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3* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
4** [[spoiler:Admiral Marcus]] as a WellIntentionedExtremist. He figured that the exploration-focused Starfleet would not be able to win a war against the Klingons, a war he thought was inevitable (and may or may not actually be). He was only doing what he thought was necessary to ensure the Federation's survival. It's not even really that much of an Alternative Character Interpretation--the guy just ends up tapping the MoralEventHorizon when [[spoiler:he opts to try and murder Kirk and the entire crew merely for having Khan in their custody, along with other acts]].
5** The Klingons themselves. The only time we see them in action is when they're ''[[spoiler: defending their own homeworld]]''; not once are they on the offensive despite the continual assertions that they're gearing up for war against the Federation. [[spoiler: Marcus]] is actively goading them into a war, up to [[spoiler: stranding the ''Enterprise'' on the wrong side of the Neutral Zone]] to set up a FalseFlagOperation.
6** It is not clear if Thomas sends Admiral Marcus the message saying that John Harrison is responsible for the archive bombing because it was part of Harrison's overall plan and he wanted to reveal himself or if this was Thomas's attempt to make some good out of the situation by telling Marcus who is responsible. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMKXf1RjB4M&list=PL1GxhT7X6rCs2yKmGfq3aMyFZqRN6nAHL&index=3&t=0s This deleted scene]] suggests that it's the former.
7** A more minor one: Is Pike grilling Kirk for breaking the Prime Directive - or just the fact that Kirk didn't accept responsibility (and if he did, the punishment would not have been as harsh)?
8** In the climax, [[spoiler:would Khan have tried to wipe out the ''Enterprise'' whether or not Kirk ordered Scotty to incapacitate him once they dethroned Admiral Marcus?]] After all, he doesn't seem surprised when [[spoiler:he recovers too fast for Scotty or Kirk to defend themselves]], but there is a hint of disappointment. He also has VillainRespect by telling Kirk that he likes a man who has a conscience. Perhaps [[spoiler:he would have kept his word]], or maybe not. It's left up to the viewers.
9* AwardSnub: In addition to the film not receiving the same Oscar recognition the 2009 film did, Creator/BenedictCumberbatch deserved recognition for Best Supporting Actor as well.
10* BaseBreakingCharacter:
11** James T. Kirk. While most will agree he had good character development over the course of the two movies, many more will debate whether said development is enough to actually make him a credible Captain, pointing out that he still lacks several of his Prime Universe counterpart's qualities. Notably, Pike pulls his command on the basis that he isn't "ready for the chair," having falsified logs and learning nothing since taking the helm at the end of the previous movie. By the conclusion, a lot were arguing that it would've made more sense for ''Spock'' to be the Captain instead.
12** [[spoiler:Whether Creator/BenedictCumberbatch's version of Khan was an effective villain, or whether he should have just been an original character. Even the AuthorsSavingThrow presented in the ''Khan'' comic miniseries (where he is shown to have undergone plastic surgery in order to justify an apparent RaceLift situation) is controversial for some.]]
13* BestKnownForTheFanservice: Often brought up by critics discussing the film's flaws. Carol Marcus is in her underwear for only one short clip which only lasts a few seconds: she changes clothes, Kirk peeks, we see. Blatant {{Fanservice}} that could have been left on the cutting room floor without affecting the plot at all? Yes, no doubt. But it is only one scene, albeit [[SexSells one that was prominent in the trailers.]]
14* BetterOnDVD: Kirk's [[CharacterDevelopment Character Arc]] works best when watching the two films back-to-back. ''Into Darkness'' makes several {{Call Back}}s to Kirk's previous conflict with Spock, especially when it comes to his coming to terms with his own mortality during a "No-Win Scenario." A lot of this got missed, especially considering there was a 4-year gap between the release of both films.
15* BrokenBase:
16** Was Khan's casting worth it to see Creator/BenedictCumberbatch's acting talent, or was it pointless whitewashing of a famous person of color role that wasted the opportunity [[spoiler:for a Sikh actor to have gotten a really big break playing a classic villain]]?[[note]]Despite the original actor ''still'' not being the same race as Khan's entire name would suggest.[[/note]] Are the detractors justified in their accusations of racism, or misguided and counterproductive political correctness or are people just overreacting? After 9/11, would it be wise to cast an actor of color to play [[spoiler: a terrorist who crashes a flying vehicle into a populated city]]? Though the later point adds to the discussion about whether Khan should have been used at all.
17** Is the film essentially a remake of previous ''Star Trek'' films or merely an homage?
18** Was [[spoiler:Kirk's DisneyDeath]] believable (setting aside how unlikely it is they would kill off a main character in the first place) or was it not?
19* CargoShip: Kirk and the ''Enterprise'', of course.
20* ContestedSequel: There's a lot of debate amongst the fandom over whether this film is either as good as the 2009 film or one of the worst ''Star Trek'' films ever. Common complaints include borrowing elements from the older ''Star Trek'' films, [[spoiler:Khan being the main villain and now white, the ChekhovsGun that is Khan's blood, and Kirk's [[DisneyDeath 5-minute death]].]]
21* CriticalDissonance: ''Into Darkness'' is currently sitting at an 87% on Rotten Tomatoes[[note]]In 4th place behind ''Film/StarTrek2009'' (95%), ''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan'' (92%), and ''Film/StarTrekFirstContact'' (90%)[[/note]], with the consensus from the critics being that it is a very good, but not ''as good'' followup to the first film. It's also one of the highest rated on Website/IMDb (7.7/10, tied with ''The Wrath of Khan'' for second place behind the 2009 movie). Fan reactions have been mixed: some agreed, some thought it was an EvenBetterSequel, and one [[http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/aug/14/star-trek-into-darkness-voted-worst Star Trek convention]] voted it the worst ''Trek'' film of all time.
22* CryForTheDevil: [[spoiler:Khan]] in this movie is a monster; he admits he is, and Admiral Marcus isn't wrong when calling him [[spoiler:a war criminal]]. Then we find out that [[spoiler:Marcus used Khan to create weaponry, threatening the lives of his people, who are in cryogenic tubes, to get him to cooperate. Khan actually has a moment when he and Kirk both say they would do anything to keep their crew alive]], and you can see a hint of DeathSeeker when he tells Marcus, [[spoiler:"You should have let me sleep" before killing him]]. In the climax, he goes MyGodWhatHaveIDone when [[spoiler:his threatening the ''Enterprise'' leads to Spock bluffing by firing the missiles that have his family in them, and you can tell he's running from Spock in full DespairEventHorizon mode, not even bothering to wipe out any of the {{Innocent Bystander}}s or using them as a HumanShield. His fate -- to be put back to cryogenic sleep-- is both karmic and fitting, as he got exactly what he wanted]].
23* DracoInLeatherPants:
24** Some have defended [[spoiler: Admiral Marcus]] as merely doing what it takes to defend the Federation from the Klingons despite the increasingly ruthless methods he takes and willingness to sacrifice innocent lives. As noted below, [[spoiler: Marcus's]] own actor got in on this, claiming that if Kirk had simply [[spoiler: killed Khan as he was told]] then there would have been no problem, which ignores the fact that he [[spoiler: intentionally stranded the Enterprise in Klingon space with the intent of starting a war]].
25** John Harrison, [[Creator/BenedictCumberbatch natch]]. Some people actually hoped that Harrison would pull a HeelFaceTurn. Oh and he even wears leather pants.
26* EnsembleDarkhorse:
27** The [[http://i.imgur.com/PhtOMun.jpg Random Cool Hair Redshirt Girl]], whose name isn't even given. But she has cool hair and some affecting facial expressions during grim scenes. The ongoing IDW comic series has retconned her to be this universe's version of [[http://en.memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Zahra Yeoman Zahra]]… [[RaceLift somehow]].
28** Science officer [[http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/memoryalpha/images/d/d0/Science_officer_0718.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130606102047&path-prefix=en 0718]], the completely bald cyborg crew member. He also has almost no lines, but with his deep robot voice, piercing blue eyes, and cybernetic implants in the back of his head, he certainly made quite an impression for a lot of people.
29* EvilIsCool:
30** The BadassLongcoat wearing, OneManArmy EvilBrit John Harrison. [[spoiler:And then we find out he's Khan]], and it gets a million times cooler.
31** [[spoiler:Admiral Marcus's]] jet black CoolStarship, the ''Vengeance''.
32* FanNickname:
33** "Star Trek XII: The Wrath of John". [[spoiler:It turned out to be quite appropriate.]]
34** "Star Trek XII: [[spoiler:The Wrath of Khanberbatch]]", which is equally appropriate.
35* HilariousInHindsight:
36** Both Creator/PeterWeller (Marcus) and Creator/BruceGreenwood (Pike) have portrayed ComicBook/{{Batman}} in animation prior to this film, Weller having played the elderly Caped Crusader in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'' and Greenwood having portrayed (alternate-universe, younger versions of) him in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanUnderTheRedHood'' and coming back for ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010''. This film may be the closest we can get to having Batman in a ''Star Trek'' film yet, with ''two'' actors who've played him before, no less!
37** With their white skin and dark FacialMarkings, the aliens on Nibiru look remarkably similar to Jaylah from the [[Film/StarTrekBeyond following movie]]. Trekkies, [[EpilepticTrees do your thing]].
38** After all the jokes about Cumberbatch's SlasherSmile making him look like the Grinch, he was actually cast in that role for [[WesternAnimation/TheGrinch2018 the 2018 film]].
39** After this movie, Cumberbatch also got to play [[Film/{{Mowgli}} another character named Khan]]. What makes it even funnier is that Mowgli yells "[[SayMyName Khaaaan]]!" at him the same way Captain Kirk did in ''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan''.
40** A franchise film swears their villain is an original character despite fan speculation that the villain will be a new version of an old favourite, then having a twist which reveals it was the old favourite villain all along. This is either Into Darkness or the Bond film ''Film/{{Spectre}}''.
41** ''Film/StarWarsTheRiseOfSkywalker'' is a sequel to another Creator/JJAbrams reboot which was criticised for rehashing earlier moments in their respective series', including the use of a past villain.
42** This isn't the first film where Creator/PeterWeller plays a character who [[spoiler: [[Film/RoboCop1987 "dies" from head trauma.]]]] As an added bonus, Weller's character, Admiral Marcus is the leader of The Federation and has green-lit the clandestine development of advanced weapons of war, much like company OCP in the original ''[=RoboCop=]'' trilogy.
43* HoYay: Kirk and Spock. No surprise, since their friendship has been fueling shippers for years. But Spock looks genuinely distraught seeing Harrison hurt Kirk, and flat-out goes on a pre-Surak Vulcan style RoaringRampageOfRevenge when [[spoiler:Kirk dies]].
44* ItWasHisSled: Though it also overlaps with IKnewIt, it has quickly become common knowledge [[spoiler:that John Harrison is Khan.]] Even the [[http://dvd.box.sk/newsimg/dvdmov/max1381216163-frontback-cover.jpg back of the home video release]] outright spoils it.
45* ItsTheSameNowItSucks:
46** The damaged and fiery ''Enterprise'' falling to Earth in posters and trailers garnered responses along the lines of "Oh great, [[Film/StarTrekIIITheSearchForSpock they're blowing up the]] ''[[Film/StarTrekGenerations Enterprise… again]]''." [[spoiler:However, the ''Enterprise'' is able to get back on its feet before it crash lands. The ship that does crash, however, is the USS ''Vengeance'', piloted by Khan.]]
47** [[spoiler:Khan being the main antagonist.]]
48** [[spoiler:The role reversal of Kirk and Spock during the climax.]]
49** One fairly common criticism of the film is that it's also not ''that'' different from [[Film/StarTrek2009 the previous film]], and retreads many of its emotional beats at the expense of moving the story forward. The main conflict is all about Kirk and co. trying to stop an angry and vengeful villain commanding a giant [[MatchingBadGuyVehicles evil black ship]] from directly attacking Earth due to a grudge against a Starfleet officer, it largely revolves around Kirk trying to prove himself as a leader and fighting for Admiral Pike's approval, and one of the big action set-pieces features Kirk ejecting from the ''Enterprise'' in zero gravity to board an enemy spacecraft (he even comments that it reminds him of the Vulcan mission, except he's jumping horizontally instead of vertically).
50* LateArrivalSpoiler: There's a comic regarding Harrison's past called [[spoiler:''Star Trek: Khan'']] that outright spoils "John Harrison's" true identity by putting [[Creator/BenedictCumberbatch his actor right on the cover, and of all subsequent issues]].
51* LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt: Spock dying at the end of ''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan'' was just plausible enough that the viewers might believe it would stick (partially because, at the time, it was believed [=WoK=] would be the last ''Trek'' film). [[spoiler:When this film plays that scenario out with Kirk dying instead, no one believes it will stick. Especially not after introducing a convenient [[HealingPotion Healing Phlebotinum]].]]
52* MagnificentBastard: [[spoiler:[[Characters/StarTrekTheOriginalSeriesKhanNoonienSingh Khan Noonien Singh]] is a superhuman with incredibly high-intelligence. Though believed to be genocidal and seeking to dispose of any race not on the same superiority level as his own kind, the tie-in comic ''Star Trek: Khan'' reveals Khan to have been a beloved and benevolent leader over his people despite being a conqueror. Preserved along with his crew for hundreds of years in cryo-sleep, Khan is awoken by the warmongering Admiral Alexander Marcus and as Commander John Harrison is forced to design the fighter starship the USS ''Vengeance'' and torpedos to go with it. Khan rebels by inciting a bombing of the secret Defense division and then mowing down several Starfleet officers, including Admiral Christopher Pike, in an ambush where he specifically targets Marcus. Khan learns his crew still lives in their pods in the torpedos he hid them in and surrenders himself to Captain James T. Kirk and the USS ''Enterprise''. Khan then provides the info of the Vengeance and helps Kirk take it over, brutally kills Marcus and then attempts to escape and fights off Lieutenant Spock after nearly crashing the damaged ship into Starfleet Headquarters.]]
53* MemeticMutation:
54** Comparing [[spoiler:Khan crushing Marcus's skull]] with the scene in ''Series/GameOfThrones'' where [[spoiler:the Mountain crushes Oberyn's skull]].
55** Pronouncing the title as written (no pause between "Star Trek" and "Into Darkness") shows up as a gag in nearly every online video about the movie.
56* MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales: Inverted. The producers of this film found themselves facing unexpected criticism from the Sikh community that was really looking forward to having [[spoiler:the film's villain, Khan Noonien Singh, played by a Sikh actor. Of course, the producers wanted to avoid YellowPeril, but the Sikh community noted that the character is such a classic Bastard and TragicVillain who physically and mentally outclasses any white man that it was a disappointment he was played by a British actor.]]
57* MoralEventHorizon: See [[MoralEventHorizon/StarTrek here]].
58* {{Narm}}/NarmCharm: As is the tradition with Star Trek, there are scenes that failed for some people and worked for others.
59** Spock's exclamation of [[spoiler:"KHAAAAAN!"]] during the finale. It's either a ridiculous moment that doesn't work or a loving ShoutOut.
60** Many found Kirk's dramatic [[NoSell failed attempt]] to beat an increasingly confused Harrison on Qo'noS hilarious. On the one hand, it looks ridiculous, but the scene as a whole is played for subdued laughs, so it can work.
61** The Klingons' redesign look more like [[Film/BattlefieldEarth Psychlos]] wearing a trenchcoat.
62** Harrison's scream when Spock attempts the Vulcan nerve pinch on him during their fight is... not 100% convincing.
63** Some of Cumberbatch's facial expressions can look comical, like [[http://31.media.tumblr.com/3fe1c3789645f3170c6f5b24089c6ca0/tumblr_ms9xp8kGwZ1rbkkwso1_1280.jpg his impression of the Grinch here]]. This actually becomes HilariousInHindsight when Benedict Cumberbatch [[WesternAnimation/TheGrinch2018 voiced the Grinch]] five years later.
64** The extremely clumsy set-up of a ChekhovsGun, where [=McCoy=] working on a dead tribble is randomly shoved into the middle of a completely unrelated scene and then not elaborated on.
65** Kirk's [[spoiler:death scene]] was cringeworthy for some, due to its [[spoiler:blatantly plagiarized dialogue]].
66* NeverLiveItDown:
67** Poor Creator/JJAbrams gets {{misblamed}} for lying about [[spoiler:Harrison being Khan]] when it was really Paramount that enforced this. That he absolutely '''''hated''''' lying about the unnecessary plot twist was conveniently ignored in favor of labeling him as a constantly LyingCreator. It got so bad that people mistakenly used the debacle as an excuse to presume that Abrams was lying about '''anything and everything''' leading up to ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/TheForceAwakens'', leading to a whole lot of FanWank. A few years later, Damon Lindeloff admitted that they'd vastly underestimated how quickly fans could multisource theories in this day and age, and they should have just come clean when everyone figured it out.
68** ''Into Darkness'' is often ridiculed for being the movie that tried to capitalize on [[Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan a previous film]] by basing almost its entire final act on it.
69** This film will also never live down making death trivial due to the poorly implemented [[ChekhovsGun tribble]] plot-device.
70* OneSceneWonder:
71** Creator/NoelClarke is onscreen for all of five minutes, has virtually no dialogue, and [[spoiler:dies before the plot fully kicks off]], but he makes [[TearJerker quite an impression]].
72** [[spoiler:Creator/LeonardNimoy's]] one scene is very short and a bit of a PlotHole, but most audiences loved it so much they hardly even noticed. [[TearJerker Sadly]], it would turn out to be his last – ever.
73* QuestionableCasting: The RaceLift. As mentioned, intentional on the part of the filmmakers. Having said that, Cumberbatch's performance was [[SubvertedTrope almost unanimously praised and/or anticipated]], even from people (like Creator/GeorgeTakei) who criticized his casting.
74* RonTheDeathEater: Since the release of the film, Admiral Pike has become a go-to ''villain'' for many fanfics.
75* RootingForTheEmpire:
76** Despite its writers' {{Anvilicious}} attempts to decry militarization and aggression, quite a few people who saw the movie ended up rooting for [[spoiler:[[WellIntentionedExtremist Alexander Marcus]]]] and his goal in militarizing Starfleet for a war against the Klingon Empire. Seemingly, [[spoiler:Marcus']] only detraction is that he went about it in the manner of a standard GeneralRipper, to the point that he brought [[spoiler:[[BigBad Khan]], an infamous genetically engineered warlord that nearly took over the Earth long ago, out of [[HumanPopsicle cold storage]] to utilize as a slave ([[TooDumbToLive thinking he could actually control Khan]])]], as well as attempted to purposely start said war with the Klingons (using the oblivious crew of the ''Enterprise'' to do so no less) as opposed to letting it happen naturally. Even [[spoiler:Marcus's]] actor [[spoiler:Creator/PeterWeller]] [[WordOfStPaul defended his character, saying he disliked how the public viewed him as a villain and has this to say about him]].
77--->[[spoiler: '''Weller:''' Everything he says is true: the Klingons are coming, they do need Khan, and that's that. It's just that he’s going to sacrifice the entire ''Enterprise'' to get the job done, because the ''Enterprise'' started to believe Khan. But if the ''Enterprise'' had not believed Khan and had done what Marcus said, then there'd be no movie, and everything would be cool. But the great writing in this is that the ''Enterprise'' wakes the dude up and listens to his game, and then everything goes to crap. But that's the ''Enterprise'''s hubris. That's them. They screwed up, not Marcus. Anyway, sorry to go off there. I just hate that.]]
78** On the flipside, John Harrison/[[spoiler:Khan]] gets a lot of this due to his sympathetic motivations to save his crew [[spoiler:from Marcus]]. Throw in Creator/BenedictCumberbatch's charismatic performance, [[EvilIsCool stylish]] [[BadassLongcoat threads]], and booming voice and we've got a full blown example here.
79* ShipTease: Between Carol and [=McCoy=], when Kirk drafts Bones into helping her open one of the torpedoes.
80* StarTrekMovieCurse: Interestingly, the film is used as the prime example of the franchise's "curse" having been somehow been inverted by ''Nemesis'', as it is a ContestedSequel coming off the rather well-received 2009 reboot and preceding the SurprisinglyImprovedSequel, ''Film/StarTrekBeyond''.
81* StoicWoobie: Dr. Carol Marcus discovers that [[spoiler:her father is at the head of a conspiracy to start a galactic scale war, is transporter-kidnapped by him so she can't stand in the way of his attempt to murder the entire crew of a Federation ship (which she is forced to watch helplessly from his side), has her leg broken by Khan, and then watches him brutally murder her father.]] She holds up remarkably well given what she goes through.
82* TaintedByThePreview: Many fans called the first teaser too [[DarkerAndEdgier dark, edgy,]] and action-packed for a "[[NoTrueScotsman proper]]" ''Star Trek'' film. This has generally been a criticism since the Abramsverse began.
83* TheyCopiedItSoItSucks:
84** The film's first movie poster was accused of being a rip-off of posters for ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy''.
85** Many people are upset with how much this film borrows from previous ''Trek'' outings like [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine "Homefront/Paradise Lost"]] and, infamously, ''Wrath of Khan''.
86* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter:
87** There were some fans who thought that John Harrison [[spoiler:turning out to be Khan]] was ''way'' [[EntertaininglyWrong too obvious]], and theorised that he was in fact the Klingon captain, Koloth--a human-looking Klingon from the original series that was meant to be Kirk's EvilCounterpart[=/=]WorthyOpponent. One can even take this a step further and watch the film with that in mind, and the story is essentially the same and it actually works in its favor.
88** Even if you go into it knowing Harrison is Khan, he doesn't have the back history with Kirk that their prime counterparts had. Kirk was willing to work with Khan in this universe, and they both obviously had a beef with Admiral Marcus. Preserving this EnemyMine through the whole plot and making Marcus the primary villain would have made an interesting twist on a classic Trek plot moving forward.
89** While the revelation about Harrison being Khan was a clever twist, this version of the character loses much of what made him so fascinating in the original timeline, for two main reasons:
90*** In his introduction, Khan's entire premise was that he was an infamous tyrant and mass murderer from the 21st century whose reign of terror had made him one of history's most famous monsters--on par with Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler. By confronting him, the ''Enterprise'' crew was also confronting the enduring specter of the brutal 21st century, and the reminder that [[BadFuture human history had to take some really, really dark turns]] before humanity earned its place in the stars. But in this version, so much effort is put into ensuring that the characters ''don't'' recognize Khan that he loses that element entirely; he gets all of his {{Establishing Character Moment}}s as the rogue Starfleet officer "John Harrison", with almost no time left to flesh him out as the fascistic cult leader Khan.
91*** In ''The Wrath of Khan'', a key element in Khan's story was that he [[FatalFlaw met his downfall]] thanks to his {{pride}}: he assumed that his genetically augmented strength and intelligence meant that he could never be beaten in battle, so he was cocky enough to challenge Kirk to a one-on-one starship battle--even though he came from a time before starship combat, and had never been trained in space tactics. He forgot that his enhanced genes only amounted to ''potential'', and couldn't compensate for his lack of experience, which the seasoned veteran Kirk had in spades. But in this version, Khan actually gets trained in starship combat by Admiral Marcus and he beats Kirk in a space battle because he has a better ship. Instead, he's defeated with GoodOldFisticuffs by Spock, his physical equal. His ultimate downfall has none of the thematic resonance that it originally had, and overall isn't nearly as interesting.
92* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot:
93** ''Enterprise'' vs. ''Vengeance''. Yes the ''Vengeance'' totally outperformed the ''Enterprise'' in virtually every area, but that's no excuse not to have an actual starship battle between the two; in fact, it would have made for a great David vs. Goliath scenario if Kirk and company had to overcome a superior ship through strategy and guile (like they did in ''The Wrath of Khan'' when they hid from the ''Reliant'' in the Mutara Nebula). The fact that ''Vengeance'' was meant to be a dark, militarized counterpart to the ''Enterprise'' would have made such a battle all the more fitting. Instead, Kirk doesn't even ''try'' to make a stand against the ''Vengeance'' before fleeing, and the clash between the two ships is abruptly resolved when [[spoiler:Carol reveals to her father that she's aboard ''Enterprise'']]--which struck many viewers as a cop-out.
94** Given the character arcs of both Kirk and Spock, a surprising number of fans were actually shocked that [[spoiler:Spock didn't up remaining Captain of the ''Enterprise'']]. This ended up becoming a major criticism with those who felt that [[spoiler:Kirk didn't necessarily ''deserve'' to be Captain]].
95** Uhura negotiating with Klingons is [[ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman one of very rare occasions where she can help in a way no other character can]] and can have a natural impact on the plot. Instead, she fails horribly.
96** The opening setup is about setting up Kirk's impulsiveness as a character flaw ("Damnit, Man, you just shot our ride!")... except Kirk is morally justified nearly every step of the way, and the fallout over his actions provides the perfect opportunity to take the Prime Directive apart over how incredibly flawed it is. We got a movie about how bad it is for Kirk to leap without looking when it starts with a much more impressive debate about whose lives are worthy to be saved by Federation personnel. What he actually gets in trouble for isn't because of the Prime Directive violations. It's his incompetent attempt to cover up it up by falsifying his logs and his [[NeverMyFault irresponsible attitude]] to the whole thing, which just makes him look like an entitled prick.
97** The film is essentially a high-budget ripoff of ''Wrath of Khan'', where any number of relatively small changes to events or lines could have addressed many of the common criticisms of the film.
98** The film also misses an opportunity to make a point about the way ''Star Trek'' scapegoats Augments for the Eugenics Wars and WorldWarIII even as late as ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', one that would have fit very well into UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror allegories.
99** In general, a fair number of viewers found the first half of the movie the more enjoyable part with Admiral Marcus as the main antagonist until Khan takes over.
100** Pike reveals that, after Kirk has been demoted, he's regained command of the Enterprise and wants Kirk with him on his ship, as his First Commander. Kirk is actually relieved about this, with Pike saying he's not giving up on the boy who failed to hold his own in a bar fight. Sadly, Pike [[spoiler:gets killed a few minutes later. It would have been interesting to see the men work together again after they had good chemistry in the first film and Kirk stinging from the loss of his captaincy]].
101* TheUntwist:
102** [[spoiler:Long before the movie came out it was speculated that Khan was going to be the villain. When Harrison revealed his true identity as Khan, a lot of people were not surprised]].
103** [[spoiler: Many Trek fans who had watched "Space Seed" knew exactly what was in those torpedoes the moment the number 72 was uttered. In addition, a large number of filmgoers who were aware of how much the film was borrowing from ''The Wrath of Khan'' caught on to the fairly evident foreshadowing with the Tribble and correctly assumed both that the engine scene would be repeated and that Khan's blood would be used to revive the victim. Between these three untwists, many Trek fans complained of the film being predictable.]]
104* ValuesDissonance: [[spoiler:Khan's RaceLift was because of this. Had Khan--whose name might suggest that he is Muslim to people who have little knowledge of Sikhs--been cast by an Indian or Middle-Eastern actor, "John Harrison's" overtly terrorist actions may have led to further unpleasant comparisons with the character. In particular, Khan's last act after believing that he's lost his crew is to ''fly his aircraft into several buildings''; the 9/11 comparisons would be unavoidable.]]
105* TheWoobie: Thomas Harewood. The man's daughter is dying, he's helpless to save her, and he winds up being manipulated by [[BigBad Harrison]] into [[spoiler:killing himself and dozens of others in a suicide bombing in exchange for his daughter being cured]].
106* {{Woolseyism}}: During the bar scene with Scotty and Keenser, a piece of music played that had different lyrics depending on where it was released. For example, Music/KyaryPamyuPamyu was chosen by Creator/JJAbrams himself to provide the song for the Japanese release, which is titled [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2GQAk_lRy4 "Into Darkness".]]
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