Leonard Nimoy's final film role (and by extension, his final time portraying Spock) before his death on February 27, 2015 at the age of 83. It's also the first in the Star Trek franchise (either movie or TV series) after the death of Majel Barrett.
Benedict Cumberbatch's character was not revealed to the actor until a week after he was cast. A studio representative flew to London from Los Angeles with the script handcuffed to his wrist.
One of the conditions for Leonard Nimoy to make an appearance as Spock in this film was for J.J. Abrams to make sure coffee ice cream, which Nimoy loved, was available at all times on the set.
An "in joke" reference is made to Simon Pegg when he is trying to open the bay doors during Kirk and Khan's boarding attempt. The security guard asks Scotty to "show his other hand". It is common knowledge to Star Trek fans that James Doohan never intentionally revealed both hands in any of the original series because of the loss of one of his fingers (lost in combat during the D-Day invasion while storming the beach). Mr. Doohan's war wound is visible in several episodes: among them, "The Trouble with Tribbles", in which the scene required Scotty to carry the Tribbles with both arms.
Karl Urban pays homage to DeForest Kelley, as he wears a pinkie ring on his left hand, just as Kelley did in Star Trek (1966) and six feature films.
Christopher Doohan: The son of the original Scotty, James Doohan, makes a cameo appearance in the film as a transport officer alongside the current Scotty, Simon Pegg.
J.J. Abrams: [lens flare] Known for using lens flare to heighten the action and has apologized for "overusing" lens flare in the Star Trek films.
J.J. Abrams: [Kelvin] The doomed London building blown up early on in this film is the Kelvin Memorial Archive.
J.J. Abrams: [mission] This film is dedicated to post-9/11 veterans. This is on account of Abrams' connection to The Mission Continues, a nonprofit organization that serves as a framework for U.S. military veterans to do community service work when they return home from overseas. The organization's founder and CEO Eric Greitens makes a cameo appearance alongside other veterans in the film's ending as one of the flag folders. A section of the film's official website is dedicated to The Mission Continues.