The Same but Different in this Star Trek Universe

Rating: 10/10 (16 May 2013)

SPOILER ALERT!!! SPOILER ALERT!!! You have been warned!!!
Others have detailed the plot specifics so I will go with my own perspective as a lifelong Star Trek fan who started watching TOS in syndicated rerun in the mid-70's. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is my favorite Star Trek movie by far and it is in my list of the Top 10 films of all-time. So I was a bit concerned when I read the rumors on the Internet that Cumberbatch was going to reprise this iconic Science Fiction role in Star Trek: Into Darkness. I felt that JJ & company needed to do something different since they had created an alternate timeline with the first movie. I think the writing team had given lots of thought of parallel universes and how certain points and people are fixed in time in all possible universes. The work they did on Fringe pushed them to do several seasons worth of story about an alternate universe. Peter was their fixed person in the Fringe universe who impacted both realities. The writers looked at Khan the same way. I had to think about the plot threads of terrorism, betrayal, security, revenge, optimism, family and trust that were weaved through Into Darkness after seeing it Wednesday night. I then read the novelization and the prequel graphic novel to gain a better perspective before I went and watched the movie again today.
The main themes hit by this story are many such as Kirk being too young, impetuous, inexperienced, undisciplined, egotistical, etc., to command a starship effectively; Spock still suffering emotionally from the traumatic loss of his home-world and his mother while trying to connect with his erratic, emotional, impulsive Captain; Starfleet Command reacting badly to the devastating terror attack by Nero against Vulcan and Starfleet in the previous film causing Starfleet Command to turn to extraordinary extra-legal actions to bring security to the Federation despite undermining the very freedoms and ethics espoused by the Federation (Section 31); Scotty being the one crew member (besides Spock) willing to take a moral stand with Kirk over crossing the line of legality and ethics while Kirk & Starfleet are preoccupied with revenge against Khan.
So to me this wasn't a rehash of Wrath of Khan because that story was about coming to terms with growing older and feeling that life had passed you by. Kirk's past comes back to haunt him and the Enterprise and Kirk finally had to face his own Kobyashi Maru test with Spock's sacrifice. Khan was motivated by his need for vengeance against Kirk over the loss of his wife and being left marooned on a doomed planet. This too was an issue from Khan's past he could not let go and it was his undoing. ST:ID is about surviving the vicissitudes of youth and learning from your mistakes to mature into a better sentient being connected to your friends and society. Kirk had Pike to place his faith and trust in him even when Kirk had royally screwed up from the hubris of flagrantly violating the Prime Directive on Nibiru even as Kirk failed to recognize this error. It took Pike's death and the pursuit of Khan to bring Kirk to the realization that he had to change his worldview and behavior.
Spock was struggling with his inner demons over the loss of Vulcan and his mother. He also made a personal journey of self-discovery in ST:ID especially after Kirk sacrificed himself to save the ship. Spock is filled with rage and pursues Khan with a fury never seen before. He helps save his friend Jim Kirk and he can now acknowledge this friendship and let it evolve.
Starfleet Command reacted like the US did after 9/11. They undermined their own principles in the name of imagined security. Admiral Marcus had sent out ships looking for resources to help Starfleet defend the Federation and they found the Botany Bay. Admiral Marcus thought he could exploit Khan's genetically engineered superior intellect and his capacity for violence to give the clandestine Section 31 (think CIA/Homeland Security/Special Forces) an advantage in building a capacity to take on the biggest perceived threat to the Federation for Admiral Marcus... the Klingon Empire. Thus you get the top-secret special prototype photon torpedoes and the built for combat USS Vengeance along with who knows what else that didn't get mentioned. You get incidents manipulated to provoke a state of war with the Klingons. All justified in the name of security.
Scotty was just awesome in this story. He was a moral compass while getting in on the action with the sabotage of the USS Vengeance. He also got some more great comedic scenes and lines. I was a bit disappointed that Bones didn't get more involved in this story but since it involved more technological issues I can see why Scotty was used rather than McCoy. Bones still got in some great metaphors and scenes and you know he can deliver Gorn babies in a crisis situation. Sulu gets a taste of the command chair and Checkov gets to flex his savant genius abilities as Scotty's replacement (temporarily) as Chief Engineer. Uhura has some issues with Spock, talks up some Klingons, battles some Klingons & makes some tough long distance calls. Getting a young Carol Marcus was cool and they didn't force her to be romantically involved with Kirk, She gets to join the crew and maybe they will hook up in the next installment. The Big E gets a refit to repair her battle damage and the crew of the USS Enterprise embark on the start of what should be an eventful, glorious and historic Five-Year Mission to Boldly Go Where No One Has Gone Before.