*POTENTIAL SPOILERS LIE AHEAD*(You have been warned)
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The antagonist of director J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek Into Darkness is John Harrison, as played by the award-winning lead on BBC’s Sherlock TV mini-series, Benedict Cumberbatch. From the beginning, Paramount decided to make this enigmatic (former) Starfleet officer-turned “terrorist” – brought to life by Cumberbatch with a mix of sensitive vulnerability and ominous gravitas – the focal point of marketing for the much-discussed sci-fi blockbuster.
We’ve rounded up the latest Into Darkness TV spots and clips, which includes new footage of Harrison causing general mayhem. However, amidst the non-stop action and chilling Cumberbatch monologues, is a glimpse at the other antagonists: the Klingons, whose redesigned physical appearances in this film have been kept a secret up to now (for the public, anyway - see our Into Darkness set visit).
First, check out the second new Star Trek Into Darkness TV spot below:
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Next, we have a clip/promo where Harrison deconstructs Uhura (Zoe Saldana) and threatens – or, rather, promises menacingly – to exploit her personal weaknesses for his gain, like he did for Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) during the previously-released character featurettes. However, it’s within there that we get our first glimpse at the Klingons in the rebooted Star Trek continuity (without their armor and helmets on, that is).
Have a look at the clip below, followed by a screenshot of the Klingon (hat tip to Screen Crush):
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It seems the famous Star Trek aliens have been altered to more closely resemble the Klingons featured in Star Trek: The Motion Picture; though, the general skin texture and multiple earrings are a newfound touch. Abrams has described their role in the story as “definitely adversarial,” but the indication seems to be the race has been wronged by the Federation and that is why they form an alliance (?) with Harrison against Starfleet (or, at least, are sympathetic to his cause).
Case in point: watch this recently-unveiled clip – where an enraged Kirk confronts his stoic prisoner (Harrison) – and decide if you think that the coordinates that are recited by Cumberbatch will take the Enterprise to a location where some hidden atrocity was committed by the Federation against the Klingons or another non-human race (and for those reading this who already know the answer – no spoilers, please).
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This scene is a nice illustration of Cumberbatch’s serpentine approach to playing Harrison, who represents the kind of authoritarian, disciplined and principled leader that Kirk must evolve into over the course of the film; possibly, setting the stage for quite the emotional finale that could rival that of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (if everything goes to plan, that is).
However, before that happens, our favorite Captain and his trusted Enterprise crew will find themselves overwhelmed by Harrison and the firepower at his disposal – as reflected in the official IMAX poster (not the artwork by Mark Englert), with the U.S.S. Enterprise being pursed by the massive U.S.S. Vengeance (yep, that’s what it’s called).
Have a look at that one-sheet below:
Star Trek Into Darkness opens in (U.S.) theaters in 3D/IMAX on May 15th, 2013. It begins a regular theatrical release on May 17th.
