The teaser trailer for the next instalment of the new Star Trek films is here, and it appears J. J. Abrams has followed Nolan's example and taken the franchise darker and edgier, complete with lava.

As we should all know by now, Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch looks like he will be playing the main antagonist -- who is rumoured to be Khan. Yes, THAT Khan, often held up as the gold standard of Star Trek villains, in which case Cumberbatch has some big shoes to fill. However, that looks like a Starfleet uniform in the trailer, so we could still be surprised.

From the trailer, it looks like most of the action will actually be on earth instead of in space. That's not necessarily a bad thing: it means the characters are having their home threatened, rather than just their own lives. It has seriously upped the stakes.

The plot synopsis for the film promises "an unstoppable force of terror from within [Starfleet]" and "an epic chess game of life and death". Expect many explosions.

Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are reprising their roles as Kirk and Spock, with Karl Urban as Bones, Zoe Saldana as Uhura, and Simon Pegg as Scotty.

The film is due for UK release on May 17, 2013.

Watch the trailer here:

Helen Gould