STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS The Star Trek cast reacts to hearing the phrase Star Trek Into Darkness.
  • STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS The cast of Star Trek reacts to the phrase “Star Trek Into Darkness.”

Okay, so:

Paramount Pictures has firmed up the title Star Trek Into Darkness for the J.J. Abrams sequel that brings back Chris Pine and the rest of his Trek cast. The Paramount/Skydance film will be released May 17, 2013. (Via.)

Paramount reportedly wanted to avoid having either a number or a colon in the title, so I guess turning the “trek” in Star Trek from a noun into a verb is… yes. It is certainly something one could do. (Note that—because Hollywood is terrible and this is how they think—the whole “into darkness” part is probably because of the success of The Dark Knight and the The Dark Knight Rises, which, as we all know, were successful because their titles contained the word “dark.” As was Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and as will be next year’s Thor: The Dark World. ANYWAY.) Space is dark, because it is space, so I guess this title will be factually true, if not tonally true? It’d be weird if this Star Trek was all mopey, seeing as how what made Abrams’ first Trek so solid was how much fun it was.

ANYWAY AGAIN: The fact that the title now sounds like an instruction leaves me with a dilemma: When I’m at hip bars chatting with beautiful ladies, how do I say Star Trek Into Darkness? Like a sentence? Do I put a colon in there even though Paramount doesn’t want me to? Please help me in the poll below, as the last thing I want to do—especially at a hip bar, especially in front of a beautiful lady—is to say Star Trek Into Darkness in a way that might make me sound uncool.

BONUS! A CONTEST! Whoever comes up with the best title for Star Trek 3 in the comments will win an ever-so-gently used hardcover edition of the acclaimed novel Star Trek: The Next Generation: Q-Squared! (Yes. This is the second time I have tried to give it away.) The only rule in this contest is that the first two words of the title must be “Star Trek,” you have to use “trek” as a verb, and there can be NO COLONS and NO NUMBERS. Four hundred and thirty-four pages of Q-Squared goodness await the winner! To help inspire you, here is this image from Q-Squared‘s jacket.

With honor and distinction, Erik Henriksen served as the executive editor of the Portland Mercury from 2004 to 2020. He can now be found at henriksenactual.com.

30 replies on “POLL: What Is the Correct Pronunciation of <i>Star Trek Into Darkness</i>? Plus: A CONTEST!”

  1. Star Trek Tre Means Three Doesn’t It?

    I feel like adding a question mark in the title will get people going like, “I’m hoping the movie reveals the answer. Well, there’s only one way to find out!”

  2. When at hip bars chatting up the beautiful ladies, it’s best not to mention Star Trek at all. I used to do the same thing (sub Star Trek with Dawn of the Dead) and was mystified how none of them gave a shit.

  14. Star Trek On Through to the Other Side

    An away team finds themselves on a planet inhabited by the god Bacchus, who turns out to be Jim Morrison after a cellular upgrade by alien abductors. Morrison turns out to be one of Kirk’s boyhood heroes, which makes the eventual battle for control of the Enterprise rather painful for the captain. (And who knew Spock plays drums?)

  16. Fatboy Roberts: YOU WIN THE CONTEST! Enjoy your copy of Peter David’s acclaimed novel Star Trek: The Next Generation: Q-Squared! I’ll get it to you tomorrow so you can start reading it as soon as possible.

    Everyone else: Please continue, as your suggestions please me. I’ll find some other prize to give another winner. OH HERE IT IS! Star Trek: The Next Generation #11: Gulliver’s Fugitives, the new novel by Keith Sharee. http://www.portlandmercury.com/images/blog&hellip;

    Carry on.

  21. Star Trek Convention

    When sinister alien forces threaten Spock, the Enterprise travels to 21st century Earth to hide the Vulcan at a TrekkerCon. The most meta-motherfucking Star Trek movie ever ensues.

  29. Star Trek to the Grocery Store for Soda and Generic Potato Chips Only to Find Out I Left My Debit Card (and Totally Not My Food Stamps; Who Do You Take Me For) at Home, Which is Where I Guess I’m Going Back to Now, and Except I’m Not Even Sure I Want that Snack Food Bad Enough to Get Up the Will to Leave My Trash-Strewed House Again Sigh

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