J.J. Abrams is a smart guy. Even though he was a novice to the world of "Star Trek," he knew enough to keep the show's rabid fan base in mind when he boldly took on the task of rebooting the show as a big-screen prequel.

Throughout the new movie, you'll find references to the original series, the prequel series "Star Trek: Enterprise" and the movies that fit within the timeline of Abrams' film.

The series "Star Trek" broke ground for television in the 1960s with more than just space babes in go-go boots, and Abrams makes sure that benchmarks such as TV's first interracial kiss -- originally between William Shatner and Nichelle Nichols' Uhura -- are referenced.

Here are some other nods to "Treks" that came before, although mostly without context, the better to avoid spoilers:

Pest control: In "The Wrath of Khan," Khan (Ricardo Montalban) implants Chekov and Capt. Terrell (Paul Winfield) with mind-controlling bugs that enter the ears of their victims. Watch for another bad guy with a bug.

BFF: Also from "Wrath of Khan," Spock's admission to Kirk, "I have been and always will be your friend," is echoed in the prequel.

Kobayashi maru: One way James T. Kirk stood out at Starfleet Academy is that he was the only cadet to defeat an exercise called the "kobayashi maru." The legend reached the real world, as in so many things "Trek," and UrbanDictionary.com now defines kobayashi maru as: A no-win situation caused by a set of rules that can only be won by changing the rules, in effect, cheating.

Orion green is still in style: In the original series, Orion women were known for their seductiveness and for being green. Susan Oliver as Vina takes the form of an Orion in the episode "The Menagerie" and Yvonne Craig (TV's Batgirl) later plays the green Marta in the third-season ep. "Whom God Destroys."

(Also referencing the "The Menagerie," Capt. Christopher Pike plays a key role in the story.)

Pre-prequel: Listen for a passing reference to Scott Bakula's John Archer and his beagle, who roamed the starship in the TV prequel series "Star Trek: Enterprise."

No place like home: In "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home," Kirk is asked if he's from outer space. "No, I'm from Iowa," he answers. "I only work in outer space." Abrams' "Trek" takes the young Kirk home.

"Red Shirt of Doom": We all know by now that the crew member in the red shirt is most expendable. According to sitelogicmarketing.com, there were 59 deaths on the original "Trek" series, 43 of them (or 73 percent) red-shirted crew members.

Blade II: George Takei's Sulu was skilled with the sword, as seen in the episode "The Naked Time" in the original series. Sulu of the new film, John Cho, is handy with a sword as well.

No bones about it: We discover how Dr. Leonard McCoy (with Karl Urban in the role originated by DeForest Kelley) got his nickname.