The U.S.S. Kelvin was a Federation starship active in the early 2230s. In 2233, under the command of Captain Richard Robau, the Kelvin encountered a black hole from which a Romulan ship from the year 2387, the Narada, appeared. This event altered the timeline and created what is colloquially known as the Kelvin Timeline. After a brief battle that resulted in Captain Robau's death and the complete evacuation of the Kelvin, First Officer Lieutenant George Kirk assumed command and sacrificed himself and the ship by ramming it into the Narada in order to disable it. It was during the battle that George Kirk’s son, James T. Kirk, was born.  Although Captain Robau, George Kirk, and several other crewmembers were killed during the battle, over eight hundred of its crew were safely evacuated, including newborn James T. Kirk and his mother, Winona Kirk.

U.S.S. Kelvin Bridge | Deck 1 (2233)

The bridge of the U.S.S. Kelvin was darker and more industrial in design compared to the brighter and more streamlined command bridges that Starfleet designed in the decades following.  Although a smaller bridge comparatively, it held space for 17 crew members including the captain.  Its multi-tier design afforded the centrally located captain’s chair a full view of the space out of the large trisected viewscreen/window combination that was located at the forward quadrant of the bridge.  Crew stations circled the outer perimeter of the bridge, containing over 100 display monitors to provide the crew with real-time information on all ship systems.

Ship Model (Digital)

As portrayed in Star Trek (Film, 2009)

The U.S.S. Kelvin was designed by Ryan Church, part of Scott Chambliss’s production design team for the film, with additional detailing by Industrial Light & Magic.  It was designed to fit in with the more traditional and recognizable design aspects of ships seen in Star Trek, to contrast with the fresh new direction that director J.J. Abrams was pushing for the look of the U.S.S. Enterprise seen later in the film.

Bridge Set (Physical)

As portrayed in Star Trek (Film, 2009)

The bridge of the U.S.S. Kelvin was designed by James Clyne, part of Scott Chambliss’s production design team for the film. Like the ship's exterior, the design philosophy behind the bridge was to make it fit in with the traditional and recognizable design aspects of Star Trek starship interior sets, to contrast with the fresh take of the U.S.S. Enterprise bridge that would appear later in the film.