If the first poster was any indication, J.J. Abrams is embracing his title and going grim for his sequel Star Trek Into Darkness. While his 2009 hit featured some welcome humor as our crew got to know each other, the first two teasers have arrived today for his follow-up and its all about the the destruction that our villain Benedict Cumberbatch brings.

Still holding back any sort of plot elements or even an exact villain character reveal, Abrams manages to deliver some enticing imagery. Below one can see the regular US teaser followed by a Japanese one with more footage packed on the end, then come back on December 17th for a full-length trailer and see 9 minutes of footage before The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in IMAX.

In Summer 2013, pioneering director J.J. Abrams will deliver an explosive action thriller that takes Star Trek Into Darkness. When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.

Star Trek Into Darkness, starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, John Cho, Bruce Greenwood, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, Benedict Cumberbatch, Alice Eve and Peter Weller, arrives on May 17th, 2013.