Today Star Trek Into Darkness producer/director JJ Abrams invited the press (including TrekMovie) to visit Bad Robot HQ in Santa Monica, CA. While there the media could chat with folks behind and in front of the camera as well as get a closer look at elements of the movie. During the day TrekMovie picked up on a number of new character and story tidbits. Find out what’s new below but beware of spoilers.

For those who aren’t big fans of Star Trek, bear with me. There’s been a lot of fun news about the upcoming film in the last couple of days.

Tonight I had the honor to be invited to a special preview presentation of the opening 9-minute prologue from Star Trek Into Darkness which will be showing at IMAX 3D screenings of the Hobbit next weekend. A detailed play-by-play will be held until next weekend but I can report on comments from JJ Abrams, share my first impressions of seeing IMAX 3D Trek, and go into a bit of minor spoilers (at end of the article).

If you are a Star Trek nerd as I am, click through and read this right now! Sure does make me wish I was going to see The Hobbit in IMAX. Unfortunately, I’m going with a few…

“What is a Hobbitses, Precious? If it looses we eats it!”

If you want to see more of Gollum in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, here it is. In the latest TV spot, there’s is more Gollum for you to see.

The Star Trek Into Darkness teaser trailer has sparked a lot of conversation and speculation. One popular and persistent theory is that Benedict Cumberbatch is playing Gary Mitchell from The Original Series episode, Where No Man Has Gone Before, this means in this particular theory that Alice Eve’s character would be Dr. Dehner. A lot has been made of Alice Eve’s hairstyle compared to the original Dr. Dehner from that afore mentioned episode.

Pushing the popular theory further, there is speculation that the memorial service shown in the trailer is for Gary Mitchell, perhaps events…

Even though a sequel arrived 28 years after the first innovative sci-fi Tron film, Disney head honcho Alan Horn has put the next Tron project on the fast track.

I had a little bit to say about this yesterday, but the reason I’m linking this one today is because of this:

I think we will pick with where Tron: Legacy left off with Quorra in the real world and what does that mean and the possibilities it opens up for the next chapter. It’s that relationship between the two of them that’s the next step.

This is what I was talking about yesterday when I said there was a lot of potential…

We’ve seen bits and pieces of this clip in trailers and featurettes, but here is the full clip.

I love it! I’m really looking forward to this one, I hope it doesn’t disappoint.

The sequel to the 2010 reboot Tron: Legacy —called Tron 3 in some quarters—is moving a step forward with Disney in negotiations to hire Jesse Wigutow to pen the latest draft of the script.

Joseph Kosinski, who directed Legacy, is attached to helm this installment, which is being developed with a renewed purpose under Alan Horn, who took the reins of Disney Studios in June.

Some considered the dark and trippy Legacy —which teamed newcomer Garrett Hedlund with Jeff Bridges, star of the 1982 original Tron —a lukewarm performer when it opened in December 2010. But the film grossed $400…

As much as I have been enjoying the remastered Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) Seasons 1 and 2 clips, episodes, theater events, and news, Season 3 is what I’m really look forward to. That’s when TNG really got cooking. And oh my goodness, how much better are the uniforms from Season 3 onward? Serously!

Season 3 gave us some of the best in Star Trek like:

• The Ensigns of Command
• The Survivors
• Booby Trap
• The Vengeance Factor
• The Defector
• The High Ground
• Déjà Q
• A Matter of Perspective
• Yesterday’s Enterprise
• The Offspring
• Sins of the Father

The one we’ve been waiting for is here. I know that while I liked The Dark Knight Rises it was not quite up to the level of the previous two Batman films, certainly in terms of story, and in other ways.

That’s what makes this one so fun. Whereas often, while I find the Honest Trailers amusing, a laugh riot even, I don’t generally agree with the complaints. But I don’t think there is a single thing being criticized in this Honest Trailer that I don’t agree with.

Anyway, it’s fun.