- The film begins with a dedication to Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek. He passed away shortly before the film was released.
- Ominous music rises, and the title appears. Not exactly a triumphant way to start things off.
- The credits end abruptly with a huge blue-and-purple explosion. It sends out wide shockwaves.
- We cut the interior of a ship while a Starfleet officer records his captain's log. The captain is revealed to be our buddy Hikaru Sulu, formerly of Enterprise, but now the chief officer aboard the USS Excelsior.
- Sulu's just finished his three-year tour exploring the "Beta Quadrant" and is now heading home. Everything has been dandy.
- Suddenly, the ship shakes violently. Alarms blare. The crewmembers look on the view screen and see the shockwave heading directly towards them.
- The ship is rocked by violent waves of energy. Everyone is taken off his or her feet (and clear into walls, in some cases,) but the ship makes it through the other side in one piece.
- An officer informs Sulu that the "subspace shock wave" originated from Praxis, a moon of Kronos. Kronos is the home of the Klingons, the Federation's chief adversary.
- Sulu notes that Praxis is the Klingons' "key energy production facility." He shoots them a message offering help.
- Uh-oh. The crew looks at the screen and sees that Praxis has been blown to smithereens.
- The crew receives a message from the surface. We see a Klingon shout before being consumed by an explosion.
- Excelsior receives another message, this time from Klingon High Command, basically telling them to mind their own business and move along.
- This seems shady. Time to contact Starfleet HQ.