Star Trek Into Darkness

J.J. Abrams engineered a smash with his first mission into Federation space when 2009’s Star Trek offered audiences a fresh concept (the untold tale of the ”classic” crew’s first mission), fresh faces (led by Chris Pine as young James T. Kirk), and a fresh start (by sending the fledgling crew into a separate timeline, their future was free from the smothering Trek mythology). So why is Star Trek Into Darkness coming a full four years after the first film? One of the writers, Roberto Orci, says endless story options left the team in a zone of indecision: ”The freedom was the worst, in a way — it felt like a year of ‘What are we going to do?’ ” So what is the sequel’s plot? Abrams loathes spoiling surprises, but fandom has been churning with debate about the role played by Benedict Cumberbatch (of Sherlock fame). Is he the new Khan? Is he Gary Mitchell? To Abrams, the more pressing questions involve the emotional wiring on the Enterprise: ”The reason we care about Star Trek is the people on the ship’s bridge, the family looking out for each other.”