Did You Know: A cut scene in Star Trek 2009 explained where Nero was

The 2009 Star Trek reboot featured Nero, an underrated villain.

Star Trek 2009 was the start of a new era of Trek for better or worse. That film became the template for the next two films and every series that has come after it, with JJ Abrams helming the films and his long-time associate, Alex Kurtzman, taking over the television side of things. One of the things the new era of Trek did was create Nero, a Romulan who served as the main villain of the 2009 reboot.

Nero blames Spock for the destruction of Vulcan in the prime timeline. Their feud led the two to time-travel and in turn, created a parallel universe and timeline referred to by the fanbase as the Kelvin Universe.

The timeline was created when Nero went too far back in time and crossed paths with the USS Kelvin, the ship that George Kirk, father of James Kirk was a member of. Its destruction preceded the primary plot of the film by 25 years and would serve as the catalyst for Kirk to enroll in Starfleet.

Yet, during the course of the film, Nero only attacked two different locations, 25 years apart. The Kelvin and the planet Vulcan. Why is that? Where was Nero for 25 years?

Why did Nero wait 25 years in between attacks in Star Trek 2009?

You may not know this, but Nero was actually a captive of the Klingons for most of that time period. He was held on the prison planet Rura Penthe following the attack on the Kelvin. The Klingons were quick to arrive not long after the initial attack and forced Nero and his crew to surrender.

The Romulans did nothing on the planet for 25 years, as apparently, it was a good enough spot as anywhere to wait for Spock to arrive in the timeline. Once they knew Spock was about to arrive, the Romulans broke free and commenced with their plan.

The deleted scene didn’t just set up a huge plot point in the film but also featured veteran actor Victor Garber as the Klingon interrgator.

In fact, it was his escape being discussed among the Klingons that Uhura decoded in the early parts of the film.