The first teaser trailer! It has voiceover! Explosions! Lava! Kirk checking out a blond chick! (Janice Rand? Carol Marcus?) Scotty cuddling someone!
But what does it all mean?
(Possible spoilers at the bottom of the post)
So… some pretty rote revenge monologuing, made lovely by the deep, dulcet tones of Benedict Cumberbatch. Still unclear what villain he could be playing, if it’s one we would recognize at all, and the lines give no solid proof either way. We see a starship crash into the water (and one rising out of it?), and it could be the Enterprise, but we do know this villain is going to leave the fleet in shambles so maybe not.
There is fighting on lava that is weirdly reminiscent of Revenge of the Sith, a lot of people looking either sad or horrified, and a hilarious lack of most of the core cast in their regular Starfleet uniforms. Where is Kirk’s green captain’s shirt? We want it back.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOLLOW
The Japanese version of the trailer is the same in nearly every way, EXCEPT, it bizzarely includes a few extra seconds of footage and dialogue. Cumberbatch asks “Is there anything you would not do to protect your family?” And THEN. For some reason, we see someone (Spock’s?) hand pressed up against glass doing the live long and prosper sign. What does it mean? Here’s the screen shot:
Extended Japanese trailer here:
Now how about some screenshots for speculation?
Spock hunting for, assumably, Cumberbatch with a gun. Live long and eat phaser?
Looks like Starfleet but not a ship, maybe the building that gets blown up in the trailer?
Scotty, who is rocking his standard-issue Starfleet sweater, comforting Uhura.
Kirk facing off against Cumberbatch.
Cumberbatch in a Starfleet undershirt, totally not being Gary Mitchell.
The Enterprise plowing into the water.
Cumberbatch is about to get Pine-slapped!
Future San Francisco! With the iconic Transamerica Building on the left there. If this is facing the Golden Gate, then it looks like the residential Russian Hill and North Beach neighborhoods have seen serious development by the 23rd century. (Okay, sorry, done nerding out about socio-geography now.)
Kirk in formal uniform, daring Cumberbatch to make a move, hombre.
Hey look! An alien planet!
That Kirk and McCoy have to run through! (Probably being chased by a monster? Didn’t we see that movie already?)
And then off a cliff, possibly…INTO DARKNESS?
Here’s our new Starfleet main character, being all “I’m friendly but can you trust me?”
Kirk being all, “I’m totally into making out with you, but can you trust me?”
The hooded leap-y assailant, which might be Cumberbatch or might be, as commenters theorize below, a Klingon? Which would be awesome. Klingons being genuinely superfast and strong in this universe would make them a threat again, and not just a bunch of puffed-up ridgy guys (and Worf).
Kirk and Uhura reacting to Cumberbatch’s assault.
An awesome shot of Uhura.
And finally, the Enterprise turned 90 degrees and Kirk and Scotty hanging on while a redshirt goes tumbling. This is possibly as they’re crashing into the water? It would explain why gravity is wonky here.
