In 2258, after destroying Vulcan in the Kelvin timeline, the Romulan Nero turned the Narada toward Earth, where James T. Kirk and Spock stopped him and destroyed his ship.
Nero blamed the Federation and the elder Spock for the destruction of Romulus in his own time. Having used red matter to destroy Vulcan, he took the Narada to Earth, lowered a drilling platform into the atmosphere above San Francisco and prepared to do the same to humanity's homeworld.
Kirk and Spock beamed aboard the Narada. Spock took the elder Spock's ship and destroyed the drill, while Kirk rescued Captain Christopher Pike, who had been held prisoner. Spock then flew the small ship into the Narada, and the red matter it carried created a black hole.
The Enterprise fired on the Narada as it was pulled into the singularity, and Nero died with his ship. Kirk was given command of the Enterprise afterward, and the battle forged the partnership between Kirk and Spock that defined the new timeline.