JJ Abrams' 2009 Star Trek movie cleverly rebooted the franchise by setting the new saga in a reality parallel to the Prime Universe, but the writer/director also made the divisive decision to fire Chris Pine's version of James T. Kirk rapidly through the ranks at Starfleet. Although the Kelvin Timeline is largely separate from the Prime Universe - the crossover of Leonard Nimoy's Prime Spock not withstanding, it still abides by many of the same rules and regulations that exist in the franchise's main dimension. As such, the 2009 movie calls one of Abrams' biggest creative choices into question.

Pine is just one of five Star Trek timeline, his iteration of Kirk being handed captaincy of the USS Enterprise is still unusual.

Chris Pine's Kirk Being Promoted Straight To Captain Is Odd In Star Trek 2009's Movie

Kirk goes from cadet to captain in one fell swoop

Every main version of James Kirk in Star Trek is a natural-born leader with a talent for improvisation, and Pine's version of the character is no different. His actions in the 2009 movie are incredibly heroic, and the fallout of his intervention is significant. Therefore, although it would be understandable for Pine's character to receive some form of reward or commendation, promoting him from an entry-level cadet straight to the rank of captain feels very out of character for an organization such as Starfleet.

James Kirk was not even supposed to be present on board the Enterprise during the mission in 2009's Star Trek, as he stowed himself away to force Starfleet into taking him along.

Pine's Kirk was inarguably a major factor in the heroes' success in Abrams' first Star Trek movie, but allowing him to over all the hard-working ensigns, lieutenants, and commanders who had spent their careers building a reputation for themselves is a bizarre way for Starfleet to express their gratitude to him. It perhaps would have been more believable if Kirk were handed his first commission as ensign instead, or even perhaps allowed to jump to lieutenant junior grade, but being given command of a ship so soon just feels very misguided.

Why Star Trek 2009 Fast-Tracked Kirk's Captaincy In Star Trek

JJ Abrams had to speed through Kirk's original story

Although Kirk's reward at the end of the 2009 Star Trek movie doesn't make sense canonically, there is a great deal of logic involved from a scriptwriting perspective. Although it took a very creative route, the movie was intended to reboot the Star Trek franchise, so Pine's Kirk had to be given an origin story. Taking any longer than a single movie to do this would have risked alienating new fans, so he pretty much had to be captain of the Enterprise by the installment's finale, as this is how he's known pretty much universally in popular culture.

In a TV show, this wouldn't have been as much of an issue, as spreading the arc throughout a full season would have felt a little less jarring. In movie form, it's pretty difficult to avoid unless Kirk's promotions don't happen until a later sequel. Plus, there's also the consideration that by giving Pine's Kirk such a different backstory to Shatner's version, Abrams was able to keep the two iterations much further apart in of similarity, which was very respectful to the man who originated the character in 1966.

Chris Pine's Captain Kirk Is Still A Great Version Of The Character

The Kelvin Timeline allowed Pine to make changes to Kirk

Pine being installed as the Enterprise's captain after just one mission as a cadet is a tricky plot point to ignore, but it shouldn't take away from the actor's portrayal of the legendary Star Trek character. Pine puts his own spin on Kirk, but also folds elements of Shatner's performance into his own. Pine's overall demeanor and the pattern of his speech have clearly been influenced by the original Captain Kirk, but there are more than enough deviations to separate the two versions.

While it could be argued that Pine should have followed more closely in the footsteps of Shatner, it actually wouldn't make any sense for both Kirks to act in exactly the same way. Shatner's Kirk was raised in the Prime Universe, whereas Pine's grew up in the Kelvin Timeline. Therefore, both men had different experiences throughout their lives that shaped them into the men they eventually became. That being said, the fact they both become the captain of Star Trek's most famous ship proves that enough shared traits remained intact.