Star Trek Into Darkness is headed into its second weekend and our own polling shows that many fans plan to see the movie a second (third, fourth, etc.) time. And with repeat viewings there are opportunities for you to spot some little fun ‘easter egg’ tidbits put into the movie. See below for our selection of Into Darkness easter eggs, but beware of spoilers.
STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS EASTER EGGS
Of course Star Trek Into Darkness includes some big homages and reverences to Star Trek history including Khan, Section 31 and beyond which are key parts of the film. But there are also some more subtle ‘easter egg’ references to Star Trek history and beyond included in the film. Some of which you may have already spoted and maybe some you didn’t.
McCoy’s Tribble
Doctor McCoy has a Tribble in sickbay, used for testing in the movie. McCoy already has this Tribble when the movie opens thanks to the adventures of the ongoing comic book series where they faced the Tribbles in “The Truth About Tribbles”.
McCoy saved Kirk’s life after resurrecting tribble he got in the comic books
Praxis
As the team approaches Qo’noS, there is a hulk of a dead moon, implying that the Klingon moon of Praxis was already over-mined in this timeline (Star Trek VI). As usual the writers are being coy and won’t say for sure that it’s Praxis.
The Klingon moon Praxis in Star Trek VI gets blown up earlier in new timeline
This seeming early destruction of Praxis may be related to a Section 31 operation that John Harrison carried out before the events of the movie. There is a reference to a “Praxxis Project” barely visible in the redacted text of the “leaked” Starfleet Memorandum document about Harrison found on AreYouThe1701.com [they appear to have misspelled the name, if it is indeed supposed to be in reference to the Klingon moon]. To see the memo for yourself read our article.
Bay Stadium
We can see the floating/hovering Bay Stadium that was seen in the Star Trek Enterprise episode “Home” is still there. It is located off of (roughly) where the ferry buildings are in present day San Francisco. The version in the film is a circular stadium/coliseum instead of the rectangular in shape seen in ENT.
The Bay Stadium from Enterprise’s 22nd Century still there in the 23rd
Spacefight future history
In Admiral Markus’ office among other historical space flight vehicles, such as a Saturn V rocket and a Space Shuttle, there are also models from Star Trek’s future history, including the U.S.S Kelvin (from Star Trek 2009) NX-01 (Star Trek: Enterprise), the NX-Alpha (warp 2 test ship from the Star Trek: Enterprise episode “First Flight”), Cochrane’s Warp ship (Star Trek: First Contact), and the Enterprise XCV 330 “ring ship” (as seen on the wall of the rec deck in Star Trek: The Motion Picture , in a painting on the wall of the 602 Club in Star Trek: Enterprise, and rendered in the 2011 “Ships of the Line” calendar). The models were made by Quantum Mechanix for the movie, see our article for more.
The “Ring Ship” seen as one of Adm. Marcus’ history of spaceflight collection of models
Dr. Boyce
The attending physician’s name on the biobed monitor by Kirk when he wakes up in the hospital in San Francisco is Dr. Boyce, a reference to the ship’s doctor in the first Star Trek TV pilot “The Cage”, which is also where we first met the Prime timeline version of Pike.
Dr. Boyce counsels Pike in “The Cage” – and attends Kirk in “Into Darkness”
The Gorn Babies
McCoy mentions that he had given a cesarean section to a pregnant Gorn and that the live-birth babies bite (Star Trek The Video Game).
Gorn from Star Trek video game get a shout out from McCoy
Daystrom
Pike is called to the meeting with admiralty in the Daystrom Conference Room at Starfleet HQ. A reference to Dr. Richard Daystrom the inventor of the duotronic computers used in TOS (TOS: “The Ultimate Computer”).
Richard Daystrom has building named for him
Mudd Incident
Sulu says over the comm system to ready the impounded trade ship from “the Mudd incident.” This is a reference to the prequel comic “Countdown into Darkness” and that story’s involvement with Harry Mudd’s half-Bajoran daughter.
Kirk uses Mudd’s ship in Into Darkness
Nurse Chapel
Carol Marcus mentions her friend Christine Chapel who had told her of Kirk’s “reputation.” Chapel is of course a recurring character from the original Star Trek (played by Majel Barrett Rodddenberry). The character was also mentioned in the 2009 Star Trek film and was part of the USS Enterprise medical staff at that time, before leaving for a deep space assignment. She may be the blond nurse seen in this picture.
Christine Chapel gets shoutout
Ketha Province
The region of Qo’noS the team go to is the Ketha Province, which is where General Martok (Star Trek: Deep Space 9) will come from in the Prime timeline’s future.
Harrison picks Martok’s future hometown as his beam in location
Kirk’s Menage a Caitian
Kirk is seen in bed with two Caitains – a feline species first introduced in Star Trek: The Animated Series with the character M’Ress.
M’Ress – Star Trek’s first Caitain
MUSICAL EGGS
Amok Time Sting
As mentioned in an interview last month with Michael Giacchino said he was compelled by a fan on Twitter to include something from the TOS score at the last minute. That homage is the classic “Amok Time” fight music, which is heard very briefly after Spock beams down in a foot chase after Harrison through San Francisco.
Iconic Amok Time music sneaks way into movie
Beastie Boys
Kirk is listening to an antique record of the Beastie Boys “Body Movin’ (Fat Boy Slim Remix)” while ‘entertaining’ twin cat-like ladies. This is a callback to young Kirk joyriding to “Sabotage” in Star Trek 2009, Kirk’s general interest in antiques in the Prime timeline, and thirdly, the Beastie Boys is a personal favorite of director of J.J. Abrams.
Beastie Boys are back
ABRAMSVERSE EGGS:
Kelvin
The archive blown up in London is the called “Kelvin Memorial Archive”, named for George Kirk’s ship destroyed by Nero in Star Trek 2009. The name of the U.S.S. Kelvin itself is from J.J. Abrams own family, it was his grandfather’s last name. This is of course in addition to the more apparent homage to Lord Kelvin of the eponymous temperature scale.
The Kelvin gets referenced in “Into Darkness”
Alcatraz
Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay is taken out by the USS Vengeance, a possible nod by the producers to the quickly canceled Abrams show on FOX named Alcatraz.
Alcatraz gets cancelled by USS Vengeance
In the bar by the Port of San Francisco where Scotty and Keenser are blowing off steam about resigning from the Enterprise mission, the bar tables has a rotating light-up Slusho sign in the middle. Slusho is from Abrams’ Cloverfield.
POSSIBLE EASTER EGGS
Carol “Wallace”
Carol Marcus’ mother’s maiden name was Wallace, which is assumed to be an homage to Janet Wallace (TOS “The Deadly Years”).
Wallace – inspiration for Carol’s mom?
Another Deltan Navigator?
A bald navigator (“Darwin”) is seen taking the helm when Chekov is assigned to engineering. She may be an homage to Star Trek: The Motion Picture’s Lt. Illia and her Deltan race.
Is Darwin a Deltan?
See anything else?
There are bound to be more than the easter eggs listed above and when the Blu-rays arrive they will be much easier to spot with the benefit of freeze frame.
So did you spot any other little easter eggs in Into Darkness? If so post about them below.
I thought I saw a Slusho ad at the bar in Frisco where Scotty and Keenser hung out. But I’m not sure, have to watch it again….
So the cat ladies were Caitian! I hope we see female Caitian crew members on the Enterprise in the next movie…purr, meow…Of course, we will be told their names!
I thought Gorn were reptilian. If so, they do not give birth, they lay eggs.
I guess when Nero killed Kirk’s father, all the Gorn spontaneously turned into mammals and…
Android bridge officer?
Anyone know where we can find the Amok Time reference in the soundtrack?
@ Alt-Spock.
There were once dinosaurs (reptiles) which did give birth. Since the Gorn look like dinosaurs anyway, its not that far fetched…
3.
Gorn are aliens. They look like reptiles, but are they really reptiles?
If so, then the Gorn Captain in Arena was lucky that he and Kirk were transported to the planet during the day. Otherwise he would have cooled too much during the night and Kirk could have killed him more easily.
@5 Matthew Brannon
It can be heard at 1:55 of “The San Fran hustle”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=eb8Irl2d7zE#t=115s
I could have swore I heard a short refrain from ST Wrath of Khan near the end of the film after Kirk is saved by McCoy! 2 burst of the music!
I know that soundtrack inside out!
8. Thanks so much!!! That’s a great easter egg!!!
@3. Alt-Spock
Some terran reptiles and fish are viviparous (live bearing). And there are two oviparous mammals – the Echidna and the Platypus.
heres some more : (ranging from obvious to not so obvious)
-72 operational cryo pods (same in Space Seed)
-TMP style uniforms at certain points (Admiral Pike, McCoys white medical tunic)
-McCoys medical T shirt (straight out of TOS)
-Kirks leather coat in the Qo’noS scenes (reminiscent of Shatners Trek III coat)
-the cloak/coat Khan was wearing on Qo’noS recalled Khans costume from TWOK (e.g. the way he was wrapped up at the start – like Khan on Ceti Alpha V and also the ribbed collar of his jacket, being highly reminiscent of Khan’s TWOK brown outfit)
http://scifanatic.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/itskhan-collar.jpg
-Chekov’s redshirt fear
-kirk made a gag about sulu wanting his own command after having sat in the chair (TUC)
-various Trek movie lines – ‘Needs of the many..’…’they gave her back to me’…’you better get down here, better hurry’…’you’ll flood the whole compartment.’… ‘Ship, out of danger.’
-Spocks line – ’Wrath’ of the Klingons
-Pikes line of ‘Data reports that you blah blah’ (i know it might not have been intentional but the way Pike said it made me think he was referring to Lt Cmr Data – could he have been found earlier in this new timeline?)
-Klingon BOPs (the way they landed was similar to TSFS)
-USS Vengeance (looked like a TNG era ship esp the Ent E…plus the name recalled the original title of Star Trek II – The ‘Vengeance’ of Khan )
-Starfleet admiral saying war with the klingons is inevitable and conspiring with another villain to instigate a war with them (TUC) – also ties in with the praxis thing
-Scotty sabotaging an advanced starship with transwarp capability (TSFS)
-Khan threatens to take away life support (Space Seed)
-khan commendeering a federation vessel (Space Seed/TWOK)
-The safety belts that Spock, Sulu, et al wear (NEM – deleted end scene)
-saucer crash (GEN)
-Kirk lives (several TOS eps – esp Amok Time)
-”to boldly go where no ‘one’ has gone before’ (TNG – also used in ST09)
-similar to Amok Time music, apparently some TWOK cues are used in the score?
plus other movies:
-the way Khan kills Marcus (Blade Runner)
-the opening running away from the spear throwing natives (opening of Raiders)
-Khan and his followers at the end in the warehouse (end of Raiders)
-opening recalled elements of Prometheus (aliens were abit similar to engineers & the opening deals with the enterprise crew depicted as aliens rising a gigantic saucer craft near water on a planet early in its development helping them along, the aliens then drawing the enterprise symbol) plus later on Bones and Carol Marcus land on a barren planet that looks alot like LV233
-grey uniforms (Star Wars Empire)
-The interior of the USS Vengeance appears to be a cross between the Enterprise and an Imperial Star Destroyer
-flying a Millenium Falcon type shuttle on Qo’noS
-Khans Slave 1 style craft to kill the heads of SF
-“WILL FIT! WILL FIT! WILL FIT!” (Empire, Return of the Jedi, ID4 etc)
-Spock vs Khan fight in the future city (Blade Runner/Total Recallx2/5th Element/Attack of the Clones/Minority Report)
-Tron Legacy like spacesuits
-space jump sequence with the hatch they’re aiming for being so small and somebody saying Kirk won’t be able to hit it without the aid of his computer (Star Wars)
-villain gets all the big shots in one room and attacks it with a helicopter type craft (Godfather III)
-Khan wanting to be caught and orchastrating events whilst imprisoned ‘its all part of the plan’ (joker in TDK/Loki in Avengers/Silva in Skyfall/Lector in Silence)
-Khans vague origins this time (again like Joker in TDK)
-Lobot like bald androidy type dude on bridge (Empire)
-Inception style gravity loss
@8. topas
Thanks, for that. I’ve seen the movie 7 times so far. Although I knew the Amok Time reference was supposed to be there, each time I am too caught up in the movie to consciously pay attention to the music. I have to say, though, that I don’t recognise it as Amok Time until 1:59.
The Daystrom reference is a bit weird, unless Daystrom was already a genius as a child or teen.
I don’t think that the two female twins look like the catlike race of M’Ress at all
There should have been also a model of the USS Horizon in the Admirals office. That was one of the first Starfleet ships at all.
@14 i thought the cat girls were more a homage to catgirl from Trek V (lol)
@9 – i think i also heard certain TWOK cues. someone needs to research it more (not me though :)
#12 – You should study the difference between “easter eggs” and “everything in the movie.”
An easter egg isn’t just an element lifted from prior movies, such as the 72 cryotubes. It’s a hidden/secret “gift”–you know, like an Easter egg, something that is hidden and has to be found. (R2D2 in the debris near Vulcan in Trek09 = easter egg. “WILL FIT WILL FIT WILL FIT” is not.)
Simply cataloging the film’s similarities to others has nothing to do with Easter eggs.
the writers talk spoilers etc here:
http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=37615
18 – ok theres probably a few eggs in there anyway though
#20 – No, not really. About half of your list is just elements of Star Trek that are openly used. The other half is an astute listing of some of STID’s most noticeable thefts from…uh, sorry, “homages to” other films.
In fact, I may quote your list to some friends who disagree about STID being so derivative, so thanks!
@21 you are right, looking over the list i dont think theres one easter egg in there! i got it completly wrong. do i feel silly now.
#22 – Nothing to feel silly about, since you clearly have a sharp eye for detail–all the many, many, many lifted and “borrowed” details in this otherwise fun movie. You caught a lot of visual references that I hadn’t connected to anything else.
I feel silly for picking on your list in the first place, but no matter: Everything on this board is a bit silly. Peace!
No number 47?
Oh, and they may not be easter eggs, but I enjoyed Khan 2.0s list, as I enjoyed the article
The use of torpedoes for storage of the cryo tubes. This could be a reference to Star Trek III. A cryo tube that was stored in one of the torps is then used to store dead Kirk until he can be revived with Khan’s blood.
Star Trek II reference, Spock gives Khan the torpedoes reminiscent of “stand by to receive transmission… here it comes…”
@25 just like Spock in the torped!. nice catch
wonder if theres any Trek V nods? (like Kirk banging his head in ST09)
hmmm…the cat girls? (but then they wernt as feline as the one in V) anyone know where the Carol/Bones on a planetoid scene was filmed. it looked abit Prometheusy so maybe Iceland? or could it have been where they filmed Ska-Ka-Ree?
@24 thanks man. i love looking for all this stuff
not Easter Eggs but NEMESIS connections? (obviously as NEM had a very similar in plot to TWOK) :
-Khan created by scientifics in lab, manipulating DNA (Shinzon).
-Khan betrays his ally (like Shinzon with the romulans).
-Khan has a huge all powerful superspaceship (like Shinzon).
-Khans superspaceship half destroys Enterprise and an important crewperson dies (only to be brought back 10 minutes later :)
Off topic, but William Shatner is attending screening of WOK and STID in Chicago. Has some great observations from the actor.
http://blogs.suntimes.com/arts_entertainment/2013/05/william_shatner_to_make_appearances_here_for_star_trek_screenings.html
Regards.
“…our own polling shows that many fans plan to see the movie a second (third, fourth, etc.) time.”
Unfortunately there’s no way to UN vote in that poll. Having seen the film last Friday, I’d retract my predicted “twice” if I could.
Anyone else think the way the Enterprise’s engineering section of hull is cut through by the Vengeance was reference to the famous shot of the Reliant firing upon the Enterprise in Wrath of Khan?
Thanks Anthony. Some of these I caught, some I missed.
Could someone please explain what’s up with the andriod on the bridge?
GAT-2000? (or something like that)
Not an Easter egg but the Ring ship has been around for a long time I remember it being in a portfolio available from Lincoln-Star Trek Enterprises back in ’73-’74. I think (not positive) it may have been an idea from Genesis II….as there was also a drawing of the underground tram station.
Star Trek enterprises….wow….Trek, Kung-fu.SEARCH, TAS, Spectre, Questor,anyone have a pdf of one of thier catalogs.? I remember TOS scripts were a high priced $7.95….film clips were 8 for $4.00.
The music that plays during the scene where the Harewoods drive to the hospital sounds very, very much like Stevie Wonder’s “They Won’t Go When I Go.”
@33 i remember the Ring ENT from the Spaceflight chronology book from the late 70s(i remember thinking back to that book and also the TMP wall paintings when i saw the ships on Marcus’ desk)
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ehpWmhvSL._SY300_.jpg
Abrams often shows a “red ball” in his work (like red matter). When “Father” adds Khan’s blood to his daughter’s IV, it looks like a red ball at one point
@14. Exverlobter
In the Prime universe, Daystrom (aged 24) made the duotronic breakthrough in 2243 that won him the Nobel and Zee-Magnees Prizes.
STID is set in 2259, so it’s possible the archive is named after him, if he made a similar breakthrough in a similar timeframe in the Alternate universe.
McCoy has surgery on torpedo like in star trek 6
It’s not Praxis. Read the hard cover novel.
It’s not Chapel. In STID Marcus herself says Chapel went to the frontier to become a nurse.
just flicking throgh the 1979 Space Flight Chronology book (havent opened it in years) i notice they show the DY-100 class Botany Bay and mention Khan and his followers(pity we didnt get to somehow see the Botany Bay in STID – maybe at the end in the warehouse)
also notice that one ship in the early 00s is called the ‘Lewis and Clark’ and a one later is called the ‘Horizon’
i wonder if the writer of Event Horizon (Paul WS Anderson) grew up reading this book? (the L&C in SFC is of a similar design to the Event Horizon in the 1997 movie)
Went to the frontier? With… ROGER CORBY perhaps??
12–Interesting stuff. No, technically not Easter eggs but fun nonetheless.
But, no it can’t be the Data from TNG. He wasn’t created until the mid 23rd century (Memory Alpha probably has the exact year somewhere). I’m not even sure Dr Soong was born yet in 2259, and if so, he’d likely still be a child.
I thought the same thing about the Vengeance crashing into San Francisco. One scene in particular, when they show it from below, reminded me exactly of the Enterprise crashing in Generations, with a similar perspective.
I also had thought the Vengeance activating their weapons ports (or opening them, hard to describe) reminded me exactly of the Scimitar opening it’s wings when it was preparing to activate its thalaron weapon in Nemesis.
The seat belts – the concept and how they look and operate – are from a deleted scene from Star Trek: Nemesis.
Not all reptiles lay eggs. Some lizards and snakes give birth to live young. Google it.
It is entirely possible the Gorn, being more advanced than common animals, bear live young.
BTW: I remember tweeting to Giacchino to use the Amok Time music a few months ago, I wonder if I was “the fan?”
Spock melds with Pike, instead of McCoy as in TWoK. Possible set up for sequel wherein Pike’s “katra”, for lack of a better word, is in Spock, causing him to flee to Talos IV to allow Pike to live again in an illusional body. A rewriting of “The Cage” and “The Menagerie”.
The man issue is that a year has passed since Spock melded with Pike and the launch of the Enterprise 5-year mission. So, Pike would have to have been sitting quietly in Spock’s mind all that time.
@ 42. Right! Could well imagine a great and more thoughtful movie centered around the ENTERPRISE finding Roger Corby, Christine Chapel, Ruk, and (yes) Andrea on planet Exo III.
@ 3
They are also from another planet.
Hey Anthony –
I know there was some reference to the JJ Abrams interview on Conan earlier this week in another article. During that interview, JJ actually talks about Easter Eggs, and he says specifically that “R2D2 is in this movie”. He also references Slusho being in “all our movies”. So, I’m wondering if Slusho was in the bar scene, but has anyone found R2D2 in STID?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suKALs9iEc8
I wonder. That shuttle they use to return to the Enterprise in space dock – is that named Takei? It was such a short glimpse and part of it was obscured by Urban’s head (I think), but… anyone confirm?