Why Does the Kelvin Timeline Look So Different?

The Hobus Supernova created a whole new alternate timeline for Star Trek, the 2009 films, the Kelvin Timeline.
But why did it visually turn out so different?
Let's look at the in-universe reasons that the designs of Starfleet's most iconic ships, like the Enterprise were altered so radically.
As usual we turn to the books and games surrounding Star Trek to find our answers.
And they involve the Borg.

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Star Trek, Star Trek First Contact and Star Trek Enterprise/Voyager/Deep Space Nine and The Next Generation are all owned by Paramount Pictures and distributed by CBS.
This Video is for educational purposes with commentary.

[CertifiablyIngame]

So I feel the need to clarify. At 49 seconds in I state that I'm not looking at real world licence agreements but I'm well aware of the real world financial motivations. This video focuses on in-universe reasons for the differing appearance that are brought up by Memory Beta content. Thank you for reading this before commenting.

[pwnmeisterage]

Romulan tech is green. Borg tech is green. So they're compatible.
Federation tech is blue. Obviously incompatible.

[saadqureshi]

The thing I hated was that he was back in time so he had a chance to save his planet from exploding again. But nope decided to be stupid af and try and get revenge instead.

[JZBelexes]

Personally I just assume the Kelvin Timeline was ALWAYS an alternate universe even before the Narada's incursion. Similar to how the Prime Timeline's Defiant was sent back to the Enterprise-era Mirror Universe. That's an easier handwave to explain the continuity disparities than saying the Narada Incursion created an alternate reality, and fits more in line with previous Trek's time travel rules.

[christphern]

The Kelvin universe is a prime example of why the Temporal Prime Directive, and the Prime Directive in general is absolutely necessary.

[drumkommandr]

I just thought of something.

Q revealed himself to Picard because they'd come so far from home without being ready for things like the Borg. But... now they've seen the Borg, plus more.

The Kelvin Timeline could possibly never come into contact with the Q Continuum. There's no need this time around.

[joshuafrahm]

"My advice on making sense of temporal paradoxes is simple: don't even try."- Captain Janeway

[BABarracus]

what about the time police from the 30th century introduced by voyager. they should have stopped Nero

[lieutenant_danlt.d]

Nero was fiddling around while Romulus burned

Wait....

[ffmfg]

Levels of understanding of time travel. Level 1 - Basic: time splits. Level 2 - Advanced: time bends. Level 3 - Proper: wibbly wobbly, timey wimey...

[CommodoreFloopjack]

I would freaking LOVE to see what later Kelvin-timeline ships (i.e. Galaxy- and Nebula-class) would look like and what their capabilities would be.

[Wesley_H]

Copyright: *Exists, necessitating design changes*

Ancient Aliens meme guy: “I’m not saying it’s the Borg, but it’s the Borg.”

[afoolandhismoneychannel]

Why does the Kelvin timeline look so different? Lens flares. Lots and lots of lens flares.

[unavailable]

"That's not radiation, that's a firey wall of explode." nice one rick.

[NotMyRealName]

"A wall of fiery explode." I'm gonna have to use that one at some point.

[Ramsez]

So prime Kirk started his command when he was 13 younger than kelvin Kirk??? That's insane, he must have been in high school! Classic prime Kirk, what a guy!

[sagesheahan]

I went in to the 2009 knowing they'd be facing Romulans, they had put that out there before the movies release.

My very first thought upon seeing the Narada was "that's not Romulans. That's Borg."

And I was kind of right....

[BartJBols]

I dont understand the "you tried to help me but failed, now i want revenge" trope...

[erikschiller]

Honestly, I want to see a TNG show but in the Kelvin timeline. The Kelvin Constitution class is as big as a sovereign class, so imagine the size of the galaxy and sovereign classes in the Kelvin Timeline.

[goldiz]

It's late 24th century romulan borg technology from the prime timeline..