Set phasers to stunning. The first teaser trailer for J.J. Abrams‘ Star Trek Into Darkness has arrived and it’s nothing short of spectacular.

Benedict Cumberbatch‘s yet-to-be-revealed villain wreaks a terrible revenge on 23rd Century Earth, and the crew of the Enterprise must undertake an epic galactic manhunt to bring him to justice.

Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), Bones (Karl Urban) and Co. all return for the sequel which, as the title suggests and this teaser reveals, will be a much darker outing than the first film – not to mention more action-packed.

We also get out first look at the beautiful Alice Eve, another yet-to-be-revealed character who, from the looks of things, will be a love interest for Kirk.

Let us boldly go…

http://youtu.be/zU4LO8bS958

I’m lovin’ Cumberpatch’s bad guy. He has a real malevolence about him (unlike Nero from the first film) and, like all memorable baddies, delivers good monologue.

But the question remains… who the heck is he? The teaser reveals nothing about the character or his beef with mankind.

Two predominant theories are that Cumberbatch is either:

a) Khan – Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan. A genetically engineered superhuman banished to Seti Alpha V in the TV series only to return in the second original film, hell-bent on getting revenge on Kirk – the man who banished him. Cumberbatch’s superpowers revealed in the trailer fit with this theory. Revenge is always on Khan’s mind – and he definitely gives good monologue. The jackets worn by both actors bare some resemblence and the bonus scene at the end of the Japanese version of the teaser (see below) is a replica of one during Spock’s death scene from Wrath of Khan.

or

b) Lt. Commander Gary Mitchell – Where No Man Has Gone Before (Second TV Pilot Episode). Best mates with Kirk at the Academy and served under him on the Enterprise. Mitchell, along with psychiatrist Elizabeth Dehner, were both significantly altered on a mission that saw the Enterprise breaching the galactic barrier. So the superpowers shown in the teaser fit here too. Cumberbatch is seen wearing a Starfleet uniform and his revenge appears to be aimed at Starfleet, not just Kirk, so the Mitchell theory fits better with the synopsis. Plus Alice Eve looks remarkably like Elizabeth Dehner from the TV Pilot.

It’s a tough call but my money’s on the later – with nods to the former throughout the film.

We won’t have to wait long for the big reveal because a full two minute trailer is but a week away!

Are you lovin’ this teaser too? What are your theories on Cumberbatch’s role?

Here’s the Japanese version of the teaser, with bonus scene:

 In Summer 2013, pioneering director J.J. Abrams will deliver an explosive action thriller that takes Star Trek Into Darkness. When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis.

With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.

Directed by J.J. Abrams, the film stars Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch, Alice Eve, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, John Cho, Peter Weller, Nolan North, and Bruce Greenwood.

Star Trek Into Darkness warps into New Zealand theatres on 16 May, 2013