The Question Of Whether Abrams' STAR TREK Is Truly Canon Has Been Answered...Sort Of...

Merrick here...
There's been a great deal of confusion, on a variety of fronts, regarding the nature of J.J. Abrams' STAR TREK. Is it a reboot? A "reimagining"? Is it "prequel" in the literal sense, or figurative sense? Even from the trailer, certain elements of the movie don't jibe with what's been established before...is this reckless oversight? Or, is there a method to the madness? TrekMovie has an interview in which Anthony Pascale, the site's overlord, attempts to corner TREK co-writer/Executive Producer Roberto Orci regarding the new film's approach to, and impact on, established TREK canon/continuity. KNOW THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THE PIECE, but nothing too significant if you've been following the film at all, or seen its trailer (which can be found HERE).

Anthony: OK, now let’s get really into it. From the trailer, and certainly from the four scene preview, there is no doubt that things are different. Pike and Kirk are hanging out in a bar. The ship looks different. Kirk is on the Enterprise and not headed to the Farragut. People are seeing Romulans…things are different. Now it has been revealed in the Entertainment Weekly article that Nero goes back in time and attacks the Kelvin, and JJ also talked about this during his previews. So the big question is: Is the destruction of the Kelvin, the canon reason why everything is different? Bob: It is the reason why some things are different, but not everything is different. Not everything is inconsistent with what might have actually happened, in canon. Some of the things that seem that they are totally different, I will argue, once the film comes out, fall well within what could have been the non-time travel version of this move. Anthony: So, for example, Kirk is different, because his back story has totally changed, in that his parents…and all that. But you are saying that maybe Scotty or Spock’s back story would not be affected by that change? Bob: Right. Anthony: Does the time travel explain why the Enterprise looks different and why it is being built in Riverside Iowa? Bob: Yes, and yes.

...reveals THIS DISCUSSION at TrekMovie. There's much more explanation (or confusion, depending on how awake you are & how thoroughly you've mastered Quantum Mechanics) in the piece, so be sure to jump over & check out the whole shebang. What I'm, taking away from this is: Orci & Co. approached TREK canon, found a plot device which allowed them to deviate from/reshape expected canon... without really deviating from canon...because said plot device originates from the "normal" TOS/TNG timeline... automatically making both the plot device, and the impact it has (i.e. a reshaped timeline), canon. Or, something like that?