Of the now 11 films, this is the most expensive [Star Trek] film by far, at an estimated $150,000,000. Star Trek: The Motion Picture had a budget of $46,000,000 and Star Trek: Nemesis had a budget of $60,000,000.
James MarsdenJames Marsden was considered for the role of McCoy.
Zoe SaldanaZoe Saldana previously played a big [Star Trek] fan who admits she loves going to the conventions in Steven SpielbergSteven Spielberg's The Terminal.
Karl UrbanKarl Urban was cast at his first audition, which was two months after his initial meeting with J.J. AbramsJ.J. Abrams. He said he was happy to play a role with lots of comedy, something he had not done since The Price of Milk, because he was fed-up of action-oriented roles.
Karl UrbanKarl Urban is a longtime self-described "religious" fan of [the Original Series]. He used to watch it on Saturday mornings in New Zealand with his dad. Shortly before word came down about the development of this film, he bought the complete series on DVD and watched them with his son.
Composer Michael GiacchinoMichael Giacchino decided to use the original [Star Trek] theme by Alexander CourageAlexander Courage for the end credits, which director J.J. AbramsJ.J. Abrams said symbolized the momentum of the crew coming together.
To prepare for his role as Captain James Kirk, Chris PineChris Pine watched classic episodes and read encyclopedias about the [Star Trek] universe. However, his research was rudimentary, as he wanted his performance to be original and not an imitation of William ShatnerWilliam Shatner. He based his performance on Tom CruiseTom Cruise's Maverick and Harrison FordHarrison Ford's Han Solo and Indiana Jones, heroes who Pine felt possessed the archetypal hero qualities Kirk has (humour, arrogance, decisiveness).
Brief mentions are made to "Admiral Archer" and his beagle. Then-Captain Archer (Scott BakulaScott Bakula) was the captain of the title ship in [Star Trek: Enterprise] (which takes place before this movie), and kept a Beagle named Porthos.
In the Federation Council Chambers, there is a briefly-seen sign that reads "Admiral Komack". This is a reference to a character portrayed by Byron MorrowByron Morrow in the [original series].
Prior to this film, the most expensive [Star Trek] film ever made was Star Trek: First Contact with a worldwide gross of $146,000,000. This film exceeded that gross by its second weekend of US release alone.
