This J.J. Abrams Star Trek entry made a major change to the Enterprise's foundation (& Captain Kirk was the main reason behind it)

J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movie (2009), which marked the beginning of the Kelvin timeline, introduced an alternate reality in the franchise and featured another version of Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) as opposed to William Shatner's portrayal in the prime timeline.

While Abrams made some bold changes in his movie that were still aligned with Star Trek canon, he made a major change to the Enterprise's foundation. As seen in the Prime Timeline, the Enterprise is assembled in Earth's orbit at the San Francisco Fleet Yards facility.

However, Abrams' Kelvin timeline's Enterprise was built on the ground in Iowa, allowing its captain to witness its assembly in all its glory.

More on this major change in our story.

J.J. Abrams' Star Trek made a major change in Enterprise because of Chris Pine's Kirk

While William Shatner's run as Captain Kirk is iconic in the franchise, Abrams' Kelvin timeline saw a new Kirk in Pine. In addition to the casting, Pine's Kirk was also fundamentally different from Shatner's Kirk, necessitating several changes to the Enterprise's foundation in Abrams' Star Trek movie.

One of these fundamental changes was Enterprise's foundation, which was built on the ground (in Iowa) as opposed to the prime timeline. While there is a lot of science behind explaining why a starship like the Enterprise was built on the ground, the simple reason is Captain Kirk.

While Shatner's Kirk grew up with his father and was always destined to embrace his destiny as Enterprise's captain, Pine's Kirk never met his father, as he died in the Kelvin timeline while serving.

The events of the Kelvin timeline had made Kirk self-destructive and he also resented the organization. Since he had no motivation to enlist as Starfleet's captain, Abrams needed to build the Enterprise on the ground, where Kirk could see it in all its glory. The building of a glorious vessel like the Enterprise ultimately sparked a moment of motivation in Kirk and he fulfilled his destiny by enlisting as its captain.

In addition, as Reddit user u/jimmysilverrims commented, Abrams' setting his Enterprise's foundation on Earth made it tangible and thus different from the vessel assembled in space:

''...In the audio commentary for Star Trek 2009, Abrams and Co. explain that not only did they want to have a very human "twin suns" moment for Kirk, but they wanted the Enterprise to seem hardy and strong...It created a sense of tangibility, of physically existing. Something that a structure suspended against a black sheet of space wouldn't have captured.''

What were some other changes made to the Enterprise in Abrams' Star Trek?

While the Enterprise's foundation was the biggest change that Abrams made in his Kelvin timeline in the Star Trek movie, the changes did not end there. Fans noticed many changes in the Enterprise compared to the vessel featured in the prime universe.

While the vessel was primarily painted plywood, Abrams' Enterprise was upgraded to sleek metal. In addition, the jellybean button consoles were replaced with holographic displays, adding a more futuristic touch to the vessel and providing more space between the stations.

This new Enterprise design in the Kelvin timeline eventually inspired the vessel's design in Star Trek: Discovery Season 2, including a big viewscreen at the bridge of the fleet that offered a view of space.

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