The new domestic theatrical trailer for Star Trek Into Darkness is now online. There are tons of goodies to see so once again TrekMovie takes a deep dive with a shot-by-shot analysis. Check it all out below, but beware of Spoilers.



[UPDATE: Did the title cards give us the biggest clue yet?]

Star Trek Into Darkness Domestic Theatrical Trailer Analysis

As this is the fifth trailer for Star Trek Into Darkness, this analysis will focus on the shots that are new, including variations or extended bits from things we have seen before…Shall we begin?

(Click images to enlarge)



Look at London skyline from “Father’s” (Noel Clark’s character’s) apartment



Kirk in San Francisco

Dialog (Voice Over transition to scene) Pike: You think you can’t make mistakes. But the choices you make can get yourself and everyone under your command killed…but I believe in you Jim.





Admiral Pike (Bruce Greenwood) talks to Kirk (Chris Pine)



Starfleet HQ – San Francisco

Dialog (Voice Over) Harrison: Darkness. Is. Coming.





Starfleet HQ gets attacked by Harrison

Dialog (voice over) Kirk: This could just be the beginning.

Admiral Marcus: Beginning of what?

Kirk: All out war.



Room full of tubes with windows (possibly cryo-stasis chambers) – with two unknown characters leaving



Saucer of ship (possibly ‘Dreadnought class’ revealed at CinemaCon last night) slices through downtown San Francisco



Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) flees from a scene





Kirk talks to Admiral Pike at Starfleet HQ meeting

Dialog Kirk: I request permission to go after him.





Starfleet “Surveillance” image of “John Harrison” from (presumably) London attack — note under his name it says “Unknown”





Spock (Zachary Quinto) confronts Kirk on USS Enterprise

Dialog Spock: I cannot allow you to do this.



Sulu (John Cho) on bridge of USS Enterprise



Kirk in captain’s chair on bridge of USS Enterprise

Dialog Kirk: Let’s go get this son of a bitch.



USS Enterprise prepares to leave Earth station





Zoom in shot of USS Enterprise bridge with Kirk standing next to window/view screen

Dialog (voice over) Harrison: You are a pawn, Kirk.



Uhura (Zoe Saldana) on Enterprise bridge – in her wetsuit from Nibiru mission

Dialog (voice over) Crewperson: Sir, there is a ship heading right for us.



Kirk looks at something

Dialog (voice over) Harrison: You cannot even guarantee the safety of your own crew.



Scotty (Simon Pegg) looks through window at something (he may be in a shuttle craft)





‘Dreadnought class’ ship warps in front of USS Enterprise – and it is huge!



Dreadnought-class ship faces off against Enterprise



Spock and the bridge crew stare (presumably) at the giant black ship

Dialog (voice over) Harrison: Now, shall we begin?





Dreadnought aims giant gun at puny looking Enterprise





A dejected Kirk turns to face his crew

Dialog Kirk: I’m sorry.



Enterprise gets fired on (presumably by Dreadnought)



Klingons rappel out of ship on Qo’noS



Klingon soldiers stand ready on Qo’noS



Harrison reveals himself to the Klingons



Harrison lands after jumping down and killing poor Klingons



Kirk in civilian clothes on Qo’noS with a weapon (not standard Starfleet phaser)



Kirk space jumps between Enterprise and Dreadnought-class ship



Harrison jumps through glass door in San Francisco



Spock chases Harrison through San Francisco



Harrison jumps onto floating barge in San Francisco



Scotty talks to Kirk

Dialog Scotty: The ship’s dead sir. She’s gone.





Kirk and Scotty run through halls of Enterprise which appears to be having major malfunction of the gravity plating





Kirk looks determined while sitting in captain’s chair

Dialog (Voice Over) Kirk: No she’s not.



Harrison fights Spock on floating barge in San Francisco



Klingon ship fires on civilian shuttle (with Kirk, Spock, Uhura and some other crewmen on board)



Harrison attacks Starfleet HQ meeting in some kind of small craft



Explosion on Dreadnought-class ship



Scotty looks worried and Kirk is running behind him – on board USS Enterprise



Harrison in command chair of (presumably) Dreadnought-class ship

Dialog Harrison: No ship should go down without her captain.





Some kind of small object flies from Dreadnought and fires on Enterprise





Enterprise takes severe damage



Kirk at scene of Starfleet HQ attack

Dialog (Voice Over) Pike: I believe in you Jim.

More thoughts: Kirk still on journey to greatness

Firstly this trailer is clearly made with a more Trek-friendly audience in mind than the full-length international trailer – which is of course by design. Like what was done with the trailers for the 2009 Star Trek film, this trailer focuses on Kirk and shows that he is still struggling with his command of the Federation’s flagship. While other Trek episodes and films (especially Star Trek III following the death of his son) have shown us classic Kirk in distress, Chris Pine’s Kirk is still on his journey.

The Kirk presented in this trailer is at time’s dejected (even apologizing to his crew) but also determined (in a personal way) to get John Harrison. But woven into that is Pike’s vision for Kirk that he has the ‘greatness’ within him to be that Kirk that we know.

It is nice to finally see some ship-on-ship action for this trailer with Paramount finally revealing the ‘other Starship’ which is a ginormous black Federation ship. And it seems once again the USS Enterprise take a serious beating – even more than the damage it took from Nero’s Narada in Star Trek 2009.



The USS Enterprise faces off against a giant dark ship (again)

Overall this is clearly another big tentpole action movie for the summer. The film seems even bigger than the 2009 Star Trek film. The trailer also presents Into Darkness as a more serious film. While we know there are humorous elements of the movie – they are not evident from this trailer. The tagline (via title cards) makes that clear but also includes Star Trek’s core message of hope “This Summer – Beyond The Darkness – Lies Greatness.”



A message of hope

…one more thought….a Khan-ection?

Reports that Benedict Cumberbatch is actually Khan Noonien Singh have been going since the movie was in production (and even before that too). Well could it be that the trailer has yet another clue (and I’m not talking about those cryo-tubes). The original Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan trailer contains a voice over which starts “Beyond the darkness, beyond the human evolution…is Khan..” Watch it.

More ‘shot by shot’ analysis

Check out TrekMovie’s other analyses: