star trek - What is Red Matter and what is its origin?

In Star Trek (2009) there is a mysterious substance called Red Matter that is able to create spontaneous singularities. These singularities are able to contain supernovae that threaten the galaxy, allow time travel to alternate realities, and can crush experimental, Borg-inspired mining vessels.

But what exactly is this Red Matter goo supposed to be? And where did it come from?

Answer

The comic mini-series Countdown covered the period in the 24th century leading up to Nero and Spock's ships falling into the black hole. From the Red matter article on Memory-Beta:

Red matter was a substance that was created through the use of Decalithium. It was created by the Vulcan Science Academy and took the form of a red liquid substance that collected in the form of a sphere. A single drop of this compound was capable of creating a singularity.

I should point out that since it's from a comic book, it's quasi-canonical. All we know about the red matter is its effect in the movie.

Comments

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