Star Trek Into Darkness gets an action-packed new trailer.

The only spoiler bit is at around 1:02, where Captain Pike has some facial scars that I don't recall him having at the end of the first Star Trek (he was of course seriously injured, but I don't recall scarring). Perhaps Pike gets those scars when Cumberbatch escapes from his glass prison at the halfway mark, because "He planned to get caught the whole time!". Otherwise, this is a quick (78 seconds) and breezy action-packed trailer.  It's nice that they aren't focusing as much on Benedict Cumberbatch's mystery villain (I have a theory on that, broached by a friend of mine and backed up by what we've seen thus far, but I'm not sharing in case I'm right) and also showing off that the film isn't all gloom and misery this time around. The initial trailers tried to sell the film as a generic 'dark sequel' or The Dark Knight meets Skyfall meets Revenge of the Sith.  This new trailer plays in the Return of the Jedi/Tron sandbox with phasers set for swashbuckling adventure. 

Zoe Saldana seems to have more to do this go-around, which apparently was an intentional course correction in the writing stage. And the film seems to reveal at least a couple of its big set pieces, but otherwise it's an effective tease.  I'm a bit puzzled by the timing of this trailer.  Yes I know it'll probably play at the SXSW Festival this weekend, but not only was it not played in front of my Oz: The Great and Powerful showing last night but Paramount has the expensive GI Joe: Retaliation dropping in just three weeks from yesterday.  Yes, I must admit that the idea of releasing an anticipated trailer in order to tie in with a new release that weekend from the same studio may be a passe idea, but it just makes too much sense.  Anyway, this looks pretty solid and Paramount is positioning Star Trek Into Darkness as the movie to beat in summer 2013.  As always, we'll see...

Scott Mendelson