The official trailer for Justin Lin's Star Trek Beyond arrived in December 2015 and announced the Kelvin Timeline's third entry with a pace and visual spectacle that conveyed the film's action scope with confidence. Its most striking quality is its energy: a relentless drive that suits the film's more purely action-oriented register. The Beastie Boys' Sabotage on the soundtrack conveys the film's more playful, irreverent tone with a boldness that immediately distinguishes it from Into Darkness's darker register, and the glimpses of the crew separated and stranded on an alien planet establish the ensemble adventure premise with enough visual clarity to signal its considerable scope. What sets this trailer apart from the more serious entries in the series is its tonal generosity. It makes no attempt to replicate the psychological weight of Into Darkness but instead signals, plainly, that this is a film interested in camaraderie, action, and the kind of ensemble adventure the franchise does best when it is not straining for portent. Idris Elba's villain Krall is shown with enough visual menace to establish the threat without overshadowing the ensemble's warmth, and the Enterprise's destruction is presented with the visual scale to convey the film's willingness to take genuine dramatic risks. Giacchino's score handles the trailer's more dramatic moments with a propulsive energy that suits the film's register, and the Sabotage choice closes on exactly the right note of earned irreverence.
First Impressions
The trailer is the Kelvin Timeline's most action-oriented, with a pace and visual spectacle that captures the film's scope without hesitation. The crew's separation and the alien planet setting are shown with enough visual specificity to establish the ensemble adventure premise, and the action and camaraderie are identified early as the film's primary draws.
What the Trailer Reveals
The trailer establishes the Enterprise's destruction, tracks the crew's separation on an alien planet, and glimpses the film's most striking action sequences with enough clarity to establish its scale. Elba's Krall is shown with enough menace to establish the threat, and the ensemble adventure is foregrounded as the element that gives the film its distinctive identity.
Music and Sound
The use of the Beastie Boys' Sabotage is the trailer's most distinctive sonic choice: a piece of music of such irreverence and such precise tonal placement that it immediately conveys the film's more playful register and its willingness to distinguish itself from Into Darkness's tone. Giacchino's score handles the trailer's more conventionally dramatic moments with a propulsive energy that suits the film's action scope.
Most Memorable Moment
The Enterprise's destruction, shown with enough visual clarity and dramatic weight to convey the decision's audacity, is the trailer's most arresting image: a moment that establishes the film's willingness to sacrifice the franchise's most iconic element in the service of its story.
Trailer Verdict
The Kelvin Timeline's most entertaining trailer, and a strong case for its most entertaining film: one that conveys the film's energy and ensemble warmth with a conviction that sets it apart from the more tonally serious entries in the series. Beyond is a film of genuine action scope and real camaraderie, and this trailer makes a persuasive case for both without apology. The Sabotage choice alone signals everything you need to know about the film's priorities.