In 2009, J.J. Abrams had done the impossible: he successfully rebooted Star Trek. One of the most iconic franchises in pop culture history, years of continuity across multiple series and films had made the series inaccessible to a mainstream audience, to the point that Star Trek: Nemesis was beaten at the box office by Maid in Manhattan on opening weekend.
J.J. Abrams' masterfully directed reboot not only made Star Trek cool, but gave audiences a fresh jumping-on point for the franchise. With a new cast acclaimed as worthy successors to their legendary predecessors, the future looked bright for the Star Trek film franchise as one of Paramount Pictures' new tentpole series.