Star Trek Into Darkness launches next week; iTunes has all the old Trek to get you caught up

By Derek Kessler
last updated

Thursday, May 16th marks the US premiere of the 12th Star Trek flick: Star Trek Into Darkness. Like the 2009 film simply titled Star Trek, the new Into Darkness is directed by JJ Abrams and follows the adventures of the crew of the [new] original Enterprise under the command of a reimagined Captain Kirk played by Chris Pine. While the action-oriented direction of the last film, cockier Kirk, aggressive lens flares, and design of the new old U.S.S. Enterprise might have ruffled a few feathers, the 2009 entry kicked up the production quality of Star Trek films by an order of magnitude or two.

Four years later, the new Star Trek Into Darkness has already premiered in a number of countries worldwide and will be landing in the US next week. The new film has a dedicated iPhone app and a villain that recorded his audition with his iPhone while on vacation in England. And the Enterprise itself has a bridge that critics likened to the design of an Apple Store.

Okay, we might be stretching here. We just love Star Trek and we expect that you're likely a fan too. Statistically speaking, it's not a stretch to make that assumption. So, why not watch some Star Trek this weekend before heading to the cinema to catch Into Darkness? There are ten classic films staring your favorite combination of Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelley or Stewart, Frakes, and Spiner, and of course there's the 2009 Star Trek blockbuster with Pine, Quinto, and Urban. And they're all on iTunes, plus 716 episodes of five series spread across thirty seasons. In short, there's a lot of Star Trek to be watched, so with a new film coming up next week, you better get started now while you still have time.

You are going to see Star Trek Into Darkness, right?

Derek Kessler
Derek Kessler

Derek Kessler is Special Projects Manager for Mobile Nations. He's been writing about tech since 2009, has far more phones than is considered humane, still carries a torch for Palm, and got a Tesla because it was the biggest gadget he could find. You can follow him on Twitter at @derekakessler.

10 Comments
  • Re: "You are going to see Star Trek Into Darkness, right?" Uh, yeah. I have tickets for 8pm Wednesday. The first "fan sneak" showing.
    And I'm now a Rear Admiral in the Star Trek app. Got all the SF and LA
    location-based points.
  • I've got Wednesday 8PM tickets too! Though being in Ohio the location-based points have been harder to come by...
  • Time for a NYC / Chicago / Seattle / SF / LA road trip!
  • live long and prosper!
  • Not a bad price. I've wanted to update my library. I just wasn't too keen on using discs anymore.
  • My instinct tells me that The Wrath of Khan is the one to watch before seeing Into Darkness. And, of course, I'll be reviewing the 2009 film too.
  • It opened here in Mexico this week. I saw it yesterday. It's a good movie. Don't expect the original series and remeber this is an alternate reality. When our American friend see it we will go into detail about what was right and wrong about the movie.. Great Movie.
  • Well, it finally opened in Mexico this week, with positive reviews and big crowds going to the theaters... It's by far better than the last one, and rivals the Wrath of KHAN... Spoilers alert, remember that name... By the way, 3D was done the right way, and in 4Dx is a most spectacular experience... Go watch it, you will not be disappointed...
  • Glad to hear that you and dc9super80 liked it! One of the major goals for Paramount is to increase the Star Trek movies' popularity outside the US. The 10 Star Trek movies before the 2009 film have underperformed overseas when compared to other Hollywood films. Signing Benedict Cumberbatch, a well-known movie and TV actor in the UK, will likely help sales there. And the UK is Hollywood's biggest English language market outside the US, obviously. And, just from watching the teasers and trailers, it really looks like the non-verbal action has been ramped way up. That adds universal appeal, but cuts back some of Star Trek's pure sci-fi roots and turns it into an action series set in a sci-fi universe. Very different. Some people like that, others don't. I like it. I've sat through enough scientific investigations of "spatial anomalies," far too many weird uber-hacks like "re-configuring the main deflector emitter to generate an anti-tetrion pulse," aging Star Fleet officers lamenting their career choices, holodeck malfunctions, and bad humor involving singing around campfires and Broadway musicals. And, of course, all those fake foreheads. Time for a fresh approach. J.J. Abrams has done it.
  • Will definitely see it, but I'll wait for it to show up on iTunes. I don't bother with movie theaters anymore.