born in Africa, and spent all of two days of her life there. The next 60 years were in England. She's certainly doesn't think of herself as African.

If the graphic didn't air, then it didn't happen as on-screeen canon, and we're back where we started. From Iowa.

I guess the point is where one is from has different meanings (born, raised, where one lives). In my own case, I was born and raised in Iowa (25 years there), but I've lived the last 20 years of my life in northern Virginia. So today, when someone asks me where I'm from, I say I'm from northern Virginia, though I sometimes add that I was born in Iowa.

I would think that even in the 23rd century, people would like to have a definite sense of place about where they're from, so even if he was born on the Kelvin, I could see Kirk telling folks he was from Iowa.

Then again, in TVH Kirk could've been lying. He can't tell Gillian he was born on a starship (or on the Moon or Mars or anywhere other than on Earth). It could be Iowa was just the first place that popped into his head. Maybe it did because his beloved Enterprise was built there (at a branch plant that was part of the global conglomerate, The San Francisco Ship Yards). How's that for original thinking?

 

[Psion]

That graphic wasn't actualy used in the episode - and the ones that were were contradicted a few episodes later in the finale.

Yes it was.

From TrekCore's screen captures of the episode, fifth page, lower right link. You can even (barely) read the entry on Kirk.