Diehard Trekkies’ opinions of “Star Trek Into Darkness” vary widely, but one thing is certain for us: Hardly any film in the cult franchise is quite as spectacular as the reboot sequel, set to air on television this Sunday.

With the 2009 “Star Trek” reboot, later “Star Wars 7” director JJ Abrams brilliantly revived the then-dormant sci-fi franchise on the big screen. With a skillful balancing act between the old virtues of the brand and modern blockbuster spectacle, he laid the groundwork for a new film series set in an alternate timeline of the endless expanse of space.

And with the sequel “Star Trek Into Darkness,” Abrams continued on the path he had started four years later. To the dismay of many Trekkies from the very beginning, he took the classic “Star Trek” elements back even further, but put everything else on top of it. If you can make friends with that, you get an emotionally charged, state-of-the-art terrorism drama and a fast-paced sci-fi action film with bombastic visuals in one.

And the villain, played in “Doctor Strange” Benedict Cumberbatch’s usual endearing manner, even lends some clever overtones to the subject in all the breathless fuss (even if the fuss about his true identity is rather superfluous to the story). And even for the skeptical fans, the film is a must-see, as it is the last of “Star Trek” legend Leonard Nimoy, who died in 2015, who is here again (if only briefly) in his lead role as Mr. Spock can see you.

“Star Trek Into Darkness” today on Sat.1

In the CELEBTAP review, “Star Trek Into Darkness” was able to earn a strong 4 out of 5 stars for the reasons stated – and the dark sequel was also honored at the box office. With a worldwide box office of approximately 467 million, the second “Star Trek” reboot film is the most successful of the series’ 13 theatrical adventures to date.

So we can still wholeheartedly recommend the science fiction hit ten years later, even if it is back on TV today, February 26, 2023 at 11:05 p.m. on Sat.1. Alternatively, “Star Trek Into Darkness” is also currently available ad-free on two streaming subscriptions: on Paramount+ (where all other “Star Trek” movies and nearly all series in the franchise are) and on WOW.

“Star Trek Into Darkness” at Paramount+*

This is what Star Trek Into Darkness is about

After the crew of the Enterprise around Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) interfered in the fate of the population of a strange planet in massive violation of Starfleet’s main directive, Kirk loses command of his starship, which was then taken over again by his mentor. Admiral. Pike (Bruce Greenwood) is in command. But that’s just for a while.

During an emergency meeting regarding a terrorist attack on a Starfleet weapons lab, for which former officer John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) is identified as the mastermind, the next attack immediately ensues, killing Pike and several other high-ranking Starfleet members. Kirk then gets the Enterprise back to pursue Harrison across the galaxy – only to soon realize that the actual background to events is far from what it first appears…

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