2009’s Star Trek reboot by J.J. Abrams reinvigorated the franchise, making the universe of The Original Series and renowned characters such as Kirk and Spock accessible for a contemporary audience. With stunning graphics, a new crew, and a narrative twist that sent the USS Enterprise soaring into modern popularity, the movie gave us a glimpse of what Gene Roddenberry’s 1960’s concept might look like with today’s technology. The film combined original adventure elements while nodding to the quirky sets and spirit of fun from the past, but despite larger budgets and superior tech, not even the fastest warp drive could escape some production oversights!
Star Trek (2009) boasts a variety of scenes that might leave viewers puzzled: from continuity errors, inconsistencies within the sets, to discrepancies in background details between shots. Some of these “wait, what?” moments may have gone unnoticed on your initial viewing, but were later spotted by eagle-eyed fans. Once you’ve seen them, they become etched in your memory. Here are 7 unmissable blunders in Star Trek that will stay with you!
1) Which Ear?
Following the discovery by Captain Nero of Spock’s theft and destruction of a Romulan shuttlecraft, intended to drill into Earth for creating a black hole (what a lovely fellow…), something quite peculiar occurs with his ears. In this particular instance, some attentive viewers may observe that the tip of Nero’s left ear is absent, while his right ear remains complete. However, in all other scenes throughout the film, it’s the right ear that appears without its pointed tip instead.
In actuality, Nero isn’t covertly posing as a human officer on a Romulan ship; instead, it appears to be an oversight in continuity. The pointed ear momentarily flips, which might have slipped the makeup and prosthetics team while dressing Eric Bana as the antagonistic Romulan. Although this could be an intriguing plot twist for Star Trek 4, in reality, it’s likely just a minor blunder. After spotting this inconsistency, you may find yourself unconsciously scrutinizing Nero’s ears throughout the film.
2) Missing Make-up
Initially in the film, Zoe Saldana’s character Uhura sports a bold winged-eyeliner and intense mascara style, with the lines extending beyond her eyes and eyebrows. However, during a scene inside the turbolift with Spock (Zachary Quinto), the makeup appears less noticeable in certain frames. But just as quickly, the eye makeup returns to its full intensity moments later. Given Uhura’s professional competence, it seems implausible that she could have retouched her eyeliner so swiftly!
In the intense discussion between Spock and another character, whose home planet has been devastated, there’s a minor inconsistency that might go unnoticed amidst the emotional intensity of the dialogue. However, once noticed, it becomes hard to ignore – much like how her eyeliner seems to play an integral role in the narrative. This is one example of a subtle continuity error in the scene.
3) A Magically Mending Ship
Initially in the movie, the USS Kelvin experiences severe attacks from Nero’s Romulan ship, causing its saucer section to be nearly destroyed entirely, with large chunks of debris flying off and significant frontal damage being evident. However, just moments afterwards, when the Romulan First Officer Ayel, portrayed by Clifton Collins Jr, appears on the screen demanding Captain Robau to board their vessel, the scene outside the bridge windows shows an undamaged saucer section as if no harm had befallen it at all.
Perhaps, it’s possible that the Starship Kelvin is equipped with rapid-repair nanobots we haven’t been informed about yet. However, it’s more likely that the bridge crew’s perspective of their own ship, as if they were looking through a windshield, might have been unintentionally overlooked by the Star Trek production team. After all, maybe engineering is simply becoming exceptionally swift with its repairs.
4) Wrong Hand
On a drill platform above a heated confrontation with Romulan soldiers aiming to destroy Vulcan, Kirk came perilously close to plummeting off the edge. But just in the nick of time, Sulu managed to pull him back up. In one scene, Chris Pine is seen gripping the platform for survival with only his right hand, while his left arm flailed behind as he stared down below. The camera angle then shifts, and all of a sudden, it’s reversed – now it appears that John Cho (Sulu) is being held by Kirk’s left hand, and his right hand reaches out to grasp Sulu.
During the rescue attempt, there was a quick, almost unnoticeable flip that occurred, and when noticed, it seemed to undermine the authenticity of the event. It appears either Captain Kirk decided to use this moment as an unexpected chance to demonstrate his impressive agility by changing grips mid-air in a split second, which suggests the rescue itself might not have been necessary, or else this incident could be attributed to a continuity error that occurred while filming different takes at different times.
5) Flipping the Flag
At the conclusion of the movie, during Kirk’s award ceremony, you’ll notice three flags displayed behind the Federation Council. The middle flag appears to be the California state flag – a clever detail for observant viewers. However, after Kirk greets Pike and the camera zooms up, the same flag seems to be hanging at an angle and appears almost completely white or plain.
It’s improbable that the unexpected change in the flag’s appearance during the indoor ceremony, given everyone seems motionless, was due to a sudden gust of wind in Federation Hall. Instead, it appears that the arrangement of the flags for this scene wasn’t fully considered across multiple takes.
6) Wrong Warp Factor
In this scenario, the character Anton Yelchin (portraying Chekov) outlines an ingenious strategy to conceal the USS Enterprise near Saturn for a surprise attack on the Romulans. However, as he discusses the necessity of reaching warp 4, the ship’s display in the background reveals they are already moving at a slightly higher speed – warp 4.31! This seems like an interesting plan indeed.
Although it’s a minor point, you might find yourself wondering if the writers could have chosen a different number to avoid this mistake. Given that this series is renowned for its attention to detail and the intricacies of warp speed being an enjoyable aspect for devoted fans, it makes for an easy target for those who delight in analyzing every detail.
7) Get a Handle on the Harness!
Upon their initial encounter in the shuttle ascending towards the Enterprise, with the historical significance of the moment and the introduction of Karl Urban as the notorious Enterprise doctor, many of us were undoubtedly captivated. However, if you pay close attention, there’s a subtle detail: the safety harness strap over McCoy’s right shoulder appears flat and neat from Kirk’s perspective, but when we switch to McCoy’s view, it appears bunched up. Then, when we return to Kirk’s angle, it’s once again flat.
Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond are streaming now on Paramount+.
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2025-08-27 22:17