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Gorn, Explained: A History of the Star Trek Aliens

The Gorn are one of the most famous aliens in Star Trek. Here is everything to know about the reptilian humanoid alien species.

Gene Roddenberry's space opera franchise Star Trek is filled with iconic aliens: Klingons, Andorians, Romulans, Betazoids, Orions, Changelings, Vulcans, and the Borg, to name a few. Many of them have been explored in great detail through various Star Trek series and films. Still, one particularly infamous and hostile species remains relatively unknown in live-action media: The Gorn . First introduced in Star Trek: The Original Series , these reptilian humanoid aliens are best remembered from the 1967 episode "The Arena." It is one of the most notable episodes in Star Trek history, mainly due to the slow and sluggish movement of the creatures' leader and its over-the-top combat with Captain Kirk, which rendered the scene unintentionally comedic.

Update August 13, 2023: This article has been updated by Mona Bassil with additional information following the season 2 finale of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and with information from the series Star Trek: Lower Decks.

This cemented the Gorn as one of the most memorable aliens in the Trek universe. Despite that, the franchise has typically avoided bringing them back. While it makes sense for prequel series not to include them, it is odd how later Star Trek shows, like The Next Generation , Deep Space Nine , Voyager , and Prodigy, never featured the Gorn. One of the more recent series, however, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , which premiered on Paramount+ on May 5, 2022, has not only given an update on the Gorn but has also explored them in more detail and plans on making them an overarching threat for the series. Here is everything to know about the Gorn species.

Gorn History in the Star Trek Series

The Gorn are first introduced in Star Trek: The Original Series episode "The Arena". They are still a mysterious species to the Federation, and Captain Kirk is forced to do battle with the Gorn leader in a fight to the death. Kirk believes the Gorn to be a violent and savage race that eradicated an entire Starfleet colony. While he has the chance to kill their captain, he spares him after he realizes that the previous attack on a Starfleet Outpost was simply an act of self-defense and that the Gorn and humans have more in common than they realize. This marks the official first encounter the United Federation of Planets has with this species.

Related: 23 Coolest Alien Characters in the Star Trek Franchise

The Gorn would later appear in an episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series , as well as on Star Trek: Enterprise , which marked the first time the creature was portrayed with GCI. In order not to mess with the continuity of the original series and the subsequent first contact with Kirk, the Gorn seen on the prequel show, Star Trek: Enterprise , is set in the Mirror Universe, an alternate universe in Star Trek where everyone is either evil or has an entirely different character.

How Strange New Worlds Redefines the Gorn

The Gorn were planned to appear in both Star Trek: Nemesis and 2009's Star Trek reboot but were scrapped for unknown reasons. In Star Trek Into Darkness , Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy makes reference to performing a C-section on a pregnant Gorn, indicating they may have encountered The Federation earlier on in this new timeline.

The next major appearance of the Gorn would be in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, where they are a recurring foe. Set ten years before the events of TOS , Strange New Worlds slightly retcons the original series. Here, the alien species are a large part of the backstory for La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong), who is the sole survivor of a Gorn attack when she was a child. This marks an unofficial first encounter with the species in the series.

The USS Enterprise , under the command of Captain Christopher Pike, first encounters a Gorn ship in the episode Memento Mori . The creatures are not seen, which seems to indicate that the aliens would be a recurring unseen foe throughout the series. But they reappear later in the season, in the episode "All Those Who Wander " , where various members of the Enterprise crew, including Spock, come face to face with the aliens. Unlike in the original series, these Gorn are depicted as smaller, more agile, and more animalistic. Henry Myers, the show's executive producer, told Variety , "I think audiences would have an instinctive organ transplant rejection to the classic version of the Gorn. Audiences now are sophisticated; they expect a certain level of effects work, of verisimilitude.” He was, of course, referring to the fact that the Gorn on TOS looked like giant lizards in fake rubber suits.

Related: Star Trek: How the 3 Animated Series Stack Against Each Other

The Season 2's action-packed finale, "Hegemony", it features the species decimating a human colony at the edge of Federation space, which they believe is part of their territory. They also plant a device that prevents any starship or shuttlecraft from beaming up trapped survivors, thus demonstrating superior dampening technology. While the episode begins with Captain Pike very clearly seeing the Gorn as monsters, the episode also looks to try to build the foundation for the Gorn being seen as a more advanced species in The Original Series.

Not only do the Gorn have their own fleet of ships, the young Gorn also appear not to be killing each other for dominance like it was believed they do, but instead working together. Pike comments on how there is more for them to learn about the Gorn. Audiences will likely learn more in season 3 as the finale of season 2 ended on a cliffhanger. Pike must decide between following Starfleet orders and retreating or going to save the rest of his crew who were beamed aboard the Gorn ship, including La'an Noonien-Singh.

The Gorn on Star Trek: Lower Decks

More recently, the species also appeared on the adult animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks , a refreshingly comedic take on the Star Trek franchise that pays homage to its complicated history while cleverly poking fun at its most memorable chapters and characters. In season 1's eighth episode, "Veritas", Ensign Rutherford's cybernetic implant is in need of an update. To complete the process, the device occasionally has to shut down and reboot, causing Rutherford to suddenly collapse and wake up hours later. Consequently, he crashes on a barren planet and finds himself surrounded by the Gorn, who starts biting into him. It is a double crash because he has also interrupted a wedding celebration.

Design and Characteristics

The Gorn in the original series are a bipedal and large reptilian alien species. They are capable of space travel and seem to have their own civilization. They also appear to be an apprehensive species, as even later in the timeline of Star Trek, it is unclear if they ever joined Starfleet.

The Gorn on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds are similar to the variant of the species introduced in the Kelvin timeline set Star Trek video game between the 2009 Star Trek film and 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness . They are smaller, quadrupedal aliens that have a lot in common with the Xenomorphs from the Alien film franchise , including the practice of laying parasitic eggs inside a host that burst out of the victim's chest. They also no longer seem to have the sparkly eyes shown on TOS . Season 2 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds later found an explanation for this change in size. The smaller ones are the baby versions of the species, and audiences got to see Spock and Nurse Chapel fight a proper size Gorn which matched the size of the one Captain Kirk fought.

The Gorn have evolved and acquired the ability to evade Starfleet and other electromagnetic medical sensors, possibly indicating why the species has gone so long in the franchise without being seen. They grow quickly and will not hesitate to eliminate each other in order to establish dominance and strength. Strange New World also establishes that the Gorn are susceptible to the cold. It has done more to explain the Gorn than any other piece of Star Trek media since the creature first appeared, and hopefully, additional seasons will explore its culture and variants. The season 2 finale clearly hints that Trekkies will be seeing more of the Gorn as recurring villains in season 3.

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The Gorn are one of the most recognizable alien species in Star Trek . First appearing in The Original Series episode “ Arena ,” the Gorn have, so far, just over a dozen canon appearances throughout the franchise, but their impact in popular culture has been substantial, nonetheless.

A bipedal reptilian race, the Gorn have butted heads with the Federation on multiple occasions. But by the 24 th century, much like with the Klingons, relations with the Gorn seem to have cooled down. In the meantime, the Gorn have always represented a formidable opponent.

Despite their monstrous appearance and aggressive demeanour, they are cunning, intelligent, and technologically advanced. Today, I’d like to examine the biology, history, and culture of the Gorn, comparing them to our expectations about aliens in real life. I’d also like to explore how their relationship with the Federation has evolved over time. Let’s get started.

Origins and Early History

The Gorn’s interstellar government is called the Gorn Hegemony. Its domain includes a region of space called “the five systems,” referenced by Orion privateer Harrad-Sar in the Enterprise episode “Bound.”

However, Harrad-Sar says of the Gorn, “the less said about them, the better.” More information about the Gorn’s potential origins is revealed in the non-canon 2013 Star Trek video game, which is set in the alternate reality introduced in the 2009 movie. In this game, the Gorn are said to have originated from another galaxy which they have colonized under the banner of the Gorn Armada.

The Gorn reach the Milky Way via a wormhole and begin expanding into the Beta Quadrant, just outside the borders of both the Federation and Klingon Empire. Much like in other non-canon sources, this game and subsequent IDW companion comics emphasize that the Gorn are not one species, but rather, an alliance of genetically similar reptilian aliens.

One of these factions which have settled on the planet Parthenon 559 is depicted as rebelling against the Gorn Armada, suggesting Gorn are not of one mind when it comes to politics. Either way, the existence of these multiple species, which other sources additionally depict as strict castes, is used to explain the disparities between different canon depictions of the Gorn.

The videogame Starfleet Command explains that Gorn society is organized into a hereditary monarchy. Gorn mythology speaks of a Mistress of Fertility, S’Yahazah, who saved young Gorn eggs from being devoured by a figure called “The Great Father.” Clearly, this is a reference to the Greek goddess Rhea saving Zeus from being devoured by Cronus.

Star Trek Online expounds upon Gorn history by speculating they may share a common ancestor with the Saurian species, dating back about 15,000 years. This ancestor race may have inhabited planets in the Kassae system, some 40-60 light-years from Earth. Other sources cite Gorn space travel as far back as thousands or even millions of years ago, and between these various accounts, there’s no consensus as to whether the Gorn evolved on the same homeworld or separate homeworlds.

All of this also seems to contradict Gorn activities beyond the Milky Way Galaxy, but ultimately, there’s no telling where they first came from. They could have originated in the Milky Way or another galaxy first, travelling between the two via a mechanism like, say, the Mycelial Network. In any case, what’s clear is that they have achieved warp travel by the 22 nd century and developed a violent reputation among various other Beta Quadrant civilizations.

New Homeworld?

We’re never explicitly told what kind of star the “new” Gorn homeworld orbits, though in beta continuity, it’s the ninth planet in a triple star system consisting of three K-type orange stars.

While the habitable zone around a K-type star, a type of star usually cooler than the sun, is about 60% the size of Sol’s habitable zone, the triple nature of the star may mean the ninth planet is further out in a tightly packed system.

K-type stars’ habitable zones are also generally stable as they emit less light in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum, which normally has severe effects on DNA molecules. It’s also worth noting that planets orbiting multiple stars in a “P-type” orbit are generally stable if they orbit at least 2-4 times the distance separating the stars themselves.

The name “Tau Lacertae” for the star system is thrown around by various non-canon sources, Lacerta being a real-world constellation whose name means “lizard” in Latin. GET IT??? And tau, of course, is the nineteenth letter of the Greek alphabet.

But there is no such star called “Tau Lacertae.” And there are no notable K-type triple systems in Lacerta. But we can gather that even if the Gorn didn’t originally evolve on Tau Lacertae IX, they no doubt selected it because of its environment. The planet, also called Gornar, has a surface gravity of 1.4g—implying it has a higher mass, radius, and possibly density compared to Earth—and is largely covered in tropical jungles and swampland. It has two Class D moons, which would have a major influence on the planet’s tides.

The Gorn homeworld’s average surface temperature is likely higher than Earth’s, which would create a suitable climate to support the biology of a cold-blooded reptilian species. And indeed, their cold-blooded nature isn’t their only connection to the Terran order of animals…

Biology Overview

Much like many Earth reptiles, particularly crocodiles, the Gorn possess scaly green skin, red blood, simple earholes with no external cartilage, and vicious claws. They also have mouths full of sharp teeth unsuitable for chewing—indeed, the teeth of reptiles are generally undifferentiated in size and shape compared to mammals, whose teeth are more specialized.

Gorn eyes are often depicted as silvery and faceted, much like the compound eyes of insects, suggesting a considerably different evolutionary path. Indeed, compound eyes have rather poor image resolution but possess a larger viewing angle and the ability to detect fast movement. Still, others have typical reptilian eyes with slit pupils, like the Tholian-employed slavemaster Slar in the Enterprise episode “In a Mirror, Darkly.” They have at least two genders, male and female.

Gorn has an average height of approximately two meters and tends to be many times stronger than most humanoids. Adult Gorn is slower and less agile than humans on average but possesses more durability and stamina. Unaided by the universal translator, their language sounds to most humanoids as a series of clicks and growls. And as far as their lifespan, one source indicates they can live for up to three hundred years. This brings me to the discussion of the Gorn’s life cycle…

In the Gorn’s earliest appearances, their growth and maturation cycle has never been explored deeply—or, actually, at all. Star Trek Into Darkness has an offhand line of dialogue indicating Gorn can become pregnant with live young, a phenomenon in nature known as viviparity.

This is not so unusual for a reptilian being, as some Earth snakes and lizards don’t lay eggs. Caesarean sections may be necessary to deliver Gorn children in such a way, with births of up to eight children at a time known to have occurred. The infants are apparently highly aggressive even when born in this manner. In season one of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , however, we are treated to a much different, more thoroughly detailed explanation as to how the Gorn reproduce. And indeed, this is just one of a number of things about the Gorn that are a notable departure from previously established canon…or so it might seem at first.

In the fourth episode of Strange New Worlds , “Memento Mori,” the character La’an Noonien-Singh recounts how, as a child, she escaped from a Gorn breeding planet. On these planetary nurseries, Gorn deposit sentient beings for use as breeding sacs or to be hunted as food by Gorn hatchlings.

The adults will periodically return to these planets to harvest their young. As we see in the series’ ninth episode, “All Those Who Wander,” Gorn hatch from parasitic eggs that incubate inside humanoid hosts. This is in contrast to the previously mentioned viviparity—pointing towards different methods of reproduction and/or the existence of, once again, different species of Gorn.

Their maturation cycle depends on the species of the host, lasting months in some cases but days in others. When ready, hatchlings will rip their way violently from the host’s body in a clear homage to the xenomorphs from Alien .

Newly emerged Gorn are white in colour—they become green as they feed voraciously and grow rapidly in size, moulting their skin along the way. Both the eggs and hatchlings are biologically invisible to sensors—rather conveniently—and despite their bestial nature, hatchlings can prevent themselves from being sensed telepathically.

Gorn hatchlings are quadrupedal, and they are exceptionally fast and strong in clear contrast to their adult forms. Not only are they uncontrollably aggressive towards other life forms—they are also aggressive towards members of their own species. Competing for dominance, only the strongest and smartest survive. Juvenile Gorn develops ducts that enable them to spit venom, which can infect additional hosts with eggs. As some have speculated, many of these other advantageous traits could indeed be the result of genetic engineering.

So, how can this more fearsome depiction of the Gorn be reconciled with their other appearances throughout Star Trek ? Well, the most straightforward answer is that Gorn hatchlings are simply more rambunctious and appear to, well, mellow out as they mature. Of course, “mellow out” only in a comparative sense. Also, keep in mind that the “intelligence” of human babies is nothing remarkable, being on average slightly under that of an untrained domestic dog.

“Trained” dogs are ones that work for the police, the armed forces, on movie/TV sets, as guide dogs, shepherds etc. And feral dogs are, logically, somewhat more intelligent than most regular, coddled pet dogs, simply because they must be due to their unfortunate circumstances. As humans mature, of course, our IQ goes up as we train our minds by learning things and practising new skills.

Something that should be further emphasized as well is that many animals’ “final forms” are quite drastically different from their infant or even adolescent stages. I talk about one type of biological transformation, metamorphosis, in detail in my video about the Metroids from, well, Metroid …another species that Strange New Worlds ’ lil’ baby Gorn is reminiscent of. While we don’t exactly know how many times a Gorn moults its skin, this process is just one example of how the Gorn metamorphose during its life cycle.

And their assumption of an upright posture later in life is, once again, perfectly in line with the maturation of an intelligent lifeform. Besides humans, bipedal locomotion is common among birds, the descendants of avian dinosaurs—and as I also demonstrated in my video about the Chozo from “Metroid,” birds are some of the smartest nonhuman terrestrial animals, another indication that the evolution of a sapient reptilian species is more plausible than one might think.

Plus, if you’re looking for further evidence connecting the familiar Gorn with their quadrupedal counterparts, let’s not forget Lorca had a Gorn skeleton as part of his “menagerie” aboard the starship Discovery —a show that directly predates Strange New Worlds and which shares the show’s overall design language.

Federation-Gorn Relations

Regardless, in Strange New Worlds , Gorn is referred to on occasion as “monsters.” Humans are merely prey to them, La’an emphasizes, and she dismisses the idea that they can ever be reasoned with—some things in the universe, she says, are simply evil. Of course, this is through the lens of one character’s traumatic childhood experiences.

It should be noted that such a roughshod, antagonistic approach to dealing with an enemy is not entirely out of character for a Starfleet crew in the mid-23 rd century, and it’s up to the discretion of individual captains as to how to deal with such matters. Besides, we do ultimately see that, evidently, La’an isn’t correct that the Gorn can’t be reasoned with…more on that later.

In terms of the Federation’s other dealings with the Gorn, despite multiple unofficial contacts between the two powers by 2259, the Gorn have never been listed as “officially” encountered. This is primarily because the Gorn hardly leave survivors.

In accordance with ritual, when Gorn hunt captives for sport on their breeding worlds, one survivor is spared and placed in a life raft jettisoned into space. The survivor is not expected to live, though La’an obviously did.

The first “official” contact between the Federation and the Gorn does occur in 2267 when the Gorn attack a Federation colony on the planet Cestus III. The Gorn view their attack as a preemptive move since they regard Cestus as part of their own territory. The USS Enterprise pursues a Gorn starship into unexplored space, where both ships are immobilized by the super-advanced and mysterious Metrons, who pit Captain Kirk and the Gorn captain against each other, against their will, in a contest of strength and ingenuity to the death.

Kirk spares the brutish Gorn’s life after Kirk is victorious, and the calculating but high-principled Metrons send both captains back to their respective ships and transport the Enterprise light-years out of the area.

Given how intelligent the Gorn are, they are surely keenly aware of the Federation’s perception of them up to this point. So, it’s likely that this very encounter in “Arena” was an instrumental stepping stone in the thawing of Federation-Gorn relations as both cultures began to appreciate each other’s perspectives and moral systems more fully.

This is why, by the 24 th century, the Cestus conflict is more or less resolved…the Federation colony has been rebuilt, and Benjamin Sisko speaks of the Pike City Pioneers baseball team that hails from this planet’s capital. This doesn’t mean the Federation and the Gorn have to be best buds, but once again, like the Klingons, open hostilities have apparently been reduced to a minimum.

And even more has been done in recent Trek instalments to, in a word, further “humanize” the Gorn. In Lower Decks , we see a Gorn wedding reception, and a Gorn chef works at a restaurant on Federation Starbase 25.

A Gorn is even referenced as having attended William T. Riker’s bachelor party in an omitted line of dialogue from the first draft script of Star Trek: Nemesis . While admittedly a lot of work must be done, both in-universe and out-of-universe, to bridge this more peaceful depiction of the Gorn with their depiction as loose analogues to Alien ’s xenomorphs, the point is, the groundwork has already been laid for such a transition. So, no, Ms Noonien-Singh, the Gorn can be reasoned with. Much like has happened with the Romulans and multiple other antagonists in Star Trek , given enough time, an enemy really can become an ally—even a friend.

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'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds': Who Are the Gorn?

Who are the mystery aliens pursuing the Enterprise?

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds recently released its fourth episode, "Memento Mori," and with it, used its prequel status to return to an iconic piece of Star Trek lore dating back to 1967. This episode doesn't shy away from saying the infamous species' name, either. However, revisiting the Gorn isn't all that surprising, considering Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh ( Christina Chong ) revealed the heartbreaking backstory that found her a victim of the ruthless species, even if that wasn't quite the lore the audience was expecting based on the character's name. But fifty-five years is a long time, so if you don't remember everything about the antagonistic species, nobody would blame you. So, who are the Gorn?

The Gorn are an intelligent, bipedal, and reptilian species that are incredibly hostile and unfortunately warp-capable with technology on par with The Federation's. Thanks to Lower Decks , the assumption can be made that they have at least two genders and that marriage is a part of their reptilian culture. The species are very durable, strong, and have incredible stamina, however, this also makes them slower and less agile creatures. While the eye appearance of the reptiles' eyes varied among the species, they had razor-sharp teeth, holes on the side of their heads for ears, and claws on their hands and feet. The Gorn are carnivores.

RELATED: How ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Perfectly Balances Classic and New Trek

Until Strange New Worlds , it was assumed that the first contact with the Gorn was with Captain James T. Kirk ( William Shatner ), but we now know of at least two previous interactions. The first occurred in the 2200s when the reptilians captured a human colony ship and transferred the entire complement to a facility where they were used as live food or breeding sacks. According to the Gorn's culture, the last surviving person is jettisoned into space aboard a life raft, allowing for Lt. Noonien-Singh's survival and rescue by Una Chin-Riley ( Rebecca Romijn ). Later, the Gorn attempt to lure The USS Enterprise under Captain Christopher Pike ( Anson Mount ) into a trap, but thanks to the previous experience of Lt. Noonien-Singh, the Enterprise is able to evade capture, destroy one of the ships, and escape.

The Federation made contact with the species when they attack a colony/outpost on Cestus III, a system in what the Gorn considered their territory, in Star Trek: The Original Series episode, "Arena." When USS Enterprise pursues a Gorn vessel, another alien, a Metron, transports both Kirk and the Gorn Captain to a deserted planet where the iconic fight scene takes place. Kirk eventually wins, but instead spares the Gorn. The Metron is surprised but impressed, deciding to spare The Enterprise while still sending them thousands of light-years away from that sector of space.

A Gorn was next seen on The Animated Series episode, "The Time Trap." He was seen on a ruling council of a pocket reality, implying that some of the species became separated from the whole. It's important to note that generally The Animated Series isn't included in the recognized Star Trek canon. The Gorn are also in several Lower Decks episodes. In addition to the huge marriage revelation, the series also gives fans an amazing tidbit of information: A Gorn resides on Starbase 25 and is a chef at 'Mr. Krada Leg'.

Finally, a Gorn named Slar is also used in Enterprise 's "In A Mirror Darkly, Part 2" to help contextualize the mirror universe and show how brutal and violent the alternate reality is. Slar is a slavemaster for the Tholian Assembly, leading a salvage mission of the USS Defiant (NCC-1764), a ship from the prime universe, stuck in the mirroring one. When Terrans also board the ship, Slar attempts to keep control of the ship but is killed by Captain Jonathan Archer ( Scott Bakula ) in the process. Star Trek: Discovery also shows that because of the size and might of the species, it isn't unusual for members of The Terran Empire to take their skeletal remains as trophies, as seen on Georgiou's ( Michelle Yeoh ) ISS Shenzou.

The Gorn may not have a history as complex as the Andorians or Bajorans, but the Gorn rightfully earned their place in Trek lore even just by being the first thing that comes to many people's minds when mentioning Star Trek or Captain Kirk. The inclusion of this species in La'an's backstory gives the opportunity to flesh out this species even more in Strange New Worlds , potentially providing more context for the goofy fight that aired over 5 decades ago.

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• Mazda released an advert, and a Facebook page ap , promoting the Mazda 6 car. 
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• ESPN did a video featuring one of it's presenters in the film. 
• Several food comapnies promoted the film: See my round-up of other tie-ins, including KFC, Burger King, Fisherman's Friend, Cadbury's, Budwisers, Real D, and more ! 
• There was also a Star Trek hotel room in Brazil .

• Covers and pre-order bonus details .
• P re-order bonus Kre-O set . 
• Trailers: here , here , here , and here .
• Shatner vs Gorn advert .
• Behind the scenes videos: here , here , here , and here .
• Game-play footage: here , here , here , and here .
• First official images
• Toy Fair displays
• High quality images and packaging
• Kreon figures
• Animation 
• USS Vengeance set
• Toy Fair displays.
• Attack pod photos
• Enterprise and figurines photos
• Star Surger Attack Pod photos  

13 comments:

Thanks for this guide. No fast food tie-ins this time around, though?

Report coming on that soon :)

Any chance for toy starships or is that it with Kreo? I think Playmates missed the boat without making the KELVIN, wish Hasbro would devote some time to it.

Hasbro toy ships are coming in Kre-O form and as the Fighter Pods caricature-style USS Enterprise. There should be at least one Into Darkness ship in the new Hot Wheels range, but we don't know what ship yet.

why is there a movie novelization when the movie steals half of its plot from Diane Carey's "Dreadnought!"?

"Giacchino also wrote two hours of new music for the Star Trek video game, so we can only hope that gets some sort of release as well" In line with http://www.thetrekcollective.com/2013/06/into-darkness-catch-up-part-2-music.html, this should be Chad Seiter.

Thanks Ishmal, must have forgotten to update that at the time. Fixed now!

Is there going to be a USB drive containing the movie (As per the first movie) ??

I've yet to hear of any sort of USB releases.

It appears that the only novels (prose not graphic) are the movie tie-ins and the Khan series. Am I reading that correctly or have I missed something? I'd love to find out more about the nuTrekverse but (sorry, guys) I have zero interest in comic book versions. Give me words! :-)

Unfortunately so Kathleen. There are some Starfleet Academy books set in this timeline, but that's it for prose (aside from the novelization). There were four adult novels written, to be set between the two films, but they were cancelled.

Wow. That's just so...sad. Do they think text-based books are too hard for nuTrek fans or something?

Speculation is that Bad Robot exerted influence to get Pocket Books to pull the plug, for whatever reason (wanting to maintain creative control over the new timeline maybe). But the exact reason hasn't been publicly disclosed, beyond the suggestion they were leaving space in the development period of Into Darkness. With Into Darkness out now, I believe the authors involved have suggested the books (which were all written, being pulled just months before publication), would need rewrites if they were ever to see publication later. Here are the preliminary blurbs and covers that were released: http://www.thetrekcollective.com/2010/01/covers-and-blurbs-for-new-movie-books.html

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Star Trek Into Darkness

After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one-man weapon of mass ... Read all After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one-man weapon of mass destruction. After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one-man weapon of mass destruction.

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• Trivia Leonard Nimoy 's final film role (and by extension, his final time portraying Spock) before his death on February 27, 2015 at the age of 83. It's also the first in the Star Trek franchise (either movie or TV series) after the death of Majel Barrett .
• Goofs (at around 1h 24 mins) While planning the space jump, Sulu's display incorrectly labels the Enterprise as NCC/0514, which is the registry for the USS Kelvin from Star Trek (2009) . It should read NCC/1701.

James T. 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.

James T. Kirk : Well, still, it's a hell of a quote.

• Crazy credits There are no opening credits in the film except for the title card, making this the third consecutive Star Trek film that does not list its cast at the beginning.
• Connections Featured in The One Show: Episode #7.133 (2012)
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Star Trek trailer is all about the Gorn and their deadly lack of clothing

Trekkies have a special fondness for the Gorn, but here's a few facts for the less-familiar: the Gorn are giant space lizards. They appeared rarely in the TV shows, but the race's debut in the 1967 Original Series episode "Arena" went down in history as one of the most awkward man-vs-man-in-a-monster-suit fights ever televised . They're now a major enemy in the video game counterpart of JJ Abrams' upcoming Star Trek: Into Darkness film, and developer Digital Extremes wants the wrathful reptilians to pose a considerable threat beyond their wonderful fashion sense.

Several Gorn variations will shoot, snarl, and leap at Kirk and Spock, including giant smashy Gorn, sneaky invisible Gorn, and female Gorn of striking hues. Their agility probably serves to boot players out of cover and keep the action moving, but knowing Kirk, all it might take is one dramatically slow judo-chop to the neck to drop one of these things.

Star Trek energizes on April 23 in the US and April 26 in Europe. Into Darkness is in theaters shortly thereafter on May 17.

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Strange new worlds writer explains changing star trek’s gorn canon.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds writer Davy Perez explains the thinking behind the series' major change to the classic Star Trek alien race the Gorn.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds writer Davy Perez explains a major canon change involving the Gorn. Star Trek: The Original Series introduced the alien race known as the Gorn in the classic episode “Arena,” which saw Captain Kirk battling one of their number on a barren planet at the behest of a powerful alien race called the Metrons. Since that introduction however, the lizard-like Gorn species hasn’t been heard from much in the Trek franchise (at least on the live-action side).

But this lack of Gorn in Star Trek has now been remedied in a big way with the arrival of the new Paramount+ series Strange New Worlds . Though the mysterious race has yet to be physically seen on the show, their presence was felt right away through the backstory of Lieutenant La'an Noonien-Singh, who was revealed to be the survivor of a Gorn prison camp. The Gorn then figured even more heavily in Strange New Worlds  season 1 episode "Memento Mori,” which saw the antagonistic aliens attacking and damaging the Enterprise. By episode's end, not only had the Gorn made their presence known to the Federation, their physical appearance was also revealed to Spock when he mind-melded with La'an and shared in her memories of being imprisoned by the them. But as some  Star Trek fans have pointed out, Spock must have forgotten whatever he knew about the Gorn after this, as he seems to have no knowledge of them in the TOS episode "Arena" (which of course takes place after the events of SNW ). Indeed Kirk and company's encounter with the Gorn in that episode is recorded in Trek lore as official first contact between the Federation and the lizard-like race, but now it seems it wasn't first contact after all.

Related:  Strange New Worlds Just Hinted At Major Star Trek Canon Changes

This seeming inconsistency is of course just one more example of how new Star Trek has played fast-and-loose with the franchise's long-established lore, sometimes to the chagrin of long-time fans. But speaking to Inverse , writer Perez gave some insight into why he felt it was OK to play around with the Gorn and the Federation's knowledge of them. He said:

"Kirk’s idea of the Gorn is different from what he is being told by the Metrons. The Gorn he’s meeting in ‘Arena,’ doesn’t sync with his expectations of them. It was a personal choice I made in my own headcanon that allowed me to have fun with the writing. Viewing it that way creates more possibilities for Gorn stories to continue. … Maybe Kirk has never seen them, he could even be one of those people who still doubts the stories, or maybe even he has seen them and they don’t look the same. I think the safest thing to say is we have no idea what the Gorn are really like.”

Lopez's remarks here seem almost to suggest that the Gorn are a shape-shifting race, or possess some other attribute that makes it incredibly difficult to pin them down. It's a matter of opinion of course whether his explanation really squares the seemingly large issue of Kirk knowing nothing about the species at the beginning of "Arena." Indeed it's possible that Kirk himself never encountered a Gorn before having to fight one to the death on Cestus III. But the Federation and particularly Spock surely knew about them, as Strange New Worlds has now made clear.

But again such canon inconsistencies as these are obviously becoming common in Star Trek , and are indeed unavoidable as new writers take on the task of creating stories set in the Trek universe. The important thing with the Gorn is that they’re something casual Star Trek fans have heard of before and might be interested in seeing, therefore making them worthy of being taken out of mothballs, even if some retconning is required to square things. It will now be interesting to see what new things are revealed about the Gorn  - only to apparently be forgotten - as Star Trek: Strange New Worlds weaves them further into the fabric of the Trek Universe.

More:  Strange New Worlds Episode 8 Exemplifies What Star Trek's Been Missing

Source: Inverse

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Graeme McMillan

46 Years Later, a Rematch Between William Shatner and the Gorn Warrior

For fans of the original Star Trek , the fight between Kirk and a Gorn warrior in the episode "Arena" is a thing of weird beauty. Well, as beautiful as a slow-motion, clearly choreographed fight between an actor and a stunt man in a rubber suit can be, anyway. Now, 46 years later, it's time for a rematch. Yes, really.

The campy wrestling match between Kirk and the Gorn in " Arena " is one of the highlights of *Star Trek'*s first season, in large part because of Alexander Courage's great score and also because, come on: Who doesn't love obviously fake aliens throwing styrofoam boulders around the place?

With Trek back in everyone's minds because of this summer's upcoming Star Trek Into Darkness flick, someone decided it was time for the two to go head-to-rubber-head once again. And thanks to an ad for NAMCO Bandai's Star Trek: The Video Game , that's exactly what happens. The only problem: It's 82-year-old William Shatner and an equally graying Gorn opting for a rematch:

What's that Karl Marx quote about history repeating itself, firstly as tragedy, then as farce?

Yes, now we're at the point where William Shatner himself is making fun of himself for being too old for this kind of nonsense. I mean, sure, he's looking pretty good for 82, but still, part of me has just died a little. Chris Pine, if you're pulling this kind of stuff four decades from now.... Well, I'll be impressed that Star Trek has lasted that long, to be honest, but you know what I mean.

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The Easter Eggs Of Star Trek Into Darkness

| May 23, 2013 | By: Matt Wright 304 comments so far

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS EASTER EGGS

Of course Star Trek Into Darkness includes some big homages and reverences to Star Trek history including Khan, Section 31 and beyond which are key parts of the film. But there are also some more subtle ‘easter egg’ references to Star Trek history and beyond included in the film. Some of which you may have already spoted and maybe some you didn’t.

McCoy’s Tribble

Doctor McCoy has a Tribble in sickbay, used for testing in the movie. McCoy already has this Tribble when the movie opens thanks to the adventures of the ongoing comic book series where they faced the Tribbles in “The Truth About Tribbles”.

As the team approaches Qo’noS, there is a hulk of a dead moon, implying that the Klingon moon of Praxis was already over-mined in this timeline (Star Trek VI). As usual the writers are being coy and won’t say for sure that it’s Praxis.

This seeming early destruction of Praxis may be related to a Section 31 operation that John Harrison carried out before the events of the movie. There is a reference to a “Praxxis Project” barely visible in the redacted text of the “leaked” Starfleet Memorandum document about Harrison found on AreYouThe1701.com [ they appear to have misspelled the name, if it is indeed supposed to be in reference to the Klingon moon ]. To see the memo for yourself  read our article .

Bay Stadium

We can see the floating/hovering Bay Stadium that was seen in the Star Trek Enterprise episode “Home” is still there. It is located off of (roughly) where the ferry buildings are in present day San Francisco. The version in the film is a circular stadium/coliseum instead of the rectangular in shape seen in ENT.

Spacefight future history

In Admiral Markus’ office among other historical space flight vehicles, such as a Saturn V rocket and a Space Shuttle, there are also models from Star Trek’s future history, including the U.S.S Kelvin (from Star Trek 2009)  NX-01 ( Star Trek: Enterprise ), the NX-Alpha (warp 2 test ship from the Star Trek: Enterprise episode “First Flight”), Cochrane’s Warp ship ( Star Trek: First Contact ), and the Enterprise XCV 330 “ring ship” (as seen on the wall of the rec deck in  Star Trek: The Motion Picture  , in a painting on the wall of the 602 Club in Star Trek: Enterprise , and rendered in the 2011 “Ships of the Line” calendar). The models were made by Quantum Mechanix for the movie, see our article for more.

The attending physician’s name on the biobed monitor by Kirk when he wakes up in the hospital in San Francisco is Dr. Boyce, a reference to the ship’s doctor in the first Star Trek  TV pilot “The Cage”, which is also where we first met the Prime timeline version of Pike.

The Gorn Babies

McCoy mentions that he had given a cesarean section to a pregnant Gorn and that the live-birth babies bite (Star Trek The Video Game).

Pike is called to the meeting with admiralty in the Daystrom Conference Room at Starfleet HQ. A reference to Dr. Richard Daystrom the inventor of the duotronic computers used in TOS (TOS: “The Ultimate Computer”).

Mudd Incident

Sulu says over the comm system to ready the impounded trade ship from “the Mudd incident.” This is a reference to the prequel comic “Countdown into Darkness” and that story’s involvement with Harry Mudd’s half-Bajoran daughter.

Nurse Chapel

Carol Marcus mentions her friend Christine Chapel who had told her of Kirk’s “reputation.” Chapel is of course a recurring character from the original Star Trek (played by Majel Barrett Rodddenberry). The character was also mentioned in the 2009 Star Trek film and was part of the USS Enterprise medical staff at that time, before leaving for a deep space assignment. She may be the blond nurse seen in this picture.

Ketha Province

The region of Qo’noS the team go to is the Ketha Province, which is where General Martok ( Star Trek: Deep Space 9 ) will come from in the Prime timeline’s future.

Kirk’s Menage a Caitian

Kirk is seen in bed with two Caitains – a feline species first introduced in Star Trek: The Animated Series with the character M’Ress.

MUSICAL EGGS

Amok Time Sting

As mentioned in an interview last month with Michael Giacchino said he was compelled by a fan on Twitter to include something from the TOS score at the last minute. That homage is the classic “Amok Time” fight music, which is heard very briefly after Spock beams down in a foot chase after Harrison through San Francisco.

Beastie Boys

Kirk is listening to an antique record of the Beastie Boys “Body Movin’ (Fat Boy Slim Remix)” while ‘entertaining’ twin cat-like ladies. This is a callback to young Kirk joyriding to “Sabotage” in Star Trek 2009, Kirk’s general interest in antiques in the Prime timeline, and thirdly, the Beastie Boys is a personal favorite of director of J.J. Abrams.

ABRAMSVERSE EGGS:

The archive blown up in London is the called “Kelvin Memorial Archive”, named for George Kirk’s ship destroyed by Nero in Star Trek 2009. The name of the U.S.S. Kelvin itself is from J.J. Abrams own family, it was his grandfather’s last name. This is of course in addition to the more apparent homage to Lord Kelvin of the eponymous temperature scale.

Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay is taken out by the USS Vengeance, a possible nod by the producers to the quickly canceled Abrams show on FOX named Alcatraz .

In the bar by the Port of San Francisco where Scotty and Keenser are blowing off steam about resigning from the Enterprise mission, the bar tables has a rotating light-up Slusho sign in the middle. Slusho is from Abrams’ Cloverfield .

POSSIBLE EASTER EGGS

Carol “Wallace”

Carol Marcus’ mother’s maiden name was Wallace, which is assumed to be an homage to Janet Wallace (TOS “The Deadly Years”).

Another Deltan Navigator?

A bald navigator (“Darwin”) is seen taking the helm when Chekov is assigned to engineering.  She may be an homage to Star Trek: The Motion Picture’s  Lt. Illia and her Deltan race.

See anything else?

There are bound to be more than the easter eggs listed above and when the Blu-rays arrive they will be much easier to spot with the benefit of freeze frame.

So did you spot any other little easter eggs in Into Darkness? If so post about them below.

I thought I saw a Slusho ad at the bar in Frisco where Scotty and Keenser hung out. But I’m not sure, have to watch it again….

So the cat ladies were Caitian! I hope we see female Caitian crew members on the Enterprise in the next movie…purr, meow…Of course, we will be told their names!

I thought Gorn were reptilian. If so, they do not give birth, they lay eggs.

I guess when Nero killed Kirk’s father, all the Gorn spontaneously turned into mammals and…

Android bridge officer?

Anyone know where we can find the Amok Time reference in the soundtrack?

@ Alt-Spock.

There were once dinosaurs (reptiles) which did give birth. Since the Gorn look like dinosaurs anyway, its not that far fetched…

Gorn are aliens. They look like reptiles, but are they really reptiles?

If so, then the Gorn Captain in Arena was lucky that he and Kirk were transported to the planet during the day. Otherwise he would have cooled too much during the night and Kirk could have killed him more easily.

@5 Matthew Brannon

It can be heard at 1:55 of “The San Fran hustle”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=eb8Irl2d7zE#t=115s

I could have swore I heard a short refrain from ST Wrath of Khan near the end of the film after Kirk is saved by McCoy! 2 burst of the music! I know that soundtrack inside out!

8. Thanks so much!!! That’s a great easter egg!!!

@3. Alt-Spock

Some terran reptiles and fish are viviparous (live bearing). And there are two oviparous mammals – the Echidna and the Platypus.

heres some more : (ranging from obvious to not so obvious)

-72 operational cryo pods (same in Space Seed)

-TMP style uniforms at certain points (Admiral Pike, McCoys white medical tunic)

-McCoys medical T shirt (straight out of TOS)

-Kirks leather coat in the Qo’noS scenes (reminiscent of Shatners Trek III coat)

-the cloak/coat Khan was wearing on Qo’noS recalled Khans costume from TWOK (e.g. the way he was wrapped up at the start – like Khan on Ceti Alpha V and also the ribbed collar of his jacket, being highly reminiscent of Khan’s TWOK brown outfit) http://scifanatic.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/itskhan-collar.jpg

-Chekov’s redshirt fear

-kirk made a gag about sulu wanting his own command after having sat in the chair (TUC)

-various Trek movie lines – ‘Needs of the many..’…’they gave her back to me’…’you better get down here, better hurry’…’you’ll flood the whole compartment.’… ‘Ship, out of danger.’

-Spocks line – ’Wrath’ of the Klingons

-Pikes line of ‘Data reports that you blah blah’ (i know it might not have been intentional but the way Pike said it made me think he was referring to Lt Cmr Data – could he have been found earlier in this new timeline?)

-Klingon BOPs (the way they landed was similar to TSFS)

-USS Vengeance (looked like a TNG era ship esp the Ent E…plus the name recalled the original title of Star Trek II – The ‘Vengeance’ of Khan )

-Starfleet admiral saying war with the klingons is inevitable and conspiring with another villain to instigate a war with them (TUC) – also ties in with the praxis thing

-Scotty sabotaging an advanced starship with transwarp capability (TSFS)

-Khan threatens to take away life support (Space Seed)

-khan commendeering a federation vessel (Space Seed/TWOK)

-The safety belts that Spock, Sulu, et al wear (NEM – deleted end scene)

-saucer crash (GEN)

-Kirk lives (several TOS eps – esp Amok Time)

-”to boldly go where no ‘one’ has gone before’ (TNG – also used in ST09)

-similar to Amok Time music, apparently some TWOK cues are used in the score?

plus other movies: -the way Khan kills Marcus (Blade Runner)

-the opening running away from the spear throwing natives (opening of Raiders)

-Khan and his followers at the end in the warehouse (end of Raiders)

-opening recalled elements of Prometheus (aliens were abit similar to engineers & the opening deals with the enterprise crew depicted as aliens rising a gigantic saucer craft near water on a planet early in its development helping them along, the aliens then drawing the enterprise symbol) plus later on Bones and Carol Marcus land on a barren planet that looks alot like LV233

-grey uniforms (Star Wars Empire)

-The interior of the USS Vengeance appears to be a cross between the Enterprise and an Imperial Star Destroyer

-flying a Millenium Falcon type shuttle on Qo’noS

-Khans Slave 1 style craft to kill the heads of SF

-“WILL FIT! WILL FIT! WILL FIT!” (Empire, Return of the Jedi, ID4 etc)

-Spock vs Khan fight in the future city (Blade Runner/Total Recallx2/5th Element/Attack of the Clones/Minority Report)

-Tron Legacy like spacesuits

-space jump sequence with the hatch they’re aiming for being so small and somebody saying Kirk won’t be able to hit it without the aid of his computer (Star Wars)

-villain gets all the big shots in one room and attacks it with a helicopter type craft (Godfather III)

-Khan wanting to be caught and orchastrating events whilst imprisoned ‘its all part of the plan’ (joker in TDK/Loki in Avengers/Silva in Skyfall/Lector in Silence)

-Khans vague origins this time (again like Joker in TDK)

-Lobot like bald androidy type dude on bridge (Empire)

-Inception style gravity loss

Thanks, for that. I’ve seen the movie 7 times so far. Although I knew the Amok Time reference was supposed to be there, each time I am too caught up in the movie to consciously pay attention to the music. I have to say, though, that I don’t recognise it as Amok Time until 1:59.

The Daystrom reference is a bit weird, unless Daystrom was already a genius as a child or teen.

I don’t think that the two female twins look like the catlike race of M’Ress at all

There should have been also a model of the USS Horizon in the Admirals office. That was one of the first Starfleet ships at all.

@14 i thought the cat girls were more a homage to catgirl from Trek V (lol)

@9 – i think i also heard certain TWOK cues. someone needs to research it more (not me though :)

#12 – You should study the difference between “easter eggs” and “everything in the movie.”

An easter egg isn’t just an element lifted from prior movies, such as the 72 cryotubes. It’s a hidden/secret “gift”–you know, like an Easter egg, something that is hidden and has to be found. (R2D2 in the debris near Vulcan in Trek09 = easter egg. “WILL FIT WILL FIT WILL FIT” is not.)

Simply cataloging the film’s similarities to others has nothing to do with Easter eggs.

the writers talk spoilers etc here: http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=37615

18 – ok theres probably a few eggs in there anyway though

#20 – No, not really. About half of your list is just elements of Star Trek that are openly used. The other half is an astute listing of some of STID’s most noticeable thefts from…uh, sorry, “homages to” other films.

In fact, I may quote your list to some friends who disagree about STID being so derivative, so thanks!

@21 you are right, looking over the list i dont think theres one easter egg in there! i got it completly wrong. do i feel silly now.

#22 – Nothing to feel silly about, since you clearly have a sharp eye for detail–all the many, many, many lifted and “borrowed” details in this otherwise fun movie. You caught a lot of visual references that I hadn’t connected to anything else.

I feel silly for picking on your list in the first place, but no matter: Everything on this board is a bit silly. Peace!

No number 47?

Oh, and they may not be easter eggs, but I enjoyed Khan 2.0s list, as I enjoyed the article

The use of torpedoes for storage of the cryo tubes. This could be a reference to Star Trek III. A cryo tube that was stored in one of the torps is then used to store dead Kirk until he can be revived with Khan’s blood.

Star Trek II reference, Spock gives Khan the torpedoes reminiscent of “stand by to receive transmission… here it comes…”

@25 just like Spock in the torped!. nice catch

wonder if theres any Trek V nods? (like Kirk banging his head in ST09)

hmmm…the cat girls? (but then they wernt as feline as the one in V) anyone know where the Carol/Bones on a planetoid scene was filmed. it looked abit Prometheusy so maybe Iceland? or could it have been where they filmed Ska-Ka-Ree?

@24 thanks man. i love looking for all this stuff

not Easter Eggs but NEMESIS connections? (obviously as NEM had a very similar in plot to TWOK) :

-Khan created by scientifics in lab, manipulating DNA (Shinzon). -Khan betrays his ally (like Shinzon with the romulans). -Khan has a huge all powerful superspaceship (like Shinzon). -Khans superspaceship half destroys Enterprise and an important crewperson dies (only to be brought back 10 minutes later :)

Off topic, but William Shatner is attending screening of WOK and STID in Chicago. Has some great observations from the actor.

http://blogs.suntimes.com/arts_entertainment/2013/05/william_shatner_to_make_appearances_here_for_star_trek_screenings.html

“…our own polling shows that many fans plan to see the movie a second (third, fourth, etc.) time.”

Unfortunately there’s no way to UN vote in that poll. Having seen the film last Friday, I’d retract my predicted “twice” if I could.

Anyone else think the way the Enterprise’s engineering section of hull is cut through by the Vengeance was reference to the famous shot of the Reliant firing upon the Enterprise in Wrath of Khan?

Thanks Anthony. Some of these I caught, some I missed.

Could someone please explain what’s up with the andriod on the bridge?

GAT-2000? (or something like that)

Not an Easter egg but the Ring ship has been around for a long time I remember it being in a portfolio available from Lincoln-Star Trek Enterprises back in ’73-’74. I think (not positive) it may have been an idea from Genesis II….as there was also a drawing of the underground tram station.

Star Trek enterprises….wow….Trek, Kung-fu.SEARCH, TAS, Spectre, Questor,anyone have a pdf of one of thier catalogs.? I remember TOS scripts were a high priced $7.95….film clips were 8 for $4.00.

The music that plays during the scene where the Harewoods drive to the hospital sounds very, very much like Stevie Wonder’s “They Won’t Go When I Go.”

@33 i remember the Ring ENT from the Spaceflight chronology book from the late 70s(i remember thinking back to that book and also the TMP wall paintings when i saw the ships on Marcus’ desk) http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ehpWmhvSL._SY300_.jpg

Abrams often shows a “red ball” in his work (like red matter). When “Father” adds Khan’s blood to his daughter’s IV, it looks like a red ball at one point

@14. Exverlobter

In the Prime universe, Daystrom (aged 24) made the duotronic breakthrough in 2243 that won him the Nobel and Zee-Magnees Prizes.

STID is set in 2259, so it’s possible the archive is named after him, if he made a similar breakthrough in a similar timeframe in the Alternate universe.

McCoy has surgery on torpedo like in star trek 6

It’s not Praxis. Read the hard cover novel.

It’s not Chapel. In STID Marcus herself says Chapel went to the frontier to become a nurse.

just flicking throgh the 1979 Space Flight Chronology book (havent opened it in years) i notice they show the DY-100 class Botany Bay and mention Khan and his followers(pity we didnt get to somehow see the Botany Bay in STID – maybe at the end in the warehouse)

also notice that one ship in the early 00s is called the ‘Lewis and Clark’ and a one later is called the ‘Horizon’

i wonder if the writer of Event Horizon (Paul WS Anderson) grew up reading this book? (the L&C in SFC is of a similar design to the Event Horizon in the 1997 movie)

Went to the frontier? With… ROGER CORBY perhaps??

12–Interesting stuff. No, technically not Easter eggs but fun nonetheless.

But, no it can’t be the Data from TNG. He wasn’t created until the mid 23rd century (Memory Alpha probably has the exact year somewhere). I’m not even sure Dr Soong was born yet in 2259, and if so, he’d likely still be a child.

I thought the same thing about the Vengeance crashing into San Francisco. One scene in particular, when they show it from below, reminded me exactly of the Enterprise crashing in Generations, with a similar perspective.

I also had thought the Vengeance activating their weapons ports (or opening them, hard to describe) reminded me exactly of the Scimitar opening it’s wings when it was preparing to activate its thalaron weapon in Nemesis.

The seat belts – the concept and how they look and operate – are from a deleted scene from Star Trek: Nemesis.

Not all reptiles lay eggs. Some lizards and snakes give birth to live young. Google it.

It is entirely possible the Gorn, being more advanced than common animals, bear live young.

BTW: I remember tweeting to Giacchino to use the Amok Time music a few months ago, I wonder if I was “the fan?”

Spock melds with Pike, instead of McCoy as in TWoK. Possible set up for sequel wherein Pike’s “katra”, for lack of a better word, is in Spock, causing him to flee to Talos IV to allow Pike to live again in an illusional body. A rewriting of “The Cage” and “The Menagerie”.

The man issue is that a year has passed since Spock melded with Pike and the launch of the Enterprise 5-year mission. So, Pike would have to have been sitting quietly in Spock’s mind all that time.

@ 42. Right! Could well imagine a great and more thoughtful movie centered around the ENTERPRISE finding Roger Corby, Christine Chapel, Ruk, and (yes) Andrea on planet Exo III.

They are also from another planet.

Hey Anthony –

I know there was some reference to the JJ Abrams interview on Conan earlier this week in another article. During that interview, JJ actually talks about Easter Eggs, and he says specifically that “R2D2 is in this movie”. He also references Slusho being in “all our movies”. So, I’m wondering if Slusho was in the bar scene, but has anyone found R2D2 in STID?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suKALs9iEc8

I wonder. That shuttle they use to return to the Enterprise in space dock – is that named Takei? It was such a short glimpse and part of it was obscured by Urban’s head (I think), but… anyone confirm?

The Expanded World of Star Trek Into Darkness

By Silas Lesnick

One of the challenges facing any would-be “Star Trek” fan without an existing foothold in the franchise is the sheer volume of material out there. Even discounting the countless tie-in novels, comic books and video games, there are still hundreds of hours of “canon” Trek, split between six television series and 12 feature films. If J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek Into Darkness is one of your first experiences with Gene Roddenberry’s fictional universe, this guide is designed to point you in the right direction to either continue the experience or, at the very least, help you appreciate some of the inside jokes that pop up in the new blockbuster. Please be aware, however, that the below information contains spoilers for both the new film and for several series storylines as well. Please proceed at your own discretion.

The most important thing to realize about “Star Trek” is that, despite its massive scale, it is at its heart, an anthology series designed to showcase science fiction ideas. In fact, it was policy on every series up until “Enterprise” in 2001 to accept unsolicited screenplays from fans, some of which wound up becoming actual episodes. Although ongoing arcs do appear, particularly in later series, all you really need to know to access most episodes is that “Star Trek” is about explorers and their encounters with strange new worlds, new life and new civilizations.

In Into Darkness , Dr. McCoy mentions that he once delivered Gorn octuplets. What’s a Gorn? Check out “Arena,” the 18th episode of the original series to see Starfleet’s first encounter with the vicious reptilian race. The episode finds the Enterprise attempting to pay a visit to a distant outpost, only to learn that the base has been obliterated by the Gorn. When a starship battle threatens to break out between the Enterprise and a Gorn ship, the conflict attracts the attention of the Metrons, omnipotent beings that force both ships’ captains to settle their difference through hand-to-hand combat on the planet’s surface. Whoever loses will have their entire ship destroyed by the all-powerful race.

The Gorn have been one of the most popular races in “Star Trek” lore but, while frequently referenced, have only actually appeared in two other episodes. An unnamed Gorn can be seen in what is essentially a cameo capacity in the animated episode “The Time Trap” and one appears in the fourth season “Enterprise” episode “In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II.” The Gorn are also heavily featured in the new “Star Trek” video game, set in the Abrams’ timeline and taking place directly before the events of “Into Darkness”.

“The Trouble with Tribbles” is the 34th episode of the original series and introduces the furry creatures that are equally adorable and menacing. Although they appear to be nothing more than soft, purring balls of fluff, Tribbles are actually born pregnant and breed at an exponential rate, threatening to quickly overtake entire starships. In the episode, the Enterprise crew manages to overcome the Tribbles mercifully and even uses them to capture Klingon spies attempting to sabotage an important supply delivery to a Federation colony.

Tribbles return in “More Tribbles, More Troubles,” a light-hearted animated episode wherein genetic engineering has created the “safe” Tribble. Instead of multiplying, however, these ones just get bigger and bigger and bigger.

Tribbles also appeared in an incredible 30th anniversary episode of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” titled “Trials and Tribble-ations.” When the Klingon spy from “The Trouble with Tribbles” decides he wants revenge against Kirk, he winds up hurling himself and the DS9 crew back in time to the actual “Trouble with Tribbles” episode. Forrest Gump -style green screen effects allow the modern cast to go undercover in the background of the original episode, turning the whole affair into one of the funniest and most loving Trek episodes to date.

The most famous recurring villains of the original series, Klingons are a warrior race who hold personal honor above all else. They make their first appearance in the episode “Errand of Mercy,” where an Enterprise away team goes undercover on a seemingly primitive alien world being occupied Klingon troops.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is effectively a political thriller that treats the conflict between Earth and the Klingon Empire as a metaphor for the Cold War. When the Klingon moon, Praxis, explodes, the empire is unable to sustain itself without the Federation’s aide and peace talks begin that, by the time of “The Next Generation,” have even led to a Klingon officer, Worf, serving aboard the Enterprise.

Although used pretty much exclusively as antagonists in the original series, later Trek ends up fleshing out Klingon culture to an incredible degree, offering a look at Klingon art, science and world history.

“Into Darkness” reveals a puzzling twist to the Trek canon, as it appears that, in the new timeline, Praxis exploded several decades earlier than it did in the original continuity and the remains can be seen orbiting Qo’noS.

Redesigned for Star Trek: The Motion Picture , there’s a big visual discrepancy between the Klingons of the original series and those featured in subsequent Trek adventures. Read on for where to find the official explanation!

Into Darkness references a shuttle being left in the Enterprise’s bay after the “Mudd incident.” Harry Mudd (short for Harcourt Fenton Mudd) was one of the original series’ few recurring antagonists. More a pain-in-the-neck than a straight-up villain, Mudd (played by Roger C. Carmel) first visits the Enterprise with three beautiful and mysterious ladies in the series’ sixth episode, “Mudd’s Women.” Although he claims to be delivering mail-order brides, the whole affair quickly turns out to be one of Mudd’s trademark schemes. He then returns in the second-season episode “I, Mudd,” having somehow become the ruler of a planet of Androids. Carmel played the role one more time, lending his voice talents to an animated episode, “Mudd’s Passion,” wherein Mudd causes havoc on the Enterprise with black market love-crystals.

Fans following the Abrams-verse tie-in comic books, however, will know that the Mudd referenced in the film is actually an altogether different character. The four-issue “Countdown to Darkness” series is set directly before the new film and reimagines Mudd as a Bajoran woman.

NURSE CHAPEL

A regular character on the original series, Nurse Christine Chapel was played by Majel Barret Roddenberry (the wife of Trek creator Gene Roddenberry). Chapel first appears in “The Naked Time” and is repeatedly shown as having an unrequited love for Spock. Into Darkness has Marcus mention that she transferred to another ship after things went sour between Chapel and Kirk.

CAROL MARCUS

Played by Bibi Besch in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Carol Marcus is a Federation scientist and the mother of Kirk’s son, David. After David was born, the lovers went their separate ways and David was raised without knowledge of his father. Into Darkness casts Alice Eve in the role, offering a glimpse at a younger version of Marcus that Trek fans have never seen before. There’s even a very specific inside joke in the film that references the character’s origins.

When Marcus comes aboard the Enterprise in the new film, she uses the fake last name Wallace. Dr. Janet Wallace was a character played by Sarah Marshall in the original series episode “The Deadly Years.” An old flame of Kirk’s, Wallace was featured in early drafts of Wrath of Khan in what became the Carol Marcus role.

In the original series’ second pilot, “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” Kirk references that he almost married a “blonde lab tech.” Fans debate to this day whether he meant Wallace, Marcus or, knowing Kirk’s penchant for the ladies, another woman altogether.

THE PRIME DIRECTIVE

The Prime Directive, Starfleet’s guiding principle, is effectively a “live and let live” rule that says that, despite whatever philosophies or ideals the United Federation of Planets may represent, they have no right to inflict their views on outside cultures, particularly cultures that have not yet mastered warp technology and discovered space travel for themselves. On frequent occasions, however, the Prime Directive runs the risk of becoming a “live and let die” rule and some of the very best Trek episodes involve exploring moral conflicts between differing ideologies.

For the very first mention of the Prime Directive, check out the original series episode “The Return of the Archons.” In it, the Enterprise crew has to infiltrate a pre-warp planet in disguise to figure out whether the mysterious force manipulating the culture is of extraterrestrial origin without allowing their own influence to affect the planet’s development.

Although the Prime Directive is not explicitly mentioned in the episode, “A Taste of Armageddon” is one of the original Trek’s very best looks at ideological divergence. The Enterprise finds itself traveling to the war-torn Eminiar VII to open diplomatic relations. The planet, it turns out, has an evolved look at warfare and, rather than fight actual battles that risk destroying the world’s culture, a computer simply calculates the precise fatalities of strategic combat and members of both sides willingly turn themselves over to be disintegrated.

If the conclusion of the Nibiru sequence in Into Darkness interests you, watch “The Next Generation” episode “Who Watches the Watchers?” wherein Captain Picard finds himself in the same situation of having an underdeveloped world accidentally begin worshiping him and his crew as gods.

“The Next Generation” feature film Star Trek: First Contact also offers a nice reverse, putting Earth on the receiving end of the Prime Directive. Thanks to a time travel setup, we get to witness Earth’s very first warp flight 50 years from now and see how, by mastering the technology, our planet makes contact with the Vulcans and begins to discover its place in a much larger universe.

If you’ve seen Into Darkness with a “Star Trek” fan, you’ve likely heard them grumble about the discrepancies between Benedict Cumberbatch’s Khan and the version played by Ricardo Montalban in the original series episode “Space Seed” and the feature film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . Although Montalban is himself Mexican, the character of Khan is supposed to be of Indian descent and was the result of genetic engineering experiments in the late 20th century that led to a catastrophic conflict known as “The Eugenics War.” Khan, a charismatic and vengeful leader, was said to be responsible for 35 million deaths before the war ended in the 1990’s with rumors persisting that Khan may have actually escaped in one of several cryogenically frozen sleeper ships.

“Space Seed” picks up nearly 300 years later and has the Enterprise coming across Khan’s vessel, the Botany Bay, and accidentally reviving the villain. Although Khan attempts to take over the Enterprise and even woos the ship’s female historian into joining him, he’s stopped and, by way of a small mercy on the part of Kirk, marooned on the uninhabited Earth-like planet Ceti Alpha V to rule as he sees fit.

The Wrath of Khan picks up 15 years later, revealing that a solar disaster quickly turned Ceti Alpha V into a hellish wasteland. Khan, barely surviving all these years, has turned all his hatred to Kirk, the man he feels responsible for his fall from grace. Once he makes it to a starship, Khan is able to exact a revenge that plays pretty much parallel to the events of Into Darkness , albeit with a far darker conclusion.

Although Khan himself is not featured, references to the Eugenics War pops up in a few more Trek episodes, including the three-part “Enterprise” arc “Borderland,” “Cold Station 12,” and “The Augments.” Guest-starring Brent Spiner as Dr. Arik Soong, the grandfather of the scientist who will one day build “The Next Generation’s” Data, the episodes follow another sleeper ship from the the ’90s and the illegal research Soong undertakes in an effort to study the newly-awakened crew. Those episodes lead directly to a two-parter later in the season, “Affliction” and “Divergence,” where Soong’s research is used by Klingon scientists, ultimately explaining why original series Klingons look so different from Klingons shown in later series.

The name John Harrison is likely inspired by John Ericssen, which was to be Khan’s name in an early script for “Space Seed.” Although there are quite a few discrepancies to reconcile between the original Khan and Cumberbatch’s take, one potential tease of a solution lies in the “Star Trek: Voyager” two-parter “Future’s End” where the ship is thrown back in time to present day (then 1996) Earth and there are no signs of the global conflict anywhere. Given that no one in Into Darkness seems to recognize Khan as one of history’s great monsters, it’s a good bet that it won’t be long before Trek fans find a way to turn those two continuity wrongs into a right.

The Eugenic War also leads to an incredible mid-series twist in the “Deep Space’s Nine” episode “Doctor Bashir, I Presume,” revealing that one of the series regulars, Dr. Julian Bashir, was genetically modified as a child: a crime that carries significant consequences in the Star Trek universe.

Most of the alien races in the Star Trek universe have their own top-secret agency. The Romulans have an organization called the Tal Shiar and the Cardassians have the Obsidian Order. In the “Deep Space Nine” episode “Inquisition,” we learn that Starfleet has one of their own and that they’ve been operating in secret since the birth of the Federation. Much like how Admiral Marcus recruits Khan, Section 31 reaches out to the genetically-modified Bashir, attempting to make him an agent. Section 31 returns soon thereafter in “Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges,” an episode that explores the darker side of Starfleet, living up the latin title that translates to, “In times of war, the law falls silent.”

Although it doesn’t include Section 31, one of DS9’s very best stories is “In the Pale Moonlight,” fits thematically with stories of Starfleet’s dark side. The episode has the station’s Captain, Sisko, finding himself going to some very immoral extremes in an attempt to achieve the greater good.

“Enterprise” brings back the organization, showing how it affected the early days of Starfleet by making one of the regular characters a secret Section 31 agent. Because the series takes place prior to the Abrams split universe, “Enterprise” can be seen as a direct prequel to the two most recent films. Not only does the two-parter that closes out the series, “Demons” and “Terra Prime,” feature Section 31, it stars Into Darkness ‘ Peter Weller as John Federick Paxton, a villainous leader of a xenophobic hate group, Terra Prime, that wants to see Earth cut off all ties with alien races, not all that disimilar to Marcus’ desire to start a war with the Klingon empire.

Of course, there are hundreds of other great Trek episodes that aren’t referenced in Into Darkness and, thankfully, just about all of them are available through a variety of streaming services. One of the tenants of Vulcan philosophy is IDIC, an acronym that stands for “Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.” That’s a very good way to think about the franchise as whole, so jump right in wherever you feel comfortable and don’t worry too much about not knowing the universe. After all, exploration is the whole point in the first place.

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Star Trek Into Darkness

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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
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• Star Trek Into Darkness (Blu-ray 3D)
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References [ ]

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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
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• 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
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The history of ‘Star Trek’s’ Gorn, from styrofoam rocks to big green xenomorphs

The Gorn. Since debuting in the 1967 Star Trek episode “The Arena,” they’ve been called a lot of things. “Weird.” “Iconic.” “Weirdly iconic.” Thanks to their striking combination of Ferrigno-green slabs of thigh beef and Spirit Halloween-level facial features, the Gorn have taken up a special place in the hearts of Trekkies, representing a threat whose level of seriousness lay somewhere between tribbles and that Riker clone who disguised himself by wearing fake sideburns.

Like Daleks, Cruella De Vil, or any fictional monster with the staying power to stick around for six decades, the Gorn have gone through a fair few reimaginings. Here’s a quick rundown of every take on the Trek villains.

Part One: The Gorn Identity

Star Trek had only been a thing for four months when the Gorn made their first appearance. Episode 19 of the original series aired in January of 1967, spinning a yarn about a Federation outpost on an exotic world getting pretty well smooshed.

The smooshers, who follow up their smooshing by luring Kirk and company into a smoosh trap, are an unknown alien species — cold-blooded reptilians, according to sensor readings, but difficult to get a bead on. After a quick exchange of explosives, the aggressors and the Starfleet personnel make their way back to their respective ships, and a high-warp chase ensues.

Unfortunately for everyone involved, the Enterprise and the alien ship wind up driving through sort of a galactic speed trap. They’re forcibly pulled over by powerful space narcs called Metrons, who don’t cotton to gunplay and irresponsible starship maneuvers in their neck of the woods. The Metrons’ dim view of violence leads them to decide that Kirk and the captain of the alien vessel should get transported to a quiet spot where they can kill each other with primitive weapons. It’s kind of like when you were a kid and you’d fight with your brother, so your parents would give you both all of the ingredients to make gunpowder and then watch you shoot each other with cannons. 

Materializing on the planet, Kirk and the audience get their first look at the Gorn. The tricorder readings from earlier got a few things right: The creature in front of Kirk is definitely reptilian. What they couldn’t have predicted, though, was just how much the alien captain would look like what would happen if Vince McMahon encouraged a Sleestak to start taking some injections to further his career.

The fight is one for the ages. The music is classic. The rocks are uncharacteristically bouncy. Kirk is faster than his sluggish opponent, but the Gorn captain is incredibly strong — not as strong as Khan from the second movie about Khan , but at least as strong as Khan from the first movie about Khan. On a related note, Star Trek is kind of a mess. That’ll be relevant in a minute.

When the Gorn captain finally communicates with Kirk, he’s high-octane arch. He offers to kill Kirk quickly if he stops moving around so much, then lets him know that the outpost he and his crew smooshed earlier was on a planet that the Gorn had called dibs on. This leads to Federation officers, perhaps for the first time, considering that maybe they can’t just park their stuff in people’s yards without asking. 

Kirk wins the fight, pulls a classic hero move, and announces that he won’t kill a helpless super-strong lizard man with a taste for annihilation. Everyone goes their separate ways. Spock and Uhura don’t mention anything about having hung out around Gorn before, inadvertently dropping nerds in the future into a never-ending echo chamber filled with continuity errors, but again, we’ll get to that in a minute.

Part Two: Here today, Gorn tomorrow

It’s uncharacteristic for a species with such an iconic debut to go missing for long stretches of time, but the Gorn didn’t show up again through the rest of the original series. Aside from a cameo in Star Trek: The Animated Series and a deleted scene from Nemesis, the species fully ducks out of the franchise for just shy of 40 years.

The next time we see the Gorn is a full four series later in a 2005 episode of Star Trek: Enterprise. “In a Mirror, Darkly, Pt II” introduces a fresh take on the Gorn — an ambitious new look, fueled by optimism and creativity and maybe a little bit too much faith in how far CGI could get you on a television budget the same year that Sharkboy and Lava Girl hit theaters.

This go-round, the evil counterpart to Captain Archer faces off against a Gorn in the Mirror Universe. This isn’t the sort of Gorn you remember. This guy is slinky and ceiling-crawly. The compound eyes of the creature seen in the original series are replaced by reptilian lizard peepers. This reimagining of the Gorn would look right at home in a video game cutscene made by a studio that’s been struggling for a while. Brought low by a targeted gravity beam, the defenseless lizardman gets a close look at how dark and gritty this timeline is when Archer pew-pews him full of special effects blasts. The only thing strong enough to kill CGI is CGI.

In point of fact, OG Gorn in their rubbery glory would only make one more appearance on screen, during an ad for 2013’s Star Trek: The Video Game. The commercial sees William Shatner and the Gorn he fought back in ‘67 arguing over their couch co-op sesh. 10 years later, it remains the only fondly remembered aspect of a game that made a whole generation ask, ”How big is anything supposed to be?”

Part Three: I Know Gorn When I See It

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a peculiar thing. While it mostly veers toward humanistic optimism about bright-eyed, hard-working explorers, it can’t always escape the black hole of dourness left by its Discovery parentage.

(As a quick, related side note: Captain Lorca had what sure looked like a Gorn skeleton in his office on Discovery. The producers said it was a Gorn, then realized that the Federation hadn’t made contact with the Gorn by that point in history, then walked it back and claimed that it wasn’t a Gorn at all. Discovery was a real mixed bag.)

Case in point: The even newer, even darker, even CGI-ier Gorn, alluded to and kept just offscreen for most of the first season before making their wet first appearance in the episode “All Those Who Wander.” 

The new Gorn would have been unrecognizable to a Star Trek fan in the ‘60s, and suspiciously recognizable to anyone working on the movie Alien in the ‘70s. The days of lumbering were over. The bug eyes were kaput. Now, Gorn — albeit very young ones — looked like a cross between Gremlins and those guys from Dead Like Me that stuck people’s heads in revolving doors. Folks who’d encountered them were petrified of a second run-in, a detail that’s made up about a third of La’an’s dialogue throughout the series, and with good reason. The new Gorn had a habit of sneezing acidic propagation snot on their victims, impregnating their exposed skin with exploding sacks of smaller Gorn. Gorn gestation wound up being what took out fan-favorite Chief Engineer Hemmer, who sacrificed himself to stop the bloodthirsty buns in his oven from cooking. It was a tough pill to swallow, but it went down a little easier thanks to the fact that it gave Carol Kane’s Pelia a chance to join the crew.

The Gorn made one more appearance on SNW as the antagonists in the season two finale, “Hegemony.” Fully realized, fully terrifying, and for the first time since the series premiered, seemingly capable of escaping the trap of being to Strange New Worlds what the Ferengi were to the first year or two of Next Generation, the Gorn are finally primed to take their place as a Star Trek villain worth not laughing at hysterically. 

Oh, shoot, speaking of which.

Part Four: Never Gorn-a Give You Up

Star Trek: Lower Decks is silly. It’s some of the best Star Trek in recent memory for fans of the old days who don’t mind treating a show about spaceships less than reverently, but also just hyper goofy. It’s Rick & Morty if Rick & Morty had been licensed by Paramount and the Roddenberry estate. It’s what everyone expected The Orville to be, but funnier.

So it can be easy to forget that it’s also canon. More than a wacky side project for Trek nerds, it’s a series of stories that take place in the wider Star Trek universe, the same way-too-serious place where those guys from Picard treated Borg victims like they were in a Hostel sequel, and where that lady from TNG died from melting into the floor. All of those stories are just as valid to Trek continuity as the time when the crew of the USS Cerritos was hunted by an anthropomorphic Starfleet insignia named Badgey. Either it all counts, or none of it does.

And so, there’s one last detail about the Gorn that we can pull from Star Trek lore. According to the Lower Decks episode “Veritas,” the Gorn have extravagant weddings. The brides wear white dresses, and the guests sit in uncomfortable-looking folding chairs, and the whole thing is eerily similar to the ceremony for your partner’s hayseed cousin that you got stuck at last summer, only with a flaming mouth-shaped cave instead of a bespoke apple orchard as a backdrop.

This franchise really went off the rails.

Star Trek just changed Gorn canon with an Alien -inspired twist

Writer Davy Perez gets into all the nitty-gritty details of Star Trek’s big swing at starship horror.

In the final frontier, no one can hear you scream. In the penultimate episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1 — “All Those Who Wander” — the crew of the Enterprise are dropped into a nail-biting starship horror story, with heavy influences from the 1979 classic Alien . Along the way, we learn a lot more about a certain alien species. Episode writer Davy Perez gave us the scoop on why these aliens are different, and what it all means for the canon of The Original Series and the future of Strange New Worlds . Spoilers ahead.

In Episode 4, “Memento Mori,” the Enterprise crew had a close encounter with the nefarious Gorn, a lizard species. No one actually saw the Gorn, but this week, while looking for survivors on the crashed USS Peregrine , our Starfleet heroes encounter horrifying Gorn babies. The big news is that these Gorn reproduce by popping out of the bodies of other lifeforms, just like the gory xenomorph chestbursters from Alien .

It’s a big change for Trek. Other than one glimpse in the Mirror Universe back in 2005 on the prequel show Enterprise , the only “adult” Gorn we’ve seen is still the classic lizard person from The Original Series episode “Arena.” So, how do these baby Gorn fit in? As with “Memento Mori,” writer Davy Perez felt that “Arena” offered a good amount of “wiggle room” in terms of what Kirk and Starfleet actually know about the Gorn.

Kirk versus the Gorn in the 1967 Star Trek episode, “Arena.”

“Kirk’s idea of the Gorn is different from what he is being told by the Metrons,” Perez tells Inverse, referring to the powerful aliens who force the two to fight . “The Gorn he’s meeting in ‘Arena,’ doesn’t sync with his expectations of them. It was a personal choice I made in my own headcanon that allowed me to have fun with the writing. Viewing it that way creates more possibilities for Gorn stories to continue.”

While the classic rubber monster suit Gorn, designed by Wah Chang in 1967, is iconic, Perez points out that it’s clear in TOS that the Gorn was a “one-off,” meaning some canon trickiness was bound to emerge. The loophole Perez points out in “Arena” is the fact that Kirk’s phrasing in the original episode is specifically vague: “Weaponless, I face the creature the Metrons called a Gorn.”

The classic episode takes place in 2267, while Strange New Worlds happens in 2259. So, if Kirk knows what Pike and the crew know, then the lizard-man Gorn doesn’t really check out with the Velociraptor meets chestburster critters in Strange New Worlds .

“Maybe Kirk has never seen them, he could even be one of those people who still doubts the stories, or maybe even he has seen them and they don’t look the same,” Perez says. “I think the safest thing to say is we have no idea what the Gorn are really like.”

Over the years, various fan theories — and material from Star Trek roleplaying games — have suggested the existence of a variety of Gorn subspecies. In “All Those Who Wander,” Dr. M’Benga discovers the Gorn are “genetic chameleons,” which is why they don’t show up on sensors. Perez points out that, even after this episode and La’an’s childhood experience with these aliens, “we quite literally don’t know very much about the Gorn at all… and that’s what makes them so hard to fight.”

The Enterprise crew investigates the crash of the USS Peregrine, echoing the crashed alien ship investigated by the crew of the Nostromo in Alien .

Outside of all the TOS canon-weeds, the obvious thrill of “All Those Who Wander” is the way in which the episode brings the flavor of Alien, and other sci-fi horror classics, to Star Trek. There’s never quite been a Trek episode like this.

“Yes, Alien was something I’ve been inspired by many times in the past, and here especially,” Perez says. “It’s hard not to draw the comparison when writing a ‘horror story in space.’ Even back when discussing Episode 4 we started talking about Alien , and not just in what we liked about it, but more how to avoid retreading it wholesale. Our story is unique and specific to Trek, similar inspirations but different in execution.”

But it’s not just Alien that Perez and the SNW team drew upon for inspiration. When Nurse Chapel is chased by the tiny Gorn we get to see the latter’s point of view, which is evocative of Predator . And Perez notes the influences run from the obvious, like John Carpenter's The Thing , to the less obvious.

“You might laugh, but Gremlins !” Perez says. “Think about it, tiny monsters that roam around wreaking havoc with these ‘rules’ that mean the difference between life and death. Baby Gorn are just more deadly Gremlins. Or more aptly put, Tribbles with teeth.”

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is streaming now on Paramount+.

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Published Aug 9, 2013

FIRST LOOK: IDW's Star Trek #24, Featuring The Gorn

Star Trek #24 is heading your way at warp speed. The latest comic-book adventure from IDW Publishing will be available on August 14 and, in it, the current incarnations of Kirk, Spock and the rest of the Enterprise crew embark on an adventure set after the events of both Star Trek Into Darkness and the recent Star Trek video game, one that pits them against a classic enemy: the Gorn. Star Trek #24 is written by Mike Johnson, features art by Claudia Balboni and a cover by Tim Bradstreet, and has been overseen by Roberto Orci.

Star Trek #24 runs 32 pages and will cost $3.99. Fans should be on the lookout for a photo cover and also a Bradstreet sketch cover. For additional details, contact your local comic book retailer or visit www.comicshoplocator.com to find a store near you. And keep an eye on StarTrek.com for further news about IDW's upcoming Star Trek comic books.

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Finale Is Just A Monster Episode

The season 2 finale of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," called "Hegemony," in attempting to leave the season on a high note, falls back into comforting, familiar territory. 

For a series that has largely — especially during this season — taken numerous big narrative swings, it's almost disappointing to see it rely on traditional "high stakes" action storytelling for its finale. Why just last week, "Stange New Worlds" was a musical. A few weeks prior, animated characters from "Star Trek: Lower Decks" were sucked into live-action. There was a fun time travel plot, a harrowing tale of war trauma, an old-fashioned farce, and an episode where prejudice was put on trial. The varying tonal textures and classical "Star Trek" stories have kept "Strange New Worlds" one of the best Trek shows in decades . 

But for "Hegemony," the showrunners regressed into slick special effects, action, death, and fights against an alien menace. This wouldn't necessarily be bad if the alien menace in question was unusual or clever (see: the Borg in "Best of Both Worlds," the third season finale of "Star Trek: The Next Generation"), but in "Strange New Worlds," the recurring threat are the Gorn, the reptilian species first introduced in the original series episode "Arena."

"Hegemony" is the third SNW episode to heavily feature the Gorn, and the series has made them remarkably similar to the creatures from Ridley Scott's "Alien." Their young incubate inside human bodies, they burst out of your chest when gestation is complete, and they instantly go on killing rampages. Also, adult Gorn are said to eat their prey. In a universe of warmth and diplomacy, it strikes this critic as uncreative that any aliens should be presented as mere monsters.

The internet is for Gorn

The story is simple: Captain Batel (Melanie Scrofano) is aiding a remote Federation outpost that just happens to look like a small town in 2023 Wisconsin (a budget-saving conceit that is winkingly referred to in the episode's opening dialogue). Out of nowhere, a massive attack ship appears in the sky and begins laying waste to the colony, as well as Captain Batel's ship, the U.S.S. Cayuga, up in orbit. Nurse Chapel ( Jess Bush ) is also present for this attack. Chapel, one might recall, is currently embroiled in an affair with Spock (Ethan Peck) and Captain Batel has been in the midst of instigating a relationship with Captain Pike (Anson Mount). Hearing that various paramours are in danger, the Enterprise charges to the rescue. 

It seems the Gorn has no beef with the Federation other than the Wisconsin colony's planet is in their spatial territory. The Gorn are trying to exterminate infiltrators, and the Enterprise fires back. It's not long before crew members have been paired off in order to address the attack from their individualized venues. Captain Pike finds Captain Batel, sadly infected with Gorn eggs, on the planet below, and they attempt to fight off encroaching Gorns while hoping to destroy the enemy control tower. In a fun character reveal, a young Montgomery "Scotty" Scott (Martin Quinn) is there to help. 

Meanwhile, Nurse Chapel has become stranded on the remains of the Cayuga, which was nearly destroyed in the first Gorn volley. To rescue her, Spock will put on a space suit and fly through space without a ship to get her. 

This is all very exciting, of course, and the action is tense and expertly presented. After nine episodes of whimsey and/or thoughtfulness, it seems that it's now crunch time. 

Star Trek and violence

Naturally, however, "Star Trek" is at its weakest when it's crunch time. As previously written , "Star Trek" can be any genre, but high-stakes action and "badass" moments of violence are when the franchise is least interesting. It's not until the franchise delves into the consequences of violence that it gets interesting. This season's "Under the Cloak of War," perhaps the season's best episode, shows that wartime combat can leave one emotionally damaged to the point of moral emptiness. Being able to fight well and survive desperate situations are not acts of bravery or heroism, but a sign that one has been broken. 

In "Hegemony" the violence is an act of self-defense, perhaps — the Gorn attacked first — but the episode also features a scene wherein Spock stabs a Gorn officer in the head, murdering him. As the life drains out of the Gorn's body, Nurse Chapel and Spock both breathe a sigh of relief. One might be reminded of the dumb, out-of-character scene in "Star Trek Into Darkness" wherein Spock (Zachary Quinto), blinded by rage, pounds Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch) repeatedly in the face on the roof of a speeding bus. "Hegemony" is hundreds of times better than "Into Darkness," an abysmal film, but its attitudes toward cathartic violence are the same. 

"Star Trek" typically tries to humanize all its aliens, no matter how strange. With the Gorn, "Strange New Worlds" gave itself an all-purpose monster the crew could feel free to blast away at without having to negotiate. The Gorn are essentially video game avatars. They are hungry monsters whose only motivation is to bite and kill. As monsters, they're plenty scary. But one might wonder why a show as strong as "Strange New Worlds" needs to employ such a frustratingly simple "Bad Guy."

Mr. Worf ... Fire.

In a long-standing Trek tradition, "Hegemony" ends on a cliffhanger. The Enterprise is cornered, having been ordered away from the Gorn conflict ... just as the aliens kidnapped hundreds of human colonists. What the Gorn will do to the colonists has only been hinted at in previous episodes. Know, however, that it couldn't possibly be good. Pike is left with a tense final command decision. The final moments of "Hegemony" are evocative of the final moments of (mentioned above) "Best of Both Worlds," the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" season-ender wherein Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) was assimilated into the Borg. The final line of the episode was Captain Riker (Jonathan Frakes) facing his former commanding officer, now a murderous cyborg, imploring that his tactical officer begins firing. The cliffhanger is now considered by many Trekkies to be an indelibly classic moment in the franchise's history. 

Pike is given a similar moment, given a choice between following orders and staging a rescue. Audiences will have to wait until the next season, however, to find out what he decided. Season 3 will likely drop at the end of 2024, so we must remain patient. Also keep our fingers crossed that the WGA and SAG strikes are successful and that Paramount+ isn't abruptly liquidated. Contemplating the state of the modern entertainment industry may be scarier than any Gorn monster that Pike has to face. 

All told, "Hegemony" is effective action storytelling and a fine-enough capper to a strong season of television. The tension runs high and one is never anything less than entirely riveted. Once the action dies down, however, and the characters can begin taking stock of their emotional states, then the interesting part of the tale can begin.