Star Trek Into Darkness

The sequel to 2009’s Star Trek has been anticipated for quite some time now, mainly because of the “mystery” surrounding the villain John Harrison.  Now, the big twist in this movie was very thinly veiled considering the day that Benedict Cumberbatch was cast as John Harrison everyone knew who he was going to play in the movie.  I’M GOING TO SPOIL THIS RIGHT NOW SO IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE MOVIE, TURN AWAY!  No, Cumberbatch isn’t playing a man named John Harrison, he is playing no other than Khan, the infamous Star Trek villain.

I’ve read many reviews that question Abram’s decision to withhold Khan’s true identity.  The popular consensus is Abrams should have been up front about Khan in hopes to drawing in more people using his name, but I see this from a different angle.  Abrams answered a similar question in an interview and rationalized his decision by referencing the knowledge of his characters throughout the movie.  More specifically, half of the movie passes before the crew learns they are holding the genetically engineered Khan onboard their starship.  If J. J. Abrams told the audience about Khan they would be ahead of the characters for half of the movie which would alienate the audience and pull them away from the emotional journey of the characters.  I tend to lean more towards Abrams in this argument, although I have another rationalization.  Even though this film shares many visual cues and plot points from The Wrath of Khan, the story feels more like “Space Seed,” which was the episode of the original series that introduced Khan when they found him and his crew asleep aboard the Botany Bay.  In “Space Seed,” Khan is awakened by the Enterprise crew and tries to take over the ship.  After being subdued, Kirk exiles Khan to Ceti Alpha V to start his own civilization.  Into Darkness already has Khan awake from his cryogenic sleep, and angered over Admiral Marcus’ treatment of his crew is on a warpath against Starfleet, and after being captured by the Enterprise crew, is sentenced to more time in his cryogenic tube.  It’s a stretch, I know, but I think this is just the beginning of Khan.  If he is brought back with his crew, I think we will see the new incarnation of The Wrath of Khan.

Star Trek Into Darkness is a blast, with plenty of heart and explosions to fill anybody’s movie going needs.  Benedict Cumberbatch plays a frightening Khan who is not to be messed with; his skull crushing scene is especially shiver-inducing.  Other than needless Starship musical chairs, killing off a character just to bring him back five minutes later, and trouble with a tribble set-up, this movie is very enjoyable.  It has plenty of heart and many moments that will leave your knuckles white.  Into Darkness is a solid sequel to the new Star Trek franchise.