I heard he is playing a French Captain Kirk as envisioned in a modern day New York working for a corporation called Enterprise LLC.

/ Hollywood, make it so

bingethinker: John Harrison? What about his sidekick, Ringo McCartney?

You're thinking of Paul Lennon.

fusillade762: some_beer_drinker: bullshiat. it's gary mitchell.

From the sidebar of TFA:

Why Gary Mitchell Is Almost Certainly Not The Villain Of STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS

That's disappointing if true. With the hints in the two trailers, it has to be either Khan or Mitchell, and there's no reason it should be Khan. The odds of a different ship just happening to run across a derelict DY-100?

simplicimus: Lionel Mandrake: That's perfect casting!

An actor I've never heard of playing a character I've never heard of. Brilliant!

We're in alternate universe. Maybe it's a new character posing a different threat. Not everything needs to be recycled from past episodes/movies. Except Tribbles.

I'd like the new universe a lot more if they made a point to diverge completely from the original. Even Mitchell is disappointing in that respect. While Spock obviously won't diverge details of the original timeline, I would think even he would warn the Federation of the biggest threats, which would arguably include Mitchell, Khan and V'Ger. The Talosians probably too. And that someone needs to get on cloning a few whales or go steal a ratty BOP.

Violating Federation laws on timeline changes yes, but it's clear that the original timeline is not reparable.

John Harrison is obviously an alias.
For Harry Johnson.

/ron jeremy auditioned...

Maybe he's playing Data as Sherlock Holmes?

It has to be Sybock.

texdent: Might want to warn them about the Borg too, maybe even Q.

I wouldn't. Warning them about Q means he doesn't test Picard, which means we don't get advance warning of the Borg so we can prepare. Without Q, the Borg flatten us in months when they get to us.

I'm sure he'll bring some true depth to this character...

Khan??? Lets hope not. Why reboot the series if you are just goig to visit the same old characters.

he should have been a black guy.

" My two thoughts:

1) The caption is a lie. I mean, he may be calling himself 'John Harrison,' but that's not who he really is. That's a name he's using for most of the film before a big reveal as to who he actually is.

2) He's Harrison, a minor recurring crew member from the original series who bounced around from assigment to assignment, variously being in a red security shirt, a technician in sickbay and a gold shirted member of the bridge crew. He's not really a character, so much as he's a background actor who keeps popping up. He's technically canon, though, and his name is certainly mentioned in the show."


How about

3) He's a wholly original character created by the writers specifically for the new Trek with no relation to any previously established canonical character and his name is actually John Harrison.

some_beer_drinker: bullshiat. it's gary mitchell.

Not sure how that would work unless they just basically make a 2hr long version of "Where No Man Has Gone Before" but if you watch the trailer there is girl on there who looks a hell of a lot like Elizabeth Dehner, and the fact she shows up twice in such a small clips make me think that, who ever she is, plays a somewhat vital role in this film.

Wasn't Khan only one of many genetically-enhanced supermen in hibernation on the Botany Bay? Maybe Harrison was dude #37 on the ship, and there was some sort of Aliens 3-type shenanigans with the rest of the crew's hibernation pods. Bam! Instant promotion to headlining villain.

GAT_00: texdent: Might want to warn them about the Borg too, maybe even Q.

I wouldn't. Warning them about Q means he doesn't test Picard, which means we don't get advance warning of the Borg so we can prepare. Without Q, the Borg flatten us in months when they get to us.

If memory serves, the Borg only knew about humanity because of Q?

Paleorific: Why reboot the series if you are just goig to visit the same old characters.

That strategy has kept the comic book industry in business for the past hundred years or so.

GAT_00:


I'd like the new universe a lot more if they made a point to diverge completely from the original. Even Mitchell is disappointing in that respect. While Spock obviously won't diverge details of the original timeline, I would think even he would warn the Federation of the biggest threats, which would arguably include Mitchell, Khan and V'Ger. .

Was Khan really a major threat, though? I mean, he was a badass dictator in the future-past, but once he comes out of suspended animation, he's just a genetically engineered egomaniac... but without a huge army, oppressive intelligence network, etc. That doesn't seem too pressing.

Renegade Pervert: GAT_00: texdent: Might want to warn them about the Borg too, maybe even Q.

I wouldn't. Warning them about Q means he doesn't test Picard, which means we don't get advance warning of the Borg so we can prepare. Without Q, the Borg flatten us in months when they get to us.

If memory serves, the Borg only knew about humanity because of Q?

But they have a transwarp conduit something like 10,000 light years away. Q didn't have to take the Enterprise all the way to the Delta Quadrant.

lamecomedian: GAT_00:


I'd like the new universe a lot more if they made a point to diverge completely from the original. Even Mitchell is disappointing in that respect. While Spock obviously won't diverge details of the original timeline, I would think even he would warn the Federation of the biggest threats, which would arguably include Mitchell, Khan and V'Ger. .

Was Khan really a major threat, though? I mean, he was a badass dictator in the future-past, but once he comes out of suspended animation, he's just a genetically engineered egomaniac... but without a huge army, oppressive intelligence network, etc. That doesn't seem too pressing.

If someone else finds him and lets him out, he could easily become a big problem quick.

Cumberbatch's quote from the trailer ... "Enjoy these final moments of peace, for I have returned to have my vengeance."

I've figured it out. The villain in Star Trek Into Darkness is Rick Berman.

/Totally makes sense.

I hope the Traveller is in this movie.

Renegade Pervert: GAT_00: texdent: Might want to warn them about the Borg too, maybe even Q.

I wouldn't. Warning them about Q means he doesn't test Picard, which means we don't get advance warning of the Borg so we can prepare. Without Q, the Borg flatten us in months when they get to us.

If memory serves, the Borg only knew about humanity because of Q?

Nope. In the series there's an episode in which the Enterprise is meeting with the Romulans. Entire Federation colonies have been vanishing on the boarder of the Neutral zone, as if scooped up off the planet. They believe its a new Romulan super weapon.

They encounter the Romulans and find they are having the same problem... Later after Q showed them the Borg they discover another missing colony and a Cube.

The reason you don't remember that is the Romulan episode was actually about three cryo-patients from the late 20th century bumbling around the ship.


Also, for the people asking why it has to be a cannon character, why can't it be original? We were TOLD Benedict was playing an established cannon character.

rwhamann: I'm not a super-Trekkie, but how does Mitchell even make sense? He wasn't a threat or a bad guy until the encounter with the barrier, and this villain seems to be seeking revenge for some old indignity. Of course, Khan vs Kirk can't be some decades long blood feud either, not without, ummm, decades.

A theory is that the movie is a pseudo sequel, having the events take place after Where No Man. That or have the events of No Man take place as the set up to the movie... Point being Mitchell didn't die from a little rock induced concussion.

Now he's back and he's pissed.

Will-Mun: Also, for the people asking why it has to be a cannon character, why can't it be original? We were TOLD Benedict was playing an established cannon character.

yeah but that seems like exactly the sort of sneaky way to deflect people's attention. choose a random character that appeared in some background scenes, craft what is essentially a completely new story around this otherwise unknown character and trick all the people trying to second guess you.

Benedict Cumberbatch?

Zinglebert Bambledack?

Movie cold open: Deep space with a tinge of nebula in the background. Something drifts unpowered in the distance. It approaches the camera slowly, like the Narcissus in the opening credits of Aliens. We eventually see that it's a DY-100 transport. It passes by the camera which tracks it, and we can clearly read "S.S. Botany Bay" on its side.

The camera finishes its 180 degrees pan and a Federation starship can be seen approaching in the distance. It's a Constitution-class ship.

Cut to close up of the starship. At first we think it's the Enterprise, but we see the U.S.S. Constellation NCC-1017. Without any warning, photon torpedos streak to the Botany Bay. Three successive hits completely obliterate the sleeper ship. There is a spectacular series of explosion.

As the blast dissipates, we cut to a woman at the weapons station on the Constellation's bridge. She turns to report, "Target destroyed, Ambassador Spock. No survivors confirmed."

Camera quick-pans to Spock Prime standing by the captain's seat. He says, "Thank you, Ensign... McGivers. Captain, you may resume your mission." He leaves the bridge.

Then, we move on to the actual movie with Kirk and company on the Enterprise.