Seven Times the Darkness Coupled with a Splash of Vengeance

Seems like there's something new everyday at the moment with Star Trek Into Darkness.

Now some of you might have already seen one or two of these images around your local bus-stop  but did you know that the shady image of Kirk or Spock is part of a series of seven that are being released as part of the lead up to Star Trek Into Darkness?

For those of you who've missed them, here are all seven (above) in one bite-size piccie. These look great, very arty and featuring Sulu, Uhura, Spock, McCoy, Kirk, Harrison and in her first promo shot, Alice Eve's Carol Marcus. Interesting that they're mainly going for the phaser-totting action pose which would have been massively out of place in the Roddenberry universe wouldn't you say? Still pushing that action-adventure theme to the limit...

But, d'you notice any glaring omissions? Like Chekov and Scotty?! In fact on my last piece in regards to the trailers and the onslaught of the marketing campaign these two have been badly underused. Are they going to get any time to shine or were they just AWOL the days when Paramount did all its photocalls for the movie? Also absent so far from any form of marketing material save one photo which was featured in Empire magazine is Scotty's little engineering pal, Keenser played by Tiny Ron. Now I'm not his biggest fan, period. In fact he's the one thing that grated against me when I watched the 2009 reboot. I pray that he's not Star Trek's answer to Jar Jar Binks because I felt he was verging on that in the first movie. Note to JJ - don't make Scotty too much of a comedy character this time because it didn't do Simon Pegg justice as an actor.

Photo from Empire Magazine

While we're all in super-hyped mode, think about this one - the premiere of Star Trek Into Darkness has happened - the world premiere. There are now people in Australia who have seen this film in 2D and 3D. The internet is about to become awash with spoilers and I will be avoiding them like the plague. I will however try and keep up to date with decent teaser info and the like so as not to ruin any of the surprise for any of us who want to get the full first-time-viewing experience. I had even considered going on a Star Trek Into Darkness  ban for the next 15 days to keep away from any spoilers, information or anything to do with the movie but then I remembered I wanted to read the Star Trek magazine special out in May and...yep, that plan lasted for about ten seconds. If there is anyone who is doing a self-imposed ban, how's it going? Managed to avoid all influences? When the previous films were out it seemed easy to do but with the internet explosion it's been a bit of a nightmare. You can't move without some kind of reference hitting you smack in the face.

Oh and today we also got our first proper shot of that Dreadnought-class behemoth called the USS Vengeance. Will Harrison have his vengeance?! Certainly if he's getting to use this for as long as he wants. Looks a bit Lego-y if you ask me but I'm not sure I'd be saying that if it was bearing down on me with all weapons armed and ready. If Shinzon's Schimitar was a predator I'd hate to fathom what you'd class this as...

It's a beast, no doubt, and I can't wait to see her in action. This is like nothing we've seen before - a cross of multiple designs and then some painted in stealth black.  From this angle it's more evident there are certainly influences of the Enterprise B, C, D and E all in there. I'm liking the cutaway saucer design around the bridge - something very radical for Star Trek there. I suspect a lot of fun was had coming up with this starship and there's something very reminiscent of the stealth planes/helicopters/boats that we have nowadays and backs up the secret agent world that surrounds John Harrison. 

So what do you think of her now we've had a closer and less fuzzy look? Good? Bad? What I also didn't appreciate was that Star Trek: Vengeance was originally considered as the title for the film or that if you see the Russian version of the movie that IS what it's called! 

Anyway. No doubt I'll be back on soon with some more up to the minute news on the movie. Until then, I'm going back under that very comfy looking rock...

Star Trek Into Darkness: The First Clip

"He'd let you die..."

We've had trailers, posters, virals and today we got the first clip of some substance. It's from the first half hour of the film and it doesn't really tell us anything except that Spock is in some serious danger after attempting to stop a volcano from erupting and could well be caught in the ensuing explosion to cap it.

Courtesy of io9.com

We get some lovely panning shots of the bridge and clearly Sulu, McCoy, Kirk and Uhura have been jollying it on the away mission seeing as they're all togged up in some fetching spray-on grey kit. I'm not sure whether this fashion will hit it off in the cosplay world but we'll wait and see. How come Uhura gets her own red variant is anyone's guess. The Vulcan XO is deep in peril and won't let the Enterprise come and rescue him for fear of violating the Prime Directive. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, we are reminded. Blatantly the ship is sitting under the water but putting her into the atmosphere isn't a good idea according to Sulu. At least we can say that flying the starship within a planet's atmosphere for long periods isn't a good idea. 

Here it is in all it's glory thanks to Paramount on YouTube:

Anyway, this tells us absolutely nothing else apart from all the usual suspects are here including Chekov who, like Scotty, seems to have been horribly maligned in the previous trailers. Here at least the chief engineer gets to point at a fish and get concerned that the Enterprise can't take whatever Kirk is intending to do. If you're listening, Paramount/Bad Robot, a second clip with excessive amounts of Harrison rumbling some threats wouldn't go amiss but then is that going to give the game away?

So far I'm really impressed with the look and feel to the movie. It's got a good pace to the scene which I like and everything is hitting the right beat. There's a great deal of tension here; Pine IS Kirk wanting to do what he does best and break (shatter) all the rules to save his friend, Urban IS McCoy; reminding Jim of the harsh realities of command. Even those last two lines surrounding what Spock would do if the positions were switched betrays the nature of the Classic Trio's relationship - they know each other that well. WWSD? See above for details! Dropping bits like this for us with such a short time to go is just keeping fans right on the edge. This isn't a new snippet mind as it's already been shown before The Hobbit as the nine minute teaser.

Shot by SKoST

In other minor news, PC manufacturer Acer have joined the Star Trek Into Darkness bandwagon with their latest advert offering. No new clips but it's alleged that the futuristic laptop will make a guest appearance in the film (thanks to +Minh T. Nguyen for sharing this on Google+). Are we destined for the first Star Trek film to rely on James Bond-style product placement? Hopefully we're not going to see a Mazda6 parked in the shuttlebay... Nice to see they're using the official font though! What's next, my friends? Are we going to see Kirk sipping another Budweiser (like the first movie) or warp engines supplied by Honda? Well, we all know the bridge was outfitted by Apple, don't we....

You can see my thoughts on the second clip HERE and new posters as well as some musings on the USS Vengeance HERE

Are We Warping Star Trek Into Dark(ness) Directions?

Welcome to the first EVER Some Kind of Star Trek contributor post. You've heard a lot about what's been seen in trailers and what we're about to see - but what do we want from a sequel as fans? What does Star Trek Into Darkness need to do? +JoeHardacre tackles the questions...

"You think you can't make mistakes? But the choices you make could get yourself, and everyone under your command, killed." 

The strong opening words from another stellar trailer for Star Trek Into Darkness, but it's surprising how easily those words could fall right onto the shoulders of JJ Abrams, the man spearheading one of the more pleasing franchise reboots in recent memory. Okay, maybe not the killed part, but the expectations for Star Trek Into Darkness dwarf even the weight felt when Abrams was leading us into an unknown frontier with Star Trek in 2009. 

Looking back to the build up to the Star Trek reboot, as much as I was overawed by those initial posters, screen shots, trailers and interviews leading up to the release of the film, the one thing that stands out to me is apprehension. The Trekkie in me harkened back to my childhood days; of nights watching Kirk, Picard and Janeway. I recall with fondness sitting alongside my father as they battled through seemingly impossible odds and charming the pants off of everyone they came across while they did it.

For me, a reboot, even one as promising as this, hinged on one key factor: the casting. The Kirk Vs Picard argument seems as though it has existed since time immemorial, but no matter whose corner you stand in (I’m a Picard fan personally), the recasting of James Tiberius Kirk and his beloved crew was met with more than a few raised eyebrows. Who could stand up to the role? Would it be a big name actor, overflowing with rugged charisma in a hope they could match William Shatner? This approach, however, didn't sit well with me at all. In my opinion, given the mammoth history of the Star Trek universe, as well as the fervency of its fan base, the second an established actor hit the screen, I believe our attentions would have been drawn to immediate comparisons not only between the original and the re-imagining. Not only that, but to other performances that actor has delivered over the years, rather than the character they are portraying.

This is a common issue for me with films; performances can be inconsistent. In some films, actors are accused of “mailing in” their performances, playing a slightly different version of themselves as opposed to truly losing themselves in the performance (save Daniel Day-Lewis, but he’s arguably the greatest actor of all time; but that’s for another day). As such, JJ Abrams and his team turned to the alternative, an approach I was more inclined to agree with; lesser known actors. This of course leads to its own trials and tribulations; could someone without certified pedigree handle the pressure of these roles? Kirk, Spock, Scotty and co. fresh out of Starfleet was a tantalising prospect, but with so much lore to learn from, could an inexperienced actor be bogged down with preset notions of how these characters should act, or could they embrace the freedom given to them a little too much, leaving our beloved heroes nigh on unrecognizable?

Thankfully, these issues were largely unfounded; Chris Pine, relatively unknown except for the Princess Diaries 2, and Lindsay Lohan-led rom-com Just My Luck, was a revelation. He immediately captured Kirk’s arrogance, not to mention his ability to throw (and indeed take) a punch. His delivery was less refined for sure, but no less assured; the bar scene left no doubt in anyone's mind that Pine could carry Kirk’s resilience, both in a fight and indeed in his pursuit of the other, but just as legendary of Kirk’s penchants. Karl Urban stars as Bones, his introduction a startling reminder of the weathered, experienced voice of reason opposite Kirk’s impetuous, cavalier approach, and Brits amongst us will have needed no introduction to home-grown star Simon Pegg, who slipped into the role of Scotty with consummate ease. So far, so good; but the biggest question mark remained above arguably the franchise’s most beloved character: Spock.

Spock embodies so many essential elements of the Star Trek universe that the trepidation with his casting was more than understandable; here was the character who delivered the franchise’s most memorable line, it’s most recognizable gesture, and was the figurehead for possibly the most famous alien race in the entire universe, the Vulcan. Enter Zachary Quinto. Quinto was possibly the most renowned of the main cast, having starred in both 24 as well appearing as fan-favourite Sylar in cult-hit Heroes. Still, to pick up the mantle of not only one of the most memorable sci-fi roles in memory, but arguably the face of a franchise should not be understated. Amazingly, he was so at home that I found the eventual introduction of once irreplaceable Leonard Nimoy to be somewhat jarring, which I think indicates a job well done. 

Ultimately, the reboot was an undoubted success; perhaps overshadowed by the James Cameron led Avatar, but still, it became an instant cult hit, and achieved so much more than I could possibly have imagined back in the late 2000's. We were introduced to believable characters, a carefully worked plot device to preserve all our earliest Star Trek memories, whilst paving the way for JJ Abrams and his writing team to take this Enterprise and boldly go where no Star Trek team have gone before.

Thus, we are led to the sequel; the marketing campaign has been deliberately ambiguous, although the latest efforts have been analysed and scrutinised extensively by Clive here and in stark contrast to the efforts of the first film. The change in demeanour is deliberate, and highlights exactly what the production team have been looking to achieve with each film. The first Star Trek was presented with a very simple, but difficult goal in mind: make us believe. Make us believe that this cast of upstarts, complemented by a few well travelled and respected actors could replicate characters, locations and ideals that have been held in high regard for over 40 years. 

Early posters were simplistic, and understated, with promotional material centred on showcasing the actors in their new roles, or the Enterprise mid-warp. It endeavoured to pull a few nostalgic strings, whilst readying us for their introduction. Characters such as Spock have such a simple but massively symbolic appearance that it was imperative we saw and acknowledged them before they were thrust onto us on the big screen. The Star Trek reboot aimed to re-establish the franchise, but positioned in such a way that it could be continued for years to come. As much as people would have loved Nimoy and Shatner, or even Patrick Stewart to return if The Next Generation formed the basis for the film, the scope would have been limited massively, and given that Nemesis was making the rounds only seven years before, it wouldn't have been much of a reboot at all.

The marketing was direct but effective, and although I personally went into the film with no expectations whatsoever, such is my personal preference so as to avoid disappointment, I left with naught but a smile on my face. Obviously, I owe that to the fact the film was fantastic, and Eric Bana delivered a much underappreciated performance as Nero, but without that early preparation hammered into me through the marketing campaign, I’m not sure I would have been as readily accepting of what was occurring on screen.

Moving onto Star Trek Into Darkness however, we see that JJ Abrams is no longer content with just seeing if the reboot was even possible, he’s looking to rattle some cages. The tone couldn't be more juxtaposed; our eyes have feasted upon the same recognizable characters (with Uhura thrown in for good measure, teasing a much larger role for her in the upcoming film), but this time action shots are the key focus; Kirk, Spock and Uhura all out of their element, appearing dishevelled or in unenviable positions, and our mysterious villain marvelling at his wanton destruction. I for one am not anticipating the jovial, Kirk and Spock camaraderie we witnessed at the end of Star Trek 2009.

In fact, the reception from the early teasers has been so well received, with Benedict Cumberbatch’s role central to most conspiracy theories, that the film has generated far more buzz on its own than any marketing effort could hope for. Trailers have shown Cumberbatch on top of our heroes in more ways than one, with the mystique surrounding his true identity and intentions being displayed with certain Avengers-esque flair. Although never existing purely as a single character, the notion of a band of heroes working together to defeat a powerful foe has been a huge critical and commercial success over the years (Avengers Assemble, The Dark Knight Rises and Skyfall in just the past 12 months), and from the anticipation building as we approach May, it seems as though Star Trek Into Darkness should easily warp past the $385,000,000 the first made at the worldwide box office.

The true area for growth, however, is outside of the US; the reboot performed admirably, but with only $127,000,000 from burgeoning overseas markets, it’s easy to see exactly why we’ve seen a shift in locale. The destruction of London is sure to generate a lot of interest in the UK, and following on from the London Olympics, the threat to London we saw with Skyfall and the UK’s Royal Wedding all occurring within the past year, they couldn't have selected a location more engrossed in the minds of the world than the Capital of ol’ Blighty. 

So, what are my expectations? I've been incredibly impressed with the build-up to the sequel so far, and my thoughts on the first film couldn't be higher, in fact I hold it in my top 20 films of all time, but do I think the sequel will best that? Possibly is the safest word to use. I recall my opinions on other franchise reboots and the Nolan-led Batman trilogy springs to mind. The first film in that series, Batman Begins, is critically and commercially inferior to the sequel, The Dark Knight. One could argue that The Dark Knight is the better of the two films, and from an objective standpoint, it’s hard to disagree, but subjectively, based on the impact it had on me as a fan, I will always hold Batman Begins in higher regard. I think Star Trek is taking a similar path; the reboot centering around an origin story, an introduction to well known characters, seen through someone else’s eyes; eventually leading into a darker, sombre sequel with an uncertain outcome. Star Trek Into Darkness will be a fantastic film, and I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a near doubled box office gross from Star Trek 2009, somewhere in the region of $700-800 million. However, will I remember it as fondly, will I be as desperate to watch it again? That remains to be seen. 

Prediction: 10.5/12 (If you really want to know about the 12 point scale, just ask). 

Joe Hardacre is a Trekkie and a former work colleague of SKOST creator Clive Burrell. In the few weeks they toiled side by side in 2012 their combined interest in Star Trek gave them a respite from the daily labours of work. Although not quite a fan to the same level as can be witnessed in the wider world, it's more than enough for him to wade blindly into an argument if someone should dare speak disparagingly about Will Riker. Joe's hopefully going to stick around and talk a bit more in the future about more aspects of Star Trek

- he might even get a contributor profile...!

Star Trek Into Darkness Goes Viral

We all thought that was it.

The third and final trailer reared its head, new posters appeared on the scene and we only had a few weeks to go.

We were wrong. 

So...shall...we...begin?

Mazda are in on the act with a stunning new advert for the Mazda6 with some exceptional Tron-esque graphics to boot as we get a techie build-up of the Enterprise along with Michael Giachino's score from the 2009 film emanating from the background. Just another opportunity to drool over the starship from my perspective as I'm not too bothered about the car. The ad also features some images from previous trailers so we'll skip over them for now.

But the real standout chiller has to be the John Harrison 30 second viral. No new clips I note but just listen to those menacing tones and the rumble in Benedict Cumberbatch's voice. Awesome and intense just don't do it justice as he threatens Kirk accompanied by a series of fuzzy images from the numerous trailers around (26 versions exist apparently). Another string to this groundbreaking and innovative marketing campaign. This movie had better live up to expectations now because otherwise this could be seen as overkill now. What have we had - three two minute trailers, a couple of one minute ones, a few 30 second teasers, four character posters, a viral website in Are You the 1701?, four main theatrical posters, countless rumours etc etc. I also wonder if we can expect Kirk, Spock and (doubtless) Uhura to get their own virals as well before this is all done. Worryingly it's making me wonder if this is just about to go too far and tempt with too much "non-information" so to speak.

For those of you who would like to read through the John Harrison trash-talk, here it is in full, sadly I can't provide rumbling vocal tones so you'll have to do that yourself!

From startrek.com

This guy has some serious issues with the Enterprise captain and it doesn't look like he'll be letting Kirk off lightly anytime soon judging from this or the latest all-action, all-destruction trailer. I'm really getting the vibe now for this film and can't wait. This narrative from Harrison doesn't really tell us anything specific. It's all cloak, dagger and atmosphere to build to the Big Day. In fact, it reiterates a lot of things we've heard already since the first trailer in December 2012.

Now, before Premiere Day we'll also get more of a literary taster with the Star Trek magazine special in May which, at 148 pages, will no doubt tell us loads of stuff about it but yet manage to answer absolutely nothing at the same time.

Remember fans, readers, passers-by, it opens on May 9th 2013 in the UK. I'm already getting the tent ready to camp overnight....

All images screenshot by SKoST

USS Enterprise Crew Recognition Charts (Part 1) - Know Your Characters Before May 2013!!!

Do you know your Kirk from your Spock? Presented in glorious colour here's your first-hand guide to get familiar before with the USS Enterprise crew before May 2013!

These are the first three charts I produced for Some Kind of Star Trek on a whim if I'm honest. The McCoy, Scotty and Uhura ones are still in production but will be live soon. I also created a special John Harrison one for Star Trek Into Darkness which can be seen at the end of this blog post. I hope you enjoy them as they were only designed as a bit of fun.

For those of you who are fairly new to Star Trek, these images might give you a shocker that there was an animated series back in the 1970's. For some long term fans it's still something they're getting to grips with today!

Commander Spock and Captain James T Kirk

Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu

Ensign Pavel Chekov

"Darkness....is...coming"

Banner from startrek.com

The Last Temptations Into Darkness

"No ship should go down without her captain..."

Paramount promotional poster

Following on from the Earth Will Fall Harrison poster we've now had it confirmed that the posters released in the last few days are the final ones we can expect before the film launches next month. The character posters (above) feature the four main protagonists in scenes from within the variety of 30 second, one minute and two minutes trailers however the really interesting bit is the fact that the "Big Three" we knew so well from the Original Series is now very clearly one doctor less and one communications officer more. I would take a stab that this is a clear attempt to build something of a female audience for Star Trek into Darkness focusing on a strong central role for Uhura.

The other pieces of visual paraphernalia we received were the unusual "cube" poster and the "Crash and Burn" starship poster (left). A bit similar to one of the Iron Man 3 promos also recently out on the market but instantly memorable. This certainly looks like the Enterprise and would collaborate well with the images we're familiar with from the trailer series. This final trailer also amalgamates the poster series, likewise focusing on Harrison and the USS Enterprise.

Amazing to think we've been running conspiracy theories since November, when that first teaser poster and mouth watering minute long trailer first broke cover. Now the last lure to get us into the cinema has arrived but what's new and does it give us anything more to talk about? Categorically YES .  

Well let's ease ourselves in gently with the MTV 30 second teaser which aired during their recent movie award ceremony. Nothing really to report here; more space jump, Spock and Harrison beating eight shades out of each other, Enterprise billowing smoke - but we do get Carol Marcus' first line of dialogue! She's heard all about Captain Kirk's reputation and it's delivered in a rather plumby English accent which was a surprise. It seems alternative universes can do a lot including change your place of birth although there's a variety of reasons that could be raised as to why her accent is totally different to Admiral 'Daddy' Marcus. Mainly this is just a great promotional chance to plug the May 17th opening in the States although how the USA will feel about a movie which has a bombing as it's opening segment given recent events could be interesting. Notably the start of the movie discussed that very topic at Cinema-Con this week. So on to our main topic, that third two minute burst of magnificence. 

As always I'm focusing more on the new sequences as well as how it fits in with the material we've already been gifted from Paramount and Bad Robot.

As we're led to believe, this is the Last Temptation of Star Trek before release day. The "Benedict Comberbatch Trailer".  Opening with cityscapes and including revisits to the red planet, the volcano drop, the space jump and the aerial fight sequence between Harrison and Spock you could be forgiven for thinking this is going to be recycled material or that once more it's going to be another two minutes of Kirk. Once he's had a heart to heart moment with Admiral Pike we get into serious business and shift gear. This is out-and-out a twofold teaser spotlighting secret agent John Harrison and the iconic USS Enterprise. To keep us aligned with the previous trailers and to set the scene for newcomers there's slim coverage of the attack on the Starfleet HQ in San Francisco by Harrison along with some wonderful night time aerial shots of the US city. Kirk is vocal in stating that the London attack could turn out to be "...all out war..." but before we get that confirmed it's time for Harrison to level some pot shots at the top brass.

This seems more linear to begin with and seems to be intended to help us understand the motivations for Kirk wanting to "...go get (that) son of a bitch..." and our first new clips come as Harrison arrives on the screen. For the first time in any trailer there is mention of his name in the CCTV feed we can see from the bombing in London which Cumberbatch's protagonist is also show escaping wearing a black Starfleet shirt. 

With Kirk kicking off with the Starfleet big guns to go after Harrison and of course gets his wish, our expectations at this stage might be that we're due for some Qo'nos scenes but this gets played right down in favour of some other breadcrumbs. While there is a glimpse of troops being dropped onto the Klingon homeworld we also our first snippet of the re-envisaged Klingons seemingly ready for battle (above right) and not on the cutting room floor as happened in 2009. What transpires at this point shifts the entire focus and feel of the trailer and potentially our expectations of the movie itself. 

There's a magnificent shot of Kirk framed by the glass view screen as something a lot darker is realised. All previous trailers have suggested that this will be a story about bringing Harrison to justice however with two booming sentences from the villain-apparent this trailer proves itself to be a perception changer; so much so I was almost requesting resuscitation: You're a pawn, Kirk. You can't even guarantee the safety of your own crew. Now shall we begin...?

Remember that ship that we saw briefly during the space jump? The one that is 99.9% likely to be the ship taking a close look at the bottom of San Francisco Bay? Well it's a lot bigger than we thought. A lot. It dwarfs the Enterprise and it seems that Harrison's drawn out Kirk for a purpose. This is a behemoth of a ship and from the saucer/secondary hull/nacelles configuration it's definitely Starfleet in origin. Is it from the future? A stealth ship? A secret design and is it decloaking? Now if it turns out to be called USS Reliant I'm not sure I'll be able to survive the shock.

Empire magazine May 2013

Well, it seems Kirk's made a big error letting his emotions overrun his mind and the Enterprise gets the kicking of a lifetime. I'd say it looks like a bigger pasting than any of the previous movies and whether she survives is anyone's guess right now. Still not answering the question of who John Harrison is; probably just adding a whole new section into the conspiracy theories! Scotty gets a line as Kirk hopes to save the stricken starship: "She's dead sir...she's gone!" but just in the background you can hear Kirk say "...No she's not..." (could also be Carol or Uhura he's on about).

While we watch the Enterprise begin her planetward dive, the new ship is kept firmly out of shot or in long distance and flash images. We've seen part of the new ship's bridge previously in a shot with JJ Abrams directing courtesy of Empire magazine (above) however what she was designed for or where she's come from is a puzzle. Are we looking at a future Enterprise and her vengeful captain? Is this an experimental Enterprise? Could this even be Abrams rethinking the Enterprise-D or E?! Now that would be fan-dividing and worse still is that would mean this is the second film in a row relying on time travel as a plot device. Kirk's space-jump now adds some more weight to the sequence when you realise that he's got to be heading for the new starship and could all that wreckage be from the crippled Enterprise perhaps? It's an interesting design nevertheless and I'm excited to find out more about this goliath of a starship.

Ok, let's move on swiftly. What else have we got? Well, intimations of the relationships between Kirk and Spock and Kirk and McCoy that have already been touched on before make appearances if only for Kirk's comrades to offer sage advice about his Ahab-style vendetta.There's also more samey clips from Spock in the volcano, Harrison carrying "April's Gatling Gun" on Qo'nos, speeding through the Klingon atmosphere in that little ship thing that will fit and Uhura even gets to tell us once more that they're "...outgunned and outnumbered...". Makes more sense once you've seen the size of the ship Harrison gets to play with!!!

The remaining 45 seconds is once again clips from previous trailers and you need to be keen-eyed to spot the new stuff. The ship crashing into the bay now makes more sense and the appearance of the Harrison Starship (good name for a band that...) starts to weave bits together nicely. A lot seems to be made of the Spock/Harrison chase and fight in San Francisco as it's in every trailer. Here we get Harrison's jump through a window, them fighting on that aerial platform and Spock running through the streets. I'm inclined to think that the shot of him dropping like a stone from the top of that building is from the same set piece. In retrospect of having watched this trailer numerous times now, there is a huge amount of previously seen footage book-ending the duelling starship sequences. These clips really slam home how much of a pounding the disadvantaged Federation flagship gets here from every angle. I'm surprised there's actually anything left at the end but something's got to give for the larger ship to take a nosedive.

To add another voice to the narrative here, I asked a friend of mine from the online community to drop his thoughts together about the new trailer. So for a few moments I'd like to hand over to Aaron Gallo from the Starfleet Escape Podcast: 

For a long time I was holding on to the theory that Harrison was one of the Augments that were found aboard the Botany Bay. With the releases of new trailers, that theory is holding less and less water. With the release of the latest trailer however, I have a new theory that in my mind ties together many ends.

1. Harrison works for the shadow group known as Section 31.
2. The Dreadnought ship is part of Section 31's operations.
3. Harrison and Section 31 were working with the Klingon's to develop a cure for the Augment Virus.
4. The program was cancelled, meaning the destruction of Augments created for research, possibly including Harrison himself.
5. Harrison's "family" are the Augments that he is trying to save and protect.

Now granted this is a lot to infer from solely watching the clips from the trailers. This would however explain what appear to be cryo-containers and the look of Harrison's ship, which seems to go against standard principles of Starfleet design.

Thanks for that, Aaron - I've actually forgotten to mention the cryo-pods!

This is pretty heavy going from start to finish - danger, action, excitement and not a hand-on-glass The Wrath of Khan homage in sight. Out of the three larger trailers this is the most impressive, giving the most extensive cross-section of information but it's the comparison with the three together to see where events might sit that's even more fun. Is the Spock/Harrison fight at the beginning or near the end? Are we inclined to think that the Enterprise crumbles after they've been to Qo'nos? There's still so much to answer and not much time left until Star Trek Into Darkness premieres. As we've been told it's about family; sacrifice and every trailer has demonstrated these elements with great aplomb.  Harrison seems to be protecting something and what is it that's been started? What's his argument with Starfleet and/or the Federation and why is Kirk so hell-bent on going after him? In fact the recent Cinema-Con suggested that at some point in the movie there's an alliance between Kirk and Harrison. Now I had the thought that it might turn out Cumberbatch's character isn't the main villain of the piece and is only set as such because of the way the trailers have been slanted and within the movie story, how his motives and actions are seen by Kirk.

In relation to Prime Universe Star Trek, this seems to pack more of a punch. While it does that with its action will it also manage that with emotion? To keep the franchise alive I now think this shift in storytelling and return to origins may be the best way forward - give the audience what it wants and make changes to ensure we see out another 50 years of adventures of Gene Roddenberry's legendary vision. It's certainly grim and I would hasten to add that I don't expect it to be a wholly happy ending as with the 2009 reboot. I'm very excited (male that overly excited) about what's coming (and my other half is getting pretty ratted off about it I can tell you!)

Since that initial trailer back in November, I for one have had moments of doubt and instances of amazement from the material we've received from JJ Abrams and the Bad Robot production team.  This could be a cinematic masterpiece and after reading Aaron's points above, I'm inclined to agree with some of it - the Augments section is something that's not been touched on that much but here's hoping it does!

So just as a final point, here are my five favourite bits from this stunning marketing campaign (so far)

1. Motion poster

Great idea, totally new concept and well executed. Complimented well with Cumberbatch's Harrison asking if we think the world is safe. It's an illusion y'know....

2. The crashing starship in the first trailer

Like we saw that coming. Has to be the first jaw-dropper of the whole marketing campaign, even better because we thought it was the Enterprise when it first screened. It almost felt like JJ was flicking the "V"'s at all of Star Trek fandom. Hope this pays off in the movie. Great twist in the fact we got the Enterprise crumbling and falling from the sky which made you think they were one and the same ship. Only later did we realise differently...! Ok, it's actually been in a lot of the trailers during that space jump sequence but we've overlooked it really until now - and boy did we misjudge how it was going to be involved in the plot. It's big, it's black and it looks like it packs one helluva punch.

Taken from post on Google+

3. The Easter Egg URLs

Didn't notice them to begin with due to some sneaky hiding; especially THAT one in the background of the Carol Marcus shot....

4. Is He, Isn't He...?

John Harrison has been suggested as being everyone from Khan to the Queen and then Data's cat at some point. That's the way to get interest, grab the fans and snowball the frenzy for May 2013. So...have you worked it out yet? Is he a Horta?!

5. The Enterprise

Out of the water or out of the sky - hard to decide. Both look just as jaw-dropping although the amount of damage we saw initially in the second trailer was impressive. 

...and for the record, the not-so-good point:

The Mobile App

It hasn't worked for ages, it's very USA orientated and I've been disappointed that it's not picking up images at all. Great idea, poor experience although thanks for getting it released in the UK as well as the USA and Canada. I hope the film is a significant amount better and nowhere near as shoddy.

So here we are, the promo campaign is coming to a close, everything we see is what we're going to get until nine days into May. Get your tickets booked and iron that uniform, cadet - we're another step closer to Darkness....

"I believe in you, Jim."

All pictures are screenshots taken by SKOST unless otherwise stated

Star Trek: The Original Series: The Weight of Worlds

Gravity defying weapons, Uhura in command and Kirk and Spock trapped in an alternative universe....all in a day's work for the crew of the USS Enterprise...surely?!

Greg Cox's latest novel for Simon and Schuster, The Weight of Worlds, is a bit of a curious piece. A typical action/adventure Star Trek story from first impressions, it actually feels that it was more a combination of the Animated Series crossed with the 2009 JJ Abrams reboot once you get into the meat of the work. Probably a curious statement to make so I'll set out my thoughts like so...and beware there are definitely SPOILERS ahead.

Set during the fabled five year mission the Enterprise warps to the aid of a scientific institute that finds itself under attack from an incredible enemy - one capable of using gravity as a weapon and apparently focused on converting all they meet to assist in their single-minded Crusade to share the Truth with the universe. Beaming down to the surface, Kirk, Spock, Sulu and Ensign Yaseen (redshirt) are soon drawn into the activities of the mysterious and powerful Ialat.

So, a pretty grandiose setup idea for the novel and I've got to admit that using gravity as a weapon is brilliant. It's not something that jumps to my mind immediately but it's definitely unique. Concern rose quickly that this was going to become quite a plot device as the story evolved and also the likely cause of the resolution. Luckily neither came to pass. The main trouble is that the story is very, very jumpy. Not a lot happens and then - and when something does happen - it all occurs within a flash of a couple of pages before settling down again. While I was hoping for something generally straight-forward to read with The Weight of Worlds I might have paid more attention to the title as it was anything but a light read. It's standard fayre for the most part with the landing party placed in mortal danger while the crew on the Enterprise in orbit are also having to deal with their own problems. Where this standard starts to feel a bit uneven is in the creation of the Ialat.

In appearance I had massive problems NOT imagining them as Davy Jones from The Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy because of the description of their facial hair. The Ialat themselves came across more as something I would expect to find within the media of the aforementioned 70's animated series or even a CGI creation lurking in the background of a seedy bar in (gasp) Star Wars. I just couldn't quite grasp them as a Star Trek protagonist even given their superior weaponry and dimension-hopping abilities. As things progress it becomes apparent that not all of the Ialat are happy with this Crusade and from being under threat at the Federation institute we're suddenly thrown into another galaxy where some of the action sequences would not be out of place in the recent (and upcoming) JJ reboot. I just don't feel comfortable with the written airborne action sequences here and the gravity weapon/uses seem a little bit overused and relied on by the mid-point in the novel. It seemed like a great idea to begin with but The Weight of Worlds becomes reliant on it and also quite bogged down by this handy plot device.

This is the first novel I've reviewed for Some Kind of Star Trek where I've not wanted to get it finished. It's dragged a bit. But why? Why have I not found myself gripped by this mission?

Well i thought that in the context of the original series the antagonists weren't that antagonistic which was a shame because their history actually looked to be really interesting. It was certainly well conceived and I felt could have been expanded much further. A lot of the time in the alternate dimension for instance is spent running around getting back to the portal and we don't really get much of a sense of the place. What I would hasten to add is that my comment earlier in regards to the animated series and the 2009 reboot might also be something of a compliment. After all, given a larger budget and without the constraints of 1960's TV production, we might have seen a lot more detailed and extensive action sequences as per the chases and final events. What I have to thank Greg Cox for is avoiding at least one of my expectations in that Kirk doesn't get the girl - although she's not really a girl if I'm honest.

High Priestess Vlisora is the most developed of the secondary characters within The Weight of Worlds because of the time she spends with Kirk and Spock evading the Crusade and acting as our guide to the Ialat homeworld. While she perhaps is flared with the overdramatic at times, her purpose is well played out through the book and her character is certainly more than meets the reader's eye. In the case of development she easily overshadows the ruler of the Ialat realm even though by a technicality he's everywhere. When we do meet him it's only towards the latter stages of the novel and then it seems a bit of a let down after such a long journey to reach him. It seems that once we do face him with Kirk it's all over too soon and perhaps too easily. Like JJ Abrams' take on Star Trek it's certainly fast paced but on occasion another 20 or 30 pages might have helped us take a breather because there seems little development and more movement from one set piece and moment of danger to the next but yet we don't appear to get anywhere until the last 70 or 80 pages. 

As you'll know by now, one of the things I always like to drill away at is how authors lovingly - and in some cases badly - reference other Star Trek episodes and materials. Admittedly I found myself bracing for the onslaught of sledgehammered event drops and 'it was just like that time on Cestus III' lines however Cox did a great thing in making several of Kirk's previous missions from the Original Series integral to the reason why the Ialat are so interested in him. I liked this in particular as it's almost a dig at the Enterprise captain who might have himself to blame for ending up assisting a rebellion. On an additional note there's even a one lone reference to The Next Generation that made me raise a smile. 

I found Cox's interpretation of the captain to be a different from either Shatner or Pine as he seemed fairly argumentative a lot of the time and given to the odd jibe at the expense of his first officer. Given the situation both he and Spock find themselves in here it's hardly a surprise that humour helps them to get through the ordeal and that the captain is a bit ratty (although he only has himself to blame...!). While I was chomping at the bit to say that Greg Cox might have missed the mark with James T, it made me think outside the box - surely the novels should be about personal interpretation of the characters (after all they're not classed as canon) just as Abrams is doing now on the silver screen. The Ialat homeworld appears to be a rich environment yet we are very limited in our exploration of this unusual dimension, visiting only the God-King's pyramid, the rebellion's travel system and... that's about it. I found that Greg Cox's eye for action meant that we lost atmosphere in the story and the experience of this place which could have been very different - a nice addition though is the gravitational safety net that exists. We could do with a few of those in this dimension I'm sure! While the alien homeworld is left mostly unexplored, the lack of immersion within the environments even extends to the Enterprise bridge which seemed strangely silent. That said, the Ephrata Institute is perhaps the most realised of all the environments as well as the most explored through Sulu's eyes.

Cox's description of locales (and some may prefer this) left a lot more to the imagination that I might have expected. It left me a bit distanced from the story if I'm honest and reinforced the action-orientated nature of the narrative over anything else - another factor that made me feel it would have been suited to the 70's animated Star Trek. Indeed, the lack of any serious scientific/Treknobabble does open it up to the larger Star Trek audience and certainly won't alienate new fans who are used to the latest cinematic happenings.

For Greg Cox it seems Kirk is there to match wits and outfox his opponents which perhaps suits the author's choice of background reference material from the Original Series and how it plays into the main narrative of the tale. For once the captain's past actions have had repercussions and his own "awesomeness" has come back to haunt him in the least expected way. While this provides a great cliff for the story to dive off, it's also a wonderful (maybe unintentional) bit of humour as we get listed all the god-beings and super computers that Kirk has defeated through some stirling negotiation, blood, sweat and no doubt tears. was surprised that the good doctor remained on the ship here as his counsel might have been beneficial. There are some telling asides that Cox is aware of his characters relationships, notably that between McCoy and the Vulcan first officer but we don't get to see his take on it as they end up separated. Spock himself comes across as more than a little emotionless and bordering on Data-like apart from the implementation of a nerve pinch here and there. His role here at times seems like baggage as the focus remains more on Kirk especially towards the latter stages of play but Cox plays it well, tying it all back and providing all the key players with their flash of limelight if occasionally at a faster pace. 

 That's all well and good - but what of our familiar crew though? 

Circumstances play well into Uhura's hands here as she becomes the dominant figure on the bridge of the Enterprise for the bulk of the story. I am surprised that she's the most senior individual capable of commanding the ship once Scotty is placed on the bench given that there must be more command experienced officers on board? Out of 400+ people there's no-one more qualified (no offence to Uhura intended)? It gives the comes officer a significant amount more to do than open hailing frequencies which gets a review thumbs up and watching her make crucial decisions based on what she has seen over the previous few years is a good twist to show how she has been developing her skills under Kirk's command. This is definitely an Uhura more in the mould of JJ's reboot than the more passive figure that we might have experienced in the 1960's original and I have to say I like it. 

Sulu gets to run around on the planet surface for some time playing havoc with the Ialat Crusaders while attempting something of a romance along the way which eventually yields a result but seems to take an age to get there. The character certainly feels right and there's some nice interplay between him and Yaseen which is carried through. Perhaps this is something Cox might pick up again in subsequent novels. The main opposition to the Enterprise helmsman comes from the first Crusader we ever meet, Sokis, who also contends with Uhura in orbit. These two threads criss-cross over the duration of The Weight of Worlds however Sokis is a very bland henchman-styled villain following his master's orders but could have been developed so much more. This is one thing that can be levelled at the secondary players here; there seems to be little to make us interested in them as people save Vlisora even though with Sokis is present for a great deal of the story. 

Initially I wasn't sure if he was going to be the main threat due to the manner of his early introduction - and talking of introductions, Kirk is early on noted as knowing one of the scientists at the Institute, Doctor Elena Collins, whom we meet on the very first page of the book.  Bizarrely he seems totally unconcerned about her for most of the story even when he spots her on the surface during their initial away mission to the Ephrata Institute. I'm a little disappointed here because I thought this was going to be part of why Kirk would be so driven to defeat this invader but after a few chapters (pages) it seemed to get shelved. A lot of the incidents here seem to be over and done with at breakneck speed; whether it's escaping a mob or meeting with the resistance and I would have enjoyed the book more if we'd got to know the Ialat a bit more, understanding them and their struggles as well as having some of the more action-packed elements of the novel elongated ever so slightly.

Final bugbear? Poor underused/misused Chekov. Our young Russian navigator is used for little more than asides and sarcasm which belittles the character and made me hope that he just stayed quiet after his first appearance. Perhaps this is very much in keeping with the original vision for the character but here it gets irritating and he's a loose end - even Palmer and Kyle seem to get better lines.

Coming off the back of reading David R George's phenomenal Allegiance in Exile I guess I was hoping that the next novel featuring Kirk and crew would be in a similar vain, focusing on character rather than action but we can't expect every book to be the same or it would get very boring indeed. For me this would not be my first choice of Original Series story. While it certainly expands on the possibilities with some neat twists and ideas, it was just too action-orientated and in my eyes missed the vision that not only are the characters key to successful Star Trek but also that there needs to be some underlying substance to hold it together and set the scene believably. A brilliantly devised opposing force is one thing but it needs to exist to explore the crew. Greg Cox has produced a good quality action-adventure piece here which may be more suited to the new audience JJ Abrams is hoping to pick up with Star Trek Into Darkness and if this is the case then I would recommend new fans to head for the book shelves and purchase this novel. It's fast, set-piece filled and probably perfect to help guide you into the larger realms of the Star Trek universe following your encounters with the latest big screen versions. For more knowledgeable fans I would say it's worth a read if you want to fill a few hours here and there if you're missing some new Star Trek adventures. Even though I felt it had it's errors and moments, perhaps that's just enough to pick it up and see what you think. Oh; it's got a really nice cover too...

Star Trek: The Original Series: The Weight of Worlds is available now from Simon and Schuster priced £6.99 ISBN 978476702834