Star Trek Into Darkness had a more aggressive trailer rollout than the 2009 film. The marketing still played with secrecy, but the pitch was clearer this time: the Enterprise crew facing a catastrophic internal threat with much heavier consequences.
Announcement Trailer
Release date: December 6, 2012
This first trailer was short, sharp, and apocalyptic. It sold destruction, panic, and a darker tone without laying out the whole Khan reveal in plain language.
Official Trailer
Release date: April 17, 2013
By spring 2013 the campaign had widened into a more emotional and action-heavy sell. The later trailer put Kirk, Spock, and Harrison on a direct collision course and leaned into scale, sacrifice, and collapsing trust.
Campaign notes
The balance here was always tricky. The movie wanted mystery, but the trailers still had to look huge. What survived that balancing act was a very strong sense of danger.