So...
They released four vid clips to the press for further analysis and judgment.
Would love to see them. STOP READING NOW IF YOU WANT TO BE 100% SURPRISED BY THE JJTREK!!!
However, since I am not a journalist... I recommend this article:
http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/11/abrams-previews.html*** written by John Scott Lewinski ***
What can be safely presumed after watching the preview footage? Romulan villain Nero (played by Eric Bana) has deliberately changed the past -- perhaps in an effort to purge history of that bane of all nasty aliens, James T. Kirk (Chris Pine). As a result, Kirk grows up without a dad and develops into a first-class space goof. Still, he finds his way to Starfleet Academy on the encouragement of the fatherly Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood).
Kirk remains a stellar idiot, despite obvious aptitude, and runs afoul of Spock (Zachary Quinto) and everybody else except Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban), who sneaks Kirk aboard the Enterprise on its maiden voyage.
If Nero is to be stopped and the Federation, the Planet Vulcan and Kirk's future are to be saved, the Romulans must be foiled and Kirk must find a way to get his butt into the center seat of the Enterprise's frozen-yogurt-shop-style bridge. Fortunately, the older, wiser Spock Classic (Leonard Nimoy) is on hand to aid Kirk and to act as our ambassador to the new time line -- as though telling us to relax and accept that change is inevitable.
As for the look of the new set design, the Enterprise exterior is close enough to the original. But the interior seems overpopulated, disorganized and hyperkinetic. The engineering department looks like the guts of a World War II battleship after being colorized by Ikea. The bridge looks like an old Mac iBook, spreading that milky white "Barbie's Malibu Dreamhouse" feel everywhere. We'll have to see if anyone explains how the altered time line led Starfleet's military designers to look to 21st-century West Hollywood boutiques for their interior decor concepts.
In the end, is it Star Trek?
That depends on how you answer one question: Was Star Trek entertaining because of the exploits and interactions of characters of Kirk, Spock, McCoy and company, or did you enjoy those characters because of the veteran actors playing them?
If it's the latter, Abrams' kids can't pull off that sort of effortless chemistry and gravitas. They're too busy running around and yelling. If it's the former, Kirk is still a man of action, Spock is still brilliant and McCoy and Scotty are still effective comic relief.
Abrams' vision is as much Star Trek as your eye will let it be.
***
Kind of gave themselves a canon-out with "Spock Classic" explaining the whole movie away as a corrupted timeline.
So, the Trek we have grown up with remains unscathed, in time-travel theory.
Wow.
Maybe there is a timeline where Taldren did NOT fall.
Good times. Gonna watch this.