warp core star trek into darkness

May 31, 2013

How Tardigrades Saved the Enterprise

If you trekked into a theater this week to see the latest installment of Star Trek, you saw a damaged starship Enterprise fall out of the sky like a meteor looming over future San Fransisco.

By Kyle Hill

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

If you trekked into a theater this week to see the latest installment of Star Trek , you saw a damaged starship Enterprise fall out of the sky like a meteor looming over future San Fransisco. For Captain Kirk, unless someone fixes it, the ship’s crippled warp core means a doomed crew. He could have used an army of Tardigrades.

[**SPOILERS** to follow]

Late in Star Trek Into Darkness , the crew of the Enterprise successfully fends off an attack from the militarized Killer-prise, but a critically damaged warp core sends them plummeting towards Earth. Now in the clutches of gravity, the only way to survive a death-by-reentry means realigning the core (an actual place ). Kirk takes it upon himself. Braving a radiation bath, Kirk sacrifices himself to save his crew. Within minutes after entering the core, Kirk dies from a lethal dose of radiation in a clever role-reversal from previous Star Trek canon.

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing . By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

Radiation has an invisible lethality, but where it comes from and just how much matters. Just how much radiation did Kirk endure, and is there any life form that could have done a better job? Differences in radiation exposure and resistance can mean the difference between a handshake from Bones and a tearful Vulcan salute.

Wrath of Radiation

In classic Star Trek canon, the Enterprise’s core is a warp core, able to propel the ship at superluminal–faster than light–speeds. To meet the energy demands, the core takes advantage of matter-antimatter annihilations. As Einstein laid out in his famous equation E=mc 2 , even a small amount of matter contains a gargantuan amount of energy . Though this equation also dictates that to go faster than light you would need infinite energy–making superluminal travel impossible– Star Trek gets around this problem by using the energy made in the warp core to instead bend space around the ship. This bending of space-time avoids the perils of time dilation. Without being able to bend space, traveling at or over light speed would get you where you needed to go, but the rest of the universe might age 40 years soon after you say “Engage.” A warp drive is the critical component for cosmic commuting, and it might actually be possible to make .

If the warp drive in the Enterprise is using matter-antimatter explosions to power it, the chamber housing the drive likely is filled with the remnants of the destruction–sub-nuclear particles like mesons and electromagnetic radiation in the form of gamma rays. Unless he had the good fortune of Bruce Banner, Kirk’s heavy exposure to gamma rays means that he might as well have entered the core wearing a red Star Fleet shirt.

Unlike lower energy radiation that is put out by cell phones and microwaves, gamma radiation is at the very high end of the electromagnetic spectrum. In fact, the high frequency photons that make up gamma rays have enough energy to bump electrons, protons, and neutrons in your body’s atoms out of place. This process of ionizing your body’s molecular soup is what makes high-energy radiation so dangerous. It’s a deadly game of Red Rover where high-energy radiation slams into your line of molecules, liberating some from the chain. Knocking enough electrons or even whole atoms out of place in the body can cause everything from superficial skin burns and lesions to cancer.

You encounter ionizing radiation all the time–from chest x-rays, eyeglasses (containing Thorium), and even from space–but most of us never get a single massive exposure like Kirk does in Star Trek Into Darkness . We absorb about 0.01 Grays (a measure of energy absorbed per kilogram of material, abbreviated Gy) from a CT head scan , but a singular exposure to 10 Gy would cause widespread cell death and mutation, with your demise two weeks away.

But in the film, mere minutes pass between Kirk entering the warp core and giving Spock a final Vulcan salute. 30 Gy–equivalent to receiving 3,000 CT scans at once or standing next to the failed Chernobyl core for 5 minutes –would be enough radiation to kill you within three days of exposure. There isn’t any data to say how much radiation could kill you in minutes because radiation-death is a slow process. Once enough of your atoms and molecules are knocked out of place, it is only a matter of time before your insides stumble around, irradiated into madness, towards destruction.

So we can assume that whatever Kirk’s ultimate exposure was, it must have been higher than 30 Gy. It would explain his fear and confusion near the end, as those are common symptoms of radiation sickness. Though heroic, Kirk’s final act was in ignorance of a powerful ally who could have saved the Enterprise unharmed–the humble water bear.

The Trouble with Tardigrades

Water bears, or Tardigrades , are tiny extremophiles able to survive in the harshest conditions. They can handle a decade of complete dehydration, the pressures at the bottom of the Mariana trench, and temperatures scarcely above absolute zero. Maybe most impressively, the millimeter-long creatures can withstand thousands of times more radiation than most other mammals and insects–even cockroaches.

Able to weather a flood of high-energy particles, the water bear can take 5000 Gys before going the way of Captain Kirk. The little animals could take a leisurely stroll around Chernobyl without feeling a thing. With over a thousand times our own radioresistance, the water bear’s ability to efficiently repair its DNA following exposure should make it the latest addition to Star Fleet.

Of course, to repair the warp core and save the Enterprise, Kirk would need a sentient army of a trillion water bears. At those numbers, even though the little buggers could do it without harm, Spock may object, as the needs of the many would outweigh the needs of the few. And even if the water bear army fails, the hardy critters would still outlive the Enterprise’s crew. One group of water bears survived the vacuum of space , and deadly solar radiation, for ten straight days before returning to Earth unharmed.

Science fiction has seen weirder things.

Image credit: The preamplifiers of the National Ignition Facility by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Screen Rant

Star trek into darkness ending & problems explained.

Your changes have been saved

Email Is sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

Resident Alien's Potential Move From Syfy Could Actually Be Great For The Show (& The Expanse Proves It)

Song kang’s latest k-drama role perfectly flipped one of his most famous characters, cobra kai quietly spoils that a major dojo betrayal will be forgiven in season 6.

The ending of Star Trek Into Darkness was an action-packed but bewildering spectacle that played like a funhouse mirror version of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan where the roles of Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) were strangely reversed. After Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch) killed Admiral Alexander Marcus (Peter Weller), he took over the USS Vengeance and threatened to destroy the USS Enterprise if Spock didn't give him the 72 photon torpedoes containing his genetically-engineered followers. Spock tricked Khan by sending over the torpedoes without the cryogenically frozen people inside, and he detonated the weapons to cripple the Vengeance.

Once Kirk, Scotty (Simon Pegg), and Dr. Carol Marcus (Alice Eve) beamed back to the Enterprise, the starship lost power and began to crash-land into the Earth. Kirk entered the warp core and aligned it, and he received a fatal doze of radiation. As Spock witnessed Kirk's death, Khan crashed the USS Vengeance into San Francisco and tried to escape. Spock beamed down to kill Khan but during their chase, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban) realized Khan's 'super blood' could revive Kirk, whom he placed in a cryo tube. Uhura (Zoe Saldana) beamed down to help Spock capture Khan, and McCoy was able to synthesize a serum from Khan's blood to save Kirk's life. A year later, the USS Enterprise was re-launched on a five-year mission with Captain Kirk in command. At the end of Star Trek Into Darkness , Kirk learned that vengeance is not what Starfleet is about and his experience against Khan, who was placed back in cryo freeze, matured him as Captain of the Enterprise.

Related: Every Star Trek Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

Khan's Star Trek Into Darkness Villain Plan Explained

Khan was the primary villain of Star Trek Into Darkness , although he was rebelling against being a victim of the corrupt Admiral Marcus for most of the film. Khan's primary goal was to kill Marcus, destroy Starfleet, and reunite with his 72 followers, but the film's plot made his methods confusing. In the first act of Star Trek Into Darkness , Khan, in his fictional identity of Commander John Harrison, engineered the bombing of the Kelvin Historical Archive in London. But the archive was a front for Section 31, Starfleet's black ops agency, which was using Khan to develop weapons for Starfleet under Marcus' orders.

Khan bombed Section 31 because he knew Starfleet protocol dictates Marcus and the senior staff would convene at the Daystrom conference room at Starfleet Headquarters. Aboard a stolen jumpship, Khan attacked the Starfleet brass, but he failed to kill Marcus. Instead, Kirk's mentor, Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) died in the attack. Khan then used Scotty's transwarp technology to beam himself to Kronos, the Klingon homeworld. Kirk volunteered to take the Enterprise to Klingon space and kill Khan, but when his crew argued against the immorality of this mission, Kirk changed his mind and set out to apprehend Khan to make him face trial. Khan, in turn, saved Kirk's away team from the Klingons, and he surrendered to Kirk, having surmised that the Captain didn't know he was set up by Admiral Marcus and that Section 31 sabotaged the Enterprise's warp core. Playing prisoner was the fastest way Khan could get to Marcus.

Khan knew Marcus would personally come when he learned Kirk disobeyed orders. When Marcus arrived aboard the USS Vengeance to destroy the Enterprise , Khan agreed to work with Kirk to infiltrate Marcus' starship. But Kirk betrayed Khan first and had Scotty stun him. When Khan quickly awoke, he attacked and killed Marcus. At that point, Khan's goal was to get his followers back from the Enterprise and use the Vengeance to destroy Starfleet. But after Spock tricked him and damaged the Vengeance, Khan settled for crashing Marcus' starship into Starfleet Headquarters before escaping. Had Khan succeeded, he and his followers would have used the Vengeance to take out Starfleet systematically, but instead, the genetically-engineered tyrant was placed back in suspended animation.

Admiral Marcus' Star Trek Into Darkness Villain Plan Explained

Admiral Alexander Marcus was Star Trek Into Darkness ' other villain and, in a way, he was worse than Khan. Marcus' backstory is that after Nero (Eric Bana) destroyed Vulcan in Star Trek 2009, the Admiral feared that Starfleet wasn't prepared for a future war with the Klingons. Marcus used Section 31 to search for ways to 'militarize' Starfleet, and they discovered the ship containing Khan and his followers in space. When Marcus realized Khan was the genetically-engineered warlord from 300 years in the past, he revived Khan and forced him to develop weapons and tactics to fulfill his vision of a militarized Starfleet. As an incentive, Marcus kept Khan's followers prisoner and threatened to kill them if he didn't cooperate.

Related: How Strange New Worlds Season 2 Will Secretly Bring Back Khan

As "Commander John Harrison," Khan helped develop the USS Vengeance and the special photon torpedoes that ended up housing Khan's followers in suspended animation. But when Khan decided to take revenge on Marcus, destroyed the Section 31 facility and operatives in the Kelvin Archive, and attacked Starfleet Headquarters, Marcus saw Kirk's desire for vengeance as an opportunity to rid himself of Khan. However, Marcus never intended for Kirk and the Enterprise to return from the mission to Kronos, and the Admiral wanted to start a war with the Klingons - but on Starfleet's terms. Marcus had Section 31 sabotage the Enterprise's warp core so that the ship would be stranded in Klingon space after Kirk fulfilled his original mission to launch 72 photon torpedoes at Kronos from the edge of the Neutral Zone.

When Marcus learned Kirk disobeyed orders and captured Khan instead, he personally led the Vengeance to destroy Kirk, Khan, and the Enterprise. The Admiral never had any intention of letting Kirk survive, and the fact that his daughter, Carol Marcus , pleaded with him didn't dissuade the Admiral. If Marcus had his way, he would have annihilated the Enterprise and everyone aboard, including Khan and his followers, fixing the "mistake" Marcus made by waking them from cryo sleep. Marcus would then have the war with the Klingons he wanted, and the Admiral believed Starfleet would defeat their enemies thanks to the Vengeance and Section 31's technology.

What Went Wrong With Star Trek Into Darkness

Star Trek Into Darkness features terrific performances from the cast and thrilling action set pieces. The film's failings stem from its numerous creative missteps and a fatal blunder in how the Star Trek sequel was marketed. J.J. Abrams and his writers, Damon Lindelof, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci, decided that in spite of having a clean slate to do whatever they wanted in the alternate Kelvin Timeline , they would make Khan Noonien Singh the main villain of the movie. Khan's inclusion then necessitated rehashing multiple aspects of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . But the novelty of this was lost on most Star Trek fans, who saw using Khan in the sequel as a creatively bankrupt decision. It also didn't help that Khan, a person of color originally played by the iconic Ricardo Montalbán, was whitewashed by the casting of Benedict Cumberbatch.

In Star Trek Into Darkness ' defense, killing Kirk and pitting Spock against Khan had the benefit of the Vulcan being a physical match for the genetically-engineered superman in a way Kirk simply isn't. But by the end of the film, the bereft Spock as a violent madman raining punches on Khan was a bridge too far from the cool, logical Vulcan Spock is meant to be. Many other baffling creative choices like Kirk being so immature that he unapologetically broke the Prime Directive, and so bloodthirsty for vengeance that he committed the Enterprise to an immoral manhunt, the controversy sparked by an unnecessary scene where Carol Marcus stripped to her underwear in front of Kirk for no reason, Leonard Nimoy's Spock telling Zachary Quinto's Spock how to beat Khan, and Kirk's death being instantly reversed thanks to Khan's "magic blood" sank Star Trek Into Darkness in the eyes of audiences in spite of the film's strong points.

Related: Star Trek Into Darkness' Alice Eve Controversy Explained

It's possible Star Trek Into Darkness might have been better received if the film's marketing was upfront that Benedict Cumberbatch was playing Khan . But J.J. Abrams was at the peak of his "mystery box" style of movie marketing in 2013, and the filmmakers deliberately misled (or outright lied to) the audience to preserve their 'surprise' that John Harrison was really Khan. Unfortunately (and predictably), the reveal overall was not met with the excitement Abrams and Bad Robot hoped for. Trekkers saw Star Trek Into Darkness as foolhardy and uninspired for remaking the beloved Star Trek II yet again, just 11 years after Star Trek: Nemesis also did its own failed version of The Wrath of Khan. Sadly, Star Trek Into Darkness ' reputation hasn't been buoyed in the decade since its release, and the film ultimately squandered the goodwill created by the success of Star Trek 2009.

How Into Darkness Hurt Star Trek Beyond

In spite of its less-than-stellar reception from fans, Star Trek Into Darkness raked in $467-million at the box office, over $80-million more than the more enthusiastically-received Star Trek 2009, and it's actually the highest-grossing Star Trek film. However, Star Trek Into Darkness ultimately cooled audience interest in the Chris Pine-led Star Trek movie franchise. In spite of a switch in directors from J.J. Abrams to Justin Lin, and a superior script by Simon Pegg and Doug Jung that successfully evoked the tone of Star Trek: The Original Series , Star Trek Beyond underperformed in the summer of 2016, earning $343-million as the lowest-grossing film of the Kelvin trilogy.

Star Trek Into Darkness soured the optimism for the boundless potential of the Kevlin timeline and, instead, Abrams' trilogy earned a reputation for regurgitating what worked in past Star Trek movies and TV shows. In turn, the excitement from general audiences was lacking for Star Trek Beyond when it hit theaters, and its July 2016 release date was also mistimed in a crowded summer movie marketplace when it could have been positioned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Star Trek in September 2016. Sadly, Star Trek Into Darkness marked the downturn of J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies, and the franchise still hasn't recovered, as evidenced by Paramount's inability to get Star Trek 4 off the ground.

Next: Star Trek 2009 Ending Explained

• SR Originals

• May 11, 2024 | Interview: Elias Toufexis On Making Star Trek History Playing L’ak And Nerding Out In ‘Discovery’
• May 10, 2024 | ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Debuts On Nielsen Streaming Top 10
• May 10, 2024 | Podcast: All Access Breens Out On “Erigah” With Commentary From Elias Toufexis Of ‘Star Trek: Discovery’
• May 9, 2024 | Star Trek Franchise Wins Peabody Award
• May 9, 2024 | Recap/Review: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Gets Cool Under Pressure In “Erigah”

The Science of Star Trek Into Darkness

| May 18, 2013 | By: Kayla Iacovino 192 comments so far

Into the Volcano The Nibiru volcano scene was revealed in the IMAX preview of STID last December. We basically saw the entire scene back then, but there are a few points that I didn’t catch the first time around that I’ll touch on here.

Spock takes a stroll in the Nibiru volcano

The look and feel of the volcano is pretty spot on For the most part, they get this part right. Speaking as a volcanologist who loves to nitpick geology scenes in movies, there is not much for me to gripe about in Into Darkness. Of course, the visual artists did dramatize the scene a bit, but for everything they got wrong there’s another detail they got right.

What was wrong visually? I can tell you from experience that the inside of an active volcano doesn’t look quite like what we saw in STID. The biggest flaw? Flames. Too much fire and brimstone. Yes, volcanoes produce hot steam, ash, and magma, but what’s depicted in STID looks more like a forest fire — embers and flames swirling around Spock. Again, this is a somewhat minor point, so it’s forgivable.

The visual details that are spot on. The geologist in me was giggling with joy when she saw Spock standing atop real lava! The ropey, black rock beneath Spock’s feet is really something that came out of a volcano: a type of lava rock called Pahoehoe. And, if one was to flash freeze molten volcanic rock as Spock’s “cold fusion device” did, it’d look a lot like what we saw on screen: jet black volcanic glass. The best part of the volcano, though, was the bubble burst. A gigantic bubble of gas rose through the lava lake and formed a huge dome of lava that loomed far above Spock’s head. The pressure built up inside the bubble until it burst open, sending bits of molten rock flying in one large catastrophic explosion. That is EXACTLY what happens in real lava lakes.

Spock in a seriously cool looking volcano

BONUS: Fumaroles on a nearby planetoid! Recall the scene where Carol Marcus and Bones shuttle down to a nearby planetoid to have a go at diffusing of the mysterious photon torpedoes. What you probably didn’t realize was that this was a “volcanic” scene, too! My eyes immediately jumped to the flat plain of lava rock (scoria, a type of basaltic volcanic rock) where Carol and Bones were fiddling with the torpedo. In the background was a beautifully rendered fumarole – a crack in the ground where volcanic gasses escape into the atmosphere. The look and feel of the scene was completely scientifically realistic. What’s even better is that it felt like a barren, vast, wasteland. No vegetation, no animal life. This made it really feel like some small volcanic moon or “planetoid”. I’ll go out on a limb here and say this is in my opinion the most realistic looking planetary body I’ve ever seen in a movie. Props to the visual artists! Below is a couple of examples of real world locations reminiscent of the torpedo disarming scene in Into Darkness.

Volcanic plains resembling the torpedo disarming scene in Into Darkness

Verdict: The visuals were great. The volcano looked more realistic than any film I’ve seen, minus the swirling embers.

The science behind the volcano: Oh so close, but not quite right We cannot take the heat, cap’n! Here’s where the volcano scene took a turn for the less believable. Both Sulu and Scotty suggest that the heat from the volcano is too much for the shuttle or the Enterprise to withstand. Huh? Let’s count the logical fallacies, shall we?

Let’s get even more sciencey. The graph below shows the temperature experienced by a Space Shuttle orbiter on reentry to Earth’s atmosphere. The hottest lava on Earth is around 2200 °F. The Space Shuttle, the first flight of which was in 1981 can withstand temperature of up to 2500 °F. Nineteen Eighty One. In 200 years, I hope we will have advanced far beyond even that!

How they could have made this right, while keeping the stakes high for Spock and the crew. Sulu has one line that I wish they’d have played up more in this scene. He mentions that the ash from the volcano is getting into the shuttle’s systems and causing all kinds of damage. THIS is extremely plausible! Volcanic ash is very corrosive, especially to electronics. And, it interferes with air intake systems in engines, which is why airplanes can’t fly through volcanic ash clouds here on Earth. This would have been the scientifically accurate reason that the shuttle was struggling, and why it’d be dangerous to take the Enterprise in. I’m not sure why anyone mentioned the heat being a problem at all.

Verdict: The heat would NOT cause any problems for a shuttle or a starship. They should have used volcanic ash as an excuse.

Spock’s Planet Saving, Volcano Stopping “Device” . Here’s where things get really hairy. Spock has some device capable of stopping a volcano. You know what? It’s the beginning of the movie, things are pretty crazy, so as a moviegoer I’m going to go ahead and accept that humans have developed the technology to somehow “render a volcano inert”. But, the geologist inside of me wouldn’t let it stand when we saw how the thing worked. As said above, the visual was very cool and quite realistic — if one were to “flash freeze” some lava, it woud turn into exactly what we saw. But, flash freezing lava in a volcanic crater would not, by any means, stop a volcano from erupting. Volcanoes are essentially surface expressions of the deep, churning earth. It’s where our planet is turning itself inside out — the very hot, very pressurized molten rock living deep in the Earth’s crust (and sometimes even below the crust) finds its way to the surface in a grand explosion of fire and light. Freezing the top layer of lava at an erupting volcano is like putting the lid on a pressure cooker turned to 11. The pressure beneath that lid is just going to build up until that volcano erupts even more explosively than it otherwise would have. Of course, sci-fi caveat, one could assume that the device somehow managed to penetrate all the way down (we’re talking 10’s of kilometers deep) to the source of the volcano and freeze it from the inside out, but I just have a very hard time believing that.

Spock, get your volcano suit on. We need you to detonate a cold fusion device inside an active volcanic crater.

The NIF Warp Core One of the aspects of the film that I really enjoyed, and not everyone will agree with me on this, was the warp core. Particularly, the shots of the outside of the warp core, which were all filmed at a real life science facility: The National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Lab in California. When I imagine what a starship’s engine room should look like, I certainly don’t imagine this . I imagine a massive piece of equipment that looks like something that could accelerate particles fast enough to create anti-matter. Something thats so massive and complex, it is essentially built into the ship itself. In modern facilities, instruments like particle colliders are a part of the building in which they reside — it’s not like wheeling a computer into the middle of a room. Some have argued that the NIF warp core feels too modern; that we would be miles beyond that kind of technology by the time Starfleet is around. But, I’m not so sure. Warp cores are essentially gigantic particle colliders that can store massive amounts of antimatter and use it to power the ship. Why wouldn’t a warp core of the future to some degree resemble their 21st century ancestors? Besides, maybe this scene will encourage a few kids to learn about particle physics, and that’s just fine by me. Verdict: Up for debate The NIF Target Chamber (click for super high res version)

Another of the many scenes filmed at the NIF

Transwarp Beaming: A forgivable plot device? In Star Trek (2009) , we are introduced to Scotty’s magical transwarp beaming technology. Yes, Scotty invents a way to beam from place to place across insane distances while at warp . This, if you remember, is how Kirk gets back onto the Enterprise. Okay, so it doesn’t work perfectly (Scotty ends up inside one of the water tubes in the engine room), but it works. Enter Into Darkness. Khan needs a way to get from Earth to Kronos, and he’s on the lam so he doesn’t have access to a starship. Khan is also involved in Section 31, the secret agency within Starfleet who, we’re told, confiscated Scotty’s transwarp equation. That’s how Khan was able to beam over to Kronos. Thanks, at least, for being internally consistent with the 2009 film, but I still have to point to this as a totally unrealistic plot device, which moreover makes it way too easy for our heroes to get around. What’s the point of a fleet of starships when we can simply beam across light years? It’s hard to comment on the real life science of the transwarp long-distance beaming, since to beam a person even a short distance with today’s knowledge of physics would cost unimaginable computing power, and the reassembly of a human being would require the energy input equivalent to about 3,200 suns. So, yeah, transporter technology’s not in the near future. But, this transwarp thing isn’t even good Trek science. It’s not even good writing! It just makes it far too easy. It was a forgivable plot device in the first film, but let’s just forget it ever happened and move on. Otherwise, we might as well scrap the fleet and just beam everywhere.

Verdict: A poor plot device. Not internally consistent with other Trek technology

Transwarp beaming in Star Trek (2009)

Ludicrous Speed! Travel to Kronos in minutes! This is one movie “mistake” that almost everyone I’ve talked to, scientist or not, has picked up on. Kronos (or Qo’noS), the Klingon home world, may be relatively close to Earth, but according to the pilot episode “Broken Bow” of Star Trek: Enterprise , Kronos is about 4 days away from Earth at warp 4.5. In a later Enterprise episode, “Two Days and Two Nights”, it was established that this was around 90 lightyears from Earth, as that is the farthest distance anyone had traveled up to that point. In Into Darkness, the Enterprise apparently travels at Ludicrous Speed and somehow manages to reach Kronos (and get back to Earth from Kronos) in what seems like only a few hours.

Verdict: Another poor plot device that defeats the idea of the Final Frontier .

They’ve gone to plaid…

Pointing out what’s wrong (or right!) with the science of Trek might seem like pointless nit picking. But, that’s what we Trekkies do best, and having a meticulous community with such attention to detail means that we demand a certain standard from the people who create new stories that fit within the Star Trek universe. There are volumes dedicated to establishing what is “canon” in Trek, something fairly unique to our franchise. But, the Transwarp long-distance beaming and the ability of a starship to travel at Ludicrous Speed are two things that transcend nit picking. There are multiple references in the movie about “deep space” and the upcoming five year mission of the USS Enterprise. But, if you have ships going from Earth to Kronos in a matter of minutes then there is no “Deep Space” within the galaxy. And, going back to Trek canon, it essentially wipes out the premise of Star Trek: Voyager and most of Deep Space Nine (who needs wormholes?). More to the point, these two seemingly harmless plot devices completely dismiss the idea of the Final Frontier. The Enterprise and her crew are taking a risk when they are out there exploring the unknown, days or even months from home or the closest reinforcements. It’s what makes Trek work as a “western in space”. Without that peril, that feeling of isolation, you loose one of the things so intrinsically interesting to the exploration of space: the vastness of space itself.

Follow me on Twitter: @kaylai .

You should consult for the next Star Trek movie.

I recall that there was some shooting in Iceland for this movie…and If so, I think they filmed the Torpedo Autopsy there, given the locale….so it’s not so much Kudos to the set designers, but to the location scouts

Precisely. Fans will overlook an occasional flimsy plot device to help advance the narrative, but not when the same device is used in consecutive films, then made even more absurd. The implausibility of beaming all over the galaxy becomes an unnecessary distraction.

The “instantenous travel” could have been avoided by simply adding a short “Captain’s Log” narrative along the lines of “stardate 2259.60 – we have been on our way to Kronos for 3 days”. Simple as that, isn’t it?

“Transwarp beaming” encore could have been avoided by beaming Harrison to a ship in orbit which would have taken him to Kronos.

yeah i have problems with transwarp beaming the only way out of it from a story point would be both the prime timeline and the jj timeline section 31 has it, and will not give it up to anyone, which will explain how sloan gets around,and ok you can travel to distance stars so quickley but how many planets will you miss along the way?the 5 year mission is about exploring strange new worlds and seeking out new lifeforms, so even with transwarp beaming, you will still need a slower form of travel thank you for the science for it

The Science of Star Trek after the Original Series was always more Fantasy than Science.

There a show on last night on the History channel about Star Trek and how it has been influenced by science and how it has influenced science. It was two hours but I only caught the last hour. I hope they play it again. They talked about the SETI program, and number of other things, they showed a ton of behind the scenes clips of STID. They talked about fusion power and the location where they filmed the warp core. It was great.

They’ve traveled extraordinary distances in little time in Trek before. The Final Frontier is pretty ridiculous in the time it took for the A to get to the center of the galaxy. There have been episodes where they’ve traveled further than expected in little or no time. In Unification, the Enterprise travels between Vulcan and the Romulan Neutral Zone while stopping off at the ship depot facility, implied to be rather far away from the Romulan border.

Also, Voyager, traveling as far as it did, without the various boosts they got, is rather unrealistic.

Great stuff Kayla!

When the word got out that the new movie was filming at Lawrence Livermore I was happy, it looks much better than the brewery stuff :)

@8 The History Channel repeats things ad-nasum, so don’t worry it will be on again. I have one of the repeated showings that I recorded to watch in my DVR right now.

Upcoming times: http://www.history.com/shows/star-trek-secrets-of-the-universe/episodes

I agree with all of this .. but the one thing that gets me about this whole film is… while the ships were drifting into the atmosphere, why didnt a ship tractor them back up, thus avoiding 100s of people getting dicked on the ground by a falling starship!

Good stuff Kayla…

I have to agree that the careless story-telling and implausible scenarios, what we are asked to believe about the plot and characters really detracted from what was otherwise a helluva a lot of fun by some insanely talented people who made it happen. Phil Plait (Bad Astronomer) has an interesting review on his blog at slate.com

http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2013/05/17/bad_astronomy_review_star_trek_into_darkness.html

http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2013/05/16/star_trek_science_mistakes.html

BTW, shooting at Lawrence Livermore was a good move; shoulda stayed out of the brewery altogether.

12. craig keith – May 18, 2013 “…why didnt a ship tractor them back up, thus avoiding 100s of people getting dicked on the ground by a falling starship!”

For the same reason they didn’t beam the crew off the falling ships to the planet or no Starfleet vessel came to the aid of either ship during the standoff.

Don’t forget the fact that they fell to the Earth from LUNAR ORBIT, and did so in a matter of MINUTES!

That whole scene was so badly written and filmed, it was painful. I literally looked away from the screen. I hope the writers and directors are properly ashamed of themselves for that whole sequence.

Funny article. It implies there was science in this movie. Obviously, there was none.

Harry Potter had more explainable science than this.

It kills me how JJ Abrahms’ Trek is still being labelled as sci-fi but some people. More and more, it’s being thrown under the “fantasy” category where it should be.

Sad. Sad. Sad.

I was hoping they could say that transwarp beaming isn’t instaneous. Harrison could have been bits of molecules for a few hours until he reached Kronos.

Not just Kronos is a few minutes away from Earth at ludicrous warp speed, but when they leave the Enterprise (which is supposedly inside the neutral zone) using Mudd’s ship, Kronos is visible by naked eye. That means the neutral zone is within the Klingon solar system! If you think about it, the plot doesn’t make any sense. Kirk agrees to go close enough to Kronos to be able to see the planet by naked eye, fire 72 torpedoes on the planet’s surface (and probably cause major damage) and get out without being noticed by the Klingons, which are as technologically advanced as the Federation. Really?

The thing is, the Trek movies have often been highly inconsistent about distances. In TUC they travel from Earth to to the Neutral Zone to Rura Penthe to Khitomer in what appears to be a few days. In Trek V they infamously travel all the way to the center of the galaxy in about an hour. In First Contact they appear to go all the way from the Neutral Zone to Earth in minutes. Given that history, I say the new team are merely keeping with tradition.

And I’ll also dissent on the Transwarp Beaming issue. Trek also has a history of introducing miraculous tech in one episode/movie and then conveniently forgetting about it in the next. I appreciated that they kept connections to the previous story and transwarp beaming wasn’t simply another macguffin of the week.

@4: But if Harrison had just beamed to a ship and then flown to Kronos how would Kirk et al know where he was?

With regard to the issue of time taken to travel between planets, as far as I can tell there’s nothing in-film which categorically precludes extra hours off camera. In the 2009 film there was the indeterminable time that Kirk was unconscious on the way to Vulcan; and plenty of opportunity for extra time on the way back to Earth while chasing the Narada as well.

The same is true of STID. We don’t know how long it took between jumping to Warp and the emergency shut-down. And they didn’t make it all the way to Kronos in any case, they travelled the last part in the freighter; again with no indication of how long they spent in that craft on the way there and back to the Enterprise.

Admittedly things get slightly more complicated once they capture Harrison. How long did it take Chekov to repair the coolant leak? Enough time for the Vengeance to warp from Earth after Starfleet was informed? And then the limited opportunities for time passage off-screen during the chase back to Earth.

But that said, even Scotty’s statement that he was only off the ship for “one day”, which I’ve seen some people use as categorical proof of the lack of time passage in the film – he could easily have been exaggerating for effect!

20. Slornie – May 18, 2013

“With regard to the issue of time taken to travel between planets, as far as I can tell there’s nothing in-film which categorically precludes extra hours off camera.”

But there is. When they hit warp again Carol races from sick bay to the bridge to warn Kirk. When she arrives they’re attacked and drop out of Warp near Earth. So the travel time is minutes unless she took a nap somewhere in between running.

19. sean – May 18, 2013

“The thing is, the Trek movies have often been highly inconsistent about distances.”

Yes, but in those movies the actual travel time is usually not given. E.g. in FC we do not know how long the battle with the Borg raged until the Enterprise arrived. In this one we can quantify the travel time from the Neutral Zone to Earth at Warp as the time it takes to get from sickbay to the bridge.

“Trek also has a history of introducing miraculous tech in one episode/movie and then conveniently forgetting about it in the next.”

True and I was ready to ignore that from ST09, but then they used it AGAIN in this movie.

as for the transwarp beaming, maybe after action reports on the Nero Attack point out the security flaw that Transwarp Beaming creates to the UFP, and Star Fleet comes up with a protocol to prevent that in the future (use of shields of some sort, perhaps a new functional use of Deflectors, etc), thus making it impossible to use TWBing… derp?

23. Pensive’s Wetness – May 18, 2013

” Star Fleet comes up with a protocol to prevent that in the future (use of shields of some sort, perhaps a new functional use of Deflectors, etc), thus making it impossible to use TWBing…”

Regular shields should already do that, but do they also put transport inhibitors on all planets and colonies? That would be a bit impractical as they would have to shut down once actually wants to transport sth.. And for exploration there’s nothing stopping them. I thought about it causing a deadly disease etc. but Spock Prime would likely not have given it to them if it did.

Kind of surprised no one has talked about the magical healing blood. That’s pretty biochemically preposterous

At the end Dr. McCoy says he’s made a serum out of it, which means it’ll be a lot tougher to have characters die without someone just whipping out the Khan-blood-serum hypospray.

That serum along with the transwarp beaming situation really is going to make it tough to avoid gaping plot holes in future stories. For example, if they’ve got transwarp beaming, why not just beam one of the fancy super-scary torpedoes to Khan’s location and let that be the end of it, as opposed to sending an entire ship a little bit closer to fire that same torpedo. I enjoyed the movie, but some of the “science” decisions have me worried long term.

This article:

A: Exists on multiple levels of awesome B: Is easy to fap to.

Would it be wrong to maybe assume that Starfleet vessels in the new timeline now travel using transwarp? The “at warp” effect does look similar to the transwarp effect in Voyager. If the reason why the Enterprise and the technology works differently is because of the Kelvin’s sensor scans of Nero’s ship, then couldn’t it be possible that Starfleet could develop transwarp travel and rewrite the warp scale to accommodate the increase in speed because of those scans?

Does the term “cold fusion” have anything at all to do with what we saw on screen, or did Orci et al just grab another science-for-millions term and paste it on “Lost In Space” style?

I totally agree that inter-planetary beaming is a huge mistake. It not only makes Starfleet obsolete, it also makes most of the oh-so-devious plots by Khan and Admr. Marcus cumbersome and foolish.

Also — anyone… Why did Khan set his personal transwarp beam to Q’on’os (or however you spell that)? Marcus wanted Khan there, but wouldn’t Khan have wanted to go directly to the Vengeance so he could crack a few heads (literally) and take over? Also, he killed a dozen top brass at Starfleet and beamed out within a few hours, right? He later says he did his killin’ while under the (wrong) impression that his augments were dead. But, in the time between killin’ and leavin’ Earth, he found time to discover his crew, redesign photon torpedoes, and put his crew in them. And again, knowing his crew was alive, he went to Klingonland (with its already-blow’d up several movies too early moon) hoping that Kirk would fire and soft land his buddies in their torpedoes??

Which part of this plan makes sense?

“It’s hard to comment on the real life science of the transwarp long-distance beaming… But this transwarp thing isn’t even good Trek science. It’s not even good writing!” Spot on.

Nice article that hits on some of the bad science. I take this flavor of Trek for what it is and don’t sweat the implausibilities too much. But as a NASA lunar scientist, I did have to shake my head when they stated the wrong distance for the Moon’s orbit!

@ “We cannot take the heat, cap’n!”

You mean they left that nonsense in? After fans alerted them about it, literally half a year ago on this very website, they couldn’t find a handful of $ to re-dub a single sentence? Respect, lost. :-P

The platelets biology and free-fall physics would still be worth a paragraph here… or the comparative pressure values of the Nibiru ocean and similar situations from other episodes ;)

On the way home from seeing STID last night, my 8-year-old son asked me why Kahn didn’t just thaw out his people when he had the chance instead of hiding them in torpedoes. With his people with him, he could’ve been more deadly and not easily been stopped.

I LOVED the new warp core! It seemed more like a reactor than the giant, glowy tubes.

I agree 100%.

I also couldn’t work out why one volcano would threaten the planet. Earth was poisoned by volcanoes and we turned out fine. Threaten the local natives, maybe. If it erupts for years I suppose it might warm the planet or disrupt global weather patterns to a small degree but I suspect that we’re pumping out way more pollution every day than one volcano can in a year.

And as I’ve said before, Uhura had no real purpose on that mission. They really should have had a volcanologist or geophysicist on board. Sulu is a physicist as well as a pilot but Uhura is a technician. I can accept that she was there as technical support for the shuttle but they still needed a scientist on the shuttle as well.

Great article. The science aspects didnt take away my enjoyment of a great film. The film series already hit rock bottom when Riker piloted the Enterprise with a joy stick, so I just ignore stuff like this and enjoy a good movie.

@Kayla on that last part of the article, namely the Transwarp beaming and the fallout for space travel, different universe. Warp drive developed differently, due in part to Nero’s incursion. What I surmise happened, is that, as the post-Nemesis novels detailed, after Nemesis Prime Starfleet began developing quantum slipstream drive, and there already was a proto-transwarp beaming in effect: In Star Trek The Next Generation, episode Bloodlines, Picard used a subspace transporter modification to beam to Bok’s ship from light years away at warp. Additionally in DS9 The Dominion had similar transport capabilities. Not to mention the fact that Nero’s ship was supposed to also be hybridized with Borg technology and an encounter with V’Ger (Countdown comics and the Nero comic series, both IDW).

It’s probable that Starfleet in Abramsverse, after deciphering the scans of Nero’s ship sent by The Kelvin before it was destroyed (which no doubt had a detailed database of the technology of the era from various powers, including Typhon Pact technology (they, in the novels, worked on their own quantum slipstream drives etc.), tried to reverse engineer the quantum slipstream technology and it resulted in a much, much faster warp drive for Starfleet. The warp effect in the Abrams films does more closely resemble Voyager Quantum Slipstream effect and Borg Transwarp effects than Prime Starfleet Warp Drive, and Spock did give the transwarp beaming equation, which Scotty probably developed AFTER his release from The Jenolen in ‘Relics’ and which was probably based on Dominion tech and Borg tech and insight derived from Seven of Nine.

As for what this means for the concept of ‘Deep Space’ and exploration: the scope of New Trek is bigger. No longer would Starfleet be limited to exploring one Quadrant of the Galaxy but the whole of The Milky Way and beyond. The Universe IS an INFINITE PLACE, full of countless galaxies.

Remember, JJ rebooted Star Trek to its base operating system. Clean slate. What we knew of the old Trek is but a guidebook, not a, pardon the pun, script.

Back to the wonder of TOS. Where we were not constricted by rigid canon. True, it can hint at later stuff, like The Cardassians, the Borg, The Ferengi, The Dominion and The Breen, The Hirogen and the Krenim and Xindi and Suliban, and more… and can move freely incorporating The Best of All Worlds into a New Paradigm, one where the Imagination and Wonder of TOS is restored, as Kirk and crew can travel now thousands of light years in the time it would have taken them to travel a couple hundred in TOS.

First Contact makes it clear the Enterprise is in the Neutral Zone, and based on what we see, there’s no way the fleet could have lasted an hour, let alone several. So either way, the time it takes the Enterprise to reach the battle is ridiculous and inconsistent with where they’ve always told us the Neutral Zone was.

“True and I was ready to ignore that from ST09, but then they used it AGAIN in this movie.”

And that was my point, they stayed consistent within their own universe. I prefer that to the old ‘Oh look at this miraculous thing we’ll forget we have next episode’.

I don’t really care. Movie have less science screw ups than other features with less sci-fi in them. in that sense ST was a great success.

37. NuWisdom – May 18, 2013

“Back to the wonder of TOS.”

The wonder of TOS was based to a large degree on the Enterprise having clearly defined limits in the vastness of space. Those limits were often based in Treknology and overcoming them was what presented the challenge. Now humans have powers similar to those of Q, which creates a huge problem for storytelling in this universe. It’s not a clean slate. Those new rules are in a way more limiting than the old canon since there are only three ways to deal with them.

A. Embrace them. Ok, so the next Star Trek will no longer feature the Enterprise. It’s become obsolete.

B. Ignore them. Which will make many people wonder about logic of the movie and take them right of it, i.e. why go to Kronos with a starship if you can beam there? I mean, if you could beam to a different continent, would you still use an airplane and fly there for hours?

C. Put a latern on them. I.e. explain in everytime why a certain technology does not work in the specific situation, which can be quite annoying.

All three of those ways are bad. If people start to wonder how sth. makes sense, they are taken right out of the moment. In ID that happens to lot of people – at least to those who don’t as a rule switch of their brains on arrival. You can say that this is a Trekkie problem – it’s not. The explanation you have given above is based on Trek canon. You know some SciFi and even Trek examples where sth. similar happened. General audiences don’t. They don’t go “they’ll explain it in a comic book” or “I’ll fix it in head-canon”. They go: WTF?

“I also couldn’t work out why one volcano would threaten the planet. Earth was poisoned by volcanoes and we turned out fine. Threaten the local natives, maybe. If it erupts for years I suppose it might warm the planet or disrupt global weather patterns to a small degree but I suspect that we’re pumping out way more pollution every day than one volcano can in a year.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supervolcano

And you would be incorrect. A volcanic eruption of sufficient magnitude can be an extinction-level event, and is far more hazardous than any co2 we might be pumping out.

38. sean – May 18, 2013

“…based on what we see, there’s no way the fleet could have lasted an hour…”

Yes, if you assume that it was just one fleet like at Wolf 359. However, this time they could have opted to have several hurdles for the Borg to cross. We also don’t see the initial size of the fleet, maybe what we do see is merely a small remnant. The point is: We don’t see it. It allows us to speculate. We can gloss over it and make it work for ourselves. STID spells it out, i.e. no room for speculation.

“…they stayed consistent within their own universe.”

They stayed consistent with something that will come to haunt them. See my response to 37. NuWisdom – May 18, 2013

How about the Enterprise ‘falling’ from the moon to earth (380,000km, though they get that figure wrong) in just a few minutes? It would take DAYS, even if it were physically possible.

And yet, unless the battle lasted a week, it still is inconsistent. Face it, the show has played fast-and-loose when a plot required it, and in that sense, the new bunch are simply upholding a fine tradition.

@43 danjonwig

How about THIS! According to sulu the Moon to Earth distance is just 237000 km:-)

This is the REAL major error in the Movie:-D

Kayla.. is the pahoehoe pretty much the same as the “Black Smokers” that Ballard discovered? Spent a few days at Woodshole a few years back awesome stuff.

Great article, Kayla! Very much appreciated!!

TOS and TNG both had science consultants that reviewed each episode for precisely the sort of stinkers that you point out and that we all noticed in the movie, whether consciously or not. With their $190 million budget, it’s unforgivable that Abrams, Orci, Kurtzman and Lindelof didn’t bother with a consultant. Again, it’s yet another example of the makers of STID going for style over substance. They could have fed us a balanced three-course meal that would have satisfied our bodies, minds and souls as well as our palates. But instead they served us birthday cake and little else.

44. sean – May 18, 2013

“Face it, the show has played fast-and-loose when a plot required it, and in that sense, the new bunch are simply upholding a fine tradition.”

I never said it didn’t. It just didn’t stare you in the face most of the time. Much of FC was very strange, e.g. why didn’t the Borg travel back in time at some other place and then warp to past Earth neatly avoiding Starfleet altogether? However, I only remember realizing that after seeing the movie – not during. This time: Ok, they go to warp. Carol starts running. Carol arrives. They’re back in the sol system. It’s so obvious, you can’t ignore it. I couldn’t care less about how long it actually takes from Klingon space to Earth, but if you portray it that way, it makes the universe small and uninteresting. It kills the fun. It kills the wonder. “Oh, wow we just went to the edge of the galaxy. Let’s go back to Earth and meet at the pub in an hour. No biggie.”

Eh, I just view it as a flub, like the flub in FC.

“Verdict: The heat would NOT cause any problems for a shuttle or a starship. They should have used volcanic ash as an excuse.”

They did, didn’t they?

Also… “cold fusion” device?

Okay, so how was the Enterprise (and Vengeance) able to be in visual sight of Kronos (and, later, Earth) for hours without being detected? This doesn’t fit known Trek science so well where positronic signals can be detected across the galaxy — but does it fit modern science?

So, they showed Praxis already blown up? And that’s why that province was abandoned? It would have to be some other reason, wouldn’t it? Hmmm.

Although, everything being super-close actually makes the prospect of real unexplored space that much more interesting — how far away would they have to be? Pretty cool.

• Show Spoilers
• Night Vision
• Sticky Header
• Highlight Links

Follow TV Tropes

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness

Film / Star Trek Into Darkness

Edit locked.

"You think your world is safe? It is an illusion, a comforting lie told to protect you. Enjoy these final moments of peace, for I have returned to have my vengeance." — John Harrison

The One With… Benedict Cumberbatch .

Star Trek Into Darkness is the twelfth film in the Star Trek film series, released in 2013.

The sequel to Star Trek (2009) , it is the second film in the franchise to be directed by J. J. Abrams . Along with returning actors from the previous movie such as Chris Pine as Captain Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Mr. Spock, the film features an All-Star Cast by bringing Benedict Cumberbatch , Alice Eve and Peter Weller on board. Noel Clarke also makes a brief appearance .

Tensions are high upon the USS Enterprise as Captain James T. Kirk and his first officer Mr. Spock clash over their conflicting philosophies regarding professional and personal honor after a mission in which Kirk violates the Prime Directive . But when a rogue Starfleet agent, John Harrison, embarks on a campaign of terror against the organization, the crew of the Enterprise is assigned the duty of traveling to the volatile Klingon homeworld and bringing him to justice. Of course, all is not as it seems: there might just be a Greater-Scope Villain lurking behind the rogue officer, and Harrison may be more than he claims to be...

Sadly, the film ended up being both the last time Leonard Nimoy would play Spock Prime and his final film appearance in general before his death on February 27th 2015.

Star Trek Into Darkness provides examples of:

    open/close all folders 

• Kirk gets demoted to First Officer of the Enterprise under Pike for violating the Prime Directive at the start of the film, only to regain his command a few scenes later after John Harrison attacks the Federation.
• Scotty resigns from the Enterprise near the beginning of the film thanks to Kirk's sudden bout of obstruction regarding the special torpedoes. He shows up again halfway through the film, and is instrumental in sabotaging the Vengeance .
• 2-D Space : In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Khan's lack of experience in space battles make him vulnerable to attacks on the Z-axis (above and below) . The USS Vengeance is designed by Harrison with a bridge that, due to the cutout in the saucer section, is vulnerable to attack from above and below.
• Abandon Ship : Spock orders the Enterprise abandoned when she is crippled and falling from orbit over Earth. The ship's tumbling badly hinders the evacuation, as crew members are sent falling to their deaths via Gravity Screw and a brief view of the shuttle bay shows the escape shuttles are similarly being tossed around. The ship is saved and the evacuation averted in the end .
• Kirk and Pike's conversation at the bar.
• Several others as well, Uhura and Spock's conversation on the shuttle to Qo'noS (though this gets interrupted), and Kirk's conversation with Harrison on the ship.
• Kirk's dying moment with Spock.
• Action Prologue : The opening sequence set on Nibiru shows the Enterprise on an action-packed away mission that will have nothing to do with John Harrison or the main plot.
• Cumberbatch plays a character named "John", who picks up a Sherlock-style greatcoat for the climax. Also, he refers to being manipulated through his friends, and also jumps off of stuff a lot .
• Peter Weller , who played Buckaroo Banzai , gets a line tipping a hat to that film. Admiral Marcus: It's evil. Pure and simple.
• Marcus's attempt to use a super-ship to start a war with the Klingon Empire recalls something Weller's character in Star Trek: Enterprise , John Frederick Paxton , said. In both cases Weller takes an extreme "Us versus Them" mentality.
• Adaptational Badass : The original Khan that Ricardo Montalban portrayed is nothing to scoff at, thanks to his charisma and dangerous intelligence. But here, in addition to those traits, Khan is also shown to be much more physically powerful, going straight into One-Man Army levels.
• Adaptational Villainy : The film gives a darker view on Khan's origins . In the original series, history depicts a "benevolent tyrant" who was repressive but not wholly murderous. Into Darkness has Spock state that history indicates that Khan and his followers were planning to destroy those deemed inferior. Khan doesn't confirm it but doesn't deny it either. The tie-in comics show that Khan genuinely saw himself as humanity's savior and that he explicitly wanted to rule, not destroy. However, the methods he employed to achieve his goal (including nuking Washington D.C. and Moscow) would certainly justify humanity recording in their history that he was an Omnicidal Maniac .
• Adaptation Distillation : The film is a combo of the following Star Trek works: TOS's "Space Seed", The Wrath of Khan and The Undiscovered Country .
• Aerial Canyon Chase : On Qo'noS, when the infiltration ship sent by the Enterprise is located by the Klingons and pursued by a pair of interceptors, Kirk flies it through the ruins of the Ketha Province until he finds a very narrow space between building, tips the saucer-shaped navette to the side and goes through, despite the protests of his teammates. So narrow, in fact, that the ship scrapes the walls both on top and bottom. Though it's all for naught since it's stopped by more Klingon interceptors on the other side.
• If Kirk had listened to Spock and not lied in his report, he would have been able to defend his actions at the inquest instead of being chewed out by Pike, which at the very least would have delayed his demotion long enough for him to still be a captain when Khan attacked .
• If Pike hadn't pulled a Not Now, Kiddo on Kirk at the captain's meeting, Kirk would have figured out Khan's plan a few precious seconds earlier, possibly saving the lives of all present .
• If Kirk had listened to Scotty's complaints and let him check the payload of the torpedoes, instead of overruling Scotty so he could pursue his vendetta against Harrison, the frozen super soldiers would have been discovered , undoing everyone's plans.
• Had Kirk not listened to Spock and killed Harrison with the torpedoes, not only would he have started a war with the Klingons as Admiral Marcus planned, he and his crew would have been Starfleet's first casualties of it, as Marcus had sabotaged the Enterprise so as to Leave No Witnesses . Granted, it did end up getting him killed and San Francisco leveled by a starship , but those things might have happened anyway if a war started.
• Harrison refuses to even hear Carol's pleas not to kill her father, simply tossing her aside and breaking her leg before she even has a chance to speak. If Kirk wasn't already convinced of his insanity, this definitely pushed him over the edge.
• More importantly, don't let your desire for revenge compromise you, lest you pay the price for it. And good friends and advisers will point this out to you.
• The Prime Directive (which is the codifier for this trope), the set of rules stating Starfleet personnel avoid interfering with less developed alien cultures, is discussed during the opening away mission. In this case, Kirk gets demoted and temporarily loses command of the Enterprise for violating it. It's worth noting that unlike other cases were the Prime Directive is used to justify letting an alien species die, Pike is more angry that Kirk got into a situation in the first place were he either had to obey the Directive or save a crew member, and then lied, incompetently , about doing it.
• The Temporal Prime Directive is alluded to by Spock Prime, who's vowed to never reveal information about the future as it happened in the Prime Reality, unless it's absolutely necessary .
• Alien Space Bats : The tie-in comic mini-series ''Star Trek: Khan'' drops any pretense of trying to fit the Eugenics Wars into our history, depicting Khan and his followers nuking Washington DC and Moscow in 1992!
• Allegory : In the finest Star Trek tradition of sociopolitical commentary, the movie takes cues from aspects of The War on Terror , with super-long-range torpedoes standing in for CIA drone strikes (there's even a version of the "capture or kill" debate between the characters: Adm. Marcus says "kill", Scotty refuses to go along with government-ordered assassination, and Kirk eventually chooses to try to take Harrison alive first) and questions of how much we should be prepared to compromise our values for the sake of security.
• All Gravity Is the Same / All Planets Are Earthlike : In the novelization, McCoy notes the absurdness of the planetoid where they open the missile having Earthlike atmosphere and gravity, figuring it must have an extremely dense core.
• All There in the Manual : The novelization features additional dialogue of McCoy explaining why he can only use Khan's blood to revive Kirk, and not one of the 72 other augments in stasis. McCoy : Too risky. I think this might work with Khan. I don’t know how much alike he and his crew are, and I don’t have time to find out. If there’s even the slightest unresolved difference between their respective physiologies, then we might be doing nothing but wasting our time and what little, if any, Jim has left. And I have to have Khan alive, because I don’t know what death might do to his body... or the viability of its respective components. It’s Khan—or nothing.
• All Your Base Are Belong to Us : John Harrison targets a Starfleet data storage facility in London that turns out to be a facility for Section 31, the Federation's black operations group , and tries to destroy Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco . Harrison: Have I got your attention now?
• Anachronism Stew : In the midst of Space Brasília , a San Francisco tram can be seen trundling along in the background, presumably kept for nostalgia/tourist reasons as in contemporary cities.
• Ancient Astronauts : From the point of view of the species that the Enterprise saves in the beginning.
• Or rather, the adventure begins , with the film ending as the Enterprise leaves Earth to begin its five-year deep space exploration mission, which was the basis for the original series .
• Also, with the threat of a Klingon/Federation war on the horizon. The tie-in comics confirm that the Klingons are planning to declare war on the Federation after obtaining photographic evidence of Kirk being on Qo'noS .
• Apathetic Citizens : A Mile-Long Ship has just crashed into San Fransisco, smashing Alcatraz as it came careening down over the Bay before plowing through a fair-sized chunk of the city itself. People notice, but as Spock pursues a fugitive through the city, most folks are just going about their business as if this sort of thing happens every day.
• Applied Phlebotinum : Harrison's bio-augmented blood is used to cure the comatose girl in the opening and later Kirk's extreme radiation poisoning .
• Arbitrarily Large Bank Account : Admiral Marcus can order the construction of a massive, nearly automated battleship on his own, in secret, with no-one the wiser.
• Armed Females, Unarmed Males : In the film's climax, Spock and Uhura engage Khan in battle. Uhura is armed with a phaser while Spock takes Khan in melee combat due to being the only one who can physically contend with Transhuman villain.
• The moons of Earth and Qo'noS appear far too close to their respective worlds .
• Also, the Enterprise exits warp with Earth partially obscured by the Moon and from then until it enters the Earth's gravity well is a huge ball of problems regarding distance, time and the various forces involved—either inertia carried them to Earth (in which case they spent too long near the Moon) or they had limited inertia and should not have been able to reach Earth in that short of a timeframe. Liberal helpings of Rule of Drama required . Also notable is informing the distance to Earth in several thousand kilometers... but the actual number could only have been less than fifty kilometers at the most.
• In the opening scene, Spock uses a "cold fusion" device to freeze the volcano. However, the term "cold fusion" is used to describe a hypothetical fusion reaction that doesn't require extreme heat to occur— not one that generates extreme cold. Also, freezing a volcano is a really bad idea—it will just bottle the pressure that the eruption is trying to vent, and once enough pressure builds up, it will erupt anyway—and much more violently.
• Artistic License – Ships : Harrison's declaration of "targeting life support behind the aft nacelle" makes little sense, as aft, when used this way, means "rearmost". Since the Enterprise 's nacelles are parallel to each other, they are both the same distance from the rear of the ship. The appropriate dialogue should be "targeting life support aft of the starboard/port nacelle"—or, canonically, "below the starboard nacelle".
• Assassination Attempt : John Harrison sets up a terrorist attack on a government facility in order to get all of the Federation's leaders in one room. Once they're all assembled, Harrison flies by the meeting in his ship and guns down anyone he can before making his escape to the other side of the galaxy.
• The opening scene is filled with it. Spock repeatedly reminds Kirk that the Prime Directive prohibits them from revealing themselves to the natives, Sulu has to tell Uhura that the shuttle wasn't designed for the heat of a volcano, Spock has to tell everyone that the volcano will destroy the planet, Uhura has to tell Spock that he might die, Sulu has to tell Spock that the shuttle wasn't designed for this amount of heat, Spock has to tell everyone that his device will detonate when the timer reaches zero, and Sulu and Scotty have to tell Kirk that the ship won't withstand the heat . They all knew what they were doing and what the mission was.
• When Kirk mentions that Harrison went to Qo'noS, Marcus mentions in passing that Qo'noS is the Klingon homeworld (as an Info Dump for non-trekkies).
• Spock Prime uses the phrase when explaining to Young Spock that the elder has taken a vow of non-interference. That being said...
• Attack Drone : The Vengeance can launch drones that in turn are capable of launching several photon torpedoes before crashing into a target.
• Attack Its Weak Point : When Harrison attacks the Federation meeting with an aircraft, security guards try to take him on face-to-face and get shot. Kirk, being Kirk, grabs a rifle, flanks the craft, and attacks the starboard weapon mount. When that doesn't work, he ties a fire hose to the rifle and throws it into the aircraft's intake. That works much better.
• Author Tract : Producer and co-writer Roberto Orci is a 9/11 truther , and the basic plot ( false-flagging a terrorist attack for the explicit purpose of starting a war ) is straight from those theories. By pure coincidence, the connection is hammered home with a tribute to 9/11 veterans in the credits, which was actually put in because a lot of the extras were veterans.
• Harrison calmly boasts multiple times about his superhuman abilities. John Harrison: I am better. Kirk: At what? Harrison: Everything.
• Kirk makes an offhand boast while escaping with Spock and Uhura from a pursuing Klingon interceptor. Spock: This ship has no offensive capabilities. Kirk: It's got us ; give me all six fuel cells.
• Lampshaded with Acting Captain Sulu's warning to Harrison: Sulu: Attention: John Harrison. This is Captain Hikaru Sulu of the USS Enterprise . A shuttle of highly trained officers is on its way to your location. If you do not surrender to them immediately, I will unleash the entire payload of advanced long-range torpedoes currently locked on to your location. You have two minutes to confirm your compliance. Refusal to do so will result in your obliteration. And if you test me, you will fail. Bones: [ Beat ] Mr. Sulu, remind me never to piss you off.
• Badass Longcoat : Khan as well as some of the Klingons patrolling on Qo'noS sport these.
• Bait the Dog : Khan's alignment is left ambiguous up to the moment when he breaks Carol's leg . Alright, he must be a baddie after all.
• Kirk figures out that the archive bombing was a ruse to gather Starfleet's command into the briefing room. While he's correct, it's his first guess , which comes off as a rather abrupt leap of logic. Downplayed, however, as the only reason he's accepted as correct is that he deduces it as it's happening , and the film frames his hypothesis as just that, a hypothesis.
• Furthermore, Kirk manged to guess Harrison's ultimate intention but missed a rather important detail: Harrison chose that archive because it wasn't an ordinary archive at all. It was part of a covert intelligence agency that Harrison's feuding with.
• The suicide bombing that Harrison orchestrates early on is a ploy to get Starfleet's highest ranking officers to follow Federation protocol and hold an emergency meeting, whereupon he attacks the meeting room .
• Likewise Marcus counts on Kirk being a rule-breaking maverick who is so enraged at the loss of his mentor Pike that he will follow Marcus's orders to fire the advanced torpedoes at Q'onoS to eliminate Harrison and start the war Marcus wants while allowing him to pin the blame on Kirk since the mission is off the books. Since Kirk was just demoted for violating the Prime Directive he has good reasons to expect Kirk to fulfill his role. Kirk listens to Spock's concerns and decides to try to capture Harrison instead .
• Harrison's plan is a Gambit Pileup , as it depends on Marcus sending a ship armed with those specific 72 torpedoes after him which he himself has loaded with his own crew members in cryosleep and a captain that is unwilling to just shoot them at him from orbit.
• Beam Spam : USS Vengeance , which fires down an extreme salvo that totals the Enterprise within minutes. Remarkably, averted for the Enterprise ; she doesn't get to fire a shot before the weapons systems are taken out.
• Carol Marcus gets fed a piece of the scenery by Khan when she gets in his way, and shortly afterwards has her leg stepped on by him, complete with sickening crunch. Cut to a shot of her being dragged to a teleporter and sickbay, and she has absolutely no external signs of injury . However, before she gets brought in to sickbay, when they are initially sent back via Khan off the Vengeance —into a holding cell on the Enterprise , look closely and she does have a noticeably large black and blue swollen area encompassing most of what appears to be her knee area. Granted, the trope is still mostly in effect as the damage is rarely seen after that and of course, her face is perfectly fine .
• A male example: When Spock was dying of radiation poisoning in Wrath of Khan , he had burns on his hands and face. In this movie, the same thing happens to Kirk, but he's completely unblemished.
• Spock when Kirk dies from radiation poisoning from having to enter the warp core to manually fix the Enterprise after Khan shot it. Beating Khan to death, considering Spock was all originally for a fair trial for Khan, until Uhura tells him to stop is some serious berserk button issues.
• Unless you wish to face the wrath of Lieutenant Uhura, do not hurt Spock. You have been warned.
• Also, lest you wish to face the wrath of the Klingons and Lieutenant Uhura, do not interrupt Uhura while she's negotiating with the Klingons .
• Threatening Khan's crew or implying that they're dead is a seriously bad idea. Admiral Marcus found that one out the hard way.
• Best Served Cold : Spock assumes that Harrison's ultimate plan is to finish what he had started: Kill anyone he considers "inferior." Harrison doesn't deny this. (This is appropriate, of course; Harrison is actually Khan Noonien Singh, often mistaken for the Trope Namer .)
• BFG : Harrison wields one in one hand against the Klingons; not only does he take out two patrol ships with it, he also uses it as a melee weapon.
• Scotty , of all people, saves the Enterprise from being finished off by rebooting all the Vengeance 's systems .
• And when it looked like Khan was about to kill Spock, Uhura beams in and distracts him with a stunner long enough for Spock to knock him out .
• Chekov saves Kirk and Scotty from falling to certain death when the Enterprise is falling, and they end up hanging onto a rail for dear life .
• Khan coming to Kirk's aid when the latter is lost in space due to his Broken Faceplate .
• Kirk and Scotty run through the Enterprise's corridors to reach the warp core as the ship's gravity fluctuates and debris crashes around them .
• Parodied earlier when Scotty has to run through a long, empty hangar to get to a control terminal. Scotty: I'm running! [pant pant] ...Still running!
• Big "NO!" : Harrison after the torpedoes detonate, effectively crippling the Vengeance and leading him to believe that his entire crew is dead .
• Bittersweet Ending : Many people die after the Vengeance crash-lands in San Francisco ( think 9/11 taken up to eleven) and a commemoration is needed for all the people who died in Harrison/Khan's and Marcus's carnage. However, the war with the Klingons is averted, Marcus is dead, Khan and the other Augments are safely secured in cryosleep, Kirk is saved and restored to command, the Enterprise is sent on its five-year mission, Section 31 has been exposed, and the Federation begins demilitarizing Starfleet.
• Blasting It Out of Their Hands : Harrison shoots Spock's phaser rifle out of his hands on Qo'noS. Since he's actually Khan, it's more plausible that he could make that shot.
• Bloodless Carnage : Harrison's hands and clothes are surprisingly clean for someone who just popped a man's head like a tomato .
• Blunt "Yes" : Scotty threatens to resign over the presence of the experimental photon torpedoes on the Enterprise , saying he won't sign for anything if he doesn't know how it works. Kirk accepts .
• Board to Death : How most of the Starfleet High Command meet their fates with Harrison/Khan pulling a Godfather III on them .
• The film's intro and climax feature a Federation starship rising from and crashing into the sea, respectively.
• Also, a disastrous terror attack on a major Federation facility in a major city. Given the movie's deliberate parallels to 9/11, and the fact that 9/11 was preceded by the 1993 WTC bombing...

• Break the Haughty : Discussed by Admiral Pike. Pike: There's greatness in you, but there's not an ounce of humility. You think you can't make mistakes, but there's gonna come a moment when you realize you're wrong about that—and you're gonna get yourself, and everyone under your command, killed .
• Brick Joke : Of a very dark variety. During Harrison's Hannibal Lecture to Kirk and Spock, he says that Spock can't even break a rule, so how can he be expected to break bone? Fast-forward to Spock's berserk rage after Kirk dies , and what does he do? Break Harrison's arm at the shoulder, complete with Sickening "Crunch!" .
• Broken Faceplate : Realistically played straight. During the space jump, Kirk takes a winging glance to the face from a small piece of debris. It produces a hairline fracture on his faceplate which begins to expand into a spiderweb of cracks as the air pressure in his suit push the faceplate outward. It holds and does not shatter completely, but it does disable his Heads-Up Display .
• Building Is Welding : During the establishing shot of the secret facility just before it's blown up, showing various people hard at work on various tasks, there's somebody welding for no obvious reason, with lots of photogenic sparks.
• Kirk should have known better than to smack Harrison around like that, especially after he surrendered.
• Marcus 's overall treatment of Harrison also falls into this category.
• The transwarp beaming tech provided by Spock Prime is instrumental in Khan's attack. Similarly, aside from the scientists studying it, the only person who knows how to use it is Scotty, who created it in the Prime timeline .
• Spock goes to Spock Prime for information on Khan.
• Kirk talks with Pike about the scene in the previous film when Pike asked Kirk to join Starfleet.
• During the space jump between the Enterprise and the Vengeance , Kirk mentions that he's done this before, only vertically, referencing his jump to the Narada 's drill over Vulcan.
• McCoy asks if Carol gets airsick after she's been beamed onto Enterprise and is getting treated for her injuries. This is of course a callback to him freaking out right before taking a shuttle in the previous film and saying he might puke on Kirk during their trip to the Academy.
• Khan being immune to the stun setting. Star Trek: Enterprise established that the Augments were immune to stun.
• McCoy shows at the end of the movie that he still hates space . McCoy : Five years in space, God help me.
• At one point, several models of ships (showing off Humanity's progress towards space travel) are panned across. In that lineup are the Phoenix and an NX-class starship .
• To the TOS movies: Sulu is clearly being prepared to become captain of his own ship, as eventually happened in the original continuity.
• To Star Trek: The Next Generation : In the seventh season episode " Homeward " the Enterprise crew saves a primitive civilization about to die because of a planetary catastrophe. Although, Picard was willing to uphold the Prime Directive but was subverted in this effort by Worf's adoptive brother.
• John Harrison is a rogue agent of Section 31, an organization which first debuted there.
• After Harrison attacks Starfleet HQ , he transports to the uninhabited Ketha Province on Qo'noS, the future birthplace of General (later Chancellor) Martok.
• Calling the Old Man Out : When Admiral Marcus is about to destroy the defenseless Enterprise , Carol slaps his face, shouting, "I'm ashamed to be your daughter!" She still screams when Khan kills him .
• The Cameo : Leonard Nimoy as Spock Prime.
• Benedict Cumberbatch's character is introduced as "John Harrison", but halfway through is revealed to be this universe's Khan Noonien Singh .
• The new character Carol is revealed to be the evil Admiral Marcus's daughter , making her Carol Marcus, Kirk's love-interest from the TOS films .
• Can't Kill You, Still Need You : Spock is inches away from killing Harrison when Uhura stops him, because they need Harrison's blood to save Kirk's life .
• Captain's Log : Turns out that Kirk falsified his log entry regarding Nibiru, describing the survey as "uneventful" and saying nothing about freezing an active volcano and revealing the Enterprise to the pre-industrial natives. Admiral Pike tears him a new asshole for this.
• Captured on Purpose : Khan allows himself to be captured by Kirk as part of his Batman Gambit plan to revive his crew of superhumans and take over the Earth.
• Cargo Cult : The Nibirans, a primitive race who have "barely invented the wheel," begin worshiping the starship Enterprise after seeing it rise out of the water in the opening sequence. This is precisely what the Alien Non-Interference Clause was put into place to avoid. Nice Job Breaking It, Hero . To be fair, the film made clear that there were exactly two options at any time: allowing the race to be completely destroyed by the eruption, or save them without them realizing it. Then when the mission hit a snag, the choice was between saving Spock or concealing their presence. Kirk will choose to save lives whenever he has the opportunity.
• Cat Girl : The two Caitian girls Kirk sleeps with after the Nibiru mission. This is Abrams' take on the species. There was a Caitian female on the Enterprise crew in Star Trek: The Animated Series , and a Caitian male in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home .
• Central Theme : "Family" and to a lesser extent "revenge".
• The Chains of Commanding : Kirk spends much of the film coming to terms with his fear of failing the crew he's supposed to be leading.
• Chased by Angry Natives : Kirk invokes this by stealing a holy scripture of an indigenous people during the opening away mission to get them away from an erupting volcano.
• Harrison's blood, used to save a comatose girl in the film's opening, also gets used to revive a dead Tribble, and then save Kirk in the film's ending .
• The Tribble itself is this. The IDW comics reveal that McCoy obtained a Tribble specimen and attempted to experiment on it, but it died several hours later. McCoy decides to keep the dead creature in the event that he ever needs to run tests on it in the future, and it's what he uses the blood on during the conversation with Harrison in the Enterprise sickbay.
• The 72 advanced torpedoes, which get used to threaten Harrison and later disable the Vengeance .
• Scotty resigns before the mission after vehemently disagreeing with Kirk on using unidentified Photon Torpedoes. Kirk later enlists his aid in investigating Harrison's claims, culminating in Scotty sneaking on board the Vengeance and disabling it to save the Enterprise .
• Pavel Chekov, who is not the Trope Namer for Chekhov's gun but is in fact named after him, manages a surprise save of Kirk and Scotty. Yep, he was still down in Engineering.
• Admiral Marcus and Section 31, who betray both the Enterprise and their own ruthless superhuman agent to try and start a war with the Klingons .
• Harrison, too. The Enterprise was incapable of threatening him, he had the most powerful ship in Starfleet, and theoretically his crew returned. He doesn't even bother to check on that last bit before deciding to blow up the Enterprise , even though he'd have been untraceable if he'd simply left.
• Cloak and Dagger : Section 31, the Federation's clandestine black-ops group, meant to destroy any threats to the Federation at any cost—including breaking the Federation's own tenets.
• This film plays Dark Is Evil very straight with Harrison's all-black clothing and the Vengeance , but when Kirk and Harrison prepare to space jump, it goes the extra mile by making the collar of Kirk's suit a subdued gold, and the collar of Harrison's... black.
• It seems that the standard Starfleet gear for anyone who doesn't have a role on the ship comes in black: Kirk's uniform during most of the first movie had black accents, as he wasn't actually part of the crew.
• Commissar Cap : This seems to be part of the Starfleet dress uniform. They are particularly visible in the gathering at the end of the film.
• Several squads of Klingons vs. four main characters. Three guesses who wins and the first two don't count.
• Harrison owns most of the Klingons by himself ... and then surrenders to Kirk.
• The Constant : The venerable St Paul's Cathedral and the London Eye Ferris wheel still stand amongst canyons of skyscrapers, and at street-level, it's clear that what would be 500-year-old Victorian buildings are retained and used—as the Starfleet London HQ, in fact.
• Continuity Nod : Has its own page .
• The Enterprise , after being forced to leave warp in hostile space, just happens to do so within shuttle range of an uninhabited planet with a breathable atmosphere so McCoy and Carol have somewhere to work on the special torpedoes.
• When the Enterprise comes out of a battle at warp speed, it is stated to be about 250,000 miles from Earth—about the orbit of the moon. Of course, the moon happens to be at that point in its orbit also.
• In no time at all they are caught in Earth's gravity and end up in Earth's atmosphere. Now it is possible if the Enterprise was drifting fast it could get to Earth that quickly, but at the speed (250,000 miles in only a few hours at most) it would zip (very unpleasantly) through the only-200-mile-thick atmosphere of Earth and smack into the surface in no time at all, barely having a chance to slow down in the atmosphere and think about their situation.
• Cool Helmet : The Klingons sport these, which look like a cross between the Predator and The Engineer's masks.
• The USS Vengeance , a big, jet black Federation warship prototype that is over twice the size of the Enterprise , three times as fast, and has about ten times the firepower note  According to supplementary material, Khan was able to give it limited Warp 10 capabilities and it had the shields and firepower to potentially challenge an entire Klingon fleet . Thanks to advanced automation, it also carries a smaller crew complement than the Enterprise and can potentially be operated by one man. Finally, it's the first ship in this continuity that can engage another ship while at warp. She makes quite an impression when the main characters see her. Scotty: [seeing her in dry dock] Holy sh— Kirk: That's quite a ship you got there, Admiral Marcus.
• The uninhabited province of Qo'noS in which the Enterprise crew track down Harrison appears hellish for humans, and even Klingons don't regularly stop by.
• In contrast to most futuristic depictions of Earth these days, averted as per Roddenberry's long-held optimism with regards to Earth itself. Despite people living in huge cities, for example, there are still beautiful areas of countryside such as outside London. And futuristic San Francisco just looks cool, even though Khan breaks Alcatraz .
• Crew of One : The Vengeance is designed to need a much smaller crew than its predecessors and can be operated by one person if necessary. This is quite fortunate for Kirk, Scotty, and Harrison when they board it to capture the ship from Marcus, then again for Harrison when he truly does have to pilot it by himself later .
• Cry into Chest : In the trailer, Uhura cries into Scotty's chest when she follows Spock into Engineering just in time to see Kirk die . In the final cut, she stands next to him with her hand over her mouth.
• The Vengeance lays a severe beating on the Enterprise , enough to knock her out of orbit. It's sufficiently one-sided that the Enterprise never gets to fire a shot, as the weapons systems are the first to be taken out. That doesn't stop the torpedoes themselves from being useful , however .
• Versus a Klingon squad. The Klingons don't stand a chance.
• He beats the crap out of Kirk near the film's climax , and it takes him two seconds to deal with Carol and Scotty .
• His attack on Starfleet HQ. He spends several minutes hovering outside the window unloading heavy weapons fire into the conference room and laying waste to anyone who stands up or tries to fight back. Kirk finally manages to cripple his gunship only for Harrison to safely beam himself out .
• Curse Cut Short : Scotty's reaction to seeing the Vengeance for the first time. He is interrupted by the scene changing to Kirk and Spock entering a room. Scotty: "Holy sh—" [ swish of doors opening on the Enterprise ]
• On the planetoid, McCoy 's hand is stuck in a torpedo counting down to detonation. Carol tries to deactivate it and, failing that, rips out the control unit. Cue torpedo power down .
• Carol Marcus valiantly stands up to her father, Admiral Marcus, stating that if he wants to destroy the Enterprise , he'll have to kill her too. His solution? Immediately transport her off the Enterprise to his ship.
• Exploited . John Harrison's agent destroys the Section 31 weapons lab by dropping a ring he's wearing into a glass of what at least looks like water, causing a tremendous explosion.
• Discussed . One reason why Scotty refuses to sign off on the new torpedoes is because he doesn't know anything about their propulsion or how it might affect the warp core on the Enterprise .
• Darker and Edgier : The Federation is targeted by a Big Bad who's portrayed closer to a terrorist than a Galactic Conqueror .
• The bad guys' starship, the Vengeance , has a jet black hull.
• The villainous Harrison dresses in black clothing.
• Dark Reprise : In the opening, there's a more of a tragic dark reprise of the classic Trek theme leading up to the introduction of Harrison.
• Deadpan Snarker : Kirk and Bones. And Spock—in spades.
• Deal with the Devil : Harrison promises Thomas Harewood he can save the man's comatose daughter in the opening of the film. In exchange, Thomas blows up a Starfleet facility shortly after messaging a confession for the bombing (with credit to Harrison) to Admiral Marcus .
• Death by Cameo : R2-D2 from Star Wars gets sucked into space alongside some crewmen when the Vengeance attacks the Enterprise.
• Decapitation Strike : Admiral Marcus gathers all nearby starship captains and their XO's in response to the London bombing; Harrison then tries to kill them all with one attack.
• Decon-Recon Switch : The previous movie ended with Kirk getting promoted to Captain straight out of the Academy for saving Earth. Unfortunately, this puts Starfleet's flagship in the hands of a CO who's still immature and cocky as hell, and who gets utterly reamed by Admiral Pike and demoted all the way back to Cadet for his Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right! methods. When Kirk then regains command of the Enterprise , his cockiness and bullheadedness nearly get him, his ship, and his entire crew destroyed. This leads him to admit to Spock that he was never truly ready for command — and in doing so, he takes a serious level in maturity that finally makes him worthy of being Captain Kirk.
• Dedication : The movie is dedicated to the post-9/11 war veterans, as many of the extras were veterans.
• Detonation Moon : One of the moons of the Klingon home world has apparently blown up.
• Dies Wide Open : Pike and Kirk.
• Disney Death : Kirk appears to die saving the Enterprise , only to be brought back by McCoy . note  The scene shows Kirk losing consciousness in the containment chamber, then lying in an open body bag in sickbay. But when McCoy had his epiphany on how to save him with Khan's blood, he put Kirk in one of the augments' cryotubes to preserve his brain function, revealing he was Only Mostly Dead , as commented on by McCoy when Kirk comes to .
• Much like the Klingon Empire was deliberately written to evoke the Soviet Union in the early years of the Star Trek franchise, many of the details of John Harrison's backstory are crafted to evoke Osama bin Laden . Harrison (secretly Khan Noonien Singh ) is a shady figure who's recruited by Section 31 to serve as an operative in the war against the Klingons , but betrays his backers and becomes a terrorist—much like Osama bin Laden was recruited by the CIA to serve as an operative against the Soviets, only to betray the United States and lead a terrorist campaign against them.
• Similarly, the initial plan to eliminate Harrison—fly by the planet where he's hiding, without bothering to get permission from the local government, and fire seventy-two missiles at him—is similar to the initial plan to off bin Laden, by firing missiles and/or smart bombs at his safehouse in Pakistan (without getting permission from the Pakistanis, fearing somebody might tip him off). This was changed into a commando raid (still without their permission) to eliminate the danger of a misfired missile in a crowded city, and to make sure he was dead .
• The Dreaded : Spock Prime swore never to talk about the future to his younger self for fear of altering his destiny , but he breaks this vow just once to explain how much of a threat Khan is.
• To quote the novelization : It dwarfed the Enterprise . Jet black, it was constructed along the general design of a Federation starship...but her lines were heavier, her entire appearance from greatly extended nacelles to bow more massive and armored. Weapons blisters were amply in evidence everywhere on the huge vessel. Every part of her had been reinforced, beefed up, and braced. A glance was sufficient to indicate that this was a ship that had been built not for exploration, but for battle.
• Harrison sums up her abilities in the movie. Kirk: Tell me everything you know about that ship. Harrison: Dreadnought -class. Two times the size, three times the speed. Advanced weaponry. Modified for a minimal crew. Unlike most Federation vessels, it's built solely for combat.
• Drowning My Sorrows : Kirk after losing the Enterprise , followed by Scotty when Kirk is forced to accept his resignation when he won't allow the experimental torpedoes onto the ship .
• Dying Moment of Awesome : Kirk saves the crew by going into the warp core in order to get it working again. What's awesome is that Scotty says the radiation will kill him before he could make the climb; not only does Kirk make the climb, but he keeps on going until the damn thing is fixed . And then has enough steam to crawl back to the door again . It may have copied Spock's death in Wrath of Khan , and it may not have lasted, but every fan can agree that Kirk finally got a death worthy of him.
• Ejection Seat : John Harrison uses a Transwarp transporter to beam himself safely away after Kirk cripples his gunship .
• Elegant Weapon for a More Civilized Age : Inverted. Harrison is of interest to Starfleet specifically because he has the secret to Savage Weapons from an Uncivilized Time- in fact, he IS one himself, being a tyrant and Super-Soldier produced by 20th century genetic engineering .
• Enemy Mine : Harrison and Kirk temporarily team up to board and disable the Vengeance . Kirk: The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Spock: An Arabic proverb attributed to a prince who was betrayed and decapitated by his own subjects . Kirk: Well, it's still a hell of a quote.
• Harrison's actions are partially motivated by a desire to find and save his former crew. Harrison: Is there anything you would not do for your family?
• And Admiral Marcus does love his daughter and pauses to have her transported to safety before opening fire again on the rest of the Enterprise , which she was pleading for him to spare .
• Evil All Along : Admiral Marcus.
• Evil Counterpart : The Vengeance is a dark mirror of the Enterprise , with the same general shape (even beyond the usual saucer-and-nacelles Federation design), but twice the size and painted jet black, and with a lot more firepower.
• Let's face it, Harrison/Cumberbatch is DEVOURING the scenery.
• Even hammier is Alice Eve's reading of the character in the audio book version of the novelization, alongside her performance of Adm. Marcus that makes him sound like a deranged Katharine Hepburn .
• Evil Is Not a Toy : Khan is a transhuman Manipulative Bastard who formerly ruled a quarter of the Earth. You should have let him sleep, Admiral Marcus.
• Admiral Marcus and Section 31 vs Khan Noonien Singh , with the Enterprise crew caught in the crossfire.
• Harrison vs. the Klingons, again with the Enterprise crew caught in the middle.
• Carol tells Kirk that her father, Admiral Marcus, will not destroy the Enterprise while she's on board. Her father agrees—and forcibly beams her off of the Enterprise and onto his ship.
• Spock agrees to let Harrison have the torpedoes, pointing out that "Vulcans do not lie." He never said Harrison's crew would be in the torpedoes.
• Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap! : Kirk is explaining the possibility of being set up into getting all the captains and first officers in the same room—moments before the room they're in is attacked.
• Eye Awaken : Close-up on Khan opening his eyes after pretending to have been stunned by Scotty on the bridge of the Vengeance .
• Face Death with Dignity : Spock does this in the opening after getting stranded in an active volcano and insisting that the Enterprise cannot violate the Prime Directive to save him. He's rather annoyed that they do anyway. This becomes a sore point with Uhura later.
• Faceless Mooks : All but the commander of the Klingon patrolmen keep their helmets on for the entire scene.
• Failed Attempt at Drama : When Harrison "surrenders", Kirk tries to beat him up to get some kind of revenge for Pike. Uhura tries to stop him, Spock looks uncomfortable, and Kirk hurts himself more than Harrison. The man who just saved all of them, repeatedly. It arguably just comes off as kinda of pathetic.
• Fan Disservice : During Harrison's attack, we get an upskirt shot of a female officer as she's screaming in pain.
• Fast-Roping : This is how Klingon patrol ships deploy troops into battle. While still in motion.
• Feed It a Bomb : A high-tech version of this trope is used to disable the Vengeance , transporting torpedos into the ship, with the warheads armed and counting down.
• Fish out of Temporal Water : Harrison averts this. Despite waking up a few centuries into the future, he seems to have adjusted pretty well. Being genetically enhanced might have something to do with it, and we never see the actual adjusting. Harrison must have been awake long enough to advise Marcus on quite a few matters, after all. The original Ricardo Montalban version didn't seem to have much trouble adjusting quickly, either .
• When Harewood arrives at his desk, we get a close-up of him putting down a glass of water before he takes his seat. Seconds later, we find out what the glass of water is for.
• "In the event of an attack, protocol dictates that all available senior Starfleet officers should gather for a special briefing in this very room ."
• Just as Kirk thinks he's pulled a successful Hyperspeed Escape from the Vengeance , Carol Marcus runs onto The Bridge and warns him that her father's new ship has "advanced warp capabilities." Sure enough, this is when the Vengeance catches up to the Enterprise and starts shooting.
• Once you hear early in the movie that the Federation is preparing a five-year mission to explore the cosmos , you know that no matter how bad things go for the Enterprise , they will be selected for it.
• Also, Pike, Kirk's father figure somehow surprisingly survives the first movie. Then, after Kirk is removed as Captain of the Enterprise as a punishment for his behaviour , we have this line: Pike: They gave her back to me. The Enterprise . Audience: Ooooh, you are so doomed !
• Khan explains that Marcus's ship, the Vengeance , is constructed so that it can easily be controlled by one person. Khan unsurprisingly uses this feature after the Vengeance 's crew is taken out .
• A model of the Vengeance appears on Admiral Marcus's desk, alongside several other Federation vessels and early air/spacecraft, near the start of the film.
• Khan mocks Spock by saying the latter would never break regulation, let alone bone. At the end of their No-Holds-Barred Beatdown , Spock grabs Khan's arm and breaks it horribly at the shoulder.
• Harrison's first appearance is saving Uhura from being killed by a Klingon, due to still needing the crew. Uhura later saves him from being killed by Spock on the grounds that they still need him.
• Spock strongly objects to their mission objective of finding and killing John Harrison without a trial on moral grounds, but stands by without a word of objection while Kirk pummels Harrison after accepting his surrender as payback for Pike's death . At the end of the movie, guess who nearly beats Harrison/Khan to death with his bare hands as payback for Kirk's death ? Uhura has to put a stop to it both times.
• Several times early in the film, characters survive certain death by being beamed to safety. Thus, when Carol Marcus tries to act as a human shield for the Enterprise , Admiral Marcus simply beams her away to his ship.
• Spock explains his ability to not break Starfleet regulation and still attempt to preserve a primitive species as "embracing technicality." Spock Prime reinforces this flexibility with regulation when he agrees to help the Enterprise , despite the Temporal Prime Directive. What does Spock do when presented with the dilemma of giving Khan back the torpedoes containing Khan's crew or facing the death of his captain and crew? Gives him back the torpedoes. Just the torpedoes . Hell of a technicality.
• Even Scotty gets into the act. Scotty: Do you know what this is? Kirk: It's a warp core. Scotty: It's a radioactive catastrophe waiting to happen.
• A rather clumsy one comes when Kirk abruptly breaks off from an intense conversation with Harrison to ask Bones what he's doing with a Tribble. As it happens, he's conducting an experiment that'll save Kirk's life in a few hours .
• Freeze-Frame Bonus : When the Vengeance fires on the Enterprise as they are both at warp, one can fleetingly see an R2-D2 being sucked out into space along with various debris, tools, and Enterprise crewmen.
• Friend-or-Idol Decision : In the beginning of the movie, the plan to save Niburu goes sideways when Spock is stranded in the volcano with the cold fusion device: the device will go off as planned, but Spock would die in its detonation and saving him would mean the Prime Directive would be broken. Kirk decides breaking the Prime Directive is worth it to save Spock, but McCoy tells him beforehand that, if the roles were reversed, Spock would have left him there.
• Friendship Moment : Subverted. After an argument and being assigned to different ships, Kirk admits to Spock that he's going to miss him, leaving Spock a wide open opportunity to express reciprocation. Spock opens his mouth and... stands there uncertainly for a long moment because he doesn't know what to say, then closes it again as Kirk just walks off in exasperation.
• When the experimental torpedoes are delivered to the Enterprise , Keenser is seen in the background sitting on one and looking rather taken with it while Scotty is pitching a fit at Kirk. Scotty: Get down!
• At the end of the Cold Open , the head native casually drops the sacred scroll as they start worshipping the Enterprise instead.
• When Kirk and Scotty meet up with McCoy in sickbay after Spock detonates the torpedoes , Scotty glances down at McCoy 's arm and goes wide-eyed. The doctor rearmed all the torpedoes the same way he armed the first one, getting his arm repeatedly caught by the sliding panels .
• Harrison's terrorist attack has its own agenda, but its primary objective is to get all the captains and first officers together in an emergency meeting so he can strafe the place and kill as many as possible .
• Marcus's Batman Gambit involves Kirk killing Harrison with the Human Popsicle torpedoes. It fails.
• Manipulative Bastard : Admiral Marcus decided to steer Kirk's rage into a course that would ignite a war with the Klingon Empire, first by sending him in a Federation ship to Qo'noS, then by giving him orders to bombard the Klingon homeworld, and finally by sabotaging the Enterprise so that it would be caught by the Klingons .
• Admiral Pike accuses Kirk of making reckless command decisions and relying on blind luck to ensure his missions go according to plan without harming his crew.
• Harrison guessing that Kirk would decide to capture him instead of just bombarding him from afar, and also guessing that Marcus would come personally to finish him (and all witnesses) off . Which leads to a Xanatos Speed Chess once the USS Vengeance , which Khan possibly designed to be manned by one person in the event that he could get his hands on it, comes into play .
• The only part of Marcus' plan prepared ahead of time were the torpedoes and the USS Vengeance . He did not know that Harrison went to Qo'noS, or that Pike would die during Harrison's attempt on his life, or that Kirk would be agreeable to assassinating Harrison. Meaning that his plan to use the Enterprise to kill Khan and his crew while at the same time provoking the Klingons to war was made up on the spot in less than a minute after Kirk told Marcus of his intentions and Harrison's location.
• Out-Gambitted : How Spock defeats Khan, by allowing the latter to retrieve the armed torpedoes he thought contained his crewmates .
• Glasses Pull : Chekov does a goggles pull to emphasize a suitably dramatic statement.
• Adm. Marcus views the pending war with the Klingons this way, and seeks out the assistance of one of Earth's most dangerous tyrants to counter them.
• Spock Prime considers Khan dangerous enough to break his rule to talk about his timeline as little as possible.
• The Vengeance so outclasses the Enterprise that unleashing the evil John Harrison on it is actually the best option Kirk and co. can come up with.
• Discussed by Harrison as he plans to destroy the Enterprise , to mock Kirk and Spock. Harrison: No ship should go down without her captain.
• Spock intends to do this as the Enterprise is crashing, in order to buy time for everyone else to escape, but Sulu and the rest of the bridge crew won't abandon him.
• Good Is Impotent : Invoked Trope ; it's not Harrison's genius but his savagery that Section 31 was hoping to exploit.
• The camera cuts away just as Harrison crushes Admiral Marcus's skull.
• Just before that, Harrison coldly snaps Carol's leg by stepping on her. We get the bone crunch sound effect and her scream only.
• Averted in some split seconds during Khan's slaughtering of Klingons in which we see one get blown in half and another's leg landing near a character, though they're almost out of focus and are shown very quickly.
• Grand Theft Prototype : Harrison murders Admiral Marcus and seizes control of the Vengeance. Before that he stole transwarp technology from the Section 31 base in London .
• Gratuitous Greek : "Qo'noS" is Hellenicised in screen captions as "Kronos".
• Gravity Screw : The artificial gravity inside the Enterprise fails in one sequence, causing crew members to fall relative to the nearby planet's gravity well while the ship twists and turns around them.
• Averted this time with Kirk actually ending up with an implied threesome with two alien Cat Girls .
• Sharp-eyed viewers can spot an Orion woman in the crowd in San Francisco.
• When Harrison attacks the Klingons, the one holding Uhura promptly lets her go to respond to the new threat. She steals the Klingon's dagger and knifes him in the groin .
• Also Khan kicks Kirk in the nuts during their fight on the bridge of the Vengeance .
• The Guards Must Be Crazy : Well, the one who comes upon Scotty on the Vengeance must be legally brain-dead. He's been searching the ship for an intruder that's disabling the weapons and can hear everything from the communicator on the floor, but rather than stunning Scotty on sight he just stands there repeatedly asking what's going on. note  Admittedly, he did have a gun pointed at Scotty the whole time, Scotty was up to something right then, and it makes sense to try and get intel before stunning the intruder you already have dead-to-rights.
• Guns Akimbo : For the shootout with the Klingons, Harrison uses a phaser rifle in one hand and a Chainsaw-Grip BFG in the other.
• Half the Man He Used to Be : As Harrison is blasting away at Klingons with a gun in one hand and a BFG in the other, he uses the latter to completely vaporize the upper torso of one who's attacking Kirk.
• Hallway Fight : Kirk, Scotty, and Harrison are moving through the bowels of the Vengeance when they run into the security mooks. Harrison wastes no time kicking their butts; Kirk and Scotty also do fairly well.
• Hannibal Lecture : Harrison gives multiple speeches deconstructing Kirk and Spock's motivations and character flaws. Several of these nearly mirror Khan's monologues from "Space Seed" and The Wrath of Khan in tone, though surprisingly avoid any direct references .
• Head Crushing : John Harrison / Khan does this to Admiral Marcus with his bare hands to punish the Admiral for trying to use him as a weapon against the Klingons and then betraying him. His hands are suspiciously clean afterwards, though . Harrison/ Khan : You... You should have let me sleep!
• Heinousness Retcon : Khan Noonien Singh is accused by Spock of having intended eugenics-motivated genocide on all those he considered inferior during his reign. This contradicts his presentation as a benevolent dictator in his introduction in " Space Seed ", with it being stated that under his rule there were no mass killings and no wars that weren't started by other parties, his status even being a plot point as it causes the crew of the Enterprise to underestimate how ruthless and power-hungry Khan really is. That the events take place in an Alternate Timeline should have no effect on this as Khan's time was centuries before the departure point.
• Hell Is That Noise : The sound of the Vengeance at warp, bearing down on the Enterprise , almost crashing into it and annihilating it.
• Kirk gets two of them. First one is after he is relieved of his duties as Captain by Christopher Pike. The second is when Christopher Pike is killed off by John Harrison .
• Spock undergoes one when he is unable to give Kirk any advice as Kirk dies.
• Heroic Sacrifice : Kirk attempts to sacrifice himself to save the Enterprise . His death is only temporary .
• He Who Fights Monsters : The major theme of the film, tying in with Revenge , is the danger of compromising one's morals in the quest for vengeance against those who have wronged you. Kirk's speech in the epilogue states that in trying times, it is even more important to stick to your values rather than become corrupted. This trope is also personified by Admiral Marcus, who becomes an even bigger threat to Starfleet in his attempts to defend it from the Klingons .
• Interestingly, it has a second parallel with the original Dreadnought : It wasn't actually that impressive. The HMS Dreadnought only ever sunk one ship in wartime, and it was by ramming it. Likewise, despite the upgrades that went into the USS Vengeance, it is incapable of taking out a single older-model ship (the USS Enterprise ).
• Although in the case of the original Dreadnought , this was because there was only one major battleship battle during World War I , while Dreadnought was in port in the middle of some refits . Most of both nations' battleships were held back in reserve, the idea being not to risk such valuable assets until the enemy had committed his own.
• Hollywood Tactics : The Klingons in Qo'noS focus most of their firepower on Kirk and co. (5 people armed with phasers and using cover) instead of Harrison (one guy wielding a BFG who's standing out in the open in an elevated position). When they engage the latter, they try to run up to him before shooting or use melee weapons, with predictable results.
• Has been described as an inverted version of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . The inversion works on multiple levels .
• The shuttle chase through the Klingon planet is very reminiscent of the Millennium Falcon 's run through the Death Star in Return of the Jedi .
• That chase also has shades of the chase scene in the Firefly episode, "The Message".
• Humanity Is Superior : Just let it sink in for a moment that the ability to create supersoldiers who can curbstomp Klingons and out-logic Vulcans is three-hundred-year-old tech .
• Human Popsicle : Khan's crew. Lampshaded by Dr. McCoy , who cites the trope by name.
• "Meld-Merizing"
• "The Kronos Wartet"
• "Warp Core Values"
• "The San Fran Hustle "
• "Kirk Enterprises"
• Hyperspeed Escape : Attempted by the Enterprise , which jumps to warp to flee from the Vengeance , which has her badly out-gunned. This backfires when it's revealed that the Vengeance can catch up with other ships at warp , resulting in Enterprise being pounded by phaser fire until her warp field collapses.
• Starfleet regulations during a crisis are to gather together their entire fleet command in the same room, which has a huge window overlooking an open area that just so happens to be easily accessible for a small fighter ship. There are apparently no defense measures in place, minimal guards stationed nearby, and nobody monitoring the local airspace for threats.
• Kirk, if your Chief Engineer resigns on the spot rather than follow your orders, it's possible that you might be giving terrible orders .
• I'm a Doctor, Not a Placeholder : Subverted; Bones gives his standard line, but is told by Spock that it's his doctoring skills that are needed.
• In Space, Everyone Can See Your Face : Kirk and Harrison wear space suits that feature in-helmet lights that serve only this purpose.
• No matter the universe, Kirk and Khan will always end up at each other's throats.
• A borerline suicidal effort to fix a vital component of the Enterprise results in Kirk and Spock having a (temporary) final conversation, complete with hands being separated by glass. The only difference? Which side of the glass they were on.
• Kirk's Field Promotion in the first film from cadet to Captain of the Federation flagship is aggressively torn apart with Pine's Kirk not having the same respect of the responsibilities of the chair as he should. He breaks regulations just in trying to save the inhabitants of a planet and outright lies about what he did in his official report, which is swiftly uncovered by Starfleet and earns him a dramatic demotion.
• Spock's Vulcan logic continues to fail him: after nearly allowing Earth to be destroyed by Nero in the previous film, his personal life is now a disaster, with Spock finding himself at sea with Uhura, leading to feelings of neglect. He's not much use when Pike gets shot, either . In fact, it isn't until Spock completely flips his wig that he finally gets something done .
• At the end of the film, Captain Kirk and the Enterprise get sent on the five-year mission. Some viewers have suggested that this was a way of rewarding the hero while getting him and his Doom Magnet of a ship as far away from Earth as possible .
• Interrupted Intimacy : Don't think Kirk can top Uhura interrupting his session with an Orion woman in her dorm room? Kirk sees your sexual shenanigans and raises you two Caitians who are annoyed Starfleet is paging him.
• Ironic Echo : John Harrison taunts Spock about his self-control, citing how a man who can't even break a rule would never be able to break bones. Later on, Spock proceeds to beat the shit out of him during his Roaring Rampage of Revenge .
• It's a Small World, After All : Both starships just happen to enter the atmosphere of Earth at a distance and angle that San Fransisco is near enough to be crashed into. One ship's computer warns of the difficulty in doing so, at least.
• Just Between You and Me : Played with. Khan waits until Kirk has been all but fully beamed off the Vengeance before revealing he is going to destroy the Enterprise .
• Just Following Orders : Kirk tries to give this excuse on behalf of his crew to prevent Marcus from killing them. Unfortunately, he didn't intend to let them live anyway.
• Just in Time : Carol stopping the detonation of the warhead two seconds before it would explode.
• Karma Houdini : Whoever sabotaged the Enterprise's warp core is never found, though they could have easily fallen into Offscreen Karma .
• Kill on Sight : When Marcus orders the manhunt for Harrison. Marcus: This man has shown willingness to kill innocent people, so the rules of engagement are simple. If you come across this man and fear for your life or the lives of those nearby, you are authorized to use deadly force on sight.
• Kubrick Stare : Harrison tilts his head down and to the right, and then angrily stares up at Kirk while delivering his Hannibal Lecture about the failures of Starfleet.
• Related to Evil Is Hammy , John Harrison/ Khan chewing the scenery and, restraining barrier be damned, his enemies, too.
• Admiral Marcus gets to feast on some ham, as well, mainly during his Villainous Breakdown .
• Spock also has his share of hog when he yells KHAAAAAAN! .
• Lava Pit : Spock gets caught in the mouth of an active volcano in the opening of the movie.
• Leaning on the Fourth Wall : Chekov's look of alarm when told to put on a Red Shirt . There's even vaguely foreboding music playing.
• Leave No Witnesses : Admiral Marcus has no intention of letting any of the Enterprise crew live even after Kirk pleads that he alone should be punished for his command decisions.
• Lens Flare : JJ just couldn't resist, though they aren't as distracting as in the first film.
• The Vengeance is described by Harrison as "three times the speed" as the Enterprise . According to the novelization of the film, these are identified as "Mark IV" capabilities. They include special modifications to the warp drive and nacelles, that allow a Dreadnought -class ship to enter the warp tunnel of other vessels. The ship can momentarily exceed all accepted warp factors and catch up with a starship it is following. Now factor in how more heavily armed it is than the Enterprise and how extremely durable it is in design, to the point that it could could remain intact even after the internal detonation of 72 photon torpedoes . Not a ship any captain would want to take on in a straight up fight.
• Harrison himself. He's more than a physical match for a Vulcan, and he can go from quietly lying on the floor to up and knocking someone unconscious faster than the rest of the room can react. Not to mention superhuman endurance, stamina, and apparent immunity to the stun setting of the phaser .
• Lingerie Scene : One fanservice-laden moment has the attractive Carol Marcus stripping down to her underwear to change out of one uniform and into another. The novelization does a better job at giving a rationale for this than the film.
• Loophole Abuse : When justifying his actions to Pike following their semi-botched attempt to rescue a pre-warp civilization without being noticed, Spock insists that they wouldn't have technically violated the Prime Directive had everything gone according to plan.
• Lost in a Crowd : Harrison attempts to escape pursuit by disappearing into a crowd of fleeing civilians.
• Magic Plastic Surgery : The Star Trek: Khan comic prequel to this movie explains that this is how Khan went from looking like Ricardo Montalbán to looking like Benedict Cumberbatch. Somewhat justified in that Section 31 wanted to keep Khan a secret (they even attempted to wipe his memory and convince him that he was someone named John Harrison).
• Magic Skirt : When Uhura beams down to assist Spock in apprehension on a speeding vehicle near the end, her miniskirt doesn't budge in the wind.
• When Scotty and his assistant quit, fresh-out-of-the-Academy Ensign Chekov is made Chief Engineer, over the heads of the rest of the Engineering staff, with nothing but a handwave about him having shadowed Scotty .
• Also during the finale. The Enterprise is at Earth . It's pretty obvious they are up against a bad spaceship and bad guys. No attempt is made to contact Earth to put their probably-not-inconsiderable forces of whatever they can scrounge up (shuttlecraft/tugs to slow the fall of the Enterprise /warning about potentially falling spacecraft) to help.
• Also, why would they pick Bones to assist Carol on the dangerous mission of opening the warhead of one of the torpedoes, other than to keep all actions within the group of known characters. Gets lampshaded afterwards: Bones: Damn it, man, I'm a doctor, not a torpedo technician!
• In the scene in which Uhura is walking up to the Klingon war party in an attempt to inform them of their intentions, the camera is firmly focused on her behind as she's walking, right up until she stops.
• Similarly, the camera (and Kirk's eye) stealing a look at Dr. Marcus as she changes uniforms.
• J. J. Abrams made sure the film was this, as Pretty Boy Chris Pine's ass was CGI'd out of a scene as he "couldn't inflict that on people" (Pine himself was slightly upset about the news), and a Cumberbatch Shower Scene is only on the deleted features (Abrams revealed the existence of the Cumberbatch scene after Trekkies characteristically complained about the Carol underwear scene).
• Then again, this is following a trail blazed by Gene Roddenberry ...
• The Man Behind the Man : Played with. While Marcus was responsible for bringing Khan back into power, the latter is still the main villain long after the former has left the picture.
• Manly Tears : In order, Kirk, Harrison, and Spock; each get a single tear. From the same eye, even. The good guys are looking at the reason for their tears, while the bad guy is looking away from the good guys.
• Master-Apprentice Chain : Admiral Marcus brings this up to Kirk, revealing that he talked Pike into joining Starfleet just as Pike talked Kirk. This is presumably to make Kirk more inclined to trust him and go along with his plan. Kirk also assures Sulu that he'll do just fine in the Captain's chair, adding a fourth link.
• Mauve Shirt : Hendorff, the "cupcake" guy from the first film, makes another appearance.
• Two people call Kirk "son" over the course of the movie. Early on in the movie, Pike cheers Kirk up after he was demoted. Admiral Marcus later refers to Kirk as "son" twice, to speak up during the Starfleet meeting and to convince him to stand down and give Harrison to them. Whereas Pike is genuine and affectionate, Admiral Marcus is more insincere and mocking.
• Also spanning across the series, the first and second film end with Kirk entering the bridge of the Enterprise , telling McCoy to get ready, speaking with Spock, and as the Enterprise prepares to warp, the original series' Opening Narration is spoken in voiceover.
• It's also meaningful plotwise— Vengeance is the kind of name you'd pick for a ship meant to avenge an unprovoked act of Klingon aggression... only it hasn't happened yet.
• Vengeance is also the name of a line of Royal Navy warships, which includes a (pre-dreadnought) battleship, an aircraft carrier and a ballistic missile submarine ; in other words, folks, the name Vengeance has as much historical lineage as Enterprise . Made even more meaningful given John Harrison's British background.
• Mentor Occupational Hazard : Christopher Pike, Kirk's mentor, ends up dead early in the film. Foreshadowed shortly before it happens when he becomes the Enterprise 's captain, and makes Kirk his first officer (and replacement captain in the event of his impending death).
• Metaphorically True : Given a nod when Spock and Kirk are being dressed down by Admiral Pike. When Spock cites his Loophole Abuse , Pike angrily dismisses it as a technicality. Spock counters that, as a Vulcan, he is quite familiar with technicalities.
• Carol Marcus, not only sneaking aboard the Enterprise to find out what her father is doing , but also risking a court martial by changing her clothes in front of her commanding officer (Kirk) without giving him sufficent information about why he has to "Turn around".
• It's almost startling to see any order actually get obeyed at any point in the film. Kind of lampshaded with the reveal that the Starfleet officers who see it as a military organisation are the bad guys. It's one of the best ironies of the film that Kirk gets a dressing down for not obeying orders because he thinks the rules don't apply to him, and is almost immediately given an order that the guy who dressed him down wouldn't have wanted him to obey, from someone who thinks the rules don't apply to him.
• Spock transferred the impression of the cryotubes with Khan's crew on the Enterprise , showing Khan's just-committed revenge mass-murder to have been pointless.
• Mirror Character : John Harrison notes Kirk's love for his crew and presents his love for his own crew as a point of similarity between them. Not to mention how both of them are willing to go to great lengths to protect and save their crew. Also, throughout the movie, Kirk and Harrison have the desire to avenge their loved ones, Harrison against Admiral Marcus for supposedly killing his crew and Kirk against Harrison for killing his mentor Pike . But whereas Kirk, with the influence of his crew, learns that he shouldn't let revenge cloud his judgement and refuses to kill or even stun Admiral Marcus since his daughter is watching , Harrison lets his hatred for Starfleet fester and doesn't care if innocents are caught in the crossfire.
• Missing Man Formation : During the re-christening ceremony for the Enterprise , which doubles as a memorial for all who died, including Christopher Pike .
• Moment Killer : While Drowning His Sorrows after his demotion, Kirk sees a pretty woman just down the bar. He starts to move towards her—and Pike shows up and cockblocks him.
• The Vengeance crash-lands into San Francisco, crushing Alcatraz Island and reducing the prison to rubble, and giving the Transamerica Pyramid a very close call. The Golden Gate Bridge is spared again, though .
• Third time's the charm .
• Not to mention surviving the Evil Plot of "Terra Prime" .
• And then the Breen had to go ruin it .
• Mood Whiplash : Vengeance is pounding the hell out of Enterprise when Carol Marcus lets her father know she's on board. The firing stops instantly.
• More Dakka : Harrison doesn't skimp on bullets when he wants to kill something.
• Multistage Teleport : The novelization says that Khan's transwarp beaming to Kronos involved him stopping briefly on space stations.
• Mythology Gag : See the Continuity Nods page.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast : Vengeance is an appropriate name for a battleship.
• The Needs of the Many : Spock, the Trope Namer , tells the Enterprise to leave him to die in order to protect the Enterprise and uphold the Prime Directive during the prologue. Kirk later sacrifices himself to save the Enterprise .
• When Bones sees exactly what's inside the torpedoes, all he can say is, "Jim, you're gonna wanna see this."
• Scotty tells Spock to come down and see something... that something being Kirk, before he dies from radiation poisoning. Not only similar to the iconic scene from The Wrath of Khan , but uses nearly identical dialog, too.
• Never Trust a Trailer : The trailers do a very good job of hiding the plot while still showing off a lot of the action. You'd never know from the trailer that the film comes off as Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan meets Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country . You also get the impression that the Enterprise crashes into San Francisco Bay, when it's actually the Vengeance with Khan at the helm , so much so it had the unintended effect of upsetting fans who feared the film was lining up to be an expy of the Enterprise -destroying Star Trek III: The Search for Spock .
• Kirk stuns a creature that appears before him as he runs from a planet's natives, only for Bones to tell him that the creature was their ride out.
• Kirk's lust for revenge is what ultimately dooms the Enterprise . If he had not desired vengeance against Harrison, there would have been no eventual confrontation with the Vengeance . He wanted vengeance and he got it. The Vengeance 's merciless assault is what inspires his heartfelt apology to his crew, as seen in the trailer.
• Khan's decision to crash the Vengeance into San Francisco and kill countless innocents is probably influenced at least partly by the fact that Spock has tricked him into believing that all of his crew were killed .
• Admiral Marcus points out briefly that landing in Klingon territory and taking out several patrols (even in self-defense) will still draw the wrath of the Klingons against the Federation. Even though this was his goal to begin with. It's implied this is the reason why the two are hostile to each other during the 5-year expedition of the Enterprise , which starts at the end of the film .
• As a furious Scotty points out, by confiscating his transwarp equation, Starfleet inadvertently ended up allowing a rogue Starfleet officer to commit a terrorist attack and then jump across half the universe to safety .
• Kirk and Bones are involved in a chase scene which ends with them jumping off a cliff into the ocean below.
• Harrison escapes the wreckage of the Vengeance by jumping off it.
• Kirk tries to do one on Harrison, but Harrison is too strong to even get bruised .
• Kirk also gets one from a few Klingons on Kronos—he walks away, and is able to deliver the above attempted beat-down on Harrison, but he's still bloodied and clearly in pain.
• The final climactic confrontation between Spock and Khan, where a grief-stricken Spock breaks Khan's arm and comes within seconds of killing the man despite his being Made of Iron .
• Non-Protagonist Resolver : It's actually Spock who defeats Khan, not Kirk. The movie focuses on Spock's growth as a character through Kirk's actions. Unlike most cases though, Kirk doesn't stay dead.
• Bones tells Carol that he once performed a Caesarean section on a Gorn and delivered octuplets. This may have happened in the interquel plot of Star Trek: The Video Game .
• Played straight in the case of the "Mudd incident" referenced when Kirk, Spock and company use a confiscated civilian starship to enter Klingon territory. However, this also qualifies as an All There in the Manual moment, as the "Mudd incident" is actually a major plot point in the tie-in comic series leading up to the movie and a Continuity Nod (see above).
• Kirk's apparent past relationship with Christine Chapel that Carol alludes to, but that Kirk has trouble remembering.
• No One Could Survive That! : Sulu asserts that no one on the Vengeance could survive it crashing into San Francisco, not even Kahn . Fortunately, Spock is smart enough not to be fooled.
• No Seat Belts : Averted. While the crew goes without them for most of the film, complete engine failure and freefall into a gravity well is considered a good reason to finally use them. They fold out like Sulu's sword in the previous film.
• "No Peeking!" Request : Science officer Carol is in the middle of a discussion with Captain Kirk when she asks for him to turn around, and declines to elaborate why when he inquires. He hesitantly complies, but soon after sneaks a glance behind anyway to find her in only her underwear in the middle of changing her clothes. He stares long enough for her to notice and gets mad at him, demanding him to turn around again.
• Kirk tries punching Harrison, only for it to have no effect. In fact, Harrison just looks confused and annoyed, and later says Kirk could try punching him until his arm falls off.
• Khan shrugs off Spock's attempt at a Vulcan Nerve Pinch and multiple point-blank phaser stun-blasts. It's only after Khan's smacked in the head with a piece of metal and beaten some more that he finally goes down.
• Not His Sled : The moment Khan is revealed, viewers that saw Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan are likely to jump to the conclusion that Spock will pull a Heroic Sacrifice again by fixing the Warp Core, complete with his last words being mentioned early on as foreshadowing. Nope, it's switched up: Kirk does the sacrifice and Spock watches him "die" through the radiation door.
• Not What I Signed on For : Scotty refuses to bring potentially dangerous prototype missiles aboard the ship, for a military operation he is violently opposed to; when directly ordered to do so by his captain, he resigns on the spot.
• Oddly Named Sequel 2: Electric Boogaloo : The title of the film is Star Trek Into Darkness , with no colon.
• Offscreen Airplane Pull-up : The failing USS Enterprise drops out of the sky like a stone into thick clouds despite regaining engine control mid-fall, but then re-emerges from the clouds safely in control.
• Kirk has one when he realizes that the London bombing was a diversion to draw all the top Starfleet brass into one room so Harrison can take them all out at once .
• Carol Marcus has one when Harrison reminds her that one of the things the Vengeance is designed to do is pursue and destroy enemy ships in warp .
• Chekov, when ordered to put on a Red Shirt .
• Kirk and Spock's reaction when the Klingons dismiss Uhura's attempts at negotiation and look about to get violent with her .
• Admiral Marcus has one: "Well, shit. You talked to him. "
• Kirk again when Admiral Marcus tells him he is going to kill the entire Enterprise crew, and that getting them killed was always part of his plan.
• Spock Prime's reaction when Spock asks if he's ever known someone named Khan .
• Harrison himself gets a momentary one when a pissed-off Spock starts chasing after his ass .
• One World Order : Subverted. While the Earth's united, there remains cultural and national diversity, with at least some present-day countries apparently surviving into the 2250s. In fact, the Union Jack is still shown flying in London, suggesting that the UK made it as well. In a bar scene involving Kirk, what looks like an American flag appears to be in the background.
• Only Mostly Dead : Kirk, after fixing the warp core by hand . (Well, foot.) Easy to think he is when he was brought to sickbay in a body bag . Bones: Oh, don't be so melodramatic. You were barely dead.
• When Scotty resigns in protest of their very highly illegal mission to Qo'noS , he makes a last desperate appeal for Kirk to reconsider and calls him " Jim " instead of Captain.
• Spock Prime promised to let Spock walk his own path and not interfere with his destiny. Khan, however, is so terrifying that he breaks this rule and gives Spock all the necessary information he has.
• Spock's reaction when Scotty calls him down to the reactor room . He doesn't even know what happened, only that something terrible has happened to Kirk . He rushes out of the bridge, forgetting to give the legally required order that someone take command (something even Kirk remembered to do in Wrath of Khan with the situations reversed). And as he runs through the halls, there is sheer panic on his face. His reaction to actually finding out what happened is even more unusual; he loses control and becomes violently enraged and vengeful .
• Orange/Blue Contrast : Many examples, especially in scenes set aboard the Enterprise . We have orangey faces against blue backgrounds, and sets lit (or painted) in patches of blue and orange.
• Outside-Context Problem : From Kirk's perspective, the Vengeance is this. Bad enough that The Dreaded Dreadnought is bigger and more powerful than the Enterprise , leading Kirk to decide that a Hyperspeed Escape is the best option, but he simply does not figure on the Vengeance being able to catch up with them at warp, leading to an epic Curb-Stomp Battle . If not for Scotty sabotaging her from the inside , the Enterprise would've been destroyed.
• Overranked Soldier : In the first film, some were left questioning how Kirk "earned" the captain's chair, even though he obviously belongs there in the end. This answers it in the beginning by having Starfleet Command relieve him of command for violating the Prime Directive. It doesn't last long, but still.
• Pay Evil unto Evil : Khan's murder of Admiral Marcus.
• Percussive Maintenance : Kirk manages to realign the housing of the warp core by kicking it with both feet.
• Percussive Prevention : Kirk prevents Scotty from following him into the ship's core by knocking him unconscious and even takes a moment to strap him safely into a chair. In a variation, he hits Scotty while he's still vocally protesting the idea on the grounds that the radiation in there is deadly , being savvy enough to know that once Scotty realized he couldn't stop him, he'd try to help him.
• Pet the Dog : As evil and ruthless as Harrison ( aka Khan ) is, he's not lying about being able to save Thomas Harewood's daughter. He even keeps his promise, although the price for doing so is rather high...
• Pistol-Whipping : Harrison/Khan stuns Kirk with a tap from the butt of a phaser when he hails the Enterprise after killing Marcus . He also uses his BFG as a blunt weapon on a Klingon, using it to knock him off a bridge.
• Portable Hole : Dr. McCoy casually uses a portable hole to gain access to Harrison in the brig so he can take a blood sample. Since the brig uses a Forcefield Door , the device he uses is presumably designed to interact with the forcefield to create the hole and wouldn't work on other objects.
• The Power of Blood : John Harrison's blood can cure disease and even death .
• Precision F-Strike : Admiral Marcus makes one when Kirk reveals that he knows that John Harrison is actually Khan Noonien Singh . Marcus: Well, shit. You talked to him.
• Preemptive Apology : Right before Scotty's about to open the airlock for Kirk and Harrison to board the Vengeance , he is discovered by a mook and tells the mook that "[he is] so sorry" just before he opens the airlock to allow Kirk and Harrison to enter the ship and lets the guard exit the same way.
• Pressure Point : Subverted ; Spock uses the Vulcan nerve pinch on Harrison, but all it does is cause him considerable pain.
• Private Military Contractors : Scotty notes that a guard's uniform doesn't look like Starfleet, but more like a private security uniform. Since the Vengeance is a super-secret ship, probably built by Section 31 , he might work for a mercenary firm.
• Prophecy Twist : The allusions to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan wind up getting turned on their head once Kirk finds himself taking Spock's place in Engineering.
• Psychic Glimpse of Death : When Harrison attacks the meeting of Starfleet brass in the aftermath of his London bombing, Captain Pike is mortally wounded. As he lays dying, Spock Mind Melds with him right up until his final thoughts cease. He later describes what he felt to Kirk and Uhura. Spock: As Admiral Pike was dying I joined with his consciousness and experienced what he felt at the moment of his passing, anger, confusion, loneliness... fear.
• Put on a Bus to Hell : The film mentions Christine Chapel (who always got on quite well with Kirk in the original series), with the heavy implication that Kirk harassed her off the ship, not that he remembers.
• The new Starfleet dress uniforms seem to hint at the undercurrent of increased militarism in the alternate timeline; some of them look like something straight out of the Imperial Navy .
• Although, strangely enough, they're now made of denim. The Gap must still exist in the future.
• Though they do also strongly resemble the uniforms from Star Trek: The Motion Picture , with the shoulder pips denoting rank in a similar fashion to those on the 24th-century uniforms .
• Also, the brown uniforms (presumably Marines/ground forces or enlisted) evoke an image of World War 2 British and US Army uniforms.
• The Enterprise needs to track down Harrison before he starts a war!
• Spock and Uhura need to catch Khan before Kirk goes from Only Mostly Dead to Killed Off for Real !
• Radar Is Useless : The USS Enterprise and the USS Vengeance are able to have a full-blown Space Battle in orbit of the Moon without any apparent reaction from the rest of Starfleet, despite the fact Earth , its capital world, is rather nearby.
• Khan was originally played by Ricardo Montalbán, who was a Mexican playing a Sikh. This version of Khan is played by Benedict Cumberbatch, who is English. Cumberbatch does have a line or two sorta-implying that "race" may not traditionally apply to Augments, however.
• The Star Trek: Khan tie-in comic series show that Khan was given extensive plastic surgery, a memory wipe, and a fake life history by Admiral Marcus, in an attempt to recruit him into Section 31 as John Harrison, Hero of the Federation . This works out about as well as it did with Michael on Stargate Atlantis .
• Rage Breaking Point : Spock's emotions are tested enough in this film, and thinking Kirk is dead drives him to total rage .
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech : Kirk receives one from Admiral Pike. Pike: Do you know what a pain you are? You think the rules don't apply to you. There's greatness in you, but there's not an ounce of humility. You think that you can't make mistakes, but there's going to come a moment when you realize you're wrong about that, and you're going to get yourself and everyone under your command killed .
• Defied when Kirk orders Hendorff ("Cupcake" from the first film ) and another security officer to take off their red shirts and put on civilian clothing for the mission to capture Harrison. Both are seen afterward as well. note  In the novelization, Hendorff dies in the ensuing scene. However, this is not canon to the films, as he would appear in Beyond .
• Chekov gets nervous when Kirk promotes him to Chief Engineer, and orders him to "put on a red shirt."
• Inverted by Chekov later, when he not only survives the assault on the Enterprise but saves Kirk & Scotty's lives , all while wearing a red shirt.
• Played straight though with the crew members down in Engineering that are sucked into the warp field after the bulkhead is breached .
• By the end of the film, Bones manages to synthesize a formula from that can effectively resurrect the dead . No mention is made of future use of it, though given it came from the blood of man with now illegal bio-augmentation , it's quite likely its use will be outlawed in the future.
• Knowledge of the "transwarp transporter" technology has now passed from Scotty's hands into those of Section 31, and of course he still works for Starfleet, so there is no reason why they would not pull him from his job as a starship engineer to work on perfecting it for more widespread use. Why go to the trouble of building super-warships and instigating a war just to have the means and excuse to destroy a potential enemy when you could just beam a bunch of bombs to the enemy's home planet and sit back and relax as they are wiped out? Also, why make long tedious journeys through space in starships when you can beam almost anywhere in an instant?
• It's these elements that have led to rumors that the next film in the series would have to ignore these developments as it would be difficult to create drama when there's an immortality drug and long-distance nearly-instantaneous teleportation possible.
• Removing the Earpiece : A different take in which Uhuru tears out her earpiece and throws it on the console out of sheer emotion after Spock has been beamed up safely .
• Resign in Protest : When Scotty refuses to sign off on the experimental and potentially dangerous torpedoes and Kirk makes it an order , Scotty resigns. Keenser immediately follows suit.
• Ret-Canon : A map shown in the film places the Klingon homeworld, Kronos/Qo'noS, in the "Omega Leonis sector block." The "sector block" descriptor is a cartography term created by the Star Trek Star Charts licensed reference book by Geoffrey Mandel, and the Omega Leonis sector block nomenclature was created for Star Trek Online 's overworld. (Sector blocks have since been removed from the game in favor of rendering the entire quadrant as a single map.)
• "John Harrison" is actually Khan Noonien Singh, of " Space Seed " and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan fame.
• Admiral Marcus sent the Enterprise to be destroyed, as a pretext to start a war with the Klingons.
• The mere existence of the USS Vengeance . A super ship that looks like the Enterprise on steroids, with a name that has nothing to do with peaceful exploration .
• Kirk struggles with the urge for vengeance, clouding his judgement when it comes to Harrison. Marcus exploits this by thinking Kirk will just carry out the assassination mission and start the war Marcus wants.
• As emotions run more deeply in the Vulcan race, Spock comes within a hair's breadth of murdering Khan after Kirk's death, before Uhura informs him they need Khan alive, since his blood can bring Kirk Back from the Dead .
• Revenge Myopia : Harrison kills Pike while trying to get revenge on Admiral Marcus , leading Kirk to want to get revenge on Harrison.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge : John Harrison is out to take revenge on the entire Federation for Marcus taking and for all he knows killing Harrison/Khan's crew .
• Rule of Three : The Manly Single Tears as shed by Kirk, Harrison, and Spock. Each from their left eye.
• Say My Name : Spock gets to scream "KHAAAAN!" this time .
• Harrison sets off a bomb in the middle of London. Fortunately(ish) it only kills forty-something people.
• The Enterprise navigates a massive debris field orbiting a nearby planet.
• A starship crashes into San Francisco and destroys a large part of the city, including Alcatraz . The Trans-America building is narrowly spared.
• Averted in one sense as there were no sightings of a Gorn . There was an off-hand mention , though.
• There's an absolutely huge amount of background detail in every shot of Earth, fleshing out the culture, the civilian lifestyle, and generally showing how the world has evolved.
• A few of the bar scenes make hilariously great references to 1960s culture, however, giving a nod to the era in which Star Trek was born (and from which much of TOS 's set design was drawn).
• We get to see a lot more of the internal workings of the Enterprise , including Sickbay and Engineering. Plus, there is a large foyer-like open space in the middle of the saucer section, crossed by catwalks, that have no analog in the original TV or even film version.
• Schrödinger's Canon : This film establishes that Praxis is a moon of the Klingon homeworld, which is situated in the Omega Leonis Sector Block of the Beta Quadrant. Both of these facts were first presented in Star Trek Online , but become canon here.
• The volcano that is supposedly going to wipe out all life on the planet in the Action Prologue is riddled with errors (quite apart from the hilarious depiction of cold fusion). Volcanic eruptions can cause significant environmental damage and have been responsible for famines in human history, but the effects are temporary: humanity itself is suspected to have survived an eruption by the volcano that encloses Yellowstone National Park thousands of years ago, a significantly larger blast than what is presented in the film (Kirk seriously expects leading the villagers a few miles away would protect them). And if saving that one village is enough to save the species, that means their population is already so low they're likely to go extinct from inbreeding pretty soon anyway.
• Two ships battle in warp space, one knocking the other out. At this point they are 250,000 miles from Earth, as pointed out by dialogue. In the various television series, going to warp in a solar system (or likewise dropping out of it) was treated as dangerous and something rarely done unless necessary. One of their computers would have been alerting the crew that they were near home. It's kind of like driving at 100 miles per hour and stopping on a dime an inch from your house.
• Going from Earth to the Klingon homeworld is treated as a less than 5 minute trip, each way. Even Star Trek's own rather vague guidelines on warp speed treat going to the closest star system to Earth, at the speeds the Enterprise is capable of, as a journey taking two days .
• The Enterprise's fall to Earth from orbit of the Moon would, as previously mentioned, require her to fall 250,000 miles. The problem is, having her fall that far in the time allotted would require her to be traveling at relativistic speeds, which she clearly isn't based on how long it takes them to pass through the upper atmosphere.
• Kirk disobeys the Prime Directive during the film's opening by exposing the Enterprise to a primitive race in order to save Spock's life.
• Spock also justifies saving the aliens from being wiped out by a volcano, saying it's allowed by "technicality."
• Spock Prime has sworn never to reveal information from his own timeline to his younger counterpart, lest he alter events any more than they already have been. He makes an exception to explain just how dangerous and untrustworthy Khan is.
• Inverted when Admiral Marcus orders Kirk to kill John Harrison in a stealth attack. After much soul-searching, Kirk decides, "Screw the Admiral's questionable orders, I'm doing what's right!" and informs the crew that they will be arresting Harrison to stand trial for his crimes.
• Secret Government Warehouse : Khan and his crew get sealed in one of these.
• Separated by the Wall : Happened between a dying Kirk and Spock . They both reach out and press their hands against the glass wall separating them, as Spock tries to comfort the former.
• Sequel Escalation / Invincible Villain : In the previous film , the Enterprise was actually able to stand up to the Narada , if briefly, and made sure Nero and his crew went to their deaths in the Negative Space Wedgie . This time around, the Vengeance is so staggeringly superior that the Enterprise is practically wrecked in a matter of seconds and never fires a single shot in return . That said, the long-range torpedoes are still effective when combined with a transporter .
• Sequel Hook : Maybe. Khan is not killed in the end, unlike his prime counterpart. Instead he's put back into a cryotube, opening up the possibility for him to return in a future installment.
• Sequel Reset : While the movie does justify it storywise, Kirk's character arc from the first movie is effectively ignored and wound backwards just so they can do the whole 'immature Kirk grows and develops into the successful Captain that we all know and love' thing all over again.
• The design of Earth's cities now has a very Mass Effect –like look and feel. From the vehicles to the architecture, you'd have expected to see a derelict Reaper near London. The Klingon ruins suggest a cross between Tuchanka and Ilos.
• When Harrison takes out the Starfleet High Command early in the movie, it resembles the scene in The Godfather Part III .
• Nibiru, the name of the planet in the opening scene, is the ancient Babylonian name for Jupiter (which has also been used in a couple of different pseudoscientific theories involving planetary catastrophes).
• The room where the Starfleet captains confer and are eventually ambushed by Harrison looks very much like the archetypal war room seen in films like Dr. Strangelove and Fail-Safe .
• The Klingons' helmets look like a cross between Darth Vader's and the clone/storm troopers' .
• Their skin tone and the bling embedded in their head ridges make them look very much like Xerxes from 300 .
• When Harrison gets his hands on Marcus , the scene plays out like Tyrell's death from Blade Runner .
• Both the space jump to the Vengence and the run through Engineering as the Enterprise pin-wheels out of control resemble sequences in the early levels of Dead Space 3 .
• Some of the interior of the Vengeance looks like a cross between an Imperial Cruiser and the colony of LV-426 .
• The design of the Vengeance itself (color aside) bears more than a passing resemblance to the Enterprise-E .
• Possibly a coincidence, but a movie in the previous year also featured a small spaceship crashing over a red-and-white forest near a volcano .
• The music from the Original Series episode "Amok Time" is played very briefly.
• Harrison stomps Carol's leg, clearly breaking it as she screams in pain.
• At the climax of the film, Spock crushes Khan's arm .
• Kirk after the attack on the war room and the death of his mentor.
• Harrison, whilst talking about how he failed to save his crew.
• Spock, after the events in the warp core.
• Pike when he dies.
• Sinking Ship Scenario : Late in the film, the Enterprise is crippled and tumbling into Earth's atmosphere. Kirk and Scotty make their way to Engineering as Gravity Screw sends them and their fellow crew members tumbling, with many a Red Shirt seen falling to their death.
• Space Clothes : Averted outside the Enterprise . Fashions from dress uniforms to suits are shown as having developed from their modern-day equivalents.
• Kirk. By threatening Harrison and offering him a chance to surrender, rather than killing him from afar as ordered, he single-handedly and accidentally derails all of Admiral Marcus' plans. And Spock, who drove him toward that decision.
• And Scotty fulfills this on board the Vengeance .
• Speak of the Devil : Immediately after the epic Say My Name above, the Vengeance , now crewed solely by Khan, hurtles past the Enterprise towards the ground, reminding everyone, especially Spock, that Khan still lives .
• State Sec : Section 31 is now crossing into this territory, with its own unregistered warships, such as USS Vengeance, secret weapons development programs, its own distinct uniforms, etc.
• Submersible Spaceship : At the beginning of the film, whilst hiding their existence from a pre-warp civilization, the crew successfully manage to hide the Enterprise in a nearby ocean. Why they had to do this is never explained, but the ship holds together with no problems and is able to fly out of the water when they need to leave.
• Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome : Christopher Pike, who survived the 2009 film, is killed early on in this movie.
• Superhuman Transfusion : Being injected with Harrison's bio-augmented blood temporarily grants others his Healing Factor , although it's not implied to last beyond the initial healing.
• Superweapon Surprise : What the USS Vengeance was supposed to be. Admiral Marcus planned to use her to blow the crap out of the Klingon warships after they had destroyed the crippled Enterprise. Judging from the reactions of the Enterprise crew when they see her and the events that follow her reveal, she definitely would have succeeded in this regard.
• Super Window Jump : John Harrison pulls one off while running away from Spock. Justified due to his superhuman genetics allowing him to not take any damage from it .
• Used in the film's opening. Turns out that when you're a cocky, inexperienced captain of a starship who keeps breaking the rules like Kirk, you eventually get removed from command .
• The Enterprise ends up facing a warship, a fast battleship to be exact, that severely outclasses her. She doesn't defeat the Vengeance in combat, gets shot up pretty bad and is only saved because both Scotty and Spock pull a fast one on Marcus and Harrison.
• During the space jump sequence, Kirk dodges large chunks of debris, but his face mask takes multiple hits from tiny chunks. Which crack the mask and nearly kill him. It also disables his Heads-Up Display .
• The Vengeance is heavily automated; in an emergency, a single person can pilot it. But it has very little crew to repel - or even detect - boarders.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute : Admiral Marcus has similar motives to Admiral Cartwright from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country , who envisioned a more militarized Federation in the face of Klingon aggression and was willing to murder his own to see that dream become a reality . And he's played by the same guy that once played a human supremacist willing to use deadly force in Star Trek: Enterprise .
• Starfleet Headquarters has no defense against hostile aircraft, allowing Harrison to attack the meeting of Starfleet's ranking officers uncontested.
• For a supposedly super-secret ship, the Vengeance is inexcusably easy to access. Scotty is able to fly his shuttle right through the main hanger doors with a convoy of supply ships, then board it, and they never even notice until he's sabotaged it from the inside. That's the problem with automating everything.
• When Carol tells Admiral Marcus he can't destroy the Enterprise with her onboard, he simply beams her onto his ship, then prepares to re-open fire.
• Khan threatens to attack the disabled Enterprise unless he gets his crew back. When Spock points out destroying the ship will also kill Khan's crew, Khan replies that he'll just destroy the life support and cut the oxygen. Since his crew are in cryosleep, they'll remain unharmed as the Enterprise crew suffocates .
• Spock counters by sending the "torpedoes" to Khan, but arms the warheads in them after McCoy 's gotten the cryopods in them out.
• Take Me Instead : Kirk pleads with Admiral Marcus to punish him alone and spare the Enterprise crew after disobeying orders and attempting to flee to Earth. Notably, Kirk offered Khan the same deal in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . Khan at least acted like he would accept (and might have); Marcus just laughs it off. Who's the real monster?
• Take That! : After the cringeworthy scene of Uhura struggling with a Klingon dictionary in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country note  This is in complete contrast to Uhura's natural grasp of languages, as established in the original series , her counterpart shows her command of the language is far better, albeit somewhat rusty by her own admission.
• Taking You with Me : With his crew apparently dead and the Vengeance in no shape to escape or fight, Harrison decides to just ram the thing into Starfleet headquarters. Fortunately for Starfleet, the engine cuts out early and Harrison merely wipes out a small selection of buildings along the coast. Harrison also survives thanks to his enhancements, but Spock is smart enough to know he would .
• In the opening, when Spock starts to chew Kirk out for saving him at the expense of violating the Prime Directive and showing themselves to the natives, Kirk brushes him off with a flippant, "What's the worst that could happen?" Cut to the natives, who were earlier praying to the erupting volcano, bowing before an abstracted sketch of the Enterprise —their new God. Made even more amusing by the sacred scroll depicting the volcano that Kirk stole simply getting dropped to the ground and ignored by the native who was holding it.
• Kirk boasts to Pike that not a single crew member has died since he took command of the Enterprise . Not only will this figure drastically change in the future (so many poor red shirts...), it will drastically change before the movie is over.
• Harrison taunts Spock by noting, "You wouldn't break a rule, how could you break bone?" This comes back to bite Harrison in the climactic fight, when a grief-stricken Spock breaks Harrison's arm .
• Lampshaded at one point. Scotty: Not to tempt fate or anything, but where is everybody? [cue several Mooks ]
• This Is Unforgivable! : Harrison delivers a variant of this Stock Phrase to Kirk in one of the trailers. Harrison: Your commanders have committed a crime I cannot forgive.
• Throwing Your Sword Always Works : Harrison takes out the last remaining Klingon by throwing a knife into his neck.
• This happens to several crewmembers who are sucked out of a hull breach... at warp . Not a nice way to go.
• Scotty does this to a Giant Mook holding him at phaser point, blowing the hatch just as Harrison and Kirk come flying into the airlock wearing spacesuit jetpacks, narrowly missing him.
• The story picks up just over a year after the events of the previous film .
• Kirk's speech at the end takes place almost a year after the Vengeance crash lands in San Francisco .
• Trailers Always Spoil : And covers too—the DVD blurb makes no secret of who Harrison really is.
• Traintop Battle : Khan and Spock's climactic battle on a hovering garbage cruiser.
• Transhuman : Notable because of the franchise's attitude towards this subject in the past that a heavily augmented human (Science Officer 0718) appears as a member of the Enterprise crew. Possibly as a minor counterexample to Khan, since he doesn't have any major significance beyond calling out a couple of lines .
• Transparent Tech : Unlike the typical Force-Field Door you see in Star Trek , the cells in the brig are secured with what looks like giant glass panes, but with a special port on them that can be adjusted from the outside to allow objects to be passed through.
• Trojan Horse : Spock does beam over the 72 torpedos, but Khan's crew are no longer in them and the warheads are active.
• True Companions : Played straight, exploited, and lampshaded. Since the events of the last movie , the Enterprise crew has become a family. Harrison recognizes this and exploits it, using his genuine feelings regarding his own crew to gain a small amount of empathy from Kirk. Finally, it is lampshaded when Carol Marcus is welcomed aboard again, establishing that she's been adopted into the Enterprise crew and has a new family after the death of her father. Carol: It's good to have family.
• Spock reveals that he felt nothing on a mission when he thought he was going to die because he didn't want to think about how much it would hurt Uhura.
• When Kirk is dying of radiation, Spock cannot hold back his grief any longer.
• Turn in Your Badge : Kirk gets demoted for violating the Prime Directive in the film's opening, and then trying to hide it in his report. Also Scotty gets relieved of duty for refusing to sign for the missiles.
• Twin Threesome Fantasy : Kirk participates in one with Caitian twins.
• Underestimating Badassery : When being questioned by Kirk, Harrison makes a snide comment about Spock, being a Vulcan, not knowing savagery as he does. Spock shows him how wrong he his during his No-Holds-Barred Beatdown in the climax. There's a reason Vulcans suppress their emotions.... Spock is also half human (giving him even less emotional control), although Harrison may not know that.
• Undying Loyalty : By the end of the movie, it's become obvious that the crew of the Enterprise have developed this with one another after they refused Spock's orders to abandon ship . Even early into the movie, both Scott and Spock continue to refer to Kirk as "Captain" despite him (temporarily) losing his rank.
• Ungrateful Bastard : Kirk seemingly feels Spock is being this way when the Vulcan constantly complains that they broke the Prime Directive when saving him from the volcano and furthermore when Pike reveals the differences between Kirk and Spock's reports.
• Unspoken Plan Guarantee : The audience is spared a recap from Spock Prime of how the Enterprise defeated Khan in the Prime timeline . Immediately after learning these details, Spock comes up with his own plan in the event of Khan's inevitable betrayal, and all the viewers learn about it is that it requires engineers, medical staff, and McCoy's knowledge of how to arm the super-torpedoes. It works perfectly.
• Earlier in the film, Harrison is unfathomably pissed off at Admiral Marcus for all of the torture he put him through. Harrison: You. You should have let me sleep.
• Spock to Harrison at the end.
• Unwitting Pawn : Kirk to Admiral Marcus . He later suspects that he is this for Harrison as well. Scotty: I thought he was helping us. Kirk: I'm pretty sure we're helping him .
• Vertigo Effect : Seen from outside the Enterprise just before the ship goes to warp, giving the impression that the ship is stretching as it accelerates.
• Admiral Marcus goes on a tirade about how he's the only one willing to protect the Federation when Kirk tries to have him arrested. Then Khan kills him .
• Harrison freaks out and tries to crash his ship into Starfleet Academy when Spock detonates the torpedoes inside the Vengeance , ruining Khan's plans and leading him to believe that his people are dead .
• Harrison saves Kirk, Spock, and Uhura's asses from the Klingons, and proceeds to take the brunt of the battle for them, since he knows they've got his torpedoes and he needs them alive.
• The Enterprise also would have been destroyed if he hadn't offered Kirk important information about Section 31 , and helped them out in general before he decided to destroy the Enterprise .
• Wave-Motion Tuning Fork : The USS Vengeance mounts a pair of these which deploy from the forward hull and target the USS Enterprise . They fail to fire due to Scotty. According to official sources however, they are experimental advanced torpedo launchers, rather than the expected form of this trope.
• We Have Become Complacent : Harrison claims the Federation has become an easy target, despite the peace and safety they pretend to have. Harrison: You think your world is safe? It is an illusion. A comforting lie told to protect you.
• We Will All Fly in the Future : Lots of hovering vehicles on future Earth. Particularly noticeable in the early sequence set at a hospital, where the establishing shot of the outside features a hovering car and the establishing shot of the inside features a hovering gurney. The film's climactic action sequences is a Traintop Battle on top of a flying cargo transport.
• Followed by an inversion of a classic scene from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan : Spock: KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!
• At Harrison's urging, Kirk has Carol Marcus and Bones open up one of the new torpedoes...and inside is a cryo-frozen man .
• Kirk and Spock are interrogating Harrison ( aka Khan ) when Sulu reports a ship approaching at warp—and it's not Klingon. Within seconds, the downwarp reveals... a bigass Federation starship, looking like a bigger, meaner cousin of the Enterprise .
• When Kirk, Spock and Uhura head down to Qo'noS to arrest Harrison, they are accompanied by two Red Shirt security officers. The two are last seen debarking the shuttle during the ensuing action scene, firing at the Klingons. According to the movie, both of them survive (they show up in later shots), but this is never remarked upon by any characters. According to the novelization, one of them dies (Herndoff, the one Kirk addresses directly about changing out of the uniform), but he reappears in Star Trek Beyond , so his death cannot be canon.
• It's also never revealed what happened to Thomas Harewood's wife and daughter after he blew up Area 31.
• What the Hell, Hero? : Kirk gets called out by Pike for falsifying his report regarding his mission to Nibiru in the opening.
• What Would X Do? : Subverted; When Spock is trapped in the volcano and Enterprise can't help without revealing itself to the locals in violation of the Prime Directive, Captain Kirk asks McCoy what Spock would do in his position. McCoy replies bluntly, "He'd let you die." Kirk, of course, chooses to rescue Spock .
• To Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan : Kirk needs to learn he can't always Take a Third Option (at least not without paying some kind of cost), the plot is driven by characters' putting Revenge Before Reason until they have nothing left but a desperate attempt at Taking You with Me , ultimately culminating in a Heroic Sacrifice (with dialogue which of course directly mirrors the same scene from Khan ).
• Also to Diane Carey's Dreadnought! novel. An Insane Admiral wants to use his pet Dreadnought project to gain power in the Federation, then proceed to impose order on all the other "threats" in the galaxy. Said Dreadnought is more than a match for anything else that can be thrown at it, is stolen from the admiral in question, and it's up to the Enterprise crew to expose this nefarious plot. However, in Dreadnought! , Rittenhouse never had command of Star Empire , while here, Admiral Marcus is in command of Vengeance briefly before Khan pries the ship from his cold, dead hands.
• Window Love : Kirk and Spock's symbolic touch of their hands on a glass door is an homage to The Wrath of Khan .
• Wire Dilemma : Subverted when Bones and Carol try to disarm one of the advanced torpedo warheads to see what's inside. McCoy goes to snip the wire, but the hatch simply slams shut on his arm and the warhead arms and begins counting down to detonation until Carol simply rips a piece of electronics out .
• Scotty while trying to get through to his captain that torpedoes with an unknown method of propulsion should not be put on any spaceship with a warp engine. Scotty: Due respect, sir, but photon torpedoes run on fuel. Now, I cannae detect the type of fuel that's in the compartments on these torpedoes because it's shielded. Now, I asked for the specifications, but (jerks his thumb at the man behind him) he said... Man: It's classified. Scotty: It's classified. So I said, "No specs, no signature!"
• Uhura attempting to negotiate with the Klingons. Uhura: jIvuylaH . jIve '. jIyI '. ghach jIvvo ' naH . DaH pIghvamDaq So' eghtaH . 'ej Dojmey wID - vInDa 'ma' peq. (I am here to help you. With respect. There is a criminal hiding in these ruins. He has killed many of our people.) Klingon: toH , Hey Humanpu'. qatlh DISaH ? (Why should I care about a human killing humans?) Uhura: potlhmo' batlh, vIqawba '. 'ej chIvo ' neH chIw vum'e'. Qob lIb bam SoH chuDlI ' je. (Because you care about honor. And this man has none. You and your people are in danger.)
• The Enterprise is falling into Earth's atmosphere and Spock orders the bridge crew to abandon ship while he tries to save the Enterprise . Sulu answers, "All due respect, Commander, but we're not going anywhere." The True Companions Status of the J. J. Abrams Enterprise crew is confirmed.
• The novelization explains that they didn't take blood from another frozen augment because McCoy didn't know if they could all regenerate like Khan and didn't want to risk another superpowered psychopath running around the ship.
• In the novel McCoy notes that the planetoid that he and Carol Marcus open the missile on must have an extremely dense core if it has Earthlike air and gravity.
• A tie-in comic says that Khan had Magic Plastic Surgery to explain why he looks completely different to previous incarnations.
• A bunch of Klingons (of course) ring it in as jobbers to show how powerful John Harrison is.
• And the Enterprise itself, boasted as one of the most advanced ships in the Federation fleet, gets curbstomped by the Vengeance without even being able to fire a single shot back .
• Averted. Harrison clearly gains some respect for Kirk after witnessing Kirk's grit and guts in the space jump the two share. He still considers regular humans to be inferior, however, and delivers a beatdown the moment he has the opportunity to, and he unceremoniously dumps Kirk back into that same cell he was being held in before he tries to destroy the Enterprise .
• In the novelization , this is downplayed with Harrison's regard for Spock. He seems to have full respect for Spock's intellectual prowess, but questions how the Vulcan would cope with a situation that doesn't call for intellect or formal training. Harrison: Mr. Spock, I'm not talking about training . I'm not talking about the application of learned skills. I'm certain if it came out of a book, that you're an expert on every chapter. I'm sure that if there is an accepted procedure for countering a blow, for firing a weapon, for maneuvering against an enemy in space, that you can both quote and direct every one of them to perfection. I'm talking about what humans generally refer to as "gut reaction". Fighting without thinking. Battle in the absence of any procedure or rules. If you can't break a rule, how can you be expected to break bone?
• The Klingon commander pulls a knife on Uhura with clear intent to use it.
• You Called Me "X"; It Must Be Serious : After resigning in protest, Scotty uses First-Name Basis when imploring his captain one last time not to fire off the secret experimental torpedoes being loaded onto the Enterprise .
• You Can Run, but You Can't Hide : Harrison reminds Carol of this in regards to the ability of the Vengeance to catch and fight ships at warp speed. Harrison: If you think you're safe at warp, you're wrong.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness : Interestingly both Kirk and Harrison play this trope. Suspecting Harrison is just using them, Kirk orders Scotty to stun him the moment they take the Vengeance bridge. He complies, but Harrison still turns the tables on them and tries to destroy the Enterprise in turn.
• You're Not My Father : Carol disowns her own father to his face.
• Your Head A-Splode : Harrison likes to crush his enemies' skulls. With his bare hands.
• You Said You Would Let Them Go : Played with; Harrison lets his hostages return to their ship in exchange for the torpedoes his crew are hidden in , then states he's going to destroy Enterprise anyway.
• You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry! : Harrison, of course, but Sulu also gives such a dire threat in a mission that Bones is unnerved by it. Bones: Mr. Sulu, remind me never to piss you off.

Video Example(s):

Khan kills admiral marcus.

Khan infiltrates the Vengeance, and takes control by killing the ship's captain, Admiral Marcus.

Example of: Gory Discretion Shot

• Star Trek (2009)
• Recap/Star Trek: The Original Series
• Star Trek Beyond
• QuoteSource/Star Trek
• Psychic Glimpse of Death
• Sleepy Hollow
• Creator/Pixomondo
• Sucker Punch
• Recap/Star Trek
• Franchise/Star Trek
• Creator/Paramount
• Creator/J. J. Abrams
• JustForFun/Trope Kilowicked Franchises
• Star Trek Online
• Creator/Skydance Media
• Films of the 2010s – Franchises
• Alien Works
• Space Elves
• ImageSource/Star Trek
• The Dreaded Dreadnought
• Science Fiction Films
• Creator/IMAX
• AmericanFilms/N to S

Important Links

• Action Adventure
• Commercials
• Crime & Punishment
• Professional Wrestling
• Speculative Fiction
• Sports Story
• Animation (Western)
• Music And Sound Effects
• Print Media
• Sequential Art
• Tabletop Games
• Applied Phlebotinum
• Characterization
• Characters As Device
• Narrative Devices
• British Telly
• The Contributors
• Creator Speak
• Derivative Works
• Laws And Formulas
• Show Business
• Split Personality
• Truth And Lies
• Truth In Television
• Fate And Prophecy
• Edit Reasons
• Isolated Pages
• Images List
• Recent Videos
• Crowner Activity
• Un-typed Pages
• Recent Page Type Changes
• Trope Entry
• Character Sheet
• Playing With
• Creating New Redirects
• Cross Wicking
• Tips for Editing
• Text Formatting Rules
• Handling Spoilers
• Administrivia
• Trope Repair Shop
• Image Pickin'

Advertisement:

How well does it match the trope?

Example of:

Media sources:

11,241--> Report

• More to Explore
• Series & Movies

Published May 8, 2024

Top Crew Moments that Defined the Kelvin Timeline

Revisit the Kelvin Timeline for the 15th anniversary of 'Star Trek.'

StarTrek.com

15 years ago, Star Trek (2009) created an alternate reality universe known as the Kelvin Timeline. In the parallel world of this film, and its sequels Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond , a retaliatory attack by a Romulan miner named Nero sets off a chain of events that forever alters the destiny of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701.

In this timeline, James Kirk loses his father, George, and is a reluctant recruit to Starfleet Academy in 2255. The half-human Spock witnesses the destruction of his home planet Vulcan; Uhura, a xenolinguistics expert, is in her early days as a cadet; and engineer Montgomery Scott is an accidental addition to the crew. While the alterations in the Kelvin-verse range from minute to major, all have an impact on the time continuum that sets everyone down a familiar yet different path from their TOS counterparts.

In honor of the 15th anniversary of Star Trek , we’ve rounded up some of the key crew moments that define the Kelvin Timeline. While fan reception varies across all three films, they do expand the lives of the TOS crew from their maiden voyage, their first five-year mission, to their fall, and reunion at Yorktown.

Captain George Samuel Kirk: Sacrifice of the U.S.S. Kelvin

Star Trek (2009)

The Kelvin Timeline starts with the death of George Kirk, since the alternate reality established in Star Trek is built on Kirk's sacrifice aboard the U.S.S. Kelvin .

Following an attack by Captain Nero, a 24th Century Romulan bent on revenge for the loss of his home world, George Kirk becomes acting command for Captain Richard Robau. With a passenger load of 800-plus on his shoulders, Kirk leads decisively to evacuate the Kelvin and destroy Nero's mining vessel Narada . His final moments are spent securing the life of his pregnant wife and child, just moments from birth. Captain George Kirk went down with the Kelvin , but not before naming his son. And not before saving the lives of nearly all its crewmembers in a legendary maneuver that involved manually piloting his ship into the Narada to give survivors more time. While his son, James, grew up without a father, George's influence was never out of reach. His DNA for steeliness was a blueprint, dad to son.

As Christopher Pike told James when recruiting him to Starfleet, George Kirk "didn’t believe in no-win scenarios."

Captain James T. Kirk: Going Down with the Enterprise

Star Trek Beyond

Yes, the captain's sacrifice to the warp core in Into Darkness could top the best of Kirk in the Kelvin Timeline. But even more real is the loss of the Enterprise in Star Trek Beyond .

Halfway through its first five-year mission, the ship's saucer section is destroyed by Krall, a former Federation officer who is now the mutated leader of the Swarm. Krall's advanced tech takeover is an eerie callback to the loss of the Kelvin and George Kirk in Star Trek 's opening moments. Jim Kirk confronts the exact decisions his father faced in his final moments, and he faces the inevitable destruction of the Enterprise with the same head-on decisiveness. The crew comes first, always. That principle is also exemplified in Kirk's impassioned plea to Admiral Marcus in Into Darkness when the ship is threatened with extinction. No one else is responsible for Kirk's orders, and he's always made that clear.

Spock: (Alternate) Future Planning for the Past

Spock's best moments in the Kelvin Timeline are the conversations he has with himself. He is an (alternate) future planner, and Ambassador Spock is the Prime messenger. There are two "hinge" events that have caused this parallel, divergent timeline — the destruction of Romulus around 2387, and the destruction of the U.S.S. Kelvin in 2233.

Prime Spock sets up his younger, alternate reality self with critical information, but nothing can stop the death of Vulcan and its billions of inhabitants. Ambassador Spock also convinces Kirk, while marooned on Delta Vega, to elicit a strong emotional response from his younger self so that Captain Spock "realizes" he is unfit for command. The Ambassador knows that the survival of the Enterprise relies on Kirk in the captain's chair, with Spock's measured logic guiding the captain with computer-like precision.

In Into Darkness , Ambassador Spock also warns the Commander of what's ahead. Because of the Ambassador's uncharacteristically strong response, Spock understands the full threat of Khan. He warns Kirk, repeatedly, that Khan is not to be trusted, even as a temporary ally. If only Kirk took the note.

Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu: First Enterprise Mission

Star Trek Into Darkness

Lieutenant Sulu stands out on his first Enterprise mission. As the responders to the Vulcan distress signal in Star Trek , Sulu and a crew of fresh-faced cadets mobilize under Pike's command. While first day jitters cause Sulu to forget to disengage the Enterprise 's equivalent of a parking brake, we'll cut him some slack. Three minutes into his maiden voyage, Sulu pilots the Enterprise straight into Nero's trap, and is forced to pull off an evasive maneuver in a space field littered with what's left of a Federation Starfleet. And he can't go to warp.

Sulu's first "away mission," if parachuting into the Vulcan atmosphere to board and overpower the Narada qualifies, is also memorable. We learn just how much hand-to-hand combat he's working with when Sulu saves Kirk from two Vulcans with expert fencing skill. A sophisticated addition to a Starfleet resume and, in Sulu's case, the saving grace for one of the rockiest first flights in Star Trek history. Don’t test Sulu. If you do, "you will fail."

Lieutenant Nyota Uhura: Taking Down Khan

Lieutenant Uhura delivers the final blow to Khan in Into Darkness . When Bones discovers that Khan's blood is needed to save an irradiated Kirk, the Lieutenant beams down with seconds to spare to relieve Spock from a losing battle. Uhura's fight with Khan is also a resolution to her turmoil at the start of Into Darkness .

Following Spock’s near-sacrifice on Class M planet Nibiru, Uhura struggled to understand how the person she loved could end it all so easily. While fighting Khan, Uhura is the one who is prepared to die, demonstrating just how deep her bond with Spock runs.

Montgomery Scott, Chief Engineer: Standing on Principle

Montgomery "Scotty" Scott gets a lot of play in the Kelvin Timeline as the inventor of transwarp beaming and as the Enterprise 's Chief Engineer. Kirk and Ambassador Spock first encounter Scotty in the Federation outpost on Delta Vega. His assignment is bleak, cold, and lonely, so he's only too happy to beam aboard the Enterprise while it's mid-warp even at risk of death. (Good thing too, 'cause he almost dies.)

To Scotty, the Enterprise represents limitless engineering possibilities. He is a veteran man of science, equally fascinated by the dated technology of the U.S.S. Franklin in Beyond . There is no challenge that Scotty doesn't match with grit. The rare exception is when he says "no" to Kirk in Into Darkness for all the right reasons. Scotty refused to support Starfleet's military operation against "John Harrison," telling Kirk that he considered himself an explorer. A man with a mission and a conscience.

Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy: Saving Jim Kirk's Life

Bones gets two "Best in Crew" moments as the Enterprise 's Chief Medical Officer. The first — inoculating and dragging Jim Kirk aboard the Enterprise in Star Trek . The second — saving Kirk's life in Into Darkness .

In order to cripple the U.S.S. Vengeance that was overtaken by Khan, James Kirk needed to stabilize the Enterprise by reactivating the ship's engines and weapons. So, he enters the warp core, sans containment suit, flooding himself with a deadly dose of radiation. The Enterprise is now down a captain, but at least it's no longer hurtling towards a fiery reentry on Earth. Enter Bones with a bit of Tribble inspiration.

After the successful capture of Khan on Qo'noS, Kirk requested that Bones test the blood of the madman to unlock the secrets of his superhuman healing and strength. Bones delivered, injecting a sample of Khan's blood into a Tribble. When Bones notices that Khan's super-blood reanimates that same Tribble from death, Kirk is taken off the cryotube, Khan is beamed back to the Enterprise , and an 11th hour blood transfusion brings Kirk back from the land of death.

Ensign Pavel Chekov: Manual Override Award

Ensign Pavel Chekov deserves a pip for dealing with multiple, catastrophic tech failures in the span of Into Darkness . When Chief Engineer Mr. Scott fails to persuade Kirk to disarm the Enterprise 's torpedoes, or else , the ship experiences a warp core coolant leak that removes their ability to evade Khan or counterattack. And, since Scotty handed in his resignation to avoid this preventable disaster, Chekov patches up the pieces. Throughout Into Darkness , the MVP Ensign scurries, dodges, and races against the ticking bomb of Khan to get the Enterprise back in semi-decent shape.

In the film's final showdown, the Enterprise and the U.S.S. Vengeance are both inoperable. They are trapped in Earth's gravitational field above San Francisco, plummeting towards certain death. Enter Chekov with his "right time, right place" talent. Making one of the most impressive plays in the Kelvin-verse, Chekov catches Kirk and Scotty from freefall in their race to get the warp core online.

Jaylah: A Warrior Survives Altamid

startrek.com

Star Trek Beyond is a survivor movie, and Jaylah is the ultimate survivor.

A crewmember that started as an ally, Jaylah is a member of an unknown humanoid species. She becomes a friend to Starfleet by sharing a common enemy in Krall, who also destroyed her people. For a handful of years, she was marooned on the planet Altamid, surviving and building a home out of a 2160s Federation starship. Jaylah's mastery over the legendarily lost U.S.S. Franklin makes her a best in (honorary) crew. By engineering defunct, century-old alien tech, she uncovers the secrets of an ancient vessel. Jaylah survives by camouflaging the ship with holograms, alarming it with traps, and listening to music on VHF.

By the end of Beyond , the reconstruction of Enterprise -A is already underway. The captain has refused an appointment to Vice Admiral so he can still fly, and Ambassador Spock is dead, leaving Commander Spock on a singular timeline journey. Uhura recommits to Starfleet, Jaylah gets a bid to join the Academy, and Bones all but says that he'll go wherever Kirk goes. As for the rest of the crew? The five-year mission remains uncharted, but all have their eyes on Enterprise -A.

To revisit the entire Kelvin Timeline, watch Star Tre k , Star Trek Into Darkness , and Star Trek Beyond . Bring it home today .

Get Updates By Email

Robyn Belt is a writer, editor, and journalist (Startrek.com, Marvel.com) who loves thinking about the real and speculative science of Star Trek. DS9, TNG, SNW super-fan. Find her on Twitter @robyn_belt or Threads @robynbelt_.

'Star Trek' reaches warp speed at real fusion lab

By Clara Moskowitz

LiveScience

If the Starship Enterprise's warp drive looks especially realistic in the new "Star Trek" film, that's because it was shot in a real-life laboratory for nuclear fusion research: The National Ignition Facility in California.

The J.J. Abrams-led crew of the new film "Star Trek Into Darkness," got special permission from the U.S. Department of Energy to film scenes from the movie at the facility, which is part of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, Calif.

There, real-life scientists are using the world's most energetic laser system to attempt to create nuclear fusion — the merging of two atoms into one — in a laboratory. If successful, the technology could provide a truly clean, renewable energy source for the future. While the National Ignition Facility  (NIF) hasn't succeeded in igniting fusion just yet, scientists say they're getting closer and closer to their goal. [ Photos: The Evolution of the Starship Enterprise ]

There are genuine links between the research going on at NIF and the futuristic science portrayed in "Star Trek," the film's producers point out: After all, the Enterprise is fueled with deuterium, the heavy variant of hydrogen, which the NIF uses in its fusion experiments.

"For many years, we've been waiting for 'Star Trek' to realize they should be here!" principal associate director of NIF Edward Moses said in a statement. "This is a very futuristic facility… and I think we've all been influenced by Star Trek's vision of the future."

The film uses NIF to portray the innards of the 23rd-century starship, which uses a warp drive to bend space-time, allowing the Enterprise to travel faster than the speed of light.

Moses said he and his science team were thrilled to see their lab transformed into a sci-fi vision. "It was super exciting to see J.J. Abrams' vision of what we do," Moses said.

For their part, the film crew was just as excited to see real-life science in action.

"We were there just trying to shoot a movie, but all around us, these innovative scientists are working on technologies that will likely help the whole world," Abrams said. "The idea that one day the research at NIF could create clean, limitless energy is so exciting. On the one hand, it was simply a great location for the story. But more importantly, we were really honored to be welcomed there. These people are doing research that could alter the destiny of the planet the way the wheel or the light bulb did."

The collaboration is especially fitting, because so many scientists have been inspired to pursue their careers, in part, by science fiction such as "Star Trek."

"We couldn't even believe they let us in to shoot — and then, they were so excited about having us," Abrams said. "So many people told us 'Star Trek' inspired them to get involved in science."

Follow Clara Moskowitz on Twitter   and Google+ . Follow us  @livescience ,  Facebook  and  Google+ . Original article on  LiveScience.com .

• Quiz: Sci-Fi Vs. Real Technology
• Star Trek Into Darkness: A Photo Gallery
• Warped Physics: 10 Effects of Faster-Than-Light Discovery

• |   HOME
• 0                  
• AFRICA      
• CENTRAL AMERICA
• MIDDLE EAST
• SOUTH AMERICA
• UNITED KINGDOM
• A            
• ABOUT      
• TRAVEL      
• FEATURES      
• LINKS      
• |   FILMS
• |   PLACES
• |   PEOPLE

Home > Films > S > Star Trek Into Darkness

Sunday May 12th 2024

Star Trek Into Darkness | 2013

• Locations |
• Los Angeles , California
• Chris Pine,
• Zachary Quinto,
• Benedict Cumberbatch,
• Simon Pegg,
• Karl Urban,
• Zoe Saldana,
• Anton Yelchin,
• Peter Weller,
• Bruce Greenwood,
• Jennifer Morrison,
• Noel Clarke,
• Leonard Nimoy

Good to see that St Paul’s Cathedral has survived to 2259.55, though it seems to be lost in a forest of glitzy hi-rises, in the overview of ‘London’. There’s no filming in the real London of course.

Away in the green hills overlooking the city (good to see that these have survived, too), stands the ‘Royal Children’s Hospital’, where John Harrison ( Benedict Cumberbatch ) claims he can save the daughter of a distraught couple – at a price. With just a little CG added to the exterior, the hospital is the familiar Greystone Mansion , 905 Loma Vista Drive , set in the bucolic greenery of Beverly Hills . The same house is a screen regular – it was the interior of the ‘Pasadena’' mansion in the Coen brothers’ The Big Lebowski , the Osborne home in the Spider-Man films, the mansion of Robert Angier ( Hugh Jackman ) in Christopher Nolan ’s The Prestige , and many others. The house is closed, but the extensive grounds are open to the public.

The ‘Kelvin Memorial Archive’, into which Thomas ( Noel Clarke ) smuggles an explosive device, is another screen favourite. It’s the old bank building at 650 South Spring Street in downtown Los Angeles , seen in Se7en , Marathon Man , Spider-Man 2 and Bridesmaids .

Once inside, though, its Beaux Arts lobby is that of the Pac Mutual Building, 523 West 6th Street , between South Olive and South Grand Streets.

There’s a different Starfleet HQ from the previous film, but ignore the digital addition of the Golden Gate Bridge – it’s still nowhere near San Francisco .

It’s now the J Paul Getty Museum , 1200 Getty Center Drive , in the hills overlooking classy Brentwood village. Opened in 1997, the purpose-built art complex houses Western art from the Middle Ages to the present and receives around 1.3 million visitors a year. It’s reached by a three-car, cable-pulled hovertrain funicular from the visitors' parking centre at the bottom of the hill.

Down in Playa Vista , near Marina Del Rey, the vast, shadowy bay of Marcus’s mega-ship, where Scottie ( Simon Pegg ) opens the doors for Kirk ( Chris Pine ) and Harrison/Khan, is the empty space of Howard Hughes ’s old Spruce Goose Hangar , which has served as a soundstage for productions including Titanic and Avatar .

The working heart of the Enterprise , as it was for the previous Star Trek film, is the Budweiser Brewery Anheuser-Busch Inc, 15800 Roscoe Boulevard , just west of the San Diego Freeway (I-405) in Van Nuys in the San Fernando Valley .

As the ship loses power, Kirk braves radiation and climbs into the ship’s ‘Warp Core’. This is the the laser bay and target chamber of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 7000 East Avenue in Livermore , about 50 miles east of San Francisco . The laboratory was previously seen as the 'ENCOM' lab in the original 1982 TRON .

Khan eventually shows his true colours, flying his ship past the Getty and crashlanding in a futuristic ‘San Francisco’.

In truth, it’s still Los Angeles , as Khan finds himself in the large open plaza behind the Creative Artists Agency Building, 2000 Avenue of the Stars in Century City . The building has seen a lot of action recently – it was not only a hotel lobby for Christopher Nolan ’s Inception , it provided the office of The Daily Sentinel in the 2011 version of The Green Hornet , with Seth Rogen .

With Spock beaming down in hot pursuit, Khan smashes into the entrance of the CAA Building , and immediately out onto South Grand Avenue , several miles east in downtown Los Angeles .

Spock chases Khan across the South Grand Avenue crosswalk linking Wells Fargo Plaza and California Plaza . You can briefly glimpse the row of circular details at the base of 2 California Plaza, 350 South Grand Avenue , before Khan manages to leap aboard a passing craft.

It’s in front of the curved frontage of the Richard Meier -designed Visitor Center of Christ Cathedral , 13280 Chapman Avenue , in Garden Grove , formerly (and better known as) the Crystal Cathedral , that Captain Kirk gets to make the “to boldly go...” speech at the re-christening of the USS Enterprise , which ends the film.

Visit The Film Locations

Visit: California

Star Trek Into Darkness

• View history

A series of terrorist attacks on Earth places Captain James T. Kirk on a mission to deal with the culprit. Nothing is as it seems, as the Starship Enterprise is entangled in covert machinations to ignite war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, with an ancient enemy in the mix. With alliances tested, relationships strained and differing motives clashing, how costly will the thirst for vengeance prove?

• 1.1 Prologue
• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 2 Memorable quotes
• 3.1 Gathering a team
• 3.2 Story and script
• 3.4 Scene development
• 3.5.1 Principal cast
• 3.5.2 Returning guest stars
• 3.5.3 New guest stars
• 3.5.4 Extras
• 3.5.5 Rehearsals and interaction
• 3.6 Design, sets, and locations
• 3.7 Filming
• 3.8 Editing
• 3.9 Music and sound
• 3.10 Continuity
• 4.1 Publicity and marketing
• 4.2 Posters
• 4.3 Box office
• 4.4 Reception
• 4.5 Merchandise gallery
• 5 Awards and honors
• 6.1.3 Second Unit
• 6.1.4 Songs
• 6.2.2 Stunt performers
• 6.2.3 Stand-ins
• 6.2.5 Production companies
• 6.4.1 Other references
• 6.4.2 Meta references
• 6.4.3 Unreferenced material
• 6.5 External links

Summary [ ]

Prologue [ ].

The temple raided by Kirk and McCoy

During early 2259 , on the class M planet of Nibiru , Captain James T. Kirk is being chased away from a temple located at the base of an active volcano by native Nibirans . He is startled by an animal, and stuns it with his phaser . Behind the animal is an upset Leonard McCoy ; the beast Kirk has just stunned was to have been their "ride", leaving the two of them with no option but to flee on foot. Kirk has stolen a scroll sacred to the Nibirans.

Meanwhile, Hikaru Sulu is piloting a shuttlecraft into the volcano, with Spock and Nyota Uhura on board. Spock, protected by a copper-colored environmental suit , is preparing to detonate a cold fusion device inside the volcano that would stop a cataclysmic eruption from extinguishing life on the planet. Kirk tells them of their plight, using the communicator . Spock reminds Kirk about the Prime Directive , as the Nibirans are a primitive civilization . Kirk assures his first officer that he and Dr. McCoy were disguised; they were merely leading the natives further away from the volcano. With the shuttlecraft's thruster being choked by ash, Spock has to act fast. After a kiss from Uhura, he is lowered by cable into the volcano. During the descent, the shuttlecraft takes too much damage, and Sulu attempts to abort the drop. The cable Spock is hanging by abruptly snaps, suddenly dropping him into the volcano. Surprisingly, he survives the fall in his protective suit, and the cold fusion device is still operational. Sulu and Uhura are forced to abandon the shuttle; Uhura promises they will get Spock out.

Harbinger of death

Satisfied they were far enough from the volcano, Kirk hangs the scroll he stole off a tree . The Nibirans cease their pursuit, allowing Kirk and McCoy to get away, jumping off a cliff into the ocean . Using miniprops and breathing apparatuses, they swim to the Enterprise and board through an airlock on the secondary hull . Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott is still not happy that they are hiding at the bottom of an ocean, complaining that the salt water may impede their ability to launch. The officers return to the bridge. Spock arms the cold fusion device , which has a three-minute timer. The volcano has a small eruption, with pyroclastic ejecta destroying the temple in which the group of Nibirans had been worshiping. Nibiru has a very strong magnetic field that was jamming their transporters ; the only way they can save Spock is by revealing themselves to fly above the volcano, which would violate the Prime Directive.

The Enterprise surfaces from the sea

Kirk asks Dr. McCoy what Spock would do if Kirk were the one deploying the device; Bones replies that Spock would let him die. Spock was indeed prepared for that likelihood. The cold fusion device would freeze and kill him, along with freezing the volcano into dormancy. Before the device detonates, Spock closes his eyes and raises his arms to the sky above.

" You violated the Prime Directive! "

The Nibirans are shocked when they see the Enterprise rising out of the ocean and above the volcano. Right before the cold fusion device is activated, Spock is beamed aboard the Enterprise , and they make their getaway. Kirk and McCoy join him in the transporter room . Spock is shocked that Kirk has blatantly violated the Prime Directive. Uhura tells them the cold fusion device has successfully detonated, but the crew is irked by Spock's apparent lack of gratitude as the violation of the Prime Directive will be a steep price to pay. The native Nibirans begin to worship an image of the Enterprise they have drawn in the soil , accepting it as their new deity.

Act One [ ]

The stardate is 2259.55. Back on Earth , Thomas Harewood , a Starfleet officer living in London , travels with his wife to Royal Children's Hospital , where their daughter is currently in a coma with a severe illness. After visiting her, Thomas Harewood is stopped by an individual he is unfamiliar with. The newcomer says he can save Harewood's daughter.

Pike dresses down Kirk

Meanwhile, back in San Francisco , Kirk is waking up in his apartment after a night spent with a pair of Caitian women. They are annoyed when he answers a call on his communicator from Starfleet. He and Spock are summoned to the office of Admiral Pike . Kirk is convinced they are going to be given Starfleet's first five-year mission of deep space exploration, though Spock is doubtful. When they arrive, Pike reveals that there are discrepancies between the captain's log on Nibiru, and a report Spock filed about what happened there; namely being, the former said it was "uneventful", while the latter detailed a breaking of the Prime Directive. Kirk is dismayed by Spock's apparent betrayal. After a brief argument, Pike dismisses Spock, and proceeds to dress Kirk down for his lack of humility and respect for the chair. Kirk counters that Pike convinced him to join Starfleet because of his maverick attitude. However, Starfleet Command saw it differently. The head of Starfleet Command, Admiral Alexander Marcus , has formed a tribunal that did not include Admiral Pike. The tribunal has relieved Kirk of his command, ordering him to return to Starfleet Academy . Pike tells Kirk pointedly that, one day, his reckless leadership is going to get his entire crew killed.

The Kelvin Memorial Archive

Back in London, the unknown man extracts a vial of his own blood , and places it in a package along with a ring . The package goes to Harewood, who adds the vial's contents to his daughter's IV . As it begins to enter her bloodstream , her vitals return to normal. Harewood kisses his daughter's forehead in relief, knowing she will now be all right. Not long after, he goes to work at the Kelvin Memorial Archive , catching sight of the unknown man in the street immediately before entering, and takes a long elevator down below the archive. He goes to his workstation with a glass of water . After sending a message to Admiral Marcus, he drops the ring into the water, which quickly fizzes, then causes a massive explosion at the Kelvin Archive.

Pike and Kirk share a drink

Kirk is drowning his sorrows at a local bar in San Francisco. He is about to talk to another woman when Admiral Pike sits between them. Kirk is surprised he has found him; the admiral simply says he knows Kirk well, recalling a bar fight with Starfleet cadets back in Iowa before Kirk enlisted. Pike reveals Starfleet gave the Enterprise back to him. Kirk suggests that keeping Spock as first officer isn't a good idea, but he's been transferred to the USS Bradbury anyway. Pike has pulled some strings, and gotten Kirk assigned to be his first officer on the Enterprise . Kirk is speechless, something Pike says is a first. He then gets a call from Starfleet. They are summoned to a meeting in the Daystrom Conference Room at Starfleet Headquarters .

Admiral Alexander Marcus, the head of Starfleet

On their way to the conference room, Kirk meets Spock and tells him about his demotion. Spock is relieved the punishment was not more severe. Kirk is still upset that he was betrayed. Spock admits he should have warned Kirk beforehand that he would file a truthful report about the Nibiru incident. After a brief meeting with Frank Abbott , captain of the USS Bradbury , Kirk admits he'll miss Spock, though is irked when Spock is left speechless. Admiral Marcus opens the meeting. The message he received from Harewood was a confession, and informed him of who put him up to the attack: John Harrison , a Starfleet officer who has gone rogue. The officers present look over images taken of the scene after the attack, where forty-two people were killed. Kirk notices Harrison in the images with a bag, and asks Pike about it. Admiral Marcus notices their discussion and asks Kirk what the problem is. Kirk begins to express confusion as to why Harrison would target just an archive. Kirk says Harrison must have known that a terrorist attack on a Starfleet facility would result in this kind of meeting.

" CLEAR THE ROOM! "

Before Kirk can elaborate on his concerns, a jumpship appears outside their conference room, and opens fire, killing Captain Abbott and several other officers. The surviving officers take cover, and security personnel enter to combat the jumpship. Kirk takes up a phaser rifle from a fallen security officer and attacks it from the side to little effect. He sees the jumpship's engine intake, and gets an idea. He opens a fire hose unit, in a corridor of the building, and ties the hose around his rifle.

Pike is killed by Harrison

As he works, Admiral Pike is fatally shot, and Spock pulls him to safety. Kirk throws the rifle and fire hose, which get sucked into the jumpship's intake. It takes the entire hose, then yanks its base out of the wall and through the engine, disabling the ship. Kirk gets a look at Harrison as he beams out of the falling jumpship. In the meeting room, Spock forms a mind meld with Pike right before he dies. Kirk then arrives, and breaks down at the death of his mentor.

Meanwhile, Harrison materializes on a completely different planet, lifts up the hood of his longcoat, and walks away.

Act Two [ ]

Kirk and Spock meet with Marcus

Kirk is recovering emotionally from the attack alone in his apartment, when he gets a call from Spock. Scott was investigating the wreckage of Harrison's jumpship, and found a portable transwarp beaming device on board. Its destination is set somewhere they normally cannot follow. Kirk and Spock head to Starfleet Headquarters, and they tell Admiral Marcus where Harrison ended up: Qo'noS , the homeworld of the Klingon Empire . Marcus was afraid this would happen. Spock notes Harrison materialized on a nominally uninhabited province of the planet, and Kirk says he is not afraid to go after him. Marcus comes clean about the true nature of Harrison and Harewood's target. They bombed a secret facility of Section 31 , Starfleet's black ops division, which was researching weapons and tactics for a potential war with the Klingons and any other species that mean to do the Federation harm. As far as he is concerned, the war with the Klingons was already beginning. He has a new variety of advanced long-range torpedoes that Kirk can use to covertly take out Harrison. He gives Kirk back command of the Enterprise , and Kirk requests Spock be reinstated as his first officer.

Dr. "Carol Wallace" joins the crew of the Enterprise

As they prepare to return to the Enterprise on a shuttlecraft, Spock expresses his misgivings about killing Harrison without a trial , and insists Kirk take some of the travel time to reconsider. Dr. McCoy joins them, telling Kirk he missed his check-up, which he does on the shuttlecraft. They are joined by Dr. Carol Wallace , a weapons expert who Admiral Marcus has assigned to the Enterprise as an extra science officer . Spock is alarmed by this turn of events. Kirk is just as surprised but welcomes the extra help.

When they get on board the Enterprise , Spock heads immediately to the bridge , while Kirk talks with Scott in engineering . Scott is unwilling to allow the new photon torpedoes on-board, because he cannot examine the shielded devices, and the Section 31 personnel refuse to tell him what they are fueled by and will not provide detailed schematics. He does not want to risk firing unknown weapons around the warp core ; any instability could wreck it and kill everyone on board. He is also upset that his transwarp equation was appropriated by Starfleet Command, ending up in Harrison's hands for his crime spree. When Kirk insists the torpedoes be loaded in, Scott resigns, with Keenser following suit. Before he departs, Scotty begs Kirk not to use the torpedoes.

" Sometimes I want to rip the… bangs off his head. "

Kirk returns to the bridge with Uhura in a turbolift . He tells her of Scott's resignation, and his recent issues with Spock. She lets on that she and Spock have been having problems recently as well. Before they can discuss it in more detail, they arrive. Kirk promotes navigator Pavel Chekov to chief engineer , since he has been shadowing Scotty recently, and tells him to put on a red shirt and head to engineering. They depart and proceed to Qo'noS. Kirk issues an all-call with his general orders for the mission, planning to arrest John Harrison on the planet and to use the missiles only if Harrison refuses to go quietly. Spock is relieved Kirk has reconsidered Admiral Marcus' original orders, and suggests he himself could join Kirk on his mission. Spock then goes back to engineering, where he confronts Carol Wallace. The identity she presented Kirk was fake; Admiral Marcus is her father, and " Wallace " is her mother's maiden name. Her real name is Carol Marcus . He demands to know why she is really on the ship.

Before she can give her reasons and prior to the Enterprise reaching Qo'noS, the ship violently drops out of warp . Chekov has found a coolant leak in the warp core, and stopped the ship manually. They are still twenty minutes away from Qo'noS. Kirk recruits Uhura, who knows Klingon , to join him and Spock. He gives Sulu command for the first time, with orders to contact Harrison before they arrive to demand his surrender . Dr. McCoy is concerned, but Kirk is sure Sulu is up to the task. They use a vehicle they confiscated a month before, in the " Mudd Incident ". Kirk orders two other officers, including Hendorff , to remove their red shirts and change into more casual clothing ; they cannot have any obvious connection to the Federation on this mission, lest they start an interstellar war . Chekov assures Kirk he will try his best to repair the engines before they return.

Spock and Uhura quarrel

As Kirk pilots their vehicle to Harrison's location, Sulu sends his message via a targeted com burst, giving Harrison two minutes to surrender, or he will be eliminated with new, advanced weapons. Sulu's message is assertive enough that it startles the previously skeptical Dr. McCoy, who asks the helmsman to remind him " never to piss you off. "

While flying through the atmosphere of Qo'noS, Uhura and Spock begin to argue, much to Kirk's dismay. Uhura is upset at Spock's apparent lack of feelings recently, especially after his rescue at Nibiru. She also tells Spock that Kirk is upset with him too. Though Kirk doesn't want to be dragged into it, he admits that she's right. Spock tries to assure her and Kirk that they are mistaken by his attitude. He recalls his mind meld with Admiral Pike, and how he felt Pike's final emotions before his death. They reminded him of how he felt when Vulcan was destroyed. He assures Uhura that he simply does not want that kind of despair anymore, and that his feelings for her are still as strong as ever.

" Why should I care about a Human killing Humans? "

Their relief is short-lived, as their ship comes under fire from a D4-class Klingon vessel, apparently on a random patrol. Without any offensive capabilities, Kirk is given access to all the ship's fuel cells to evade the patrol's fire and try to outrun it. He finds a narrow space and squeezes the ship through it, evading capture. Kirk thinks they have escaped, but Uhura suggests the Klingons may be jamming sensors. The Starfleet officers are soon surrounded by three more D4-class ships, which order them to land. Uhura tells her shipmates they will be tortured, interrogated, and killed. She insists she be allowed to try to reason with the Klingons. The trading craft lands, and Uhura leaves the vessel, confronted by about fifteen Klingon warriors in full-face armored helmets. Spock warns Kirk not to interfere, lest he incur their wrath and Uhura's. Still, Kirk gets some phasers ready, just in case. Uhura tells the Klingon patrol that she and her allies are on the planet to arrest a criminal who has put both their planets in danger. The leader of the patrol , who removes his helmet, tells her he has little concern for Humans killing Humans. Hoping to play on the Klingons' strong traditions, she counters that the criminal has no honor. Unimpressed, however, the Klingon leader grabs Uhura by her jaw and draws a knife, prepared to kill her.

Harrison rescues the Enterprise party

Suddenly, somebody shoots down the Klingon patrol; it's Harrison, armed with a rapid-fire rifle and a larger beam cannon . The Enterprise officers attack, in a mix of phaser fire and hand-to-hand combat. Kirk has little luck physically, but is able to shoot several Klingon warriors armed with disruptors and various blade weapons, including daggers and bat'leths . Harrison proves to be incredibly adept with his phaser cannon as well as hand-to-hand. Other Klingon ships drop reinforcements, but they are killed as well. Harrison kills the last few Klingons with their own knives. He turns his cannon on Kirk, and asks how many of the advanced torpedoes he has. Spock replies after Kirk doesn't, saying they have seventy-two. Harrison immediately surrenders, unconditionally. Kirk accepts, then attempts to knock Harrison out by punching and beating him repeatedly, none of which has any effect on him whatsoever.

Kirk confronts his mysterious prisoner

Harrison is returned to the Enterprise and taken to the brig . Dr. McCoy takes a blood sample, to try to figure out the prisoner's physiology. Harrison insists that he be allowed to speak with Kirk. Spock thinks he wants to get into Kirk's head, but Kirk agrees. Harrison somehow knows about the damage to the warp core, suggesting something is amiss. He tells Kirk two things. First, Harrison gives Kirk a set of coordinates: 23-17-46-11, a point near Earth. Harrison says Kirk can find some answers there. He then insists they open one of the photon torpedoes to find out exactly what is inside.

Back on Earth, Scott is at a bar in San Francisco with Keenser, upset that Keenser allowed him to go through with resigning. Kirk contacts Scotty and gives him the coordinates Harrison gave him. He admits Scott was likely right about the torpedoes, which Scott accepts as an apology, though he cuts the conversation short. Whereas Scott is in no mood to do Kirk any favors, Keenser insists they help anyway.

" Why is there a man in that torpedo? "

The Enterprise is still hobbled, but has enough power to go to a nearby planetoid , where they can safely examine one of the photon torpedoes. Kirk assures Chekov that the engine issues are likely not his fault. They have sent a message to Admiral Marcus with news that they have captured Harrison, but have received no reply. Spock reveals the true identity of Carol Marcus, and suggests she and Dr. McCoy can try to open a photon torpedo.

Later, on the surface of the planetoid , Marcus directs McCoy in cutting a necessary wire. The moment he does, the compartment slams shut on his arm, and the torpedo arms with a thirty-second timer. Marcus disarms it with only 2.57 seconds to spare, and it opens, revealing a cryo tube with a frozen person inside.

"My name is… KHAN."

The coordinates take Scott to Jupiter , where he finds a large shipyard . Following a sortie of similar shuttlecraft, what Scott sees in the shipyard alarms him.

" My crew is my family, Kirk. Is there anything you would not do for your family? "

Back on the Enterprise , Dr. McCoy examines the cryo tube. The body preserved inside is still viable, but Humans have not needed cryogenic technology since they became warp-capable . The person inside is three hundred years old. Kirk and Spock return to Harrison for answers. He says all the torpedoes contain his old crew. He reveals himself to be Khan , a genetically engineered Human . He and his crew were exiled into space at the end of the 20th century . His cryoship was found by Admiral Marcus after the destruction of Vulcan , and he alone was awoken. Marcus wanted his savagery as well as his intellect to prepare for potential war with the Klingons. He also reveals that Marcus wanted Kirk to fire those torpedoes on Qo'noS and purposely sabotaged the Enterprise 's warp core, leaving them stranded for the Klingons to find, igniting the war that Marcus desires. Kirk refuses to accept it, but condemns Khan's actions. Khan states that Marcus held his crew hostage to force him to do his bidding. He put his crew in the torpedoes in an attempt to smuggle them to safety, but they were discovered, and he was forced to escape alone. Khan says he committed his terrorist acts on the assumption that his crew had already been killed.

The Enterprise is confronted by the USS Vengeance

A ship approaches the Enterprise , but not from Klingon space. Kirk has Khan moved to medbay under heavy guard. The ship is an enormous unmarked Starfleet vessel, the USS Vengeance . Kirk is hailed by Admiral Marcus; he has the communication broadcast throughout the ship and recorded. He tells the admiral that engine issues had prevented him from killing "Harrison", revealing he knows the man's true identity. He also suggests Marcus knows what's going on. In turn, Marcus accuses Kirk of being affected mentally by Khan, and insists Khan be killed immediately. He then orders Kirk to turn Khan over, but the Enterprise 's transporters are down. Kirk falsely tells Marcus that Khan is in engineering, before breaking communication, and asking Chekov if they can go to warp. Chekov says they can, but the warp core is still hobbled, so it's risky. They go to warp anyway, and head to Earth.

The Vengeance fires on the Enterprise …

…with devastating results

" Well, at least we're moving again, " McCoy says in the medbay. However, Khan reminds a nearby Carol Marcus they are not safe at warp speed. She runs to the bridge, and warns Kirk that the Vengeance has the ability to engage other ships at warp speed. Indeed, the Vengeance catches up with the Enterprise , and proceeds to fire on the other ship; an initial volley from the Vengeance causes a major hull breach in engineering aboard the Enterprise , killing dozens of crew members, before a second volley cripples the Enterprise 's starboard warp nacelle , causing the craft to drop out of warp between Earth and its moon . Carol Marcus tries to contact her father, skeptical he will destroy the Enterprise if he knows she is on-board. He simply beams her aboard the Vengeance . Admiral Marcus then accuses Kirk and his crew of being in league with "Harrison" and sentences them all to death; Kirk attempts to plead for the life of the Enterprise crew, but Marcus admits that he intended to destroy the Enterprise with all hands from the very start, and cuts communications.

Before the Vengeance can destroy the Enterprise , though, the Vengeance 's systems are reset; Kirk immediately receives a transmission from Scott, who has sneaked on-board the Vengeance . It will take time for its systems to restart, so they have an opening to stop Admiral Marcus. Kirk puts Spock in command of the Enterprise . Spock is resistant to this idea, but Kirk insists the Enterprise needs somebody who "knows what they're doing" in command. Kirk heads to sickbay, and asks Khan about the Vengeance 's capabilities. It is a Dreadnought -class , twice as big, three times as fast, and far more heavily armed than the Enterprise . At the same time, McCoy injects Khan's blood into a dead tribble to examine his blood's effects. Kirk asks for Khan's help, assuring him this will be his only opportunity to save his crew.

" The enemy of my enemy is my friend. "

Kirk and Khan will traverse space to board the Vengeance . The Enterprise maneuvers enough for its waste exhaust to be aligned with one of the Vengeance 's airlocks, and Scott dashes to a station where he can open it manually. Kirk and Khan don thruster-powered spacesuits and navigate the debris field, heading to the Vengeance . During the flight, Kirk's helmet is hit by a piece of debris, knocking out his heads-up display. Khan is also knocked off course, but reestablishes himself and encourages Kirk to align himself with Khan's course and enter the airlock together. Inside the Vengeance , Scott is caught by a lone security officer , but he is able to actuate the airlock, allowing Khan and Kirk in, while also blowing out the security officer.

Spock Prime warns his younger self about Khan

Spock asks Uhura to patch him through to New Vulcan and reaches his counterpart from the prime universe , Ambassador Spock . The younger Spock asks about Khan and if his elder self encountered Khan before. Although Ambassador Spock has not wanted to alter his younger self's destiny, he makes an exception in this case. He reveals that Khan is none other than Khan Noonien Singh , the most dangerous adversary ever faced by the crew of the elder Spock's Enterprise ; Khan is, according to Ambassador Spock, brilliant, ruthless, and will not hesitate to kill every single crew member. The elder Spock recalls that he and his shipmates defeated Khan, but at a terrible cost .

Act Three [ ]

Kirk, Scott, and Khan head to the bridge of the Vengeance

On the bridge of the Vengeance , Admiral Marcus confronts Carol, who simply slaps him, and expresses her shame for being his daughter. Khan, Kirk and Scott head toward the bridge on foot, with Khan navigating them through the engine compartments where weapons cannot be safely used. They succeed in one fistfight with Vengeance crew. Khan jumps ahead of them briefly. Kirk tells Scott to stun Khan the moment they secure the bridge. Spock orders all his medical and engineering personnel to the weapons bay, and asks Dr. McCoy to work on arming the torpedoes. Right when the Vengeance 's weapons come back online, Kirk and his crew make it to the bridge, and stun everyone except Admiral Marcus and Carol. Scott then stuns Khan as ordered. Kirk places Admiral Marcus under arrest, and orders him out of the chair, not wanting to take him by force in front of his daughter. However, Khan is not as stunned as they had hoped – he gets up and attacks Scott and Kirk. He then breaks Carol's leg, and crushes Admiral Marcus' skull, prompting a horrified scream from Carol.

The Vengeance detonating

Khan hails the Enterprise , and orders Spock to give him the photon torpedoes. Spock refuses, but Khan says he can get them himself, without Spock's help, by disabling the Enterprise 's life support system and waiting for the Enterprise crew to suffocate before retrieving the torpedoes himself. Since his crew is frozen, they don't need the air anyway. Spock complies, and assists Khan in locating the torpedoes. He beams them safely aboard, then beams Kirk, Scott, and Carol Marcus onto the Enterprise , before attacking it again. However, unbeknownst to him, Spock had the photon torpedoes armed before beaming them to the Vengeance . They explode, hopelessly disabling the ship and leaving Khan anguished over the apparent loss of his crew. Dr. McCoy then tells Kirk that Spock had the cryo tubes removed, and they are now safely in medbay.

The Enterprise begins to spiral down to Earth

At that point, the engines go completely down, and main power fails, with backup power severely crippled. With the ship having been station-keeping over Earth, it promptly begins to fall toward the planet. Spock orders all personnel to abandon ship, but the crew refuses, willing to go down with him. Kirk and Scott make their way to engineering, a difficult trip with the ship tumbling and artificial gravity systems failing. While there, they end up hanging from the walkways when the ship is upside down, but are saved by Chekov. When they reach the warp core, they find the injectors broken. Kirk decides to fix the warp core himself, but the chamber containing it is loaded with lethal radiation. The captain overrides objections Scott voices by knocking him out with a punch, then enters the warp core chamber. Kirk manages to knock the dislocated side of an injector back into place, and the warp core consequently fires back up, simultaneously exposing Kirk to the radiation. The ship enters Earth's atmosphere, but stops falling just below a layer of clouds, and stabilizes with multiple thrusters firing.

"I'm scared, Spock…"

"Khaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!!"

The Enterprise 's systems gradually come back online. When he regains consciousness, Scotty calls Spock urgently to engineering. Spock goes to the door to the chamber, which Kirk is lying against. They cannot open the chamber until it is decontaminated. Spock tells Kirk he saved the ship. Kirk commends Spock's action of using what Khan wanted against him; Spock replies that it's what the captain would have done. Kirk offers that sacrificing himself to save the crew is what Spock would have done . Knowing he's going to die, Kirk tells Spock he's scared, and asks him how he is able to not feel. Spock, himself in tears, admits he doesn't know, and is failing to hold back his emotions. Kirk then begins to tell Spock why he saved his life on Nibiru, but Spock knows – "because you are my friend." After saying that, he sheds a tear. Kirk reaches out to Spock as the Vulcan presses his hand against the partition in the salute of his world . Kirk then succumbs to radiation poisoning and dies. In Spock, all the rage and hate felt towards the man he now blames for his friend's death erupts to the surface in a primal scream of Khan's name.

" Set destination: STARFLEET HEADQUARTERS! "

The Vengeance crashing into San Francisco

The Vengeance falls past the Enterprise , out of control. Khan, now bent on revenge for his crew, targets his ship on a suicide run at Starfleet Headquarters . The Vengeance crushes Alcatraz , skims across San Francisco Bay , and plows through the city, leveling everything in its path. Spock, returning to the bridge, orders Sulu and Chekov to find Khan, believing him to be capable of surviving the crash. Sensors locate him, but there is too much interference to beam him up to the Enterprise . Instead, Spock elects to beam down to Earth and take Khan out. After a chase through the chaos that has now engulfed the heart of Starfleet, Spock catches up with Khan on top of a moving garbage barge . Khan quickly relieves Spock of his phaser, leaving the two to struggle hand-to-hand.

In the Enterprise 's medbay, Kirk's body lies in an open body bag, surrounded by Dr. McCoy, Carol Marcus, Scott, and other crew members who are all saddened by the loss of their friend and captain who has just given his life to save their lives. McCoy notices the dead tribble he tested Khan's blood on is slowly regaining its life signs. Realizing the effects of the genetically enhanced blood, he orders one of Khan's people removed from its cryo tube, reanimated, and held in a medically induced coma. He freezes Kirk to preserve his brain function, but he doesn't have any more of Khan's blood – he needs Khan back alive.

Spock proves to be Khan's physical equal

Spock continues to fight with Khan in an evenly matched battle. Khan tries to jump to another garbage barge, but the Vulcan follows, proving physically to be Khan's equal. The crew cannot make contact with him, so Uhura beams to the transport vehicle. As the battle intensifies and Khan becomes dangerously close to killing Spock, she opens fire on Khan with a phaser set to stun. Although it has little to no effect on him, it serves to distract Khan enough for Spock to turn the tide. He breaks Khan's arm and starts to beat on him in a rage. Uhura screams for Spock not to kill Khan, that they need him to save Kirk. Upon realizing that Kirk can be saved, Spock regains his emotional control and finishes Khan with an uppercut, knocking him out.

Khan is returned to stasis

Two weeks later, Kirk wakes up in a hospital bed in San Francisco. Dr. McCoy has created a serum from Khan's blood to revive the captain. Kirk thanks Spock for saving his life. In turn, Spock expresses gratitude that Jim is alive. Elsewhere, Khan has been returned to his cryo tube, and he and his crew lay frozen in a darkened room.

The five-year mission begins

Nearly a year after the events, Kirk addresses a gathering at the rechristening ceremony for the USS Enterprise , which has been rebuilt. He says that Starfleet should not let enemies pull them away from their true mission of exploration. Soon after, Kirk returns to the Enterprise , where all is in order to begin their five-year mission in deep space. He relieves Sulu from the captain's chair ; Sulu admits he finds the power of command to be addictive. Dr. McCoy is dismayed by the length of their mission. Scott, who has returned to his post as chief engineer with Keenser, reports the engines are "purring like a kitten" and that the vessel is ready for a long journey. Kirk welcomes Carol Marcus aboard as part of their crew and family. Spock expresses his trust in Kirk's "good judgment" on where to begin their exploration. With that, Kirk orders Sulu to take the ship out.

Memorable quotes [ ]

" If Spock were here, and I were there, what would he do? " " He'd let you die. "

" Oh, come on Spock. They saw us. Big deal. "

" Tell me more about this volcano. The data says it was highly volatile and if it were to erupt it would wipe out the planet. " " Let's hope it doesn't, sir. " " Something tells me it won't. "

" Had the mission gone according to plan, Admiral, the indigenous species would never have been aware of our interference. " " That's a technicality. " " I am Vulcan, sir, we embrace technicality. " " Are you giving me attitude, Spock? " " I am expressing multiple attitudes simultaneously. To which are you referring? "

" Do you have any idea what a pain in the ass you are? " " I think so, sir. " " So tell what you did wrong. What's the lesson to be learned here? " " Never trust a Vulcan. "

" You think the rules don't apply to you, because you disagree with them. "

" You don't respect the chair . You know why? Because you're not ready for it. "

" That was an epic beating. " " No, it wasn't. " " You had napkins hanging out of your nose. Did you not? " " Yeah, that was a good fight. "

" What did you tell him? " " The truth. That I believe in you . That if anybody deserves a second chance, it's Jim Kirk. " " I don't know what to say. " " That IS a first… it's gonna be OK, son. "

" You got something to say Kirk, say it. Tomorrow's too late. "

" All-out war with the Klingons is inevitable, Mr. Kirk. If you ask me, it's already begun. Since we first learned of their existence, the Klingon Empire has conquered and occupied two planets that we know of, fired on our ships half a dozen times. They are coming our way. "

" Jim, for the love of God, do not use those torpedoes. "

" Wait, are you guys… are you guys fighting? " " I'd rather not talk about it, sir. " " Oh, my God! What is that even like? "

" Ears burning? "

" Go put on a red shirt . "

" Alright, let's go get this son of a bitch. Kirk out. "

" Mr. Chekov, did you break my ship? "

" Jim, you're not actually going down there are you? You don't rob a bank when the getaway car has a flat-tire. "

" Jim, wait, you just sat that man down a high-stakes poker game with no cards and told him to bluff. Now Sulu's a good man, but he is no captain. " " For the next two hours he is. And enough with the metaphors, all right? That's an order. "

" Attention John Harrison. This is Captain Hikaru Sulu of the USS Enterprise . A shuttle of highly trained officers is on its way to your location. If you do not surrender to them immediately, I will unleash the entire payload of advanced long-range torpedoes currently locked on to your location. You have two minutes to confirm your compliance. Refusal to do so will result in your obliteration. If you test me, you will fail. " " Mr. Sulu… remind me never to piss you off. "

" We’re outnumbered, outgunned. There’s no way we survive if we attack first. You brought me here because I speak Klingon. Then let me speak Klingon. "

" I am here to help you. With respect, there is a criminal hiding in these ruins. He has killed many of our people. " " Why should I care about a Human killing Humans? " " Because you care about honor. And this man has none. "

" Let me explain what's happening here. You are a criminal! I watched you murder innocent men and women; I was authorized to end you! And the only reason why you are still alive is because I am allowing it; so shut… your…mouth! " " Captain, are you going to punch me again over and over till your arm weakens? Clearly you want to so tell me: why did you allow me to live? "

" 23-17-46-11, coordinates not far from Earth . If you want to know why I did what I did, go and take a look. " " Give me one reason why I should listen to you " " I can give you 72 . And they're on board your ship, captain. They have been all along. "

" Well now, if it isn't Captain James Tiberius… 'Perfect Hair.' Did you hear that? I called him 'Perfect Hair!' Ha!'"

" What, you don't think I can remember four numbers? (chuckling) You of little faith! … What was the third one? "

"' John Harrison' was a fiction created the moment I was awoken by your Admiral Marcus to help him advance his cause – a smoke screen to conceal my true identity. My name is Khan. "

" We both know who it is. "

" Per Starfleet regulations I'm planning on returning… Khan… to Earth to stand trial. " " Well… shit… you talked to him… "

" Sir, my crew was just following my orders. I take full responsibility for my actions but they were mine and they were mine alone. If I transmit Khan's location to you now, all I ask is that you spare them. Please, sir. I'll do anything you want. Just let them live. " " That's a hell of an apology. But if it's any consolation, I was never gonna spare your crew. Fire when… "

" I'm sorry… "

" You're a miracle worker! "

" It’s not easy! Will ya give me two seconds, ya mad bastard! "

" Mr. Spock. " " Mr. Spock. "

" I will be brief. In your travels, did you ever encounter a man named Khan? " " As you know, I have made a vow never to give you information that could potentially alter your destiny. Your path is yours to walk and yours alone. That being said, Khan Noonien Singh is the most dangerous adversary the Enterprise ever faced. He is brilliant, ruthless and he will not hesitate to kill every single one of you. " " Did you defeat him? " " At great cost , yes. " " How? "

" The minute we get to the bridge, drop him. " " What, stun him? Khan? I thought he was helping us! " " I'm pretty sure we're helping him . "

" You… you should have let me sleep! "

" You betrayed us! " " Oh, you are smart, Mr. Spock. "

" Your crew requires oxygen to survive, mine does not. I will target your life support systems located behind the aft nacelle and after every single person aboard your ship suffocates, I will walk over your cold corpses to recover my people. Now… shall we begin? "

" Well Kirk, it seems apt to return you to your crew. After all… no ship should go down without her captain ! "

" The ship's dead, sir! She's gone! " " No, she's not! "

" I'm scared, Spock. Help me not be. How do you choose not to feel? " " I do not know. Right now, I am failing. " " I want you to know why I couldn't let you die… why I went back for you… " " Because you are my friend. "

" KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!! "

" Go get him. "

" Spock, stop! STOP! He's our only chance to save Kirk! "

" Oh, don't be so melodramatic. You were barely dead. "

" Tell me are you feeling, homicidal , power -mad, despotic ? " " No more than usual. "

" You saved my life. " " Uhura and I had something to do with it, too, you know. "

" It's hard to get out of it once you've had a taste, isn't that right Mr. Sulu? " " "Captain" does have a nice ring to it. Chair's all yours, sir. "

" Scotty, how's our core? " " Purring like a kitten, captain. She's ready for a long journey. "

" Five years in space … God help me! "

" Where should we go? " " As a mission of this duration has never been attempted, I defer to your good judgement, captain. "

Background information [ ]

Gathering a team [ ].

The prospect of working on this film along with J.J. Abrams , Roberto Orci , Alex Kurtzman , and Bryan Burk originally drew Damon Lindelof to the project. " The idea of doing this job with anyone other than J.J., Bob, Alex and Bryan was not appealing to me, " Lindelof admitted. " It's what made me carve out the time necessary to do this movie. " Once each of the five cleared their schedules, they began working on this sequel film. The team grew from that point on, Abrams later explaining, " Everyone, with very few exceptions, came back for the sequel. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , pp. 72 & 14)

Scene development [ ]

A shot depicting Scott reacting in surprise to a view of a Nibiran fish was invented "just to reinforce the idea you're underwater," Visual Effects Supervisor Roger Guyett mentioned. ("enhanced commentary", Star Trek Into Darkness (digital) and Star Trek: The Compendium special features)

The story line involving the Harewood family evolved from the writers being interested in triggering human emotions in the audience shortly after the movie starts. " We discussed wanting to have something that was an emotional opening, " observed J.J. Abrams. " And so the idea was to try and find ways to make human drama, a family with a sick child, not trite, but to make it something that was surprising and to an end […] It ended up being not only a sort of unexpected way in to meet our bad guy, but also a critical setup for the end of the movie. So, this little girl, who you meet at the beginning, who is unconscious and dying, and these wildly depressed parents, who are so sad, end up really being kind of the setup for our bad guy in the film. " ("Introducing the Villain", "Featurettes", Star Trek: The Compendium Blu-ray special features)

Owing to the significance of establishing the connection between Kirk and Pike, the film's first scene that features them, in which Pike reprimands Kirk, was heavily rewritten. " There were many incarnations of that scene, " Maryann Brandon recalled. In the scene's original version, Pike himself took the Enterprise away from Kirk and then tried to be fatherly to him. This was rewritten, so that Pike relays orders from Starfleet to reassign Kirk off the ship and then implies he is unable to do anything to circumvent those instructions. The rewrite only happened after the creative personnel struck upon the thought of writing a new scene, set in a bar, later in the plot. They realized they had to split Pike's actions of firstly relaying news to Kirk that he was to be transferred off the vessel and secondly being fatherly to Kirk into two separate scenes, with the bar scene serving the latter purpose. Admiral Marcus was deliberately referenced in the debriefing scene, in order to establish the character at a relatively early point in the film. ("enhanced commentary", Star Trek Into Darkness (digital) and Star Trek: The Compendium special features) The reason Kirk is judged as not being ready for captaincy, an opinion expressed directly by Pike in this scene (as well as indirectly by Admiral Marcus), was that the writers were inspired by fans repeatedly criticizing Kirk as having become captain terribly quickly in the previous film. ( SciFiNow , issue 80, p. 024)

A scripted scene straight after the one in which Pike scolds Kirk featured the introduction of Carol Marcus, with Kirk meeting her for the first time. J.J. Abrams and the film's writers, with some convincing by Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey, decided the scene wasn't necessary and took it out. ("enhanced commentary", Star Trek Into Darkness (digital) and Star Trek: The Compendium special features)

The only reason the bar scene featuring Pike and Kirk was set in a bar was to remind the audience that the two officers first met in a bar, in the film Star Trek . Having Pike console Kirk in the bar scene additionally served to make Pike's death more emotionally affecting. Mary Jo Markey stated, " As a group, we weren't feeling very much about Pike's death, when it happened, and came to feel that part of the problem with it was that there was never a point in the movie where we were really on Pike's side, and this scene was kind of designed to make you feel like, 'I really care about Pike. And I remember what a great guy he is, and what a great influence he's been on Kirk, and how he's really the guy that changed Kirk's life. He's a true father figure to him.' " Maryann Brandon agreed, " We deliberately had Admiral Pike say, 'I believe in you,' so that, you know, when he gets killed, really Kirk is alone. And we really needed Kirk to go to a dark place, so that you would believe that he would risk the life of his crew to […] go into Klingon space and take revenge. " ("enhanced commentary", Star Trek Into Darkness (digital) and Star Trek: The Compendium special features) In Maryann Brandon's opinion, the addition of the bar scene made "a huge difference in the film." ("Unlocking the Cut", "Featurettes", Star Trek: The Compendium Blu-ray special features)

In the first scene that Admiral Marcus appears in, a speech delivered by him was rewritten several times. ("enhanced commentary", Star Trek Into Darkness (digital) and Star Trek: The Compendium special features) As for the rationale behind the death of Admiral Pike, later in that sequence, Bruce Greenwood recalled something J.J. Abrams once told him; " He said, 'We felt the relationship was so strong that we decided to hang Kirk's quest on the end of that relationship.' " ( Star Trek Magazine Special 2015 , p. 21)

An initial shot of Khan on Kronos was originally not written into the film, nor was an immediately subsequent scene in which a reflective Kirk, sitting in a room at Starfleet Headquarters, answers a call from Spock. " We didn't have a moment where Kirk just lost all hope, and we felt we needed it right before he gets called to action, " Maryann Brandon remembered. There was some debate over who the caller should be. It was originally Scott before it changed to Spock. However, a scene immediately thereafter, in which Kirk is told that "Harrison" used a portable transwarp beaming device to escape, then had to be rewritten so that it's Scott who gives him that news. ("enhanced commentary", Star Trek Into Darkness (digital) and Star Trek: The Compendium special features)

A later scene – wherein Kirk and Spock notify Admiral Marcus that "Harrison" has fled to Kronos, Marcus tells them that Starfleet is on the verge of war with the Klingons, and he finally then sends them to kill "Harrison" – was worked on a lot and was added to with some additional dialogue. " It was a question just of what it was gonna be, exactly, " Maryann Brandon recollected, " and how to show Kirk's drive for revenge without making him seem like he was only about revenge and that his feelings about Pike had been entirely pushed to the side. It was just a balancing act to try to keep all those things. We ended up writing some new dialogue that's placed on a shot that, for the most part, it was a matter of sort of shading performance and cutting some of the scene out. " ("enhanced commentary", Star Trek Into Darkness (digital) and Star Trek: The Compendium special features)

The shuttlecraft journey that takes Kirk, Spock, and Carol Marcus to the Enterprise was rewritten a few times. Objections voiced by Spock to Kirk, regarding their mission, were reworked. " Although this stuff was in the original scene, " stated Maryann Brandon, " they were more implied and referred to than just boldly stated [in the way they ended up being] […] But I think it was really important, because it's where, again, […] we're really making clear what the themes are of the film, this idea of personal goals versus universal goals, and universal principles versus taking things into your own hands and deciding that your principles are the ones that are important. " ("enhanced commentary", Star Trek Into Darkness (digital) and Star Trek: The Compendium special features)

Some new dialogue might have been created for the scene showing Sulu, in command of the Enterprise , transmitting threats to "Harrison". " The dialogue, I think, was essentially the same. I mean, we might have given him a few new lines in there, " reckoned Mary Jo Markey. ("enhanced commentary", Star Trek Into Darkness (digital) and Star Trek: The Compendium special features)

More definite is that the journey to Kronos in a K'normian trading ship was revised. Mary Jo Markey and Maryann Brandon felt the original scene didn't work so well for Uhura and Kirk, being less informative for them as well as the audience, regarding Spock's emotional well being. " It became a scene that was really designed to help Uhura more fully understand Spock, and then, you know, of course by extension to help us [the audience] understand Spock better, " commented Markey. " And we ended up feeling that it needed to be more about a much deeper understanding of Spock's emotional make-up, or unemotional make-up, or whatever it is exactly that a Vulcan has, where he talks about the experience of seeing his whole planet die and the existential experience of that, and how it has made him feel even more committed to the Vulcan way. " New dialogue was written for the revised version of this scene. ("enhanced commentary", Star Trek Into Darkness (digital) and Star Trek: The Compendium special features)

J.J. Abrams was determined to include the battle sequence between the Starfleet landing party and the Klingons. " The idea of an action sequence that is harrowing, exciting, and scary, involving Klingons and our characters, was too delicious to pass up, " he remarked. ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 17)

A subsequent scene in which Khan, held in the Enterprise 's brig, tells Kirk and Spock about his past, revealing his name for the first time, was a result of the desire to include, in the film, exposition regarding Khan. The writers knew the line " My name is Khan " was not only a significant line in the film, but also that, if the production staff were able to get that moment right, it would elicit a mix of reactions from the audience, such as gasps, applause, and boos. A line from this scene – in which Khan asks Kirk, " Is there anything you wouldn't do for your family? " – was inspired by the motive of trying to make Khan relatable. ("The Enemy of My Enemy", "Featurettes", Star Trek: The Compendium Blu-ray special features)

Having Khan, essentially a murderous prisoner, assist Kirk was intended to be a way to make viewers feel uncertain about the character, as the writers knew the audience would have preconceived ideas about him. Despite Khan's villainy, the writers were fascinated by the idea of Kirk having no option but to partner with Khan, who Alex Kurtzman likened to Hannibal Lecter . " That was the fun of it for us; just moving right in to what the audience's expectations were with Khan, because those expectations were our expectations, " explained Kurtzman, " and if we can get ourselves to feel, to be asking those questions and to be unsure of the outcome, which was the whole point of creating an alternative timeline, then I felt we were making the right choices. " Roberto Orci added, " That's for fans. If you're not a fan, it doesn't matter; you're just watching a story of, 'Can I trust this man or can't I?', and that works on its own. But for fans, using Khan gives it a whole other layer, and we thought it was not just a homage to The Wrath of Khan , but also something for fans to play with, as evidenced by the fact that we are fans and this just tickled us. " ( SciFiNow , issue 84, pp. 042 & 043)

Devising how to quickly and covertly transfer Kirk and Khan from the Enterprise to the Vengeance turned out to be an enjoyable challenge. " So, that was one of the most, sort of, fun puzzles to put together in the movie, because we always loved the notion of their having to secretly get onto the [ Vengeance ], " J.J. Abrams explained. ("enhanced commentary", Star Trek Into Darkness (digital) and Star Trek: The Compendium special features)

Damon Lindelof suggested that, in the resultant sequence depicting Kirk and Khan traveling through space from the Enterprise to the Vengeance , the glass in Kirk's helmet would get struck by a piece of debris. Originally, Kirk was imagined as not using a guidance system in his helmet, though this idea was altered, as was much of the sequence. " The ship-to-ship sequence […] was a constantly evolving sequence, " remarked J.J. Abrams. " There were many iterations of it […] It felt like we needed to add some elements of tension […] [and] the story needed to be a little bit more complicated. " For instance, new dialogue was written for the start of a shot in which Spock warns Kirk that there is a debris field between the two craft. The newly added dialogue allowed for the scene to be moved from during the flight to just before it. Another added concept was the idea of Sulu advising Kirk to use the compass display in his helmet. The creative team also tried to add drama to the sequence by having Kirk's guidance system break due to a bit of debris, an idea influenced by Lindelof's earlier suggestion of having the glass break. Uhura wasn't as featured in the original version of this sequence as she ended up being, as Abrams decided to focus more time on the character in these shots. He added the story point of her struggling to contact Scott. " I just knew it was crazy not to have her be a part of it, " he admitted. Kirk was originally to have been less clearly put in jeopardy. " The new idea being that if Khan gets hit and is seemingly taken out, and then Kirk's helmet goes dead, he'd be screwed, that there would be no way for him to get to the ship. And then when Khan returns and ends up helping him out, there's this weird thing that we're going for, which is what would happen if your life was in the hands of your worst enemy? And that question of, 'How do I deal with that, and do I trust him if he ends up saving my life?' It's what we were trying to add to the sequence. " Other late additions to the sequence included such moments as Spock asking Sulu if they had lost Khan, and Sulu replying with uncertainty due to the debris, as well as Sulu later advising Spock that Kirk wasn't going to make it to the Vengeance safely. ("enhanced commentary", Star Trek Into Darkness (digital) and Star Trek: The Compendium special features)

The conclusion of "the ship-to-ship sequence," where a Vengeance security guard gets blown out an airlock that Kirk and Khan fly through to gain access to the ship, was thought up by J.J. Abrams. " We were actually location scouting, and we're at a restaurant, and I remember I just doodled this idea on a napkin, " he recalled. ("enhanced commentary", Star Trek Into Darkness (digital) and Star Trek: The Compendium special features)

The writers had Spock Prime make a cameo appearance, midway through the sequence in which Khan and Kirk collaborate, as a reminder to the audience that Khan is incontrovertibly evil and untrustworthy. The writers intended for the scene to lead the audience into questioning, even more, how the alternate reality version of Khan would turn out. Alex Kurtzman referred to this scene by saying, " The bomb is symbolically put under the table. " ( SciFiNow , issue 84, pp. 042-043)

The idea of Khan commandeering the Vengeance was thought up as a way of heightening the jeopardy which the protagonists were put in. As Alex Kurtzman expressed it, " The last thing you would want would be for a ship like that to fall into the hands of someone like Khan. " ("Vengeance is Coming", "Featurettes", Star Trek: The Compendium special features)

Roberto Orci conceived the line in which McCoy refers to the members of Khan's genetically altered, cryogenically frozen crew as "Human Popsicles." Remembered Damon Lindelof, " When he first pitched it, we all got quite a laugh. " ("enhanced commentary", Star Trek Into Darkness (digital) and Star Trek: The Compendium special features)

According to Damon Lindelof, the writers had the Enterprise fall towards Earth in order to demonstrate that gravity "can be very dangerous." A section of the Enterprise 's bridge was depicted cracking, during the ship's fall, because J.J. Abrams "loves it when the hull cracks," in Lindelof's words. Later in the sequence, Chekov was tasked with running up a flight of stairs and switching a manual override, which Lindelof referred to as "some doodad," because the writing team felt they needed to give all members of the Enterprise 's senior staff something practical to do. ("enhanced commentary", Star Trek Into Darkness (digital) and Star Trek: The Compendium special features)

Kirk sacrificing his own life in order to save the Enterprise and, in his final moments, speaking with Spock while they are on either side of a glass window was written as an homage to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . It was inspired by the compulsion that the writers felt to acknowledge how the Enterprise crew had previously defeated Khan. Although referencing The Wrath of Khan in such a way was thought to be risky, the writers decided to make a big effort to do so. There was consequently a lot of discussion about Kirk going into the warp core area where he saves the ship but receives a lethal dose of radiation. " We talked a lot about the climb and wanting to make it sort of excruciating, " recollected Damon Lindelof, " and the idea that a character is sacrificing his own life for his crew, et cetera, to make it as dramatic as possible. " Thus, there was also deliberation over what obstacles Kirk had to overcome in the area. " One of the things we talked about was how can we illustrate the idea that there's lots of radiation here? " continued Lindelof. " We talked about the idea that there were sort of like heat waves that Kirk was going through, et cetera, et cetera […] I think we had no less than fifty meetings about how we could visually describe what was wrong with the core and how Kirk was gonna set it right. And then it was just simply like, 'Oh, he's just gonna kick the thing so it lines up with the other thing.' But it took about fifty meetings to get to that point. " ("enhanced commentary", Star Trek Into Darkness (digital) and Star Trek: The Compendium special features)

Despite the fact Kirk's climb inside the warp core chamber was obviously intended to be concurrent with the Enterprise free-falling towards Earth, the writers opted for Kirk's movements in the chamber not to reflect the turbulent motions of the vessel. " I do think that one of the things that we talked about, " Damon Lindelof stated, " was making sure that Kirk's travel here was fixed, that, at this point, he couldn't be spinning and sort of bonking around, even though the Enterprise was, and that's one of those little cheats that you do, filmically, to get past it. " Lindelof accounted for this by saying, " Kirk is, you know, fixed in a gravitational field, here. " ("enhanced commentary", Star Trek Into Darkness (digital) and Star Trek: The Compendium special features)

The scene in which Kirk dies was deliberately concocted to feature resonances with canon. Not only was it obviously meant to reference Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , but it was also "in service of" what Damon Lindelof referred to as "the most, sort of, resonant aspect" of both the alternate reality version of Star Trek and the "prime" version, which was "the love story and friendship between Kirk and Spock." ("enhanced commentary", Star Trek Into Darkness (digital) & Star Trek: The Compendium special features) While writing the scene, the creative team even reused lines of dialogue from The Wrath of Khan , such as the question, " Ship, out of danger? " Commented Roberto Orci, " It feels dumb not to use the lines that apply specifically to that scenario, so instead of saying 'I'm trying to save the ship, did it work or not?' we said, 'Hey man, let's just pay homage to it and use Star Trek ' […] So sure, we debated it, and sure it was something to think about. " ( SciFiNow , issue 84, p. 042) The scene also underwent some revision, Bryan Burk noting, " [It] took a while to kind of find its rhythm and really work for us emotionally. " ("enhanced commentary", Star Trek Into Darkness (digital) and Star Trek: The Compendium special features)

According to Damon Lindelof, the climax of this movie always highlighted a confrontation between Khan and Spock, with the stakes being Kirk's life. However, there originally would have been a simultaneous subplot about a Klingon fleet heading to Earth, " only to be turned around via diplomatic intervention by Uhura, " Lindelof said. " We dropped it pretty early on, as it didn’t feel intimate, cool, or earned. " [37]

In fact, the climax was originally far different from what it became. " The original idea of the third act didn't have us landing on Earth, " explained Executive Producer Jeffrey Chernov . " J.J. said, 'Now this really excites me.' " ("Brawl by the Bay", "Featurettes", Star Trek: The Compendium special features) J.J. Abrams had the Vengeance , as it crash-lands on Earth, destroying Alcatraz as an in-joke ; he used this moment to reference the fact his production company, Bad Robot Productions , previously had a TV series called Alcatraz which had ended up being cancelled. " So, I destroyed Alcatraz, even though I love it, " he conceded. ("enhanced commentary", Star Trek Into Darkness (digital) and Star Trek: The Compendium special features)

The climactic chase sequence, with Spock pursuing Khan through the streets of San Francisco, was inspired by a shot from the film Star Trek , showing a group of shuttles leave the city. Because the footage provoked J.J. Abrams into becoming extremely interested in seeing what it would be like in the city, this film's chase sequence was put together. " The fight was originally conceived as a fight between two guys on a street, essentially, " recalled Abrams. " To make it into a fight on the garbage barge traveling through the city upped the stakes of the whole thing. It gave the thing a kind of an energy that it wouldn't have had otherwise. " ("enhanced commentary", Star Trek Into Darkness (digital) and Star Trek: The Compendium special features)

Whether to have the chase involve one or two garbage barges was the subject of considerable debate. It was finally decided that, although only one barge was necessary, two would be more exciting. " It just felt like a fun way to add another layer of, sort of, Saturday-morning-serial-now-what-ness to it, " J.J. Abrams remarked. ("enhanced commentary", Star Trek Into Darkness (digital) and Star Trek: The Compendium special features)

The creative team chose to factor Uhura into the end of the garbage-barge sequence. " One of the ideas that I thought, you know, was sort of fun was, how do you end the sequence? " J.J. Abrams related. " We wanted to give Uhura something great […] The idea [was] of giving her a beat that was really tough, and badass, and saving the day. There was always something Barbarella about this moment too, the way she sort of shows up wearing that uniform. " ("enhanced commentary", Star Trek Into Darkness (digital) and Star Trek: The Compendium special features)

Having Khan be returned to cryogenic freeze, alive, in the final moments of the film was done as a conclusion that was meant to be internally consistent with the rest of the plot; the writers felt this story point was "the logical and moral conclusion of the movie" and meant for Khan to be put on trial thereafter, rather than be immediately executed. The writers have been less forthcoming about whether they actually kept Khan alive as a convenient way to resolve any future narratives, Roberto Orci stating only that this "could be." ( SciFiNow , issue 84, p. 044)

Cast and characters [ ]

Principal cast [ ].

All the major actors in the first film – namely, those portraying the command officers of the USS Enterprise ( John Cho , Simon Pegg , Chris Pine , Zachary Quinto , Zoë Saldana , Karl Urban , and Anton Yelchin ) – returned for the long-awaited sequel. [38] " I think we were waiting for a homerun script, and J.J. was undecided, " explained Sulu actor John Cho. " Scheduling was tight, and it didn't really get settled until J.J. decided he could do it […] It's a longer layover than most [sequels], considering the first one did so well, and that there was sequel talk instantly. We were wondering about the second picture almost as soon as we were finished with the first, so it seemed like a long time. But in the meantime, everyone did different things. Life happened. Children were born. It felt like a long time, but when we got back to set it felt like it was an afternoon at best, because we all got right back into things. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 110)

Kirk actor Chris Pine observed it was important to make this film "as good as the first one" and ensure it lived up to the expectations of the viewers. He was aware of those expectations being higher than when the previous movie had been made. ( SciFiNow , issue 80, p. 022) As a result, Pine thought this film was slightly more nerve-wracking and therefore difficult than its immediate predecessor. As for how he followed the film's development, Pine recalled, " There were a couple years when [J.J. Abrams] went off and did other things. I would hear trickles through the information grapevine, through [writers] Damon (Lindelof) or Alex (Kurtzman), what they were thinking about for the second one. But I knew nothing until I got to read the script, under lock and key, in one of the producer's offices. " Pine felt that, once he was handed the movie's screenplay, he completely understood what it required of him. ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , pp. 23 & 21)

Chris Pine was impressed by the amount of variety in this film. He remarked that the facet which initially struck him about the film was " The sheer scale of it, " and went on to comment, " It's really exciting, because in any great epic story, you want it to go from A-Z and back again, and this has so many different colors. It has the excitement, it has moments of levity, it has the romance. A big, steaming apple pie of all sorts of great things. " Pine admitted that, having seen the completed movie, what surprised him most was " probably that this film manages to fulfill people's expectations of what a tent-pole summer movie should be, which in the past five years has become quite a feat in terms of spectacle. There are certain things we had to do to satisfy a modern audience's craving for that. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 23)

Chris Pine was consequently wowed by the action sequences in this film. " There's a lot of destruction, and a lot of explosions […] I think we hit it out of the park, " he remarked. " The action sequences are spectacular. People can expect to see something fantastic. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 23)

Chris Pine also pointed out that the creators of the film "married" the action sequences with " what people love about Star Trek , which are complex, human dramas. I think we have that going for us. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 23) He elaborated, " This film deals with really archetypal, huge things about growing up, and life and death, so the characters go on an extraordinary journey. " ( SciFiNow , issue 80, p. 028) Pine said, too, that he believed the maturing of the characters "makes for an interesting story" and that he was hopeful the "friendship," "bond," and "love" between the cast members, which was genuine, came across on screen. ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 23)

Chris Pine additionally approved of this film as a sequel. Regarding how it measured up to the previous film, he noted, " I'd say the threat is even greater in this one. The force [the crew] are met with is much more frightening. " [39] He said further, " There's been a lot of talk about the darkness of it, which is there, but the levity from the first one is certainly there, too. I would say the scope, in terms of the visuals and the action beats, and also the characters' journeys, are much, much bigger than the first film. " ( SciFiNow , issue 80, p. 028)

Spock actor Zachary Quinto felt likewise; differences between this film and its predecessor were apparent to him as early as when he first read the script for this movie. " It was very clear to me from the beginning that it was a bigger story, there was more at stake, and there was more action, " he expressed. " You could tell from the get-go it was just bigger […] This movie has everybody in different situations and scenarios, on their own, in a way that the first movie didn't. We're all scattered and spread out in different places, yet all working together. We're not such a unified front, and we have to break into factions to get things done […] We do spend a fair amount of time together for the big action set pieces [though]. " Quinto felt certain parts of the film were personally more enjoyable than others. " There are some huge sequences that he [Spock] is a part of, that were really exciting and challenging for me, " he recalled. ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 39) As another highlight of the film, Quinto cited the scene in which – on the way through Kronos' atmosphere – Spock concludes an argument with Uhura by expressing how he feels about death, Quinto describing it as "a really nice moment." ( SciFiNow , issue 80, p. 027) He was also happy the cast were able to modify the script, describing this process as "great" and "exciting." ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 39)

McCoy actor Karl Urban enthused, " All of the characters are really pushed to the very limit in this film, and the relationships are strained and fractured. To me, that's always the mark of a great Star Trek series or film, when these characters who love each other – sometimes hate each other – have to work together to overcome a common adversary. " ( Empire , issue 287, p. 92) Urban also felt the common Star Trek dynamic of Kirk having to find the middle ground between Spock, representing logic, and McCoy, representing humanism, "definitely comes into play here." ( SciFiNow , issue 80, p. 027)

Scott actor Simon Pegg appreciated the opportunity this film gave him and the other main cast members to once again collaborate. " Having kind of eased into the roles, and all got to know each other as actors, and become friends, it was actually something we all really relished and were excited about doing, " Pegg related. " It was like a school reunion […] so to get to do it […] was a great joy […] It's most fun when we're all together, cause it's a very familiar environment. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , pp. 80 & 82)

Simon Pegg first read the script of this movie while he was with a friend in New York, shortly before Christmas 2011. " I said [to the friend], 'Listen, I'm going to quickly go up to my room. I've got the script, I might read the first couple of pages, then I'll come down and we'll go Christmas shopping.' About five minutes later, I rang him and said I'm not coming down, " Pegg explained, laughing. " 'cause I was so gripped by the script. I remember literally leaping up and down in my hotel room at certain plot twists and revelations that were just so exciting, and so cool. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 83) Pegg also recalled squealing in delight as he read through the screenplay. ( Empire , issue 287, p. 92)

Clearly, Simon Pegg considered this "a great story." ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 83) He mused, " It's a modern take on terrorism, in a way […] It's not dark in the sense that it's po-faced; it still has the lightness of the first film. It just kicks off and doesn't stop for the whole movie. " ( Empire , issue 287, p. 92) Pegg commented further, " The story goes all over the place. It hits the ground running; it starts fast-paced and doesn't stop through the whole thing. I think it will be joyously exhausting to watch, but at the heart of it, it's a very human story about looking after the people you love […] and this is among all the pyrotechnics, and I'm sure all the groundbreaking special effects. At the very heart of it, it's something far more human, which is a testament to the writers. " ( SciFiNow , issue 80, p. 028)

In fact, Simon Pegg related his satisfaction with the script directly to Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof. " I wrote to them after I read the script, because there are bits in there that I really got, " Pegg reasoned, " I could see what they were doing, and there were really smart little touches that I wanted them to know that I'd got […] It's a hell of a task they've got on their hands. They've got to juggle a lot of things – they've got to please fans and entertain the uninitiated – but I think this film has all that. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 83)

Simon Pegg suspected the "very human story" at the center of this film would "resonate with the audience." ( SciFiNow , issue 80, p. 028) Contemplating more about how viewers might react to the movie, he offered, " There are so many rewards in it if you're a fan of Star Trek . You could watch this movie completely uninitiated and be thrilled by it, you don't need prior knowledge, but if you do have that prior knowledge then it's like it unlocks a whole other dimension of connection with Star Trek that you'll feel very privileged to have. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 83)

Witnessing this film come to fruition delighted Simon Pegg. " To get to shoot that, and see what J.J. came up with, the amazing work that's done by costume and props and makeup – it was all really exciting, " he reminisced. ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 83)

Simon Pegg considered levity to be essential to the scene in which Scotty needs to open an airlock door and does a lot of running. " If there wasn't some lightheartedness, it would probably be quite uncomfortable to watch, " Pegg reckoned, " as there's a lot riding on that moment. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 82)

Chekov actor Anton Yelchin opined, " Even though it's been four years between films, you can quickly see why. You see all of the work that's been put into it, you see the complexity of the relationships; building on what was discovered in the first one, which makes it that much more interesting. You get much more insight into these people, and then the world that you're in, the scope and the scale of the film is that much bigger. " ( SciFiNow , issue 80, p. 023)

During the extended interim which preceded the making of this film, Sulu actor John Cho was, in his own words, "preparing myself to be pleasantly surprised when I read it." He was not disappointed. ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 110) " I […] felt pretty confident about the script – by the time we started shooting it was in amazing shape, and the story was really fascinating. To me, the story does what all great sequels do, which is to bring back things and then complicate and darken them, " Cho mused. " I was just really excited about telling that story […] You can almost feel sorry for Sulu and all of the characters because they have to mature so quickly. They feel like children who had to take care of the house in mum and dad's absence or something. It's the crises that are so enormous, and they're so young and have had to shoulder so much. To me it feels like all the characters in this one are prematurely-mature. " ( SciFiNow , issue 80, pp. 22 & 26) He also remarked, " I felt like the themes they were trying to tackle really spoke to me. The movie is so much about morality; what the nature of good and evil is. How does that change when one grows older and is more experienced? It's tapping into the grey areas of life. As a comparison, […] the second movie is an older person [than the first film], a legitimate man, and life seems cloudier and sloppy, so decisions are harder to make. I thought that was wholly the appropriate tone for a second film. It was really fascinating to me, because in some ways you expect an interesting plot, thrilling action, and fun, but going deeper in that fashion is not necessarily expected. I thought, thematically, it was ambitious. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 111)

Uhura actress Zoë Saldana appreciated the way the film portrays Uhura's relationship with Spock being tested, enthusing, " The way it happens in this movie is one of those great twists that you love JJ for. " ( SciFiNow , issue 80, p. 027) Of the main characters in general, Saldana additionally stated, " I guess because we were going back to a familiar environment, where we knew each other, and had been through it already, we didn't waste time breaking ice. It was already melted […] It definitely felt more intense. There was a great deal of suspense and uncertainty, not as actors but for our characters. There's such an attack and infiltration into Starfleet, it makes us question how safe we really are. " Concerning the cast members who portrayed those protagonists, Saldana noted, " For this experience with Star Trek , we were very fortunate […] We're so excited to be there, and we shared that mood with each other. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 45)

Their interaction with J.J. Abrams was largely enjoyable for the main cast members. Chris Pine remarked, " There is a great amount of pressure to live up to expectations and to do justice to these characters and what was done before. But I think because of J.J.'s great skill in casting – and this goes for the newest members [of the cast] […] – it becomes so easy so quickly, and you enjoy each other's company, that you enjoy the day of work. " John Cho reflected, " I would say J.J. was a little bit more intimate with us as people this time […] I think he was more comfortable with us as people, and we were more comfortable with one another in general. You spend enough time together, I guess… " ( Empire , issue 287, pp. 90 & 91) Cho also felt he wasn't overwhelmed by expectations, mainly because of Abrams shouldering the responsibility. " I never sweated it, " related Cho. " I realised that we would have to meet certain expectations or exceed them, but I didn't emotionally sweat it, so to speak, because I felt very confident in our captain. " ( SciFiNow , issue 80, p. 022) Simon Pegg agreed that part of what made doing the film "a great joy" was getting to collaborate with Abrams. ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 80) The cast found Abrams' unpredictability and the amount of freedom he was allowed to make modifications in the production, which was a high degree of independence, to be impressive but daunting. " So even though it's scary for us to work with him, in some ways it's also a real opportunity, " stated Zachary Quinto. ( Empire , issue 287, p. 90) For example, the cast found Abrams was willing to allow them a lot of input. " I think a lot of us had a couple observations and notes, and J.J. was really open and encouraging for us to speak up, because we incarnated these characters in the first installment, " pondered Zoë Saldana. " Coming back to it, there were remnants of our characters in us, so if something felt unnatural or a little off, we definitely voiced it, and J.J. definitely considered it. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 45) Both the cast and their director also felt it was important to maintain humor in the script. " It was something in this new incarnation that we all talked with J.J. about, the use of levity and the fact that, as dark as some of our stuff is in this new film, we always have time to smile and make people laugh, " noted Chris Pine. It was also Abrams who gave the cast members the film's script. ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , pp. 20 & 21)

One of the ways J.J. Abrams' erraticness affected the cast was in lines given to Uhura. Zoë Saldana explained, " He writes these mouthfuls of dialogue, and it's hard for me because Spanish is my first language. So there were moments, at least once a day, where we'd have to cut and he was like, 'Zoe, it's not traject-ory. It's traj-ECT-ory,' or, 'That was great, but this next take, say it all 30 per cent faster.' " Saldana laughed, then concluded, " It was a trip. " ( Empire , issue 287, p. 92)

Returning guest stars [ ]

Like Chris Pine, Bruce Greenwood could hardly wait, prior to this movie entering production, to be reunited with the Star Trek cast and crew who had worked on the previous film. In this movie, Greenwood reprised his role as Admiral Christopher Pike . He referred to the movie's script as "good." [40] Having initially hoped this film would continue the evolution of the relationship between Pike and Kirk, Greenwood was glad it does. He was also intrigued by the movie's depiction of Kirk maturing; Greenwood remarked that – because the film depicts, at least in his viewpoint, Kirk facing "a major existential crisis" – the film was more interesting for himself as an actor as well as "hopefully, for the audience." ( SciFiNow , issue 80, pp. 024 & 026)

Leonard Nimoy initially expressed that he did not expect to return as the original Spock in this movie, even going so far as to state, " I definitely will not be in Star Trek 2," and, " I think I can be definitive about the fact that I will not be in it. " ( SFX , issue #200, p. 68) However, alongside the Khan report, it was confirmed that he would indeed be returning for the sequel. [41] [42] Concerning how J.J. Abrams asked him to appear for his cameo in this film, Nimoy remembered, " He just said, 'Would you come in for a couple of days and do me a favor.' " Even though the actor had turned down an invite to make a cameo appearance in Star Trek Generations because he felt what had been written for him to play in that film was too general, Nimoy was convinced that this movie was sufficiently specific about the inclusion of Spock that he was willing to participate. Addressing why he had claimed not to be in the film, Nimoy, who was very pleased that the truth of his involvement was kept secret, initially said, " I was asked time and time again if I was in the movie, and I managed to avoid answering without lying. " He laughed, but was then reminded that he had flat-out denied being in the film and replied, " Maybe I was confused. Of course, speaking, if you’ll pardon me, logically, I wouldn’t know if I was in the movie until I saw the movie. " Nimoy enthused about the film itself, " It’s hard not to enjoy this movie. There’s so much of a thrill ride happening. The relationships between the characters are terrific. The actors are all wonderful. " [43] His cameo here marked Nimoy's final appearance as Spock and his final role overall prior to his death in February 2015 .

With the announcement of the sequel, fans once again began a campaign to bring Christopher Doohan back to the Enterprise , stating that the Enterprise needed a Doohan . Christopher Doohan did indeed receive a role in this film, appearing as a Transport Officer. Chris noted on his twitter page, @chrisdoohan, that he would not have got the part without the help of Simon Pegg and thanked fans on their Facebook page. [44]

New guest stars [ ]

On 4 November 2011 , Variety reported that Academy Award-winning actor Benicio del Toro was expected to be offered the role of the villain in the sequel. [45]

On 30 November 2011, it was announced that Alice Eve had been selected for a lead role in the film. [46] She suspected one reason she was chosen to play Carol Marcus was that Eve "naturally speaks very fast," which matched the fact J.J. Abrams has a "very quick" mind, Eve noting, " Certainly in this one it's the universe racing against the clock. " ( Empire , issue 287, p. 92) She found the experience of reading the film's screenplay for the first time was extremely pleasant. " I went and read the script at Bad Robot, and it was really a privilege to be able to read it from beginning to end [without interruption] […] It became very clear what the story was in my head, because I read it in one sitting, " Eve reminisced. ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 54)

On 2 December 2011 , Latino Review reported that Benicio del Toro would play Khan Noonien Singh , a report which Abrams said was "not true." [47] As was revealed merely days later, del Toro's deal had actually fallen through on 30 November 2011, "after parties couldn't come to terms over monetary issues", so he was no longer due to appear in the film. [48]

On 5 December 2011, Peter Weller was announced as having joined the cast in an unknown role. [49] Weller had previously played John Frederick Paxton on Star Trek: Enterprise .

Two days later , it was reported that the absence of an actor to play the film's main antagonist and the fact the movie was intended to enter production the next month meant J.J. Abrams and Paramount were hurrying to find a suitable actor who could portray the villain and commit to a six-month shoot, between January and June 2012 . Simultaneously reported was that Edgar Ramirez and Jordi Molla were possible replacements being considered by the film's casting team, with Ramirez as the front-runner. He was expected to test for the role via Skype either later that day or early the following day , as Abrams wanted to decide whether to cast him before the forthcoming weekend. [50]

It was in the Christmas holidays of 2011 when actor Benedict Cumberbatch recorded and submitted an audition video, on an iPhone he owned, showing himself performing two or three scenes, after which, on the evening of New Years Day, he received a call to say the part was his if he wanted it. Though Cumberbatch accepted, he was yet to see a full script of the movie. ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , pp. 24 & 26) The movie's screenplay did appeal to him, though. It, along with the opportunity to work with J.J. Abrams, primarily motivated Cumberbatch into agreeing to appear in this production, though he had seen the previous film as well. ( SciFiNow , issue 80, p. 023) " It's very beautifully crafted, " he critiqued of this movie, " so you have a proper, character-driven drama that happens to have all the lure and excitement of Star Trek added with the amazing possibilities of modern film-making […] [It's] a big film but based on a very detailed, good script, with good ideas […] I think it's going to be really thrilling. I can't wait to see it. I think I'm as eager as any fan of the first film is to see how it all comes together. It's going to be a real treat. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , pp. 27 & 29) On 4 January 2012 , Variety announced Cumberbatch would be playing the villain. [51] Regarding how Cumberbatch interpreted the part, Alex Kurtzman opined, " He brought a whole new life to it. " With a laugh, Roberto Orci added, " He was so good that we didn't have to change much. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 171 , pp. 32 & 33)

Also on 4 January 2012, Variety reported British actor Noel Clarke would be joining the cast as a family man with a wife and young daughter. [52] Two days later, Entertainment Weekly announced that Nazneen Contractor would be playing the wife of Clarke's character.

Benedict Cumberbatch as "John Harrison"

On 30 April 2012 , it was reported that Benedict Cumberbatch's role in the film was that of Khan Noonien Singh . [53] [54] Simon Pegg shot down this report, though, calling it "a myth." [55] Karl Urban stated, " He's awesome, he's a great addition, and I think his Gary Mitchell is going to be exemplary. " [56] However, he later said, " I did that interview after a 22-hour flight from New Zealand. I literally hopped off the plane into the interview. " [57] Roberto Orci reiterated Urban's latter statement, while confirming Cumberbatch and Alice Eve's characters had appeared in Star Trek canon. [58] When interviewed himself, Cumberbatch continued the secrecy by merely pointing to a promotional image and stating he played "that person there." ( The One Show BBC One, broadcast 24th August, 2012) On 10 December 2012 , StarTrek.com released a photo featuring Cumberbatch's character in a holding cell , with Spock and Kirk looking on from the other side. The site also reported that Cumberbatch's character was named "John Harrison", in apparent contrast to Orci's earlier comment that his character had previously appeared in Star Trek canon. [59]

Also on 10 December 2012, it was reported by TrekMovie.com that Alice Eve's character would be Carol Marcus. [60] She later remembered, " It was great for me to step on the bridge. " ( SciFiNow , issue 80, p. 023)

Michael Dorn was contacted for a role during the start of filming, and was asked to play "an officer – a soldier." Eventually, it was decided that "they didn't want to mix the old with the new": Dorn had appeared in some of the previous Star Trek films and television series, playing Worf and his grandfather . [61]

Following press screenings of the film's first thirty-eight minutes in Brazil, it was confirmed – on 7 March 2013 – that Peter Weller would appear in the film as Admiral Marcus. [62] [63] The real identity of Benedict Cumberbatch's character was revealed in late April 2013 . [64]

The scene where Kirk delivers a speech features some real-life war veterans, from a non-profit organization called The Mission Continues , which tries to help soldiers return to life after having been deployed. " When the sequel was being planned, " recalled Katie McGrath, J.J. Abrams' wife, " we thought about how to make it meaningful beyond the experience of doing it all together again. We were thinking about the themes of the film and what would resonate. And also maybe help alleviate the sort of values of the Starfleet cadets… of sacrifice, bravery and friendship. " Eric Greitens , who works as the company's CEO and makes a cameo appearance in the film himself, referred to the group cameo as " A real thrill. And it was meaningful, too. " One of the veterans who appears, Adam McCann , had been hit by a bomb exactly seven years, to the day, before participating in the scene. ( Empire , issue 287, p. 91)

On Thursday 2 February 2012 and Tuesday 7 February 2012, Headquarters Casting , owned by Carla Lewis , sought background performers for the Star Trek sequel. According to a relevant casting note, they were searching for " attractive / refined / upscale or exotic talent ages 35-55 who are well postured / athletic to thin. Men should be in good shape, ladies must not be overly busty or curvy. The wardrobe is fitted so we need performers who are in great shape and/or on the thin side. Seeking a wide array of different ethnicities for this group, including ethnically ambiguous talent. The work date(s) are TBD, but could be numerous depending on the scene you are selected for. Would require at least one wardrobe fitting. We are submitting additional photos and the photos MUST be current and representative of how you look NOW. Some of the spots that will be picture picked will be quite featured. This is background work and we are seeking both SAG & Non-Union talent. It's possible that non-union performers may need to work SAG (depending on the work day(s) they are ultimately fit for and the number of performers working that day). " The open call was held at 3108 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank, California 91505. [65]

Rehearsals and interaction [ ]

When the cast of this movie began rehearsals, Benedict Cumberbatch wasn't present (as he was not yet cast) but Alice Eve was. She was pleased Simon Pegg was there, because they were already familiar with each other. " Simon […] made me feel very comfortable, not that everyone else wasn't equally welcoming, " she remarked. ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 55)

On the contrary, Alice Eve referred to the way the cast and crew treated her as "incredibly welcoming and gracious." ( SciFiNow , issue 80, p. 023) She explained at length, " The people behind this film were all so incredible that there was no awkwardness. Everyone knew the reason they were there, and they had clear directives for fulfilling them, and it became a very collaborative process, like building a village. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 55)

Likewise, Benedict Cumberbatch relayed that the principal actors "were so respectful" of the fact that he had joined the film's cast as the main villain. " There was only one occasion where I had the discipline to pull away from their camraderie, and sit away in a corner and brood, darkly, because I had too much fun with them, " he conceded, thinking back to the making of the film. " I had so much fun with them, I hope that doesn't reflect in the film, because otherwise I'll be useless, " he laughed. Moments later, Cumberbatch said, " To work with them was just a real kick. A real kick. " After commenting positively on each of those performers, he concluded, " We had so much fun hanging out together in LA, it was genuinely a really joyous experience. I spent all my time just laughing. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 27)

The principal actors were happy to make new friends, too. " I didn't get to work this time around with people I enjoyed [last time], " Zachary Quinto observed. " I didn't get to spend much time with Simon Pegg, or even with Chris Pine this time […] But what I lost with the familiar, I gained in working with Benedict [Cumberbatch], which was significant. We got along really well, and I liked working with him. " Karl Urban enthusiastically noted, " I loved watching Chris and Benedict when they were doing scenes together, because the sparks would literally fly. " Pegg enjoyed collaborating with Pine. " We spent a lot of time working on this, " noted Pegg, " and we had a hoot […] Welcoming Alice Eve and Benedict Cumberbatch was great [too], because we wanted them to feel as welcome as we did. " John Cho likewise enjoyed getting to know Cumberbatch, whose performance impressed him, and Eve. In reference to the latter performer, Cho related, " It kept the set lively to have to get to know another person. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , pp. 41, 56, 82, 111) Pine was wowed by the work of both Cumberbatch and Eve in this film. Concerning the interaction between Kirk and Carol Marcus, Pine stated, " When there's a beautiful blonde woman around, there's always the potential for love, and we know the story there. " ( SciFiNow , issue 80, p. 023) During their breaks from filming, the cast often played word-based board game Words with Friends . ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , pp. 83 & 115)

Design, sets, and locations [ ]

A blueprint for the Enterprise sets in this film

Following the release of Super 8 , it was announced, in September 2011, that J.J. Abrams would direct this film. [66] He had quite a good idea of how he wanted this film to look. Production Designer Scott Chambliss reported about Abrams' design specifications, " On Star Trek Into Darkness he had pretty strong thoughts about more complete concepts of what he wanted than I was accustomed to. " ( Empire , issue 287, p. 96) On the other hand, the film's creation was obviously reliant on a team effort, Abrams himself remarking, " I think we all felt we have to outdo ourselves not with scale, or bombast, or pyrotechnics, but to maintain the thing we did last time. Despite it being called Star Trek , it had to be real. You had to feel it. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 14)

J.J. Abrams felt green screen was "obviously" necessary in this film. However, he explained, " One of the things we've continued from the first movie is the idea of finding locations or building sets whenever we could to create a world that isn't synthetic or sterile, but feels very, very real. " Dan Mindel agreed, " What we brought to this one was the fact that we went outside more. " ( SciFiNow , issue 80, p. 026)

For the Enterprise in this film, the creative team attempted to preserve a look of newness and cleanliness while also giving the vessel a sense of scale. " We wanted to show the audience far more of the ship and to give it more depth, " noted J.J. Abrams. ( SciFiNow , issue 80, p. 026) Due to the fact that permanent sets used for NCIS: Los Angeles were on Paramount Stages 8 and 9 , this movie was instead scheduled to film at Sony Studios in Culver City. Sony Stage 15 , which was the largest stage at Sony and was larger than the Paramount stages, enabled the filmmakers to build interconnected interiors for the Enterprise , similar to the original television show. ( SciFiNow , issue 80, p. 26; [67] ) This time, filming locations chosen to represent Enterprise interiors included not only Budweiser Brewery , which had been used for ship interiors in the previous movie, but also National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California. ( SciFiNow , p. 026; [68] [69] )

For the garbage barge scenes, a green screen set was built in Marina del Rey , California, along Jefferson Blvd. and near Grosvenor Blvd. [70] Also, Hawaii was considered for "jungle scenes" set on Nibiru but a location in Southern California was chosen instead. [71] This was clearly a reuse of the set in Marina del Rey, complete with red prop trees. [72] The set of the Nibiran volcano also made use of a large green screen. [73] Other filming locations included Dodger Stadium , Long Beach City Hall , MCAS Tustin , and Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park [74] as well as Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California. [75] For Leonard Nimoy 's cameo, the offices of Bad Robot were selected. [76] Dan Mindel observed that the variety of locations used to film the movie "gave the huge scope it has now." ( SciFiNow , issue 80, p. 026)

Iceland was picked for the filming of some visual effects shots. J.J. Abrams had considered filming Delta Vega exterior sequences in Iceland for the previous film. [77]

Designer Neville Page said that, if there were Klingons , he would have to explore a rationale for their appearance, such as their long hair, and give their species a varied look, perhaps with different races. [78]

Industrial Light & Magic began working on visual effects in November 2011, starting with shots of outer space that would not require live-action elements. [79]

The making of this film required both Benedict Cumberbatch and Zachary Quinto to do some training. Both cast members enjoyed their training routine, which involved wire work for both the two actors. Quinto's training – which was with a stunt trainer, "for a couple months before shooting" – also included sprinting, and Cumberbatch remarked that his own routine was "for these choreographed fight scenes, stunts, […] and all sorts of fun and games." ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , pp. 29 & 39)

Filming [ ]

On 23 November 2011, it was reported that this sequel would be shot in 3D for a 17 May 2013 release. [80] J.J. Abrams later clarified the film would be shot in 2D and converted into 3D during post-production. [81] He also opted to shoot the film in a hybrid mix of IMAX and Panavision anamorphic 35mm. [82] Choosing to present the film with 3D and IMAX was not a decision Abrams took lightly, as his priority was to always try to keep things in the movie authentic, regardless of the story being fantastical. The choice Abrams made was influenced by him looking closely at modern films which used the two formats. Bryan Burk stated, " We hope that the combination of the IMAX and 3D will be unlike anything audiences have seen. " [83]

As for his decision to use IMAX in particular, J.J. Abrams was inspired by having worked with Director Brad Bird on Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol , one of only a few recent blockbuster films which had employed IMAX. " But I'd yet to see a space adventure presented in this way, " Abrams noted. The deal was nonetheless clinched for him after Christopher Nolan kindly screened for Abrams the section of The Dark Knight Rises that uses IMAX. " Watching that incredible footage, " he related, " it made me realize if we had an opportunity to shoot some of this movie in IMAX, we'd be crazy not to. " [84] According to A-camera 1st AC Serge Nofield, one of the challenges of moving between the two formats was working in the different aspect ratios. " In an effort to bridge that difference, we didn't use the entire [1.43:1] IMAX negative – we masked it to achieve a ratio of 1.66:1, " he says. " When viewed in an IMAX theater, the movie will shift from 2.40:1 to 1.66:1. " [85]

This was the first official 3D Star Trek production and the first 3D film that Bad Robot Productions worked on. Regarding the choice of using 3D for this film, Damon Lindelof expressed, " It did not impact the writing of the script […] All of us were a little bit cynical about doing the movie in 3D […] So the 3D decision was more along the lines of like 'are we going to screw up Trek by doing this movie in 3D or is Trek ready for 3D?' Hopefully it is the latter. " J.J. Abrams and his allies were persuaded to convert the film to 3D after watching converted footage of a scene in Star Trek where the USS Enterprise arrives at Vulcan . [86] Bryan Burk later noted, " When we looked at what Star Trek is all about – epic battles, sweeping planet vistas and nail-biting action – we thought, if Star Trek isn't worthy of 3D, then what movie is? The bottom line for us was that if we were going to embrace 3D for the first time, we wanted to make it special and different […] We knew if we did this, we wanted to really go for it. " The production staff settled on the premise that simply adding 3D to the mix wouldn't be enough – it had to be used to bring more impact to the storytelling or heighten the realism of worlds which didn't exist in reality. [87]

As reported by TrekMovie, shooting of the sequel started on 12 January 2012 . [88] The first footage to be shot was on the set of the Enterprise 's bridge. " I was angry at J.J. for throwing us on to what can be a difficult set, " Chris Pine laughed. ( Empire , issue 287, p. 90) The set indeed proved troublesome, when Alice Eve initially stepped onto it. " I fell on my bum the very first time, which is a testament to how clean and shiny they kept the floors, " she reckoned. ( SciFiNow , issue 80, p. 023) On 14 January 2012, Paramount officially announced principal photography had begun. [89]

As the filming got under way, some results of the decision to shoot much of the film in IMAX proved clear to the filmmakers, giving them some mind-boggling logistical challenges. [90] " The idea of throwing the IMAX cameras around was a huge challenge, " Cinematographer Dan Mindel recollected. " J.J. stood by his commitment to use that system, but we couldn't operate the cameras the way we do normally. " The time needed for shooting in IMAX was especially hard, as IMAX cameras take a very long time to reload and run out of film extremely quickly, which caused frustration for J.J. Abrams. " So the biggest challenge for me, " continued Mindel, " was just to keep all that going and have him not lose interest in or be disappointed in the decision he made to use the system. " ( Empire , issue 287, p. 87) Abrams himself remembered, " It became a rule that when the action was outdoors, we shot using IMAX, and when we were indoors, we used anamorphic 35. " [91]

After each angle was shot, the actors had to move out of the camera's perspective, then a pass was filmed with a 3D camera which replicated the original camera moves, to help the 3D conversion process. [92] This was a new technique, which J.J. Abrams described as involving "multiple virtual cameras to push the perspective and depth in certain ways, towards how people see in 3D." The new method allowed people who didn't enjoy or perceive 3D to "get it," Abrams counting himself as one of those individuals. " That's not to say the 2D experience wasn't the primary focus, " he clarified. " All I wanted to do was make sure I made a movie that was working in 2D, but [that] if you see it in 3D you get a little more bang for your buck. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , pp. 15 & 17) For the conversion process, the team brought in stereographer Corey Turner , who had worked on some of the biggest 3D films of the past few years, and then encouraged him to keep pushing the boundaries of visible depth and immersive detail on screen. " The process was both extremely laborious and more precise than we ever imagined, " explained Bryan Burk. " Along with Corey, we literally went through the film frame by frame, pushing every aspect of the 3D that was possible – really making objects feel as if they are coming out from the screen. We would routinely say to Corey 'let's push it further' and he would say, 'this is as far as anyone could possibly go' and we would say 'Go further! Go further!' and then he would. " [93] Damon Lindelof was a supporter of using 3D for this film. In hindsight, he suspected, " I don’t think this is going to hurt the movie. If people want to see it in 3D, they will get their money’s worth […] Based on the dailies that I have seen, I think JJ pulled it off. " [94]

In the final week of January 2012, ( citation needed • edit ) NASA astronaut and engineer Gregory Chamitoff visited the Enterprise bridge set while the Star Trek sequel was in production. He inspected some of the stations on the bridge, sat in the command chair, was announced as a "guest of honor" by J.J. Abrams, and gave a speech to the shooting company. In his speech, he commended them by saying, " You know, what you guys are doing here, it's not just an incredible, spectacular movie […] but it's also inspiring a whole new generation of kids. " ( Star Trek: Secrets of the Universe )

Recalling one example when IMAX was employed, J.J. Abrams noted, " We used it for the volcanic planet Nibiru. " [95] For the filming of the scenes in which the Enterprise is underwater, Dan Mindel softened the lights on the set of the Enterprise , making the ship's interior look "more subdued, cooler or bluer in color," as phrased by Mindel. ( SciFiNow , issue 80, p. 026)

Another usage of IMAX was for footage in the Qo'noS scenes. [96] [97] Filmmaker Edgar Wright visited the Qo'noS set and got to direct a shot for the movie. [98]

Filming the scene in which Scott runs through a long open area aboard the Vengeance was grueling for Simon Pegg. " I remember that day very clearly, " he explained, " 'cause I'd just eaten and I rocked up on set and J.J. said 'You've got to run 100 meters, really fast' […] I'd been hanging around all day on set, it was a nice shoot, I'd had a big dinner, then they say, 'OK Simon, you're up,' and I had to do this sprint. And I did it as fast as I could. I mean, I really went for it. I did the first take and everyone clapped, because I ran like I hadn't run since I was a kid. It was amazing. And then J.J. said, 'Can we do it again?' and I said, 'Yeah! No problem!' By the third take, I was, like, 'No.' So I went back to my trailer. " There, Pegg finally threw up. " Fortunately, my trailer was a simple stumble away, " he concluded. ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 82)

J.J. Abrams came up with a method of shooting the sequence in which the Enterprise falls toward Earth. " JJ got very interested in the idea that if you move the camera in certain ways and if people behaved in certain ways, " reported Roger Guyett , " it would really feel like everything on the ship had wrapped around upside down, and he was right. " ( SciFiNow , issue 80, p. 026)

IMAX was used "especially at the end where there's […] [a] chase through San Francisco," stated J.J. Abrams. [99]

As evidenced by photographs which were leaked online, the scene in which Spock and Khan jump from one garbage barge onto another was filmed on the garbage barge green-screen set on 23 February 2012 . [100]

Alice Eve visited a filming location where she was astounded by seeing Benedict Cumberbatch, who had been a friend of hers for almost nine or ten years beforehand, do some wire work. " I saw him flying through the air! " she exclaimed. " It was just amazing to see that. It was staggering to see your friend working in that way, with all these people around. It was dusk as well, in this weird location and I was thinking this is crazy. " Eve later cited this experience as one of her fondest memories of the shoot. ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 55)

The volcano sequence was first rehearsed by a stunt double. In front of the set's green screen, Zachary Quinto was then rigged to a pair of wires, lifted to a height of ten stories high, then dropped at a high rate of speed as if he was falling. [101]

As reported by Go for Location on 17 April 2012 , the Star Trek sequel filmed exterior and interior scenes all week in Downtown Los Angeles, especially Bunker Hill and the historic core areas [102] [103] and at Flower and Olympic. [104]

On Friday 20 April 2012, production filmed at 710 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles (7:00 am – 10:00 pm). [105] The day after , the cast and crew conducted more filming in Los Angeles. Between 6:00 am and 10:00 pm, they shot footage in the Grand Ave. crosswalk, between Cal Plaza and Wells Fargo Plaza, as well as at 350 S. Grand Ave., and at 333 S. Grand Ave. Between 7:00 am and 10:00 pm on that same day, the cast and crew filmed at 710 S. Grand Ave., 650 S. Spring St., and 523 W. 6th St. as well as returning to capture some more footage at 710 S. Grand Ave. The shooting company did even more filming at the latter address on the next day, 22 April 2012. During these dates, base camp was set up at Grand and 8th Ave. [106]

According to a crew member, the production would, after the Los Angeles shoot wrapped, head to the San Francisco area for the final week of filming. According to On Location Vacations, there was a radio casting call in San Francisco for a big motion picture and shooting was scheduled to start there on 1 May 2012 . [107] As reported by On Location Vacations just a few days later, some location filming was done at the National Ignition Facility, prior to the filming in San Francisco. [108] [109] The production unit was also scheduled to film in Pleasanton . [110]

After Leonard Nimoy drove himself to the offices of Bad Robot Productions, his cameo scene was shot there, directed by J.J. Abrams. [111]

J.J. Abrams discovered that, by attempting to push the limits of what he and the rest of the film's crew were capable of, this movie turned out to be, by far, his hardest directorial effort yet. " I think part of it was the scope of it. The scale of the movie was pretty huge, " he offered. " I think that it was also about trying to take what we did before and embrace the things that worked, and try some things that we hadn't done. Part of it was realizing there are always things [in the original] that I look at and wish I had done this or that. It's a little bit of a second chance to try and do some things that didn't quite work the way I wanted them to, and then do some things I didn't get a chance to do before. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 15) However, Abrams was typically hyperactive during the shoot. " He'd doodle a cartoon, and then turn it into a 3D printable graphic, he'd come up with an idea for Nickelodeon – this is just in the breaks between set-ups, with the IMAX being changed over, " Benedict Cumberbatch reported. " He'd beatbox, he'd play music that was comically fitting for the moment of the day. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 27)

Simon Pegg and Zachary Quinto tweeted that filming (of principal photography) wrapped on 8 May 2012. [112] The reason why Damon Lindelof, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci had advocated not rushing the making of this film was that Star Trek would naturally require intensive post-production, more so than Super 8 . [113] Following the wrap of the movie's principal photography, second unit filming began with the film's Iceland shoot. This marked the first time a Star Trek movie shot outside the United States. [114]

Editing [ ]

One shot of the Enterprise , reminiscent of the initial view of the original Enterprise in first episode " The Cage ", was planned but scrapped. Sean Hargreaves explained, " There was a shot where they were going to tilt up and the whole top [of the bridge] was going to open up […] It was very complicated mechanics, it was beautiful, and it was nixed; they didn't end up doing it, but I've always loved that. " [115]

In an October 2012 interview on the talk show Conan , J.J. Abrams stated that this film was in the editing process. [116] He was still involved in editing and tweaking the movie in late March 2013 . ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 6)

Khan in a shower

Responding to criticism that the scene in the Enterprise shuttlecraft in which Kirk catches a glimpse of Carol Marcus in her underwear could be viewed as sexist, J.J. Abrams revealed – during an interview on Conan on 23 May 2013 – a segment of a deleted scene from the film in which Khan is seen taking a shower. [117]

Carol Marcus is highlighted in a deleted scene explaining that her parents had separated, thus leaving Carol to be raised by her mother alone in England . The scene thereby addresses why Carol has a different accent from her prime-reality counterpart. [118] The explanatory deleted scene is the only one involving Carol Marcus. [119]

Several deleted, expanded and alternate scenes appear exclusively through the film's Xbox SmartGlass second-screen app . [120] An alternate cut of the scene where Kirk loses his command was the version in which Pike personally demotes him and takes control of the Enterprise , immediately relegating Kirk to first officer. The opening scene at Nibiru originally ended with Kirk recording a captain's log entry on the bridge, untruthfully stating that the crew never set foot on the planet's surface and that the mission was "uneventful." In the deleted scene, Kirk stated in his log:

The scene where Thomas Harewood sits as his station at the Kelvin Memorial Archive originally included a video chat in which Harewood explains to Admiral Marcus, " He [Harrison] said you'd know why he did this, " right before activating the explosive device disguised as his Starfleet Academy ring . The sequence where Harrison fires upon several Starfleet officers from a jumpship was recut: in the earlier version, Kirk witnesses Pike get shot and is by his side as Pike dies; Harrison swoops back to the scene and resumes fire, prompting Kirk to take down the ship.

Uhura's exchange with the Klingons originally involved her lying to them by stating that she was seeking out a lone Klingon who was her lover and had stolen from her. Uhura's ruse is interrupted when Kirk decides to exit the K'normian ship and attack the warriors with his crew members. The ensuing fight halts when two Klingons hold Kirk to the ground and put a rifle to his head. As Kirk's crew comes out from behind cover, the Klingon commander shouts an order and a redshirt is shot in the chest. The commander also orders Kirk to be killed, but the Klingons are shot by Harrison as he appears.

Kirk meeting the Harewoods

The scene where Scotty approaches the secret hangar containing the Vengeance included a sequence where he bluffs his way in by stating he was delivering "hull plating and the coffee cells for the food synthesizers." The end of the film originally contained a scene at the commemoration ceremony, where Kirk speaks with Rima Harewood and her daughter Lucille , the latter of whom appears to have been restored to good health.

Music and sound [ ]

Michael Giacchino confirmed he would return to compose the film's music score before filming began. [121] " One of the things I spent a lot of time thinking about on this was […] the villain, Khan […] To be able to have music that represents the wrong side of someone's decisions, but also represents sort of the buried goodness in what they want to do. " ("The Sound of Music (and FX)", "Featurettes", Star Trek: The Compendium special features) Elaborated Giacchino, " It wasn't about writing based on what the character wanted or the things he's doing; it's more about his past and the way his brain works. I found him to be very interesting, especially because it's Benedict […] I kept looking at him and saying, 'What is he thinking right now?' For me, the music was exploring that idea and the fact that what is going on is based on something that happened a while ago. Again, going to the emotional side of things is what I do. He gave me tons to play with. Hopefully, I came up with something more than just bad guy music for him. " ( SciFiNow , issue 80, p. 029) Giacchino composed new themes for not only Khan, but also Admiral Marcus, and the Klingons, as well as a more "personal" arrangement of Kirk's theme. The Klingon music incorporates Klingonese lyrics that were sung by a choir and were written by music editor Alex Levy . [122]

Matching the pace and scope of the film wasn't always easy for Michael Giacchino. " There was a point where I said, 'I'm not sure where to go now because the film has reached such heights of drama that I'm like, 'I did that and the next scene is even bigger,' " he laughed. " How do I keep jumping that hurdle each time? That was the architecture of the score, looking at it and going, 'You need to get big in the middle of the movie, but you don't want to get too big, because you know there's going to be something bigger later.' For me, it was about focusing on each character's storyline and making sure that when I'm writing for them it's appropriate, and not just me saying, 'I want to write a big piece of music' […] Hopefully, the steady ramp up for the audience is exactly that: a steady ramping up to an emotional climax. " ( SciFiNow , issue 80, p. 029)

Michael Giacchino also incorporated a theme from the TV show in this film: " I had just finished writing and shut off my computer and said I'm done done. I went downstairs and went on Twitter and someone tweeted to me 'Can you please use one of the themes from one of the old series in the new movie'… and I thought 'OK, OK' and so I went back upstairs and there was one I always particularly loved… so that will be there for you to find. " [123] The theme in particular is the "fight to the death" music from TOS : " Amok Time ", which can be heard during the climactic fight between Spock and Khan. " Amok Time " composer Gerald Fried is acknowledged in the credits for the track titled "Ritual".

At one point, a music cue that Michael Giacchino wrote for one scene had to be changed in order to account for the fact that the relevant scene had recently been edited differently. Whereas the cue may have worked perfectly well during the previous week, it had to be altered to fit with the new edit. Giacchino decided to rewrite the cue on the next morning, unsure how successful it would turn out. Even while played by an orchestra, the score was still evolving, in the concerted attempts to improve the film. ("The Sound of Music (and FX)", "Featurettes", Star Trek: The Compendium special features)

On another occasion, Orchestrator/Conductor Tim Simonec instructed all musicians who were holding a note at bar twenty-nine in one of the cues to hold the same note for another three bars. ("The Sound of Music (and FX)", "Featurettes", Star Trek: The Compendium special features)

Depending on where the film was screened, a different song was played in the scene showing Scott and Keenser at a San Francisco bar. For example, the UK edition of the film used " The Rage That's In Us All ", by Bo Bruce , while the Australian version was " The Dark Collide " by Penelope Austin . [124]

Business Wire announced that Star Trek Into Darkness would be released with Dolby Atmos " to deliver a more natural and realistic soundtrack that moves sound around and above audiences, transporting them into the outer regions of the universe. " [125] [126]

Continuity [ ]

• The writers of this film have stated it is set roughly six months to a year after the preceding film, Star Trek . Added Roberto Orci, " The idea is they've had at least a tour of duty or two, and every minute of exploring space is like five minutes of regular time here on boring Earth. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 171 , p. 33)
• In this film, Admiral Pike – last seen in a wheelchair at the end of the film Star Trek , after his ordeal with Nero – is shown to have regained his ability to walk and is represented using a cane.
• Star Trek Into Darkness continued to use the same stardate system devised by the screenwriters for the film Star Trek . According to Roberto Orci , in that system, stardate 2259.55 would be February 24, 2259. [127]
• Admiral Marcus' model collection includes the Ares V , the Phoenix , the USS Enterprise XCV 330 , Enterprise NX-01 , the USS Kelvin , and the Vengeance .
• Spock tells McCoy that " The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. " Spock Prime tells Kirk this in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan .
• Admiral Marcus reveals that the Kelvin Memorial Archive was really a base of Section 31 , the Starfleet Black Ops division that existed as early as 2151, when a young Malcolm Reed was recruited by them. Section 31 was first introduced during the sixth season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , but Section 31 agent Luther Sloan claimed that the organization had existed as a secret black ops division of Starfleet Intelligence since the founding of Starfleet. The prequel series Star Trek: Enterprise later established that this did not simply mean the beginning of the "Federation Starfleet", but the foundation of the predecessor United Earth Starfleet, which later grew into the Federation Starfleet after that organization's creation.
• En route to Kronos (Qo'noS), Spock pronounces Uhura's first name, Nyota, differently than he does in the previous film.
• Chekov, established as a "whiz kid" at the age of seventeen in the film Star Trek , continues to demonstrate his proficiency by learning enough about engineering systems to be Kirk's choice to replace Scott as chief engineer.
• The dialogue in the scene where Kirk dies in the radiation chamber uses some verbatim quotes from a very similar scene in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . In that film, it is Spock, rather than Kirk, who sacrifices his life, exposing himself to radiation in a chamber of engineering in order to save the Enterprise .
• Likewise, when calling Spock down to engineering after Kirk's sacrifice, some of Scott's dialogue, such as " You better get down here, better hurry, " " You'll flood the whole compartment, " and more, is verbatim dialogue spoken by McCoy in a very similar scene in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan .
• The number of torpedoes containing Khan's old crew, seventy-two, is the same number of Augments that survived with Khan nearly three centuries of suspended animation when Kirk discovers the SS Botany Bay in TOS : " Space Seed ".
• Starfleet Command meets in the Daystrom Conference Room . Richard Daystrom was introduced in TOS : " The Ultimate Computer " and mentioned in other Star Trek episodes as well.
• Christine Chapel is mentioned by name as one of Kirk's former conquests, having purportedly told Carol Marcus all about him. In this film, she has apparently transferred and is now working as a nurse. The Prime Universe variant of Chapel appears as a recurring character in TOS and Star Trek: The Animated Series as well as in Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home .
• In the previous film, it was revealed that Uhura speaks "all three dialects" of Romulan; in this film, it is revealed that she also speaks Klingon.
• The Klingon homeworld, Kronos (Qo'noS), features the remains of the exploded moon Praxis in its orbit. This is a homage to Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country , in which the Klingon moon Praxis was destroyed by over-mining and insufficient safety procedures.
• The Klingon leader seen in the film has cranial ridges, despite the appearance of Klingons in Star Trek: The Original Series era; the Klingons appearing in the series Star Trek: Discovery , set in roughly the same era , also have cranial ridges. This suggests that not all Klingons were afflicted by the Klingon augment virus . ( ENT : " Affliction ")
• While Admiral Marcus was preparing for war with the Klingons, the Star Trek: Discovery shows that indeed a Federation-Klingon War has already happened in the prime universe. Ironically, this war doesn't seem to have happened in the alternate reality.
• "Cupcake" – Security Officer Hendorff – who Kirk met in the bar fight in Iowa , is still serving aboard the Enterprise and accompanies Kirk to Qo'noS.
• At one point in this movie, Khan is referred to as having sought refuge on Qo'noS in the Ketha Province . As established in DS9 : " Once More Unto the Breach ", the Ketha lowlands , in the "Prime" reality, were the birthplace of Chancellor Martok .
• The Vengeance destroys Alcatraz as it crashes to Earth. In VOY : " Endgame ", a future version of Kathryn Janeway from the year 2404 told her past self, in 2378 , that one could see Alcatraz from USS Voyager 's ready room on a clear day, because Voyager was a museum located on the Presidio in that timeline.
• In this film, McCoy refers to Khan as a superman. In "Space Seed", Spock refers to Khan and his people as supermen.
• As Kirk wakes from his coma near the end of this film, he can hear his mother and father speaking about him moments after his birth. This dialogue was reused from the film Star Trek .
• At the San Francisco bar, among the other drinks on Scott's table is a Budweiser. Uhura orders a Budweiser Classic in the previous film, and both this movie and the previous one used a Budweiser plant for scenes in engineering.
• McCoy uses his medical skills to assist Carol Marcus in performing "surgery" on a torpedo, something his prime universe counterpart assists Spock with in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country .
• Scott sabotages the Starfleet prototype USS Vengeance to help save the Enterprise . His prime universe counterpart likewise sabotages the prototype USS Excelsior to help the Enterprise escape in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock .
• In San Francisco, trolley cars are shown to still be in use. The Star Trek settings they appear in date from as early as 1986, in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home .
• In the film's London scenes, the "London Eye," a giant Ferris wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames, built in 1999 , is clearly visible and still in use.
• Among the pedestrians in San Francisco is an Orion woman .
• Pike tells Kirk that Starfleet Command returned the captaincy of the Enterprise to him by saying, " They gave her back to me, " which is also what Kirk tells Scott when he regains command of the Enterprise in Star Trek: The Motion Picture .
• The Enterprise spiraling down to Earth with the engines off-line is reminiscent of TOS : " The Naked Time ", where the prime-universe Enterprise spirals down to Psi 2000 after its engines are turned off.
• The effect of fading the screen to black but then having sounds become audible was previously used in ENT : " A Night in Sickbay " and " Regeneration ".
• Risking one's life to save the Enterprise is something not only that Kirk does here but also that his prime counterpart does in Star Trek Generations .
• This is the first Star Trek film to use the 2012-present Paramount Pictures logo.

Release [ ]

The film premiered at the George Street Event Cinema in Sydney, Australia on 23 April 2013. Additional premieres took place in Moscow (25 April), Berlin (29 April), and London (2 May), before wide release in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK on 9 May. It premiered in Los Angeles on 14 May, [128] before its release in the Philippines and North America on 16 May. [129] IMAX 3D preview screenings in North America took place on 15 May. [130] Paramount announced that the film would join its World War Z in a one-week-only "Ultimate Double Feature" from 30 August to 5 September. [131]

Publicity and marketing [ ]

Early promotional image before finalized title or release date

Bad Robot Productions made efforts to keep the story of this film secret until its release, for the benefit of the audience. Fan interest in this film, though, meant it was difficult for Bad Robot to keep hiding the plot. ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 171 , p. 6)

At the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con, Roberto Orci hinted at changes to the Enterprise design and the opening credits. [132] He commented upon commencement of filming that the engineering designs had been altered. [133]

Several photographs from behind-the-scenes appeared on the web on 24 February 2012, showing Zoë Saldana, Benedict Cumberbatch and Zachary Quinto. [134] Another batch of photos were leaked on 29 February, featuring Saldana with Chris Pine. [135] Yet more behind-the-scenes pictures were posted online on 1 March 2012. Those photos depicted stunt work being done on the garbage barge set, involving the characters of Spock and Khan. [136] On 16 April 2012, a new photo from the filming went online, showing Zachary Quinto filming the volcano sequence. [137]

The first image officially released from the film

In an October 2012 interview on the talk show Conan , J.J. Abrams debuted a three-frame clip of Spock in the Nibiran volcano. [138]

IDW Publishing solicited a four-issue prequel comic book to the film, titled Star Trek: Countdown to Darkness . Like the previous film's comic book prequel, Star Trek: Countdown , it was written by Mike Johnson and drawn by David Messina . Johnson also wrote the ongoing comic book and said the first , fourth , and twelfth issues contained hints of events in the film. " They are more retroactive, in the sense that after you see the movie you can go back and see where things were set up. Some are very direct; others are more thematic. " [139] [140]

Hasbro released Kre-O and Fighter Pods toys to promote the film. Mattel released three new Hot Wheels Star Trek Into Darkness starship models, and Quantum Mechanix announced plans to release a number of prop replicas based on historical flight models that were seen in Admiral Marcus' office. [141]

A video game, Star Trek , was released before this film. Its story and development cycle were independent of the films, but its release was delayed to promote Star Trek Into Darkness .

Alan Dean Foster wrote the novelization of this film.

The movie's soundtrack was released by Varèse Sarabande Records .

The first nine minutes of this film were shown before IMAX 3D screenings of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey on 14 December 2012. [142] The first trailer for Star Trek Into Darkness was shown before non-IMAX screenings of An Unexpected Journey . [143]

While showing scenes from this film at CinemaCon on 15 April 2013, members of the cast and crew expressed discomfort at promoting the film just hours after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings . Chris Pine acknowledged the parallels between the film's plot and the real world; " Terrorism is a huge part of our lives, and we all know the effects of that. " [144] Before the film's Australian premiere, J.J. Abrams commented the parallels were " horrible and unfortunate and heartbreaking […] but I would argue that it is also one of the reasons we go to the movies – to look at our lives, to ask questions about things we are trying to figure out, to find ways to make some sense of these things. " [145]

Posters [ ]

Box office [ ]

Within hours of tickets going on sale in the UK on 9 April 2013, the London IMAX 's website crashed due to heavy traffic. [146] Following its opening in the UK, Australia, Germany, Mexico, New Zealand, Austria, and German speaking Switzerland, Star Trek Into Darkness set international records for the series with a gross of approximately $31.7 million. [147] Reports indicated ticket sales were seventy percent higher than for the last film. [148]

After tickets to the US IMAX previews sold out, the film's wide release was moved up a day from its initial 17 May date. [149] The film grossed US$81.1 million over its four-day opening, lower than Paramount's expected $100 million, but the film also already outgrossed its predecessor in markets such as Russia, Taiwan, and Mexico. [150] The film's North American opening (three-day) weekend was actually less than the US$75 million opening of the first film, while attendance by audiences under the age of twenty-five dropped ten percent to twenty-five percent. [151] The film dropped to third place during the subsequent four-day Memorial Day weekend, but grossed US$47 million. [152]

The film has grossed a total of US$458.7 million worldwide, with a domestic gross of US$228.7 million, which places it as the eleventh highest-grossing film in North America for 2013; and $231.3 million internationally, ranking it in fourteenth place worldwide, and making it the highest-grossing film of the Star Trek franchise. [153] The film was less successful than its predecessor in North America but exceeded it in other countries such as Russia and China, overall bringing the worldwide total to a larger amount than the first film a month after its release. [154] [155] Forbes argued that Star Trek Into Darkness ' disappointing performance in North America was due to J.J. Abrams' refusal to spoil that John Harrison was Khan, so Paramount was " forced to craft a generic campaign based around Benedict Cumberbatch as 'Generic Bad Guy', so the excitement never took hold […] It made fans and general moviegoers less excited about Star Trek 2 than they were four, three, or even two years ago. " [156]

Bryan Burk was extremely pleased with the film's international gross. " More than anything else, what I liked about the second film, and it sounds crass, but our box office doubled internationally [from the previous movie], " he stated, " which was really telling because people were starting to see [ Trek ] and not be afraid of it in the rest of the world. " ( SFX , issue 270, p. 71)

Reception [ ]

Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman were ultimately happy with this film, Kurtzman stating, " We feel, for the most part, that we accomplished everything we really wanted to. " ( SciFiNow , issue 84, p. 040)

J.J. Abrams was likewise pleased with how the film turned out. " This movie goes further than the first movie in every way, " he enthused. " There are volcanic planets, wild spaceship chases and massive effects, but there is also a more nuanced story […] The action and the scale are light years ahead. Bringing IMAX and 3D technology in gives audiences yet another level of excitement and fun to be had. " ( SciFiNow , issue 80, p. 023)

Dan Mindel was pleased with the look of this film after working on it as cinematographer. " We walked away with a really great-looking film, " he remarked, " which was necessary in order to top the first one. " ( Empire , issue 287, pp. 87-90)

Early reactions to this film were positive. The day after the end of a two-week international tour promoting this film to the world's media, Bryan Burk divulged, " I'm excited for everyone to jump onboard with this film […] From the Star Trek fans who have seen it, they all seem significantly more invested than ever, " Burk laughed. " It's funny. As I've been going around, preaching that this movie is now more accessible to non- Star Trek fans, the second they come out, I'm hearing from them it feels like it was made more for Star Trek fans, so I think it will be significantly rewarding for Trek fans. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 171 , p. 6)

This film has an 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average score of 7.5/10. [157] The film has a "generally favorable" score of 72/100 on Metacritic. [158]

Among cinema goers, the film earned an "A" rating from those polled by CinemaScore. [159] The year after its release, a poll to find the 301 greatest movies of all time by Empire readers ranked the film at #245. [160]

On his twitter account, former Star Trek showrunner Rick Berman reviewed the film, saying, " Very exciting, great production and VFX. Fabulous acting. But is it a Star Trek film ? Maybe. Only time will tell. " He also contemplated how Gene Roddenberry might have reacted to the film, commenting, " At its soul, is it a movie that Gene would have given his blessings to? He very well might have. I really don't know. " [161]

Brannon Braga opined, "Into Darkness was slightly less successful [than the previous film] in that I was pining for the allegory. It was feeling like a Star Trek flavored action movie. " ( SFX , issue 270, p. 68)

LeVar Burton critiqued this film by saying, " At the end of the movie, I really care about what happens to the characters… but I’m pretty much missing Gene Roddenberry in J.J.’s interpretation… and at the end of the day, that’s just not OK for me. " [162]

Jonathan Frakes is disappointed that, despite visiting the set of this film, he wasn't permitted to participate in the making of it. Nevertheless, he approved of this movie. ( SFX , issue 270, p. 63)

Wil Wheaton wrote a positive review of this film on his blog. He summarized his opinion of the film by stating, " I loved it. I think it's my favorite Star Trek movie ever, and I can't wait to see what this crew does next. " [163]

Malcolm Reed actor Dominic Keating stated, " I went to see Into Darkness on a date and the girl I took was a Star Trek fan. Right at the end, where Spock is beating up on Benedict Cumberbatch, this little kid’s voice came screaming out from a couple of rows behind me: 'Way to go, Spock!' I turn around and it’s this kid who must have been about eight years old, and I thought to myself, 'Would you look at that. Fifty years on and they’re bringing it still. Isn’t that amazing?' " ( The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years , p. 40)

The Wrath of Khan director Nicholas Meyer commented on the film's role reversal of a pivotal scene in that film that " You have to be flattered that somebody wants to sort of try and make your movie again. But the difference […] between a rip-off and an homage is that you are supposed to add something. " [164]

Despite the fact this film turned out to be successful both with critics and at the box office, some fans were disappointed with the movie, finding it too similar to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . Abrams conceded, "We got in trouble on the second Star Trek film with some of the fans: there were too many nods to The Wrath of Khan . I'll cop to that." [165] Hollywood legend and intended Star Trek XIV writer Quentin Tarantino sided with the disenchanted fans at a later point in time, when he, a Star Trek: The Original Series fan himself, emphatically stated in a 22 July 2019 interview given to MTV's Happy Sad Confused podcast, " No, Benedict Cumberbatch, or whatever his name is, is not Khan, alright? Khan is Khan . " [166]

Tarantino and the critical fans were not alone in their assessment; despite the (cautiously) favorable reception expressed by the above quoted former Star Trek cast and crew, other former Star Trek production staffers (and Original Series fans) had already taken a slightly dimmer view on the alternate reality film franchise as well, after they had taken stock pursuant the release of Into Darkness . Doug Drexler has in 2013 put it as follows, " Technically they are beautiful… the work is stunning… however… and I hope no one will hold this against me… I did not enjoy the last two films, and honest…I really wanted to… but for me, Star Trek has to have a philosophical, humanist bend to it… always making a point, or asking a question. It should be introspective, and self examining. That's the Roddenberry factor. The new films are devoid of Gene Roddenberry , and at the end of the day, I'm not ok with that. " [167] (X)

In this Drexler was joined by former VAM Producer Roger Lay, Jr. who had stated in the same year, " Well, it’s not my Star Trek. It’s definitely not my Star Trek, it’s very different. What I love about Star Trek, sometimes it’s not really there, you know? I think they’re fun, popcorn movies… " [168] His former VAM colleague Robert Meyer Burnett was even more outspoken in his opinion when he declared in a 2017 podcast (at 00:27:00 into the interview) that he hated the alternate reality Star Trek films "to the core of my existence" for the very same reasons, even though he conceded that the films were beautifully made. [169]

Believing they had made this film sufficiently different from the earlier one, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman responded by insisting that this film is not a remake and that at no point during the lead-up to it's release did they refer to it as a remake. Kurtzman remarked, " You certainly can't fault us for not taking the time to consider our choice [of whether to include Khan] – some people may disagree with the choices that we made, but we did not go into it blindly […] And people seem to like it, which is the most gratifying thing, because we made it for people. " Added Orci, " I think for some fans their preconceived notions prevented them from evaluating the fact that the movie is actually worthy on its own, and that's why they're having a slight dissonance with people who didn't know Star Trek very well and obviously had a great reaction to it. " The recycled dialogue used in this film was perhaps most disconcerting for some fans, to which Orci responded, " Put yourself in that situation [of having to write lines for the scene in question] and try and rewrite good stuff – we'd be equally harassed for, 'Oh, they tried to rewrite that scene and failed!' " Laughing, Orci likened this dilemma to the Kobayashi Maru scenario . Another debate in the fan community was about whether Khan would still have suddenly gone on the offensive if Kirk hadn't had Scott stun him once those three characters have secured the Vengeance . ( SciFiNow , issue 84, pp. 040, 041 & 042)

Merchandise gallery [ ]

Awards and honors [ ]

Star Trek Into Darkness received the following awards and honors.

Links and references [ ]

Credits [ ].

John Cho Benedict Cumberbatch Alice Eve Bruce Greenwood Simon Pegg Chris Pine Zachary Quinto Zoë Saldana Karl Urban Peter Weller Anton Yelchin

Paramount Pictures And Skydance Productions Present

A Bad Robot Production

A J.J. Abrams Film

Leonard Nimoy

• Kirk – Chris Pine
• Spock – Zachary Quinto
• Uhura – Zoë Saldana
• Bones – Karl Urban
• Scotty – Simon Pegg
• Sulu – John Cho
• Khan – Benedict Cumberbatch
• Chekov – Anton Yelchin
• Pike – Bruce Greenwood
• Marcus – Peter Weller
• Carol – Alice Eve
• Thomas Harewood – Noel Clarke
• Rima Harewood – Nazneen Contractor
• Ensign Brackett – Amanda Foreman
• Lieutenant Chapin – Jay Scully
• Ensign Froman – Jonathan H. Dixon
• Navigation Officer Darwin – Aisha Hinds
• Science Officer 0718 – Joseph Gatt
• Lead Nibiran – Jeremy Raymond
• Nibiran – Tony Guma
• Madeline – Kimberly Broumand
• Sean Blakemore ( Klingon 1 )
• Nick E. Tarabay ( Klingon 2 )
• Captain Abbott – Beau Billingslea
• Keenser – Deep Roy
• Lucille Harewood – Anjini Taneja Azhar
• Doctor – Jack Laufer
• Katie Cockrell ( Girl 1 )
• Kellie Cockrell ( Girl 2 )
• Cupcake – Jason Matthew Smith
• George Kirk – Chris Hemsworth
• Winona Kirk – Jennifer Morrison
• USS Enterprise Shuttle Ensign – Seth Ayott
• Torpedo Security – Marco Sanchez
• Uniformed Mercenary – Lee Reherman
• Scott Lawrence ( USS Vengeance Officer 1 )
• Usman Ally ( USS Vengeance Officer 2 )
• Nolan North ( USS Vengeance Bridge Officer 1 )
• James Hiroyuki Liao ( USS Vengeance Bridge Officer 2 )
• USS Vengeance Ensign – Rob Moran
• Berit Francis ( Starfleet Admiral 1 )
• Akiva Goldsman ( Starfleet Admiral 2 )
• Benjamin P. Binswanger ( Starfleet Admiral 3 )
• Transport Officer – Christopher Doohan
• Andy Demetrio ( USS Enterprise Bridge Crew 1 )
• Gianna Simone ( USS Enterprise Bridge Crew 2 )
• Rene Rosado ( USS Enterprise Bridge Crew 3 )
• Jacquelynn King ( USS Enterprise Bridge Crew 4 )
• Long Tran ( USS Enterprise Bridge Crew 5 )
• Ningning Deng ( USS Enterprise Bridge Crew 6 )
• Jodi Johnston ( USS Enterprise Bridge Crew 7 )
• Lady V – Colleen Harris
• USS Enterprise Security – Jeffrey Chase
• USS Enterprise Nurse – Monisola Akiwowo
• Shuttle Pilot – Paul K. Daniel
• USS Enterprise Red Shirt – Ser'Darius Blain
• Moto – Heather Langenkamp
• USS Enterprise Crew – David C. Waite
• Bar Girl – Melissa Paulo
• San Francisco Woman – Cynthia Addai-Robinson
• San Francisco Bar Patron – Drew Grey
• USS Vengeance Security – Douglas Weng
• Charlie Haugk ( San Francisco Resident 1 )
• Max Chernov ( San Francisco Resident 2 )
• Marc Primiani ( San Francisco Resident 3 )
• Jesper A. Inglis ( San Francisco Resident 4 )
• Jacob Rhodes ( Nibiru Child 1 )
• Kentucky Rhodes ( Nibiru Child 2 )
• Shaku – Anthony Wilson
• Eric Greitens ( Starfleet Ceremonial Guard 1 )
• Melissa Steinman ( Starfleet Ceremonial Guard 2 )
• Adam McCann ( Starfleet Ceremonial Guard 3 )
• Jon Orvasky ( Starfleet Ceremonial Guard 4 )
• Gerald W. Abrams ( Starfleet Memorial Admiral 1 )
• James H. McGrath, Jr. ( Starfleet Memorial Admiral 2 )

Second Unit [ ]

Uncredited [ ].

• D.A. as Enterprise security officer
• Henry Abrams as San Francisco resident
• Kraisit Agnew as Nikicha Tomser
• Tom Archdeacon as Ensign Spyke
• Alexandra Aristy as Starfleet HQ staff #2
• Noah Arrue as visitor
• Melissa Baldridge as Enterprise operations division officer
• Susana Basanty
• Paris Benjamin as Enterprise crew engineer
• Larry Blackman as Enterprise bridge crewmember
• Bill Blair as Chelsea civilian
• Francesca Brighty as 7 News reporter
• Jon Lee Brody as Enterprise security officer
• David Anthony Buglione as USS Enterprise medical staff
• Frank Cermak, Jr. as Starfleet officer
• Mitch Clark as Nibiran
• Alonzo Montrelle Cook
• Geryh Hurricane Curtis as Starfleet instructor
• Mike Dalager as Enterprise security officer
• Daphney Dameraux as Starfleet memorial attendee
• D'Anna Dettore as "First in Command, Cadet, Civilian"
• MaryAnn DiPietro as Starfleet office worker
• Gerald Donaldson as admiral
• Jaycie Dotin as Enterprise shuttle crewmember
• Chol Eddy as Enterprise engineer
• April Marie Eden as Orion Enterprise crewmember
• Diana Emuge as engineer
• Chris Fabregas as Enterprise security officer
• LaRaine Fisher as Chelsea civilian
• Leni Ford as Cosmoe
• Misty Franklin
• Gary-7 as Nibiran elder
• Douglas Gawoski as shuttle crewman
• Aurelien Gaya as ship engineer
• Michael Giacchino as 2 News weatherman
• Jonathon Grant
• Virginia Hankins as Enterprise crewmember
• Mark Alexander Herz as Enterprise security officer
• Ellen Ho as Starfleet cadet
• G. Malcolm Houston as Starfleet Admiral
• Ryan T. Husk as Starfleet officer
• Coy Jandreau as Nibiran
• Britanni Johnson as NYU Nurse
• Mike Kalinowski as Starfleet officer
• Robert Kane as San Francisco resident
• Elly Kaye as Starfleet officer
• Jamal Kazak as USS Vengeance security officer
• Germany Kent as Starfleet captain
• Hina Khan as cadet
• Dave Kim as Starfleet Enlisted Soldier
• Ariel D. King as Starfleet civilian
• Kasia Kowalczyk as alien Enterprise engineer
• Richard Kuhr as Enterprise crew engineer
• Shaun Kyser as security guard
• Bryan Lee as Starfleet cadet
• Xuelian Lei as San Francisco resident
• Andrew Maiorano as Starfleet HQ staff #3
• Brent McGee as Enterprise crew engineer
• Teebone Mitchell as Starfleet Headquarters officer
• Peet Montzingo as bar patron #2
• Chris Morris
• Hiram A. Murray as bar patron
• Morocco Nevlin / Reggie Melvin as civilian
• Westley Nguyen as civilian
• Brendan Norman as Enterprise crew engineer
• Celeste Octavia as nurse
• Jen Oda as female Ayt
• Laura Parker as Enterprise crewmember
• Salomon Passariello as medical technician
• Amy Pham ( unconfirmed )
• Preston Queen as bar patron #3
• David Rodriguez as Enterprise crewmember
• Ana Franchesca Rousseau as Enterprise crewmember
• Tristin Rupp
• Joel Shock as security officer
• Michael T. Stewart as Starfleet officer
• Thomas W. Stewart as Enterprise crew engineer
• Nora Sullivan as Enterprise science officer
• Vijay Suzuki as red shirt/mechanic
• Nilayana Sy as Starfleet officer
• Tala Tereze as waitress
• Perry Thackeray as Nibiran
• John Tomkins
• Fawn Tran as civilian
• Xavier Truesdell as Enterprise crewmember
• Julee Vadnais as Orion civilian
• Kyle Valle as Starfleet civilian
• Vincent van Hinte as male Ayt
• David Whitaker as Starfleet officer
• David C. White as USS Enterprise crew
• Ali Williams
• Sue Wishengrad as Captain
• Stacey Woods as "Intergalactic Woman"
• Felicity Wren as Starfleet officer
• Kerry Wynnyk as Enterprise crewmember
• Alien bar patron
• Alien Enterprise crewmember
• Enterprise command division officer
• Enterprise operations division officer
• Enterprise nurse
• Female Starfleet memorial attendee
• Five USS Vengeance security officers
• Male Starfleet memorial attendee
• Nibiran baby
• Six Starfleet officers
• Starfleet officer
• Ten bar patrons
• Three ceremonial guards
• Three Royal Children's Hospital staff members
• Two Enterprise medical staff members
• Two Enterprise security officers

Stunt performers [ ]

• John Ashker – stunts
• Maryellen Aviano – utility stunts: Starfleet official
• Krista Bell – stunts
• Jennifer Caputo – stunts
• Ilram Choi – stunt actor: Chelsea civilian
• Brian Christensen – stunt rigger
• Doug Coleman – utility stunts: Starfleet official
• Eugene Collier – stunt double: Beau Billingslea
• Tim Connolly – stunt double: Karl Urban
• George Cottle – utility stunts: ND Enterprise crew
• Brycen Counts – stunts
• Sam Creed – stunts
• Jahnel Curfman – stunts
• Max Daniels – utility stunts: Starfleet official
• Eddie Davenport – stunt actor: USS Vengeance security officer
• Mark DeAlessandro – stunt actor: Frantic Pedestrian
• Steve DeCastro – utility stunts
• Cory DeMeyers – stunts
• Kevin Derr – stunts
• Shauna Duggins – stunts
• Wade Eastwood – utility stunts: ND Enterprise crew
• Katie Eischen – utility stunts
• Robert C. Escobar – stunts
• Marie Fink – stunt double: Berit Francis
• Mark Ginther – stunt rigger/utility stunts
• Jessica Harbeck – stunts
• Zedric Harris – stunts
• Nick Hermz – stunts
• Jermaine Holt – stunt actor: Klingon
• Antal Kalik – stunt double: Lee Reherman
• Zero Kazama as USS Vengeance Bridge Officer
• Matthew S. Kennedy – stunts
• Bobby C. King – stunts: ND crewmember
• Henry Kingi, Jr. – stunts
• Hiro Koda – stunts
• Kim Robert Koscki – utility stunts: Starfleet official
• Cheryl Lewis – utility stunts: Starfleet official
• Michael Li – stunts
• Brian Machleit – stunts
• Tara Macken – stunts: Enterprise science crewmember
• Tom McComas – stunts
• Cassandra McCormick – stunt double: Alice Eve and utility stunts: Starfleet crewmember
• Rene Mousseux – stunts
• Caryn Mower – utility stunts: Starfleet official
• Michael Mukatis – stunts
• Eric Norris – stunts
• Lin Oeding – stunts
• Eddie Perez – stunts
• J.J. Perry – stunts
• Peewee Piemonte – utility stunts
• Denney Pierce – stunts
• Mark Rayner – stunts
• Kevin Reid – stunt double: Benedict Cumberbatch
• Simon Rhee – stunt actor: USS Vengeance security officer
• Larry Rippenkroeger – stunts
• Jimmy N. Roberts – stunts
• Tracey Ruggiero – utility stunts: Starfleet official
• Todd Schneider – stunts
• Courtney Schwartz – stunts
• Ray Siegle – stunts
• Caine Sinclair – stunt double: Anton Yelchin
• Paul Sklar – stunt double: Peter Weller
• Scott Sproule – utility stunts
• Aaron Toney – stunts
• Frank Torres – stunt rigger / utility stunts
• Tierre Turner – utility stunts: Starfleet official
• April Weeden Washington – stunts
• Kofi Yiadom – utility stunts: Starfleet official
• Merritt Yohnka – stunt double: Bruce Greenwood
• Omid Zader – stunt actor: Meter Maid

Stand-ins [ ]

• Ryan Babbs – stand-in for Simon Pegg
• Caleb Grant – stand-in for Benedict Cumberbatch
• James Henderson – stand-in for Chris Pine
• Jessica Hickam
• Peter Jang – stand-in for John Cho
• Linden King
• Brandon Stacy – stand-in and photo double for Zachary Quinto
• Michael T. Stewart – stand-in for Zachary Quinto
• Wilson Wang – stand-in for John Cho
• Evan Wecksell – photo double
• Robert Werner – photo double for Anton Yelchin
• Nico Abondolo – Musician: Double bass
• Eri Adachi – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Brian Adler – Digital & Visual Effects Executive Producer: Gentle Giant Studios
• Rose Adler – Matchmove Artist: Pixomondo
• Beatriz Aguilar – Intern/Production Assistant
• Daniil Alikov – Texture Artist: ILM Singapore
• Nicole Alkire – Hair Stylist
• Patrick L. Almanza – Stereoscopic Compositor/Painter
• Tom Altobello – Property Assistant
• Miriam Alvarez – Stereo Depth Artist: Stereo D
• Michael Amato – Stereoscopic Artist
• John Amorelli – Rigging Draftsman
• Pedro Andrade – Digital Compositor
• Tor Andreassen – Digital Compositor
• Tovonaina Andriamampionona – Stereoscopic Roto Artist: Stereo D
• Beverley Joy Ang – Assistant Technical Director
• Dave Anglin – Second Unit Camera Production Assistant
• Carlos Anguiano – Pipeline Developer: Pixomondo
• Jason Apperson – Additional Electrician
• Erick Aragon – Rotoscope Artist
• Ian Armstrong – Stereoscopic Depth Artist
• Shelly Armstrong – Location Coordinator/Assistant Location Manager
• Aitor Arroyo – Nuke Artist: Pixomondo
• Gustaf Aspegren – Electronic Prop Assistant
• Florian Ast – Compositing Intern: Pixomondo
• Lauren Astore – Coordinator: Digital Caliber Inc.
• Alan Au – Art Director
• Ando Avila – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Arin Babaian – Personal Trainer: Alice Eve , Zachary Quinto , Simon Pegg
• Paul A. Baccam – Stereoscopic Rotoscope Artist
• Joseph Bailey – Digital Compositor: ILM
• Justin Ball – Compositor: Pixomondo
• James Ballard – Compositor
• Frank Willis Balzer – Special Effects Assistant
• Gretchen Bangs – Stereoscopic Roto Artist: Stereo D
• Zheng Bao – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Jennifer Barnes – Musician: Alto
• K.C. Barnes – Senior Stereoscopic Artist: Stereo D
• David Baronoff – Associate Producer
• Fernando Barrios – Rigging Grip
• Jose F. Barrios – Rigging Grip Foreman
• Vatsche Barsoumian – Vocal: Bass
• Steven Barthen – CG Intern: Pixomondo
• Brandon Bartlett – Division CG Supervisor: Pixomondo
• Mark Battle – Finaling Artist: Stereo D
• Chris Basso – Generator Operator/Driver, Production Van Operator
• Fritz Beck – Lighting Artist: Pixomondo
• Julian Beeston – Utility Sound
• Harald Belker – Concept Designer
• Todd Bennett – Plasterer
• Frank Berbert – Digital Compositor: ILM
• Carina Berlin – 2nd Unit Art Department Assistant
• Jeff Berrington – Special Effects Welder
• Maxime Besner – Stereo Compositor
• James Betteridge – Stereoscopic Artist: Stereo D
• Michael Binczek – Special Effects Model Maker Gang Boss
• Adam Binder – Production Assistant
• Brian Bishop – Rigging Grip
• Anton Bitzer – Compositor
• Edward Blackford – Rotoscope Artist
• Bill Blair – Digital Double Lead
• Margaret Blakemore – Production Assistant
• Neale Blase – Driver
• Chris Bleth – Musician: Clarinet
• Daniel Blöcher – CG Artist: Pixomondo
• Ioan Boieriu – FX Artist: Pixomondo
• Jason Bomstein – Stereoscopic Artist
• Konstantin Borchert – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Cris Borgnine – Visual Effects Rigging Supervisor
• Chloe Bostian – Matte Painter: Pixomondo
• Frankie Bourne – Production Assistant
• Cindy Bourquin – Musician: Alto
• Jason Bowers – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Taylor Boyd – Key Assistant Location Manager
• Chris Bramante – Production Assistant
• Troy Bridenstine – Driver
• Maxwell Britton – Set Dresser
• Laura N. Brooks – Production Assistant
• Matt Brooks – 3D Database Developer
• Michael Broom – Conceptual Designer
• Belinda Broughton – Musician: Viola
• Elisabeth Brown – Sculptor/Model Builder
• Darlene Brumfield – Hair Stylist
• Dorothy Bulac – Specialty Costumer
• Jonathan Burdeshaw – Sculptor
• Aaron Burnitt – Systems Administrator: Pixomondo
• Alex E. Burns – Driver: Day Player
• Chris Burr – Rigging Electrician
• Daniela Cabrera – Stereoscopic Compositor: Stereo D
• Moises Flores Cabrera – Stereoscopic Compositor
• Adam Camacho – Grip
• Sue Campbell – Animator: Pixomondo
• Kevin A. Canamar – Supervising Set Medic
• Nicholas Canavan – Stereoscopic Rotoscope Artist: Stereo D
• Jay Cannavo – Splinter Unit Production Assistant
• Jake Capistron – Eclipse Technician
• Roberto Cappannelli – Sound Re-Recording Mixer
• Deborah Carlson – FX Technical Director: ILM
• Clint Carney – Concept Artist/Prop Maker
• Steve Casa – Visual Effects Photographer
• Kyle Cascadden – IT Trainee: Pixomondo
• Laura Caulfield – Production Legal
• Snata Chakraborty – Stereo Roto Artist
• Steven Chapman – Lidar Technician
• Matt Chase – Craft Service Assistant
• Peter Chase – Craft Service
• Zhongwei Chen – Matchmove Artist: Pixomondo
• Cheng Cheng – Rotoscope/Paint Artist: Pixomondo
• Tagui Chilyan – Stereo Production Assistant: Stereo D
• Christopher Chinea – Stereoscopic Artist: Stereo D
• Paul Churchill – Digital Artist: ILM
• Joseph Civitate – Senior 3D Generalist
• Sam Claitor – Compositing Trainee: Pixomondo
• Darrell Claunch – Stereoscopic Compositor
• Art Clever – Special Effects Welding Foreman
• James Clowater – Stereo Artist
• Michael Coady – Driver
• David Cohen – Mold Shop Supervisor
• Joshua E. Cohen – Visual Effects Artist
• Brian R. Cole – Sculptor
• Diane Collins – Script Supervisor
• Gus Comegys – Visual Effects Prep Colorist
• Kit Conners – Production Assistant
• Steve Constancio – Specialty Costumer
• Elliot Contreras – Senior Stereoscopic Compositor: Stereo D
• Jeremiah Cooke – Special Effects Hydraulic Foreman
• Elissa Cordero – Stereoscopic Animator
• Matt Cordero – Stereoscopic Compositor
• Jack Cornelius – Set Dresser
• Matt Corrigan – Special Effects Artist
• Trent Cotner – Special Makeup Effects Artist
• Daniel Cotroneo – 2nd Unit Lighting Technician
• Glenn Cotter – Digital Artist: ILM
• Erik Coutts – Transportation department
• David Cowles – Stereoscopic On-Line Editor
• Maurice Cox – Senior Stereoscopic Compositor
• David Crane – Stereoscopic Compositor
• Thomas Crow – 3D Artist: Stereo D
• Davide Curletti – Stereoscopic Compositor
• Brian G. Curtis – Animator: Pixomondo
• Xu Dai – Rotoscope/Paint Artist: Pixomondo
• Adam Dale – Aerial Director of Photography
• David Dame – Digital Artist
• Nicholas Daniels – Compositor
• John Daro – Senior Digital Intermediate Colorist: FotoKem
• Brad Darrow – Team Leader
• Gilbert Dawson-Kesson – CG Artist: Pixomondo
• Curtis Decker – Special Effects Machinist
• Gabe de Kelaita – Set Production Assistant
• Alfonso De La Torre – Concept Designer
• Brian Deming – Key Assistant Location Manager
• Michelle Denering – Special Makeup Effects Artist
• Mark DeSimone – ADR Mixer
• Rustin Devendorf – Stereoscopic Depth Artist: Stereo D
• Leslie Devlin – Makeup Artist
• Harish Devnani – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Amit Dhawal – Visual Effects Artist
• Allison Dillard – Production Safety Director
• Matt DiNardo – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Doris Ding – Rotoscope/Paint Artist: Pixomondo
• Lucas di Rago – Digital Compositor: Pixomondo
• Matt DiSarro – Special Effects Technician
• Gus Djuro – Senior Stereoscopic Compositor
• George Doering – Musician
• Maren Dolzmann – Visual Effects Coordinator: Pixomondo
• Hugo Dominguez – Rotoscope/Paint Artist: Pixomondo
• Don Domino – Rigging Grip
• Sebastian Domula – Lighting Artist: Pixomondo
• Christopher Dooly – Specialty Costumes
• Andrea Dopaso – Illustrator
• Dennis Drozdowski – Special Effects Technician
• Pierre Drolet – Concept Designer/Modeler: Pixomondo (pre-production)
• Mayur Duchakke – Render Wrangler
• John Dutcher – Confidentially Production Assistant
• Gregory M. Edgar – Property Assistant/Assistant Property Master
• Glen Eisner – Makeup Sculptor
• Nino Ellington – Technical Assistant
• Daniel Emmerich – CG Intern: Pixomondo
• James England – Depth Artist: Stereo D
• Rob Engle – Stereoscopic Consultant
• Juan Antonio Espigares Enriquez – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Bryan T. Evans – Matchmove Artist
• Garrett Eves – Depth Artist
• Benjamin Ey – Division Visual Effects Producer: Pixomondo
• Maeve Eydmann – Matte Painter: Pixomondo
• Paul Faeldo – Stereo Compositor: Stereo D
• Devin Fairbairn – Layout Artist: ILM
• Hsuanyi Fang – Matchmove Artist: Pixomondo
• Salina Farkas – Accounting: Pixomondo
• Junaid Farooq – FX Artist: Pixomondo
• Dean Faulder – Animator/Modeler: Pixomondo
• Ryan Faulkner – Stereoscopic Artist
• Phylicia Feldman – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Robin Pierce Ferber – Stereoscopic Conversion Artist
• Mariano Fernandez – Metal Shop Foreman
• Lauren Fernandez-Morrell – Stereo Artist
• Francesco Ferrara – Painter
• Giovanni Ferrara – Paint Foreman
• Judith Ferrer – Stereoscopic Compositor
• Mark Ferrer – Stereoscopic Roto Artist: Stereo D
• Dawn Fidrick – Stereoscopic Rotoscope Artist: Stereo D
• Claire Finbow – Assistant to Simon Pegg
• Chad Finnerty – Visual Effects Supervisor Consultant/Animator: Pixomondo
• Felix Fissel – IT Manager: Pixomondo
• Bridgette Foo – Digital Artist: ILM
• Brian Fortune – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Lucia Foster Found – Aerial Operations Coordinator
• Clayton Fowler – Grip
• Elizabeth Frank – Set Costumer
• Layne Friedman – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Josh Friz – 2nd Unit Second Assistant Camera Operator
• Maxi Fröhlich – Compositing Intern: Pixomondo
• Christopher Fulmer – Systems Administrator: Pixomondo
• Doug Gagan – Special Effects Technician
• Patrick Gagné – Visual Effects: Modeling and Texturing
• Stephen A. Gall – Stereo Rotoscope Artist
• Rick Gamez – Prop Fabricator
• Matthaeus Gamroth – Animator: Pixomondo
• Liwei Gao – CG Artist: Pixomondo
• Mark Garbarino – Special Makeup Effects Artist: Kasia Kowalczyk
• Adam Garnier – Stereoscopic Compositor: Digital Caliber Inc.
• Edgar Garrido – Roto Artist
• Lynn Garrido – Prop Electronics Technician
• Meredith Garrison – VFX Production Assistant: Stereo D
• Mark Gasbarro – Musician: Pianist
• Nancy Gassner-Clayton – Score Vocalist
• Michael Geiger – Vocal: Bass
• Mike Gerzevitz – Electrician: Fixtures
• Jackson Gichuki – Stereoscopic Rotoscope Artist
• Adrien Saint Girons – Lead Lighting Technical Director
• Jan Glöckner – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Paolo Gnoni – CG Artist: Pixomondo
• Christian Godzik – FX Artist: Pixomondo
• Daniel Goertz – Pipeline Technical Director: Pixomondo
• Harris Goldman – Musician: Viola
• Matt Goldstein – Splinter Unit Set Production Assistant
• Jerardo Gomez – Electrician
• Antoine Goncalves – ENV/DMP: ILM Singapore
• Edgar Gonzalez – Rotoscope Artist
• Azzard Gordon – Digital Artist: ILM Singapore
• Russell Gorsky – Sound Effects Designer
• Joanna N. Goslicka – Matchmove Artist: Pixomondo
• Björn Gottwald – Compositor: Pixomondo
• A.B. Govardhan – Matchmove Supervisor: Botvfx
• Matthew Gowan – Production Assistant
• Kirk Gravatt – Visual Effects Artist
• Connie Grayson Criswell – Contact Lens Technician/Wig Maker
• Renee Greathouse – Production Assistant
• Elysia Greening – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Jerry Gregoricka – Rigging Electrician
• Ashley Gressen – Additional Production Assistant
• Monica Griffin Lee – Session Singer
• Peter N. Griffith – Property Assistant
• Quinn Grove – Rigging Grip
• Nathan Grubbs – Stereo Compositor
• Jonny Gu – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Pascal Guillemard – Fixtures Technician
• Phaneedra Gullapalli – Pipeline Developer: Pixomondo
• Benson Guo – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Mansi Gupta – Stereoscopic Compositor: Stereo D
• Sandie Hall – Vocal: Soprano
• Tyler Halle – Stereo Compositor
• Thierry Hamel – Lead Matchmove and Environment TD: Pixomondo
• Ramón Hamilton – Depth Artist: Stereo D
• John H. Han – CG Supervisor
• Josh Handley – Stereoscopic Compositor
• Aisling Harbert – Stereoscopic Lead Artist: Stereo D
• Rich Hardy Jr. – Stereoscopic Compositor
• Karen Harper – Off-Camera Singer
• Walter S. Harrah – Vocal: Tenor
• Jeffrey J. Hart – Additional Set Production Assistant
• Samantha Hatch – Additional Set Production Assistant
• Ayana Haviv – Ensemble Singer/Vocalist
• Dustin Hayes – Depth Artist
• Alex Heffner – Stereoscopic Lead Artist
• David Heimerl – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Árni Björn Helgason – Unit Production Manager: Iceland
• Kelly Valentine Hendry – Casting Search
• Namjin Heo – Digital Compositor
• Andrea Hernandez – Division Lead Compositor: Pixomondo
• Daniel A. Hernandez – Video Assist
• Veronica Hernandez – Rotoscope Artist: Stereo D
• Jordan Heskett – Stereoscopic Painter/Stereoscopic Compositor
• Brent Heyning – Effects Engineer: Interior Engineering for Enterprise and Spacecraft
• Nicholas Hiegel – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Jason Hindman – Fixtures Technician
• Isaac Hingley – Animator: Pixomondo
• Sebastian Hirsch – Matte Painter: Pixomondo
• Ngoc Ho – Production Assistant
• Martin Höhnle – Matte Painter: Pixomondo
• Chris Holly – Confidentially Production Assistant
• Brian Holmes – Systems Administrator: Pixomondo
• Matt R. Hopkins – Prop Fabricator
• Paul Hormis – Pipeline Technical Director: Pixomondo
• Scott Hosfeld – Musician
• Craig Hosking – Aerial Coordinator/Pilot
• Craig Houston – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Gábor Hoványi – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Xiaoyong Hu – Matchmove Artist: Pixomondo
• Gary Huang – Render Wrangler: Pixomondo
• Xiandeng Huang – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Natapon Huangsakuncharoen – Creature Technical Director: ILM Singapore
• Ryan Huestis – Production Assistant: ILM
• Paul Huston – Digital Matte Artist
• Ali Ingham – Senior Visual Effects Production Coordinator: Pixomondo
• Florian Jackl – Systems Administrator: Pixomondo
• Robert Jackson – 2D Division Lead Compositor: Pixomondo
• Sean D. Jackson – Set Dresser
• Ryan Jacoby – Mold Shop
• Andrea Jamiel – Render Wrangler: Pixomondo
• Anine Jan – Stereo Compositor: Stereo D
• Srinivas Janapati – Production Coordinator
• Jeffrey Jasper – Technical Lead: New Deal Studios
• Jaime Jasso – Lead Digital Matte Artist
• Whan Je – i/o Coordinator: Pixomondo
• Henry Jefferson – Compositing Artist: Pixomondo
• Victor Jenkins – Casting Search
• Leo Jia – Animator/Modeler: Pixomondo
• Bess Johnson – Camera Production Assistant
• Erik Johnson – Depth Artist: Stereo D
• Jeremy Jones – Stereoscopic Artist
• Nikolce Jovanovski – Stereoscopic Compositor: Stereo D
• Soyeon Olivia Jung – Rotoscope/Paint Artist/STereo Compositor: Pixomondo
• YeYoung Jung – Animator/Modeler: Pixomondo
• Greg Junovich – ADR Mixer
• Bruce Jurgens – Visual Effects Executive Producer: Legion Entertainment
• Corey Just – Stereoscopic Depth Artist
• Aleks Justesen – Depth Artist
• Jordan C. Kadovitz – Computer Video Playback: Rigger
• Christian Kalata – CG Artist: Pixomondo
• Sandro Kath – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Prateek Kaushal – Stereoscopic Supervisor: Stereo D
• Michael Kelem – Aerial Director of Photography
• Pete Kelley – Special Effects Technician
• James Kells – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Clark Kelly – Sculptor
• Kolby Kember – Lighting and Shading Artist: Pixomondo
• Rolf John Keppler – Special Makeup Effects Artist
• Douglas Kieffer – Set Lighting Technician
• Jin Yong Kim – Layout & Matchmove Artist
• Jun Young Kim – FX Artist: Pixomondo
• Ted Moowon Kim – Hard Surface Modeler & Texturer: ILM Singapore
• Vedat Kiyici – ADR Mixer
• Dag Kjetsa – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Thomas Kleylein – FX Artist: Pixomondo
• Lena Amanda Koch – Visual Effects Assistant/Visual Effects Coordinator
• Kristofer Kody – Stereo Compositor
• Alexander Köhl – Digital Compositor: Pixomondo
• Christian Korneck – Systems Administrator: Pixomondo
• Justin Kosnikowski – Digital Artist
• Gumby Kounthong – Extras Casting
• Kyle D. Krajewski – ADR Recordist
• Sebastian Kral – Systems Administrator: Pixomondo
• David Krause – VP of Technology: Stereoscopic Conversion
• Denis Kravtsov – Pipeline Developer: Pixomondo
• Eryn Krueger Mekash – Special Makeup Effects Artist
• Lon Krung – Modeling and Texturing CG Artist: Pixomondo
• Norman Krüsmann – FX Artist: Pixomondo
• Nitesh Kumar – Stereo Roto Artist: Stereo D
• David Ladish – Set Dresser
• Steven Ladish – Set Dresser
• Dave Lajoie – Production Tools
• Heather Langenkamp – Makeup Artist
• Ruben Languren – Production Assistant
• Michael Lankes – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Don Lanning – Makeup Designer
• Chris Larsen – Set Dresser
• Daniel Lawson – Production Assistant
• Thang Le – Concept Artist: ILM
• Julius Lechner – FX Artist: Pixomondo
• Jonathan B. Lee – Stereo Production Assistant
• Kenji Lee – Animator: Pixomondo
• Melissa Lee – Compositor: Pixomondo
• SeungJoo Lee – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Stephen Lefebvre – Visual Effects Artist
• Erik Lehmann – Texturing Artist: Pixomondo
• Ellexa Lemarie – Production Assistant
• Chris Lentz – Animation Supervisor: Singapore
• C.J. LePage – i/o: Pixomondo
• Jenny Leupold – CG Artist: Pixomondo
• Mark LeVang – Musician
• Carla Lewis – Extras Casting
• Wenkang Li – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Zhunan Li – Visual Effects Coordinator: Pixomondo
• Jeff Lin – Animator: Pixomondo
• Kai Lin – Animator/Modeler: Pixomondo
• YuanJing Lin – Assistant Technical Director
• Lisardo Liriano – Visual Effects Artist: Stereo D
• Benjamin Liu – FX Artist: Pixomondo
• Heng Liu – Animator/Modeler: Pixomondo
• Sunyan Liu – FX Artist: Pixomondo
• Adam Lo – Rotoscope Artist: Stereo D
• Veronica Lorenz – Special Makeup Effects Artist
• Son Lu – Stereoscopic Lead
• Doug Luberts – Production and Technical Support: ILM
• Jacob Lundmark – Roto/Paint Artist: Pixomondo
• Rob Lutz – Stereoscopic Compositor/Painter
• Lap Van Luu – Systems Administrator: Pixomondo
• Chenchen Ma – Matchmove Artist: Pixomondo
• Zijun Ma – Roto/Paint Artist: Pixomondo
• Frank Macchia – Music Preparation
• Ali Magee – Makeup Department Production Assistant
• Michael C. Magno – Set Dresser
• Pravin Mahtani – Stereoscopic Compositor
• Uwe Majer – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Carson Majors – Stereoscopic Compositor/Painter
• Yael Majors – Stereoscopic Compositor
• Lee Philip Malin – Confidentiality Administrator
• Roy Vincent Mann – Lead Stereoscopic Compositor
• Fredrik Mannerfelt – Digital Compositor: Pixomondo
• Charana Mapatuna – Stereoscopic Compositor: Stereo D
• Pavan Maradia – Technical Assistant: Stereo D
• Artur Margiv – Compositor
• Jose Marin – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Chulev Marko – Modeler/Texture Artist: ILM
• Jeff Markwith – Set Designer
• Andrew Marquez – Stereoscopic Artist: Stereo D
• Karl J. Martin – Set Designer
• Geordie Martinez – Creature Technical Director: ILM
• Emily Mason – Stereoscopic Assistant Editor
• Dale Matasovsky – Stereo Compositor
• Joe Matke – Hair Stylist
• Colin Mayo – Lighting Technician
• Richard F. Mays – Digital Set Designer
• Kindra McCall – Depth Artist
• BJ McDonnell – 2nd Unit Additional Camera Operator
• Edward McDonough – Depth Artist: Stereo D
• Elizabeth McKinney – Stereoscopic Compositor: Digital Caliber Inc.
• David McMahon – Digital Compositor
• Christian McWilliams – Location Scout
• Jackie Medel – Production Assistant
• Shantel Medina – Finaling Artist
• Natalie Meffert – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Mike Mekash – Special Makeup Effects Artist
• Kevin Melia – Stereoscopic Roto Artist
• Lau E.H. Melvin – Visual Effects Technical Assistant
• Mariscela Beatriz Mendez – 2nd Unit Lighting Technician
• Cris Mertens – Stereoscopic Assistant Editor: Stereo D
• Jason W. Mesias – Production Assistant
• Felix Messerschmitt – Animator: Pixomondo
• Steven Messing – Concept Designer/Digital Matte Painter
• Aaron Meyer – Music Preparation
• Philip Meyer – Lighting Artist: Pixomondo
• Sebastian Meyer – Concept Artist
• Thomas Middleton – Digital Compositor: Pixomondo
• Karolis Mikalauskas – Depth Artist
• Michael Milano – Stereoscopic Depth Artist
• Brandon Miletta – Lighting Artist: Pixomondo
• Becca Miller – Specialty Costumer
• Michael Miller – ADR Mixer
• Julie Minasian – Score Vocalist
• Ed Mirassou – Prop Maker
• Bart Mixon – Special Makeup Effects Artist
• Tobias Moenninger – Systems Administrator: Pixomondo
• Andrew Moffett – Previs Artist
• Sidhartha Mohanty – Production Assistant
• Robert Molholm – Color Science/Imaging R&D
• Michael John Mollo – Electronic Music Programming
• Jacki Moonves – 2nd Unit Camera Production Assistant
• Declan Moran – Stereo Compositor: Stereo D
• Joey Moran – Rigging Electrician
• Pat Moreira – Layour Artist: ILM
• Christopher Morente – Greensman
• Immanuel Morris – Stereoscopic Artist
• Shaun Morris – Production Assistant
• Erich A. Muller – Costumer
• Sven Müller – Lighting Artist: Pixomondo
• Alexa Müller-Heyn – Animator: Pixomondo
• Andrew Mumford – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Carson Murdy – Stereoscopic Artist
• Brian Murphy – Stereoscopic Compositor
• Daniel P. Murphy – Construction Metal Fabricator
• Michael Murphy – Head of Quality Control: Stereo D
• Alex Murtaza – Matte Painter: Pixomondo
• Emmi Nakagawa – Stereoscopic Artist
• Mohan Narayanaswamy – Quality Manager
• Harindranath Narendran – Finaling Artist
• Hector Navarro – Depth Artist
• Ned Neidhardt – Special Makeup Effects Artist
• Christopher Allen Nelson – Special Makeup Effects Artist
• Rachel Elizabeth Nelson – Silicone Technician
• Zack Neuman – Production Assistant
• Christine Neumann – Animator/Modeler: Pixomondo
• Beauxregard Neylon – ADR Mixer
• Sheau Horng Ng – Digital Artist: ILM
• Giang T. Nguyen – Animator/Modeler: Pixomondo
• Kristin Nietzig – Division Accounting: Pixomondo
• Philip Nussbaumer – Division Lead Compositor: Pixomondo
• Timothy Oakley – Prop Fabricator
• David O'Brien – Stereoscopic Artist: Stereo D
• Fedor Odegov – Pipeline TD Post Production: Pixomondo
• Viktorija Ogureckaja – Visual Effects Global Production Manager: Pixomondo
• Marc Okrand – Klingon language consultant
• William J. Olsen – Production Assistant
• Osni Omena – 3D Artist/Maya Generalist
• Woon Chi Ong – Compositor: ILM Singapore
• Akira Orikasa – Visual Effects Artist: ILM
• Maria E. Ortiz – Paramount Pictures Consultant
• Nick Ostrovsky – Rigging Electrician
• Sam Page – Set Designer
• Jordan Paley – Key Production Assistant: Reshoots
• Ken Palkow – Prop Fabricator
• Alexander Panov – Art Department
• John F.K. Parenteau – VFX Executive Producer: Pixomondo
• Steve Parsons – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Dana Passarella – Stereoscopic Compositor
• Jim Passon – Color Timer
• Phil Pastuhov – Aerial Director of Photography
• Yogesh Pathak – Senior Stereo Roto Annotation Artist
• Cristina Patterson Ceret – Contact Len Designer/Painter
• Lucas Paul – Set Production Assistant
• Bethany Pederson Onstad – Visual Effects Artist: Pixomondo
• Lyndsey Pendley – Stereoscopic Paint Artist
• Daniel Perez – Stereoscopic/Roto Artist
• Diego Perez – Depth Artist
• Samuel Perez – Animator: Pixomondo
• Michael Peter – Senior Texture/Lookdev Artist: ILM Singapore
• Betsy Peters – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Binoy Peters – Senior Production Coordinator
• Kiana Petersen – Depth Artist: Stereo D
• Morten Petersen – Lighting Technician
• Hieu Phan – Roto/Paint Artist: Pixomondo
• David Philogene – Compositor
• Sara Philpott – Set Decoration Buyer
• Teddy Phuthanhdanh – Motion Capture Assistant
• Philip Pickford – Aerial Unit
• Tom Piedmont – Finaling Artist
• Johannes Pink – Pipeline Technical Director: Pixomondo
• David Pinkus – Second Assistant Director: Aerial Unit UK
• Jerome Platteaux – Digital Artist
• Leszek Plichta – Lighting Artist: Pixomondo
• Erik Ploneda – Stereoscopic Depth Artist: Stereo D
• Jason Pomerantz – Production Manager: IMAX
• Steven Porch – Specialty Costumer
• Nestor Prado – Digital Artist
• Roger Prater – Greens Gang Boss
• Margaret Prentice – Special Makeup Effects Artist: Kimberly Arland
• Eleonora Principi – Rotoscope/Paint Artist: Pixomondo
• Daniel Profus – i/o: Pixomondo
• Edward J. Protiva – Set Dresser
• Steve Prouty – Special Makeup Effects Artist
• Zhennan Quan – Matchmove Artist: Pixomondo
• Andy Quinn – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Melissa Quintas – Stereoscopic Compositor
• Sean Raffel – Animator/Modeler: Pixomondo
• Jack Rametta – ADR Mixer
• Antonio Ramos – Digital Compositor: Pixomondo
• Dan Randall – Foley Recordist
• Brody Ratsoy – ADR Engineer
• Salahuddin Razul – Compositor: Pixomondo
• William Reges – Stereoscopic Artist: Stereo D
• Sebastian Reichhold – FX Trainee: Pixomondo
• Mick Reid – Stereo Compositor
• Ari Reisner – Stereoscopic Compositor: Stereo D
• Johannes Retter – Compositing Intern: Pixomondo
• Gerard Retulla – Stereoscopic Compositor: Stereoscopic Conversion
• Todd Rex – Set Sculptor
• Aaron Richards – Set Lighting Fixtures Technician
• Grover Richardson – Stereoscopic Compositor: Stereo D
• Jason Richardson – Visual Effects Supervisor: Digital Caliber Inc.
• Bruce Richter – Construction Carpenter
• Caroline Riess – Human Resources: Pixomondo
• Guy Riessen – Digital Matte Painter: Atomic Fiction
• Raj Rihal – Concept Illustrator
• Mike Rim – Stereoscopic Compositor: Digital Caliber Inc.
• Agustin Rios – Visual Effects Artist
• Rick Rische – Matte Painter: Pixomondo
• Duncan Rochfort – Visual Effects Editor: Pixomondo
• Arturo Rodriguez – Stereoscopic Depth Artist
• Raymond Rodriguez – Stereoscopic Rotoscope Artist
• Katherine Rodtsbrooks – Stereoscopic Conversion Lead: Stereo D
• Rob S. Rogers – Stereoscopic Depth Artist
• Carlos J. Rosario – Digital Artist
• Vincent Robert Rosas – Stereoscopic Artist: Stereo D
• Marcus O. Roth – Division Visual Effects Producer: Pixomondo
• Anne Marie Rothfuss – Stereoscopic Rotoscope Artist: Stereo D
• Ryan Roundy – Special Effects Office Supervisor
• Rachel Rubenstein – Stereoscopic Roto Artist: Stereo D
• Ryan Rubi – Creature Technical Director: ILM
• Joel A. Ruiz – Rigging Electrician
• Maury Ruiz – Concept Artist
• Robert Ruiz – Assistant Camera Operator
• Alexander Rumpf – Roto/Paint Artist: Pixomondo
• Shaun Russell – Sculptor
• Matt Ryan – Set Production Assistant
• Toshihiro Sakamaki – Animator: Pixomondo
• Juan Ignacio Salgado – Division Lead Compositor: Pixomondo
• Chris Samp – Set Painter Gang Boss
• Cara Samuels – Visual Effects Coordinator: Pixomondo
• Mike Sanders – Digital Supervisor
• German Sandoval – Stereoscopic Artist
• Lukas Sarralde – Stereo Compositor
• Stephen Saunders – Rigging Electric
• Geoff Sayer – Digital Compositor: ILM
• Kai Schadwinkel – Lighting Artist: Pixomondo
• Sebastian Schäfer – FX Artist: Pixomondo
• Bill Schaeffer – Digital Compositor
• Andrea Schermoly – Assistant Choreographer
• Katja Schmidt – Division Accounting: Pixomondo
• Roman Schmidt – Division CG Supervisor: Pixomondo
• Silam Schmidt – Global Talent Manager: Pixomondo
• Skylar Schmidt – Set Dresser
• Ric Schnupp – ADR Recordist
• John Schratz – CG Artist
• Brian Schultz – Digital Compositor
• Karie Schwabl – Production Assistant: Pixomondo
• Diane Schwebs – Human Resources: Pixomondo
• Kino Scialabba – Designer: Legion Entertainment/Matte Painter: Pixomondo
• Anselm Seherr-Thoss – Visual Effects Artist
• Benjamin Seide – Division Visual Effects Supervisor: Pixomondo
• Dongjin Seo – Texture Painter/Look Development Artist: ILM Singapore
• Jack Serino – Grip
• Alex Sessing – Greens Foreman
• Daniel Sessoms – NextLab Operator
• Nick Sewatsky – Stereoscopic Artist
• Julie Shack – Set Costumer
• Shruti Shankar – Depth Artist
• V. Gouri Shankar Rao – Stereo Prep Supervisor
• Amit Sharma – Compositor: ILM Singapore
• Mark Sheffield – Sound Re-Recording Mixer
• Varghese Sherin – Stereoscopic Supervisor: Stereo D
• Marcos Shih – 3D Matte Painter/Concept Artist: Pixomondo
• Emmanuel Shiu – Concept Designer
• Brooke Shoemaker – Casting Assistant
• Jason Shulman – Animator: Pixomondo
• Jason Shupe – Flying Camera Operator
• Isaac A. Silva – Model Maker Gangboss
• Marcus Silvera – Stereoscopic Compositor
• Alexandra Simmes – Motion Graphics Artist: Pixomondo
• Stacey Simmons – Production Technology Manager: Stereo D
• Pankaj Kumar Singh – Technical Operations Lead: Stereoscopic Conversion
• Miro Skandera – Matchmove Artist: Pixomondo
• Sven Skoczylas – Lighting Artist: Pixomondo
• Ryan Slawson – Depth Artist: Stereo D
• Brett C. Smith – Set Decoration Buyer
• Cameron Smith – Fixtures Technician
• Corey Smith – Stereoscopic Compositor: Stereo D
• Dane Allan Smith – Visual Effects Producer 3D Scanning: Giant Studios
• Tammy Smith – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Wee Lian Soh – Visual Effects Artist
• Simia Song – Rotoscope/Paint Artist: Pixomondo
• Roger Sparwasser – Lighting Artist: Pixomondo
• Casey Spiegel – Paramount Pictures Executive Assistant
• Mark Spindler – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Christopher Stack – i/o Manager: Pixomondo
• Ivory Stanton – Textile Artist
• Michael Stark – FX Artist: Pixomondo
• Joe Steel – Digital Imaging Technician: Aerial Unit UK
• Rachel Steele – Extras Casting Assistant
• Andrea R. Stephens – Department Manager: Deluxe 3D
• Andy Stephens – Aerial Operations Manager
• G. Allen Stewart – Stereoscopic Compositor/Stereoscopic Painter
• John Stillman – Digital Compositor: ILM
• Tracy Stockwell – Plasterer
• Paul Stoll – Lighting Artist: Pixomondo
• Rainer Stolle – Matte Painter: Pixomondo
• George Streicher – Post Production Assistant
• Brent Studler – Electrician
• Frederick George Stuhrberg – 3D scanning
• Vladan Subotic – Animator: Pixomondo
• Haidong Sun – CG Artist: Pixomondo
• Jenna Sunde – Stereoscopic Compositor
• Kamalakar Suryavanshi – Stereo Compositor
• Jason Sutton – Hydrascope Operator
• David Swift – Digital Matte Painter: Pixomondo
• Ronald Tacsion – Stereoscopic Depth Artist
• Marc Tantin – Special Effects Technician
• Brandon Taylor – Compositor
• Randy R. Tecson – Stereoscopic Rotoscope Artist: Stereo D
• Mike Tehrani – ADR Recordist
• Michael Teixeira – Production Assistant
• Nicholas Tey Kai Guan – Modeler: ILM
• Michael Thalmann – Head of IT: Pixomondo
• Kim Thio – Paramedic: Camera Test
• Cale Thomas – Painter: Film Illusions
• Jason Thomas – Stereo Compositor
• Brian Thomason – Stereoscopic Compositor
• Kevin Tiesiera – Fixtures Technician
• Eric Timm – Stereoscopic Artist
• Paul Tirone – ADR Recordist
• Robert Tobin – Senior Depth Artist
• Derek Tracy – Stereoscopic Compositor
• Duc Minh Tran – Animator: Pixomondo
• Mark Victor Trappett – Render Technical Assistant
• Michael T. Travers – 2nd Unit Best Boy Grip
• Daniel Trebac – Stereoscopic Artist
• Chris Treichel – Stereo Production: Stereo D
• Tom Truscott – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Denis Trutanic – Senior Layout Artist: ILM
• Ervin Tuazon – Stereoscopic Artist: Stereo D
• Robert Tucker – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Ryan Tudhope – Senior Staff: Atomic Fiction
• Corey Turner – Executive Stereographer: Paramount Pictures
• Trey Turner – ADR Recordist/Assistant Sound Editor
• Jason Ullrich – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Claudius Urban – Senior Animator: Pixomondo
• Reuben Uy – Assistant Technical Director
• Dirk Valk – Animator: Pixomondo
• Tom van Dorp – Digital Compositor
• Jeremy Vanneman – Depth Artist: Stereo D
• Valentina Vee – Post Production Intern
• David Vegezzi – Interface Art Designer: OOOii
• Ricardo Velez – Rotoscope Artist: Stereo D
• Aurelio x. Vera Jr. – Visual Effects Producer: Digital Caliber Inc.
• Anthony Vlastas – Production Staff
• Garrett Vosburg – Greensman
• Ghanshyam Waghela – Finaling Artist: Stereo D
• Adam Walker – Lead Assets Artist: ILM Singapore
• Dan Wallin – Music Score Engineer
• Juliane Walther – Motion Graphics Trainee: Pixomondo
• Bill Wang – Visual Effects Coordinator: Pixomondo
• Cuiling Wang – Matchmove Artist: Pixomondo
• Huida Wang – Matte Painter: Pixomondo
• Hui Sophie Wang – Pipeline Intern: Pixomondo
• Pablo Wang – Stereo Compositor 3D Version
• Steven Wang – CG Artist: Pixomondo
• Alexander Ware – Depth Artist
• Natsuko Watanabe – Finaling Compositor: Stereo D
• John Watkins – Digital Effects Supervisor: Pixomondo
• Anastasia Watson – Stereoscopic Artist: Stereo D
• Kaifeng Wei – Rotoscope/Paint Artist: Pixomondo
• Henry Weickert – Pipeline Technical Director: Pixomondo
• Claudia Weingärtner – Accounting: Pixomondo
• Phil Weisgerber – CNC Operations
• Shannon M.E. Weiss – A.C.E. Intern
• Jay Wejebe – Makeup Artist
• Florian Werzinski – Lighting Artist: Pixomondo
• Kelly Wescott – Depth Artist: Stereo D
• Jon Wesström – Roto/Paint Artist: Pixomondo
• Jack White – Food Stylist
• Faith Whitehead – Depth Artist
• Kenneth H. Wiatrak – Stereoscopic Artist
• Ryan M. Wilson – Stereoscopic Artist
• Steve Winsett – Special Makeup Effects Artist
• Dean Winton – Driver
• Patrick Wolf – Head of Pipeline: Pixomondo
• Sascha Wolf – i/o: Pixomondo
• Marc Wolff – Aerial Coordinator
• Lonni Wong – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Jamie Wood – Lead Compositor: ILM Singapore
• Leah Woodworth – Extras Casting Assistant
• Brian Woronec – Fixtures Technician
• Carol Wu – Compositor: Pixomondo
• David Wu – Matchmove Artist: Pixomondo
• Peter M. Wu – Stereoscopic Depth Artist: Stereo D
• Runlin Xiong – Animator: Pixomondo
• Tou Yeng Xiong – Animator: Pixomondo
• Umashanker Yadav – Stereo Roto Artist: Stereo D
• Tolga Yalkir – Systems Administrator: Pixomondo
• Zhao Yang – Compositor: Pixomondo
• She Fong Yap – Production Assistant: ILM Singapore
• Seda Yilmaz – Coordination Trainee: Pixomondo
• Ben Ying – Visual Effects Compositor: Pixomondo
• Long Yinghan – Digital Artist
• Kei Yoneoka – FX Artist: Pixomondo
• Kodai Yoshizawa – Special Makeup Effects Sculptor: Kasia Kowalczyk
• Walter Yuan – Stereoscopic Compositor: Stereo D
• Elana Zaklis – Stereoscopic Artist
• Jose Zamora – Hair Stylist
• Alessandro Zanforlin – Nuke Compositor: ILM Singapore
• David Zbriger – Technical Manager of Global Production: ILM
• Aiping Zhang – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Zhuotao Zhang – Matchmove Artist: Pixomondo
• Zihao Zhang – Matchmove Artist: Pixomondo
• Bin Zheng – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Carol Zhou – Animator: Pixomondo
• Jianghong Zhu – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Huajing Zhuo – Compositor: Pixomondo
• Xinguo Zou – Compositor: Pixomondo

Production companies [ ]

• Avon Studio Transport – Vehicle Rentals
• BT Industrial Supply – Expendables
• B2FX – Special Effects Makeup Company
• CBS Studios – Star Trek and related marks and logos are trademarks of
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment, Inc. – Camera Dollies, Camera Cranes, Hydrascope Telescoping Crane Arms, Stabilized Remote Camera Systems
• Codex Digital – Digital Recording Equipment
• Digital Caliber Inc. – Special Effects Company (Stereoscopic Clean-up)
• Digital Media Services – Digital marketing asset management
• Direct Tools & Fasteners – Expendables
• Dolby Laboratories – Sound Mix
• Flying Pictures – Aerial Filming Services
• Giant Studios – 3D Scanning Special Effects Company
• Headquarters Casting – Background Talent Casting
• K/O Paper Products
• Legion Entertainment – Post Production Company
• Monster Picture Crane – Stunt Rigging Crane
• Movie Movers – Cast, Hair and Makeup Trailers
• New Deal Studios – Special Visual Effects Company
• Pictorvision – Eclipse Aerial Camera System
• POP Sound – ADR Recording
• Road Rebel – Production Travel
• Saga Film – Production Services
• Star Trek Into Darkness (soundtrack)
• Star Trek Into Darkness (DVD)
• Star Trek Into Darkness (Blu-ray)
• Star Trek Into Darkness (Blu-ray 3D)
• Star Trek Into Darkness (4K Ultra HD)
• Star Trek Into Darkness (iTunes)

References [ ]

208 ; 2259 ; 2 News ; 7 News ; advanced long-range torpedo ; AF ; aircar ; Air Defense Team ; airlock ; Alcatraz ; Alpha Quadrant ; ambulance shuttle ; Andoria Prime ; Angel Island ; antimatter missile ; applied physics ; Applied Sciences Division ; Arabic ; Ares V ; arms dealer ; Armstrong -type ( starships ); artificial gravity ; ash cloud ; attending physician ; auxiliary power ; away team ; Ayt ; BA-36 ; bangs ; bank ; bathing suit ; Bay Area Rapid Transit ; beach ; bearing ; Beastie Boys ; bedside manner ; Beta Quadrant ; Biddeford , USS ; black hole ; block 27 ; blockade formation ; body bag ; " Body Movin' "; bone ; boolean gun ; bowing ; Bradbury , USS ; brig ; bus ; cable car ; Caitian ; car ; Federation cargo shuttle ( cargo shuttles ); Celsius ; Chapel, Christine ; CNN ; coconut lotion ; cold fusion ; coma ; combat ability ; Confederacy of Surak ; Coridan system ; corn ; Cormier, Roy ; corpse ; Corridor 67 ; C-section ; cryo tube ; CT ; Cyrillic alphabet ; D4-class ; DB-5 ; damage ; damage report ; dawn ; Daystrom Conference Room ; deadly force ; decontamination ; defection ; defibrillator ; Delta Team ; diburnium ; display compass ; dive ; Dock Command ; docking clamp ; doctorate ; dog ; dozen ; Dreadnought -class ; dynamite ; Enterprise NX-01 ; earrings ; " Ears (are) burning "; Earth Sector 2 ; Earth Sector 45 ; Earth Sector 49 ; engineering staff ; Enterprise (OV-101) ; Enterprise (XCV 330), USS ; emergency lockdown ; ETA ; evacuation shuttle ; evacuation shuttle bay ; " Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven "; extractor ; eye wash ; ferry ; fiberoptic cable ; fire hose ; first aid kit ; Fisherman's Wharf ; five-year mission ; Flood and Waters Subsiding ; forgery ; forklift ; fracture ; fuel cell ; Galorndon Core ; garbage barge ; Gemini capsule ; genocide ; goggles ; Golden Gate Bridge ; Gorn ; Gorn octuplets ; grid 09 ; Grubeco ; hole generator ; hospital gown ; hovercar ; hull ; ice cube ; indigenous species ( indigenous lifeform ); information ; internal manual override system ; isoton ; Io ; Io Facility ; Ito, Stephanie ; jumpship ; Jupiter ; Kelvin Memorial Archive ; Kelvin Memorial Archive personnel ; Kelvin , USS ; Ketha Province ; King, Albert ; kill zone ; kilometer ; kitten ; Klingon ; Klingon language ; K'normian ; K'normian trading ship ; knowledge ; KPMG ; Kronos ; Level 3-B ; life support center ; life support system ; lift cable ; London ; London Eye ; love song ; Luna ; magnetic field ; manager ; manhunt ; manual override ; Mayflower -type ; M-class ; melodrama ; medical staff ; Menk ; metaphor ; metaphysic shield ; meter maid ; military shuttle ; missing man formation ; mooring ; morality ; Mudd Incident ; multidimensional radar ; murder ; murderer ; nail polish ; Nelson's Column ; Neutral Zone ; New Vulcan ; Newton -type ( starships ); Nibiran ; Nibiran language ; Nibiru ; Nibiru fish ; Nibiru riding animal ; Nibiru tree creature ; name-calling ; Noah's Sacrifice and His Drunkenness ; NX Alpha ; NX-class ; Octuplets ; Office of Special Plans ; Orion ; Orion Union ; osmium ; outer frontier ; oxygen ; oyster ; payload bay ; payload bay doors ; PCAP-SYS ; Perfect Hair ; " Perspective Study of Mazzocchio "; phaser rifle ; Phoenix ; piercing ; planetoid ( unnamed ); platelet ; pointy ; poker ; popsicle ; portable transwarp beaming device ; Port of San Francisco ; Port of San Francisco bar ; powerwall ; Praxis ; Prime Directive ; prince ; projection component ; proverb ; proximate coupling beam ; proximity alert ; proximity detonation ; public record ; Qo'noS system ; quad 68 ; quadrant ; quadrant commander ; radiation poisoning ; rapping ; red cross symbol ; rescue shuttle ; resignation ; Rigel Beta ; robot ; Royal Children's Hospital ; rules of engagement ; rust ; salt water ; San Francisco Bay ; San Francisco Ferry Building ; San Francisco Metropolitan Area ; science officer ; seasickness ; search vehicle ; seat belt ; Second Street ; Sect 7XT ; Section 31 ; sector ; Sector 001 ; Sector 31 ; Sector 34 ; Sector 45 ; Sector 56 ; Sector 70 ; Sector 89 ; sector block ; senior staff ; seniority ; sentient being ; serum ; sheep ; Sherman's Planet ; shot glass ; Shuttle 1 ; Shuttle 7 ; signature ; skeleton crew ; Sol system ; space region observer ; specifications ; Spirit of St. Louis ; square meter ; stabilizer ; Starbase 1 ; Starfleet Academy ; Starfleet Engineering ; Starfleet General Orders ; St Paul's Cathedral ; stuffed animal ; stun setting ; subject ; Sue Bierman Park ; suffocation ; superman ; Surak ; Takayama ; Takayama -type shuttlecraft ( Scott's shuttle , unnamed 2 , 3 , and 4 ); technicality ; The Gateway ; Theater Commander ; thruster ; torpedo technician ; traffic light ; tram ; transfer ; transfusion ; transwarp beaming ; transwarp equation ; transwarp network ; trash exhaust ; tribble ; tribunal ; Turner, Corey ; type 2 phaser ; type 3 phaser ; UFP News ; unrest ; V-2 rocket ; VD ; VH-5 ; Vengeance , USS ; volcano ; Vostok 1 ; Vulcan ; mind meld ; war criminal ; warp core ; Warrant ; weapons bay ; web ; welding team ; Westminster Quarters ; Wright Flyer ; workbee ; wormhole ; X-15

Other references [ ]

• Kelvin Memorial Archive Directory: Cindy Jones Bar and Grill ; CJ's Coffee House ; Jorge's Steakhouse ; Luby's Pub & Grille ; Monte's Spanish Tapas & Bar ; Rudy's Sub Shop ; Simm's Pizza
• Starfleet Headquarters Directory: Bailey's Pub & Grill ; Hamburger Hemlet ; Jaleo Spanish Tapas & Bar ; King Street Blues ; Kora Restaurant ; McCormick & Schmick's ; Morton's The Steakhouse
• Powerwalls: B'omar ; chancellor ; Galorndon Core ; inbox ; Khitomer ; Pachangara, Magustav Organian peace treaty ; Risa Hedony ; Sherman's Planet ; weatherman ; weather report
• Kirk's medical status : blood pressure ; Boyce, Phil ; BPM ; HR ; name ; patient ; temperature
• Lucille Harewood's medical status' : blood pressure; critical care ; genetic material ; height ; inbox; pulse rate; temperature; weight

Meta references [ ]

Unreferenced material [ ], external links [ ].

• Star Trek Into Darkness at StarTrek.com
• Star Trek Into Darkness at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Star Trek into Darkness at Wikipedia
• Star Trek Into Darkness at the Internet Movie Database
• 3 Erigah (episode)

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Filming & production

Star trek into darkness, filming locations.

(Star Fleet Headquarters)

(Enterprise's Warp Core engine)

(London Hospital)

Filming dates

Production dates.

It looks like we don't have any production dates for this title yet. Be the first to contribute.

Contribute to this page

• IMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our data
• Learn more about contributing

More from this title

More to explore, recently viewed.

Star Trek 2009 Ending & Movies Future Explained

• J.J. Abrams' Star Trek 2009 rejuvenated the franchise with a new timeline, dynamic characters, and high-stakes action.
• Nero's vengeful plan to destroy Earth stemmed from Romulus' destruction, leading to Kirk and Spock's heroic battle against him.
• Kirk's journey to becoming Captain of the USS Enterprise was marked by ambition, friendship, and the will to save Earth.

J.J. Abrams' Star Trek 2009 movie didn't just end with the crew of the USS Enterprise saving the Earth, but it also breathed new life and energy into the dormant Star Trek franchise, setting up not just more feature films but also the new TV series on Paramount+. Set in the alternate Kelvin Timeline created by a Romulan time traveler named Nero (Eric Bana) , Star Trek is an origin story of how James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) became Captain of the USS Enterprise and forged his eternal friendship with Spock (Zachary Quinto).

The young crew of the Starship Enterprise was in a race against time to stop Nero in Star Trek 2009's final act. Nero stole Earth's defense codes from the captured Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) . The Romulans' starship, the Narada, reached Earth and lowered a drill to dig into the planetary core in San Francisco Bay near Starfleet Headquarters. From there, Nero would drop red matter to create a singularity that would swallow the planet into a black hole, just as the Romulans previously destroyed Spock's homeworld of Vulcan. The USS Enterprise's counterattacked by using the gravitational field of Saturn's moon, Titan, to hide the starship from the Narada's sensors. This allowed Kirk and Spock to beam aboard Nero's ship to rescue Pike and stop the Romulans' drill from destroying Earth .

Star Trek 2009 Cast & Character Guide

J.J. Abrams' Star Trek relaunched the movie franchise and reintroduced audiences to Captain Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise.

Nero's Plan To Destroy The Federation Explained

Nero wanted to do to earth what he did to vulcan.

Nero's plan was, simply, vengeance in the form of intergalactic genocide. In 2387, which is 129 years before the present day of Star Trek 2009's main story, Nero was helpless to watch a supernova destroy his homeworld of Romulus. Nero was furious at Ambassador Spock (Leonard Nimoy) , who promised the Romulans he would stop the supernova, but the legendary Vulcan was too late to exact his plan to use red matter to create a black hole that would swallow the supernova before it eradicated Romulus.

Both Nero and Spock were pulled into the black hole's singularity, but they emerged at different points in Star Trek 's past. The Narada arrived in 2233 and its destruction of the USS Kelvin ended up creating an alternate reality from that point forward. Spock arrived in the Kelvin timeline 25 years later, in 2258. Nero immediately captured Spock and stranded him on Delta Vega, forcing him to watch as Nero destroyed Vulcan.

Star Trek: Picard season 1's backstory goes into more detail about the Federation's failure to stop the Romulan supernova.

Nero ultimately blamed the United Federation of Planets for doing "nothing" to save Romulus. Nero decided that he would use red matter to wipe out every Federation world, starting with Vulcan and Earth, in the 23rd century to ensure there would be no Federation in his 24th-century era . Nero even attacked a Klingon prison planet (possibly Rura Penthe) and wiped out a Klingon fleet with his advanced technology, because the Romulan also knew the Klingons and the Federation become allies in the 24th century,

How Kirk And Spock Stopped Nero

Only by working together could kirk and spock save earth.

James T. Kirk and Spock beamed onto the Narada to stop Nero's drill . Scotty (Simon Pegg) mistakenly transported them into a populated era of the Romulans' ship, so a shootout quickly ensured. But, through a mind-meld with one of the Romulans, Spock learned the location of the Jellyfish, Ambassador Spock's ship containing the red matter, while Kirk learned where Captain Pike was being held. The Starfleet heroes then split up. Spock piloted his elder self's ship into Earth's atmosphere and destroyed Nero's drill, saving the planet. Since the red matter was with Spock, Nero couldn't use it on the Terran homeworld. Meanwhile, Kirk got into a fistfight with Nero, but after he killed Nero's First Officer, Ayel (Clifton Collins, Jr.), he was also able to rescue the injured Captain Pike.

Incensed at Spock for destroying his drill, Nero's ship followed the Jellyfish as the Vulcan warped away, leading the Romulans from Earth. Spock's gamble was to exit warp near Saturn, which would allow the Enterprise to come to the rescue . That's exactly what happened as the Enterprise arrived like the cavalry and saved Spock from Nero's torpedoes. Kirk, Pike, and Spock beamed back aboard the Enterprise before Spock's ship crashed into the Narada, which released the red matter and created a black hole that would swallow the ship.

Kirk offered to beam Nero and his crew to safety (against Spock's wishes) but the Romulan preferred to "die in agony" rather than accept the Federation's help. Kirk's response? "You got it." And they let the singularity swallow the Romulans. However, another problem arose, and the Enterprise was trapped in the black hole's gravity well, preventing it from warping away. Kirk ordered Scotty to eject the warp core, hoping that the force of the detonation would push the Enterprise to safety. The gamble worked, and the Federation flagship was able to gain enough distance from the singularity and make it home to Earth.

Star Trek's Musical Captain's Chair And How Kirk Became Captain Of The Enterprise

The uss enterprise had three captains but one destiny..

Star Trek 2009's endgame was for Kirk to become Captain of the Enterprise - and earn the chair - but how it got there is bewildering. Pike is Captain of the Enterprise when the starship warped to Vulcan to answer its emergency distress call when Nero attacked the planet. After Nero "invited" Pike aboard the Narada, Pike promoted Spock to Acting Captain and Kirk (who wasn't supposed to be on the Enterprise, to begin with) to First Officer. Spock then had Kirk thrown off the ship for mutiny and marooned him on Delta Vega. Kirk returned to the Enterprise with Scotty thanks to Ambassador Spock showing the engineer the equation for transwarp beaming. Kirk was then able to show that Spock was "emotionally compromised" because of his trauma from Vulcan's destruction, and Jim assumed command as Acting Captain.

In Star Trek , saving Earth is the key to getting what you want, especially if your name is James T. Kirk.

Because Kirk led the Enterprise to successfully save Earth from Nero, Starfleet Command rewarded him with a promotion to Captain. Yes, Kirk jumped rank from Cadet to Captain in the course of the film. Kirk then relieved the injured and wheelchair-bound Captain Pike of command of the USS Enterprise. It may seem like an insane turn of events, but there is Star Trek movie precedent for Kirk's reward . When Admiral Kirk (William Shatner) saved Earth from the Whale Probe in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , Starfleet dropped all charges against him and demoted him to Captain, giving him command of the USS Enterprise-A. In Star Trek , saving Earth is the key to getting what you want, especially if your name is James T. Kirk.

Star Trek 2009 Positioned The Enterprise Crew In Their Classic Roles

The crew of the uss enterprise perfectly assembled.

Star Trek 2009 was ingenious in how every main Enterprise crew member got positioned into their classic roles despite being Starfleet Cadets . Hikaru Sulu (John Cho) became helmsman by replacing the previous pilot, who was ill. 17-year-old Pavel Chekov (Anton Yelchin) was also on the bridge at Operations as the ship's navigator. Dr. Leonard McCoy (Karl Urban) was assigned as one of the Enterprise's senior medical officers, but he became Chief Medical Officer after the previous doctor died during Nero's attack. McCoy also used his clout to sneak Kirk aboard the Enterprise despite his academic suspension.

Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldana) used her romantic relationship with Spock to get reassigned to the Enterprise from the USS Farragut. Captain Pike then made Uhura Communications Officer because of her superior ability to understand Romulan and Klingon. Finally, Scotty worked as the transporter chief during the Enterprise's final assault on Nero, and Kirk promoted him to Chief Engineer after he became Captain.

Ambassador Spock's Role In Star Trek 2009 Explained

Leonard nimoy's spock gave star trek 2009 credibility.

Leonard Nimoy's presence in Star Trek 2009 gave J.J. Abrams' reboot legitimacy in the eyes of longtime Trekkers, but Ambassador Spock (billed as Spock Prime in the film) was also crucial to the story. Spock is the key link between Star Trek 's Prime Timeline and Abrams' Kelvin alternate reality, but because the legendary Vulcan jumped to the Kelvin Universe and was ultimately stranded there, it was an assurance that Star Trek 2009 "really happened." Ambassador Spock's role was ostensibly to give Kirk (and the audience) the backstory of where Nero came from and how he time traveled to the 23rd century, but the Vulcan's far more vital role was to help the young Kirk along on his journey to becoming Captain of the Enterprise.

Meeting Ambassador Spock was the impetus Kirk needed to become the Captain he is destined to be.

Thanks to Ambassador Spock, Kirk realized that he needed to work with the younger Spock in order to stop Nero. K irk believed the old Vulcan that he and Spock are destined to be friends and that they can achieve great things together. Meeting Ambassador Spock was the impetus Kirk needed to become the Captain he is destined to be. As for the two Spocks, the Prime Vulcan initially didn't want to meet his younger self, but he decided they "couldn't ignore each other" when less than 10,000 Vulcans remained in the universe. Ambassador Spock also urged Commander Spock to remain in Starfleet since they can now be "in two places at once." The two Spocks meeting gets a payoff in Star Trek Into Darkness when the younger Vulcan turns to his senior counterpart for information on how to defeat Khan Noonien Singh (Benedict Cumberbatch).

How Star Trek 2009 Set Up J.J. Abrams' Trilogy (And The Star Trek TV Shows To Come)

Star trek 2009 co-writer alex kurtzman now oversees star trek on paramount+.

Star Trek 2009 ended with Captain Kirk and his crew in place aboard the Starship Enterprise, ready to explore the final frontier in sequels. Beyond setting up 2012's Star Trek Into Darkness , and a third movie directed by Justin Lin, 2016's Star Trek Beyond , J.J. Abrams' 2009 film was ultimately the rebirth of the Star Trek franchise. Four years had passed since Star Trek: Enterprise was canceled and there would not be a new Star Trek series on television until Star Trek: Discovery in 2017. During those 12 years, Abrams' Star Trek trilogy kept the franchise alive, created new fans, and became the basis for the next wave of Star Trek TV shows.

J.J. Abrams' Star Trek films were a necessary and long-needed upgrade of Star Trek 's visual effects, production values, and a shift in tone and storytelling styles. Star Trek 2009 was the template that Star Trek: Discovery , Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds followed, with all three live-action series on Paramount+ boasting blockbuster movie-quality production values and visuals. Star Trek 2009's breakneck style and giddy sense of fun and adventure are also evident in the animated Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Prodigy .

Star Trek 4 Is In Development At Paramount

Will chris pine's uss enterprise warp back into movie theaters.

Star Trek 4 has been mired in development hell since 2016. Filmmakers like S.J. Clarkson, Matt Shakman, and Quentin Tarantino developed the next Star Trek movie for producer J.J. Abrams' but all left due to creative differences. However, Paramount Pictures is reportedly prioritizing Star Trek , and a new screenwriter, Steve Yockey, is writing Star Trek 4 , which is billed as "the final chapter" of the USS Enterprise crew led by Chris Pine's Captain James T. Kirk. Although no director has been named, an ideal scenario would be Star Trek 4 arriving in theaters to celebrate Star Trek 's 60th anniversary in 2026 .

However, there are two new Star Trek movies releasing soon . Star Trek: Section 31 , starring Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh, has completed filming and will be the first Star Trek movie made for streaming on Paramount+. On the theatrical side, Paramount Pictures has confirmed an Untitled Star Trek Origin Movie set "decades before" Star Trek 2009 to premiere in 2025, with Toby Haynes ( Star Wars: Andor ) directing. Whether or not a Star Trek 4 ever reunites Chris Pine and the USS Enterprise cast, Star Trek 2009 is the benchmark that the current golden age of Star Trek on Paramount+ is built upon, and J..J. Abrams' first Star Trek movie remains a thrilling, spectacular space adventure that holds up to repeat viewings.

Star Trek 2009 is streaming on Paramount+

Director J.J. Abrams

Release Date May 7, 2009

Studio(s) Paramount Pictures

Writers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman

Cast Eric Bana, Bruce Greenwood, Winona Ryder, Tyler Perry, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Leonard Nimoy, Anton Yelchin, Chris Pine, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, John Cho

Rating PG-13

Runtime 127 Minutes

Genres Sci-Fi, Thriller, Action, Adventure, Space

Franchise(s) Star Trek

Sequel(s) Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Trek Beyond

Budget $150 million

• The Original Series
• The Animated Series
• The Next Generation
• Deep Space Nine
• Strange New Worlds
• Lower Decks
• Star Trek Movies
• TrekCore on Twitter
• TrekCore on Facebook

After several days of subjecting the vial found in “Mirrors” to every scientific test imaginable, the Discovery crew is no closer to figuring out what it could possibly indicate; all tests show that it contains nothing but pure, distilled water. Just when they’ve exhausted all options, Captain Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) gets a “call” from Kovich (David Cronenberg), who’s able to provide her with a bit more information: the names and planets of origin of all five of the clue-giving scientists.

(She finds one of his infinity room keys in her pocket; I guess he just beams those onto people?)

Adding to the pile of eccentricity and mystery, Kovich gives this information to Burnham handwritten, on a yellow legal pad. Genuine, of course; none of this replicated nonsense. Why? Because he loves the feel of paper. I like that Kovich is a mystery — and I don’t think I want to know so much about him that he ceases to be one — but I do hope we get a little something more before the series is up. Without that, as time goes on I’m afraid he’ll be reduced to “That time David Cronenberg was on Star Trek for some reason” instead of remembered as a full character.

With Kovich’s intel, Burnham and the team are able to pinpoint planet Halem’no as the location of the next clue. It’s an arid, storm-tossed place where, 800 years ago, the Denobulan scientist on Kovich’s list surreptitiously built five huge rain generators. Disguised as naturally occurring towering rock formations, only one of them remains in operation, and the planet’s entire population lives in its vicinity.

Before Burnham and Tilly (Mary Wiseman) beam down to find the clue, Burnham spends some time listening in on the Halem’nites. They have a typical phonetic language used for everyday communication, but they also have something called whistlespeak — which sounds much more like multi-tonal birdsong than human whistling — and is used for communication across great distances.

Burnham gets very excited about this, not just from a linguistic and anthropological perspective, but also from a metaphorical one; the idea of people coming together from across the vastness of space or across cultural divides is understandably thrilling to her.

Unfortunately, beyond Burnham and Tilly hearing a bit of it once they beam down to the surface, no one actually uses whistlespeak to communicate in the episode! Even when the emotional power of song becomes integral to the episode’s climax, the tune is merely hummed. Communicating across distances — whether across interpersonal divides, divides of time and space, or across the cypher of clue and solution — has been a primary theme of this season of Discovery . I don’t know that I see how the introduction of the linguistic phenomenon of whistlespeak really helps that though, given that it goes virtually unused and, other than Burnham’s explanation of it to Tilly, unmentioned.

Burnham and Tilly join up with a band of pilgrims known as ‘compeers’ — an ancient word meaning ‘companions’ —  who are on their way to the rain generator, known to them as the High Summit… and the home of a temple to their gods. One of the pilgrims is sick from dust inhalation, and is cured by the local leader, Ohvahz (Alfredo Narciso), through some sort of sonic healing ritual using musical bowls.

Talk about a missed opportunity for some of that whistlespeak, right?

Burnham learns afterwards that access to the temple inside the tower is restricted to those people who have completed the Journey of the Mother Compeer, a ritual that proves worthiness to the gods and entices them to bring rain. Burnham asks to perform this ritual, and the next morning she, Tilly, and a host of other pilgrims including Ohvahz’s child Ravah (June Laporte) are lined up and ready to prove themselves.

Multiple people, including the dust-sick woman, urge Burnham to reconsider her enthusiasm for running the Journey and entering the temple. Ohvahz also tries to convince Ravah not to run, but they insist, seeing it as an opportunity to prove themselves. It’s a little ominous, but Burnham’s got to get that clue so, off she goes.

Maybe I’ve just seen Altered States too many times but when I saw that running the Journey started by ingesting a tab of mystery substance I thought the trip was going to turn out to be a psychedelic one. I’m a little disappointed to have to report that nope, it’s just a footrace. More of a leisurely jog really, but one that’s done while very, very thirsty.

Participants drop out along the route, tempted by the bowls of water placed here and there, and Burnham eventually drops out too — deliberately, tempted by something else. Noticing that some moss in a particular area is yellow instead of green, she surmises that the color change is being caused by hypothetical radiation leakage from a hypothetical broken console.

As far as hunches go it’s paper thin, but it does turn out to be correct.

While Tilly continues to run the race to access the tower the traditional way, Burnham contacts Discovery to get a walk-through on how to repair the console. Adira (Blu del Barrio) stumbles their way through for a while before telling Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) that they think someone else ought to take over. “Yes,” I said to myself while watching, “Good thinking Adira, you’re right, they probably should get an expert on 800-year-old Denobulan technology.”

But actually the problem is just that Adira is feeling too flustered and awkward to want to continue, so Rayner declines their request. And why is Adira feeling flustered and awkward? Because Tilly isn’t the awkward one anymore, and Discovery apparently requires that one of them always be fumbling and bumbling their way through a mission at any given time.

Adira and Burnham are successful, and rewiring just that one console is all it takes to repair the rain generator. Tilly, for her part, has made it almost to the finish line alongside Ravah. They’ve each been given a bowl of water to carry across the line as one last temptation, but also one last challenge… as it’s kind of hard to run and not spill water. Ravah trips, their water spilling, and they’re out.

Instead of finishing the race on her own, Tilly returns to Ravah and pours some of her water into Ravah’s bowl. They cross together in a moment that surely was not intended to invoke the ending of perennial elementary school reading list title and book-that-traumatized-me-in-front-of-my-entire-4 th -grade-class Stone Fox , but did.

It’s a nice moment seeing them persevere together (and one with fewer sudden dog deaths than Stone Fox , so I appreciate that), but one’s that’s immediately tempered by the fact that their reward for winning is ritual sacrifice. Oops.

Burnham can’t beam into the “temple”, Tilly and Ravah can’t beam out (or leave any other way), and the rain generator is well on its way to causing the “sacrifice” conditions — which turns out to be a vacuum forming inside the chamber where Tilly and Ravah are trapped during rain generation.

Prime Directive be damned, Burnham beams into the nearby chamber where Ohvahz remains, not wanting his child to die alone. He is understandably freaked when she materializes beside him, and it takes a while to convince him that she’s real and that her explanation, which sounds like something straight out of Ancient Aliens on The History Channel, is legitimate.

Even with that done, there’s still the issue of Ohvahz’s fervent belief that the gods and the very rain itself require the sacrifice. Burnham finally gets through to him by humming a tune she hears Ravah humming to Tilly over an open comm line, and he opens the chamber. Everyone is saved and it rains, hooray.

Star Trek does love its “ritual sacrifices that power ancient machinery” storylines, and over the decades they’ve changed just how “set straight” the alien of the week is in the end, but I’m not sure they’ve ever had one that’s quite as gentle  as this one. Burnham explains the rain generators and their origin to Ohvahz, which leads to him asking some understandable questions about the nature and reality of his gods, which Burnham deftly deflects.

He then — and this is where my bewilderment sets in — casually and almost sadly wonders aloud if they really have to stop the sacrifices, because doing so would be a lot of work. I understand Ohvahz’s concern about the social upheaval of this change (not to mention that they never really needed to have happened in the first place, can you imagine when that gets out?) — but yes, guy, you definitely have to stop sacrificing people.

Oh, and this whole time? The next clue was actually in one of the other rain generators. Welp!

OBSERVATION LOUNGE

• Saru (Doug Jones) is once again absent from this week’s episode — and will be out of sight for at least two more weeks (we’ve seen up through episode 508). On social media this week, Doug Jones shared that his temporary exit from the season was a result of his commitments to the Disney sequel Hocus Pocus 2 .
• The clue registered a lifesign in “Mirrors” despite being nothing but inert water, artificially generated by one of the planet’s rain generators. Pretty lucky that Zora (Annabelle Wallis) knew about this charity project, huh?
• Tricorder contact lenses? One please!

• he console Burnham repairs is only the second instance of Denobulan computer interfaces seen in the franchise; the circle-based interface is in line with the control room of the Denobulan ship seen in “Cold Station 12.”
• Burnham showing Ohvahz his planet from orbit after breaking the Prime Directive and being mistaken for a god is reminiscent of a very similar moment between Picard and Nuria in The Next Generation ’s “Who Watches the Watchers”.
• The five scientists who worked to hide the Progenitor technology are Dr. Vellek of Romulas, Jinaal Bix (a Trill), Carmen Cho (a Terran), Marina Derex from Betazed, and Hitoroshi Kreel (this week’s charitable Denobulan).

While Burnham and Tilly are down on the surface, Culber (Wilson Cruz) has been continuing to interrogate his new feelings and experiences. We see him consulting his abuela — or at least an experimental holographic AI of her created from his brain waves, as a “grief alleviation therapeutic” — seeking advice on her spirituality in life… and also a recipe.

She declines to give him spiritual advice, suggesting that he’s jumped the gun a little by not ruling out physical causes for his symptoms, and also the recipe because it turns out she wasn’t actually that great a cook and was secretly replicating his favorite meal behind his back.

(How a program made from Culber’s own memories could know a secret she’d kept from him, I don’t know. Either AI in the 32 nd century is psychic or it still has the pesky 21 st century habit of making up whatever it thinks will satisfy a prompt, accurate or not.)

Also, come on now — I thought Star Trek had already clearly stated its position on how creepy and invasive holographic representations of real people are almost certain to be. Just this morning I saw an ad for an AI that claims to let you speak with exes or deceased loved ones, accompanied by the comment “Absolutely the fuck not.” I do not disagree, and neither, I suspect, does Leah Brahms. Or Kira Nerys, or Deanna Troi, or Chakotay, or…

Reluctant for the help — but also energized by the possibility that this might all just be physiological — Culber opens up to Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and asks for his help and support with a full neurological workup. When no anomalies are found, Culber seems almost disappointed, which Stamets picks up on. Even though it’s a small scene, this moment with Stamets is the one thing in the episode’s exploration of religion and spirituality that I connected with and really appreciated.

Stamets is not a religious or spiritual person, something that Culber is concerned will color his reaction to Culber’s “awakening.” But instead, he’s fine with it, even if he’s not invested on a personal level. His is a “You’re healthy and you’re happy, so I’m happy” philosophy, which seems to me to be the most respectful possible way to approach this type of issue, one that allows both parties to hold and live by their own respective beliefs.

It’s interesting, then, that Culber closes the episode quietly disappointed with this. And Book (David Ajala), who’s had a hard time keeping his own perspective this season, is right on when he gently calls Culber out: “It’s an odd quirk, really, this human tendency to consider something less meaningful if it’s just for yourself.” Stamets doesn’t need to share in this with Culber, he just needs to be there for him, and he is.

Next week: the Breen are back!

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 continues on Paramount+ May 9 with “Erigah,” followed the next day on SkyShowtime in other regions.

• DSC Season 5
• Star Trek: Discovery
• Whistlespeak

Related Stories

Star trek: discovery review — “erigah”, new star trek: discovery photos — “erigah”, pinewood toronto dedicates soundstage to the star trek franchise, search news archives, new & upcoming releases, featured stories, lost-for-decades original star trek uss enterprise model returned to roddenberry family, star trek: lower decks cancelled; strange new worlds renewed for season 4, our star trek: discovery season 5 spoiler-free review.

TrekCore.com is not endorsed, sponsored or affiliated with Paramount, CBS Studios, or the Star Trek franchise. All Star Trek images, trademarks and logos are owned by CBS Studios Inc. and/or Paramount. All original TrekCore.com content and the WeeklyTrek podcast (c) 2024 Trapezoid Media, LLC. · Terms & Conditions

'Warp drives' may actually be possible someday, new study suggests

"By demonstrating a first-of-its-kind model, we've shown that warp drives might not be relegated to science fiction."

A new study provides some theoretical underpinning to warp drives, suggesting that the superfast propulsion tech may not forever elude humanity.

Sci-fi fans — especially " Star Trek " devotees — are familiar with warp drives . These hypothetical engines manipulate the fabric of space-time itself, compressing the stuff in front of a spaceship and expanding it behind. This creates a "warp bubble" that allows a craft to travel at incredible velocities — in some imaginings, many times faster than the speed of light .

In 1994, Mexican physicist Miguel Alcubierre published a groundbreaking paper that laid out how a real-life warp drive could work. This exciting development came with a major caveat, however: The proposed "Alcubierre drive" required negative energy, an exotic substance that may or may not exist (or, perhaps, the harnessing of dark energy , the mysterious force that seems to be causing the universe's accelerated expansion). 

Related: Warp drive and 'Star Trek': The physics of future space travel

Alcubierre published his idea in Classical and Quantum Gravity. Now, a new paper in the same journal suggests that a warp drive may not require exotic negative energy after all.

"This study changes the conversation about warp drives," lead author Jared Fuchs, of the University of Alabama, Huntsville and the research think tank Applied Physics, said in a statement. "By demonstrating a first-of-its-kind model, we've shown that warp drives might not be relegated to science fiction."

The team's model uses "a sophisticated blend of traditional and novel gravitational techniques to create a warp bubble that can transport objects at high speeds within the bounds of known physics," according to the statement. 

Get the Space.com Newsletter

Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!

Understanding that model is probably beyond most of us; the paper's abstract, for example, says that the solution "involves combining a stable matter shell with a shift vector distribution that closely matches well-known warp drive solutions such as the Alcubierre metric."

The proposed engine could not achieve faster-than-light travel, though it could come close; the statement mentions "high but subluminal speeds." 

— How 'Star Trek' technology works (infographic)

— Warp speed: The hype of hyperspace

— What is dark energy?

This is a single modeling study, so don't get too excited. Even if other research teams confirm that the math reported in the new study checks out, we're still very far from being able to build an actual warp drive.

Fuchs and his team admit as much, stressing that their work could end up being a stepping stone on the long road to efficient interstellar flight. 

"While we're not yet preparing for interstellar voyages, this research heralds a new era of possibilities," Gianni Martire, CEO of Applied Physics, said in the same statement. "We're continuing to make steady progress as humanity embarks on the Warp Age."

The team's study was published online on April 29. You can find it here , though all but the abstract is behind a paywall; a free preprint version is available via arXiv.org.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with  Space.com  and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.

Lego Marvel The Amazing Spider-Man review

Lego Star Wars Millennium Falcon (2024) review

Watch monster flare-spewing sunspot grow to be 15 times wider than Earth (video)

• MikeEz I would be interested in Dr. Alcubierre and Dr. Whites' responses. Reply
• billslugg It uses standard physics and does not allow FTL travel, according to the article. What's the point? Reply
• Questioner I think what they are saying is it creates an independent frame of reference. That it is dislodged from standard spatial continuity. That would be the first step to superluminal Alcubierri methodology. It also might evade luminal proximate collisions with space detrimous. But that's just my take. Reply
• Pogo We’ve been launching stuff beyond Earth’s atmosphere for 67 years now and haven’t gotten beyond 0.064c thus far. This warp thing is still only one team’s theory. It’ll likely be generations before we get even a subatomic particle into this warp speed thing, if ever. If it ever does become practical, it could be used to send small probes to local stars in a reasonable timeline. Anything manned will not likely be practical. The article doesn’t mention if warp drive actually negates relativistic effects. Reply
• billslugg All of the theories that would have us go FTL are based on solutions to Einstein's field equations. That they solve the equations does not necessarily mean they can exist in reality. Here is an example: The area of a square is given by x^2. Two negative numbers can solve the equation just as well as two positive numbers can. But there is no such thing as negative length. Headline: "Scientists find solution to area problem that involves negative length, thus it must exist". Another reason we can't go FTL. If one goes FTL, one must necessarily pass through c. At that point, the item would require all of the mass in the universe be converted into its kinetic energy. In other words: "You can't get there from here". Reply

billslugg said: It uses standard physics and does not allow FTL travel, according to the article. What's the point?

• billslugg Valid points. When they actually come up with some of the exotic matter they need, then I'll get on board. Reply

Pogo said: The article doesn’t mention if warp drive actually negates relativistic effects.

Mizagorn said: That was my first thought. You're part of the crew. You get paid by the hour and you're on the clock. Do you go by the onboard clock or the one back at the office? 🤔

Admin said: A new study provides some theoretical underpinning to sci-fi warp drives, suggesting that the superfast propulsion tech may not forever elude humanity. Warp drives' may actually be possible someday, new study suggests : Read more

• View All 33 Comments

Most Popular

• 2 Cracking! Some binary black holes may roll around each other in egg-shaped orbits
• 3 NASA's Roman Space Telescope will hunt for the universe's 1st stars — or their shredded corpses, anyway
• 4 Our neighboring galaxy's supermassive black hole would probably be a polite dinner guest
• 5 'God of Destruction' asteroid Apophis will come to Earth in 2029 — and it could meet some tiny spacecraft