"Star Trek Into Darkness": Catch the nine-minute preview in Imax "Star Trek" duo Spock (Zachary Quinto) and Kirk (Chris Pine). Paramount An extended preview of the highly anticipated "Star Trek" sequel began playing today in 288 theaters across the U.S., five months before the movie's expected release date. The first nine minutes of "Star Trek Into Darkness," directed by J. J. Abrams, are being shown in Imax 3-D in advance of screenings of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." The footage is the first to be released exclusively in Imax 3-D, Paramount said. Those who attend non-Imax screenings of "The Hobbit" will see the regular "Into Darkness" trailer. According to a plot summary released last month, the movie begins when the crew of the Enterprise returns home to find "an unstoppable force of terror" within their organization that has destroyed the fleet and everything it stands for. Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) begins a manhunt to a world-war zone to capture a one-man weapon of mass destruction. "As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death," the synopsis goes on to say, "love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew." The synopsis has sparked speculation across the Internet, particularly on the subject of the mysterious villain played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Nothing in the nine minutes of footage settles the question, but at one point, Cumberbatch is seen in a uniform that resembles those worn on the Enterprise. The clip opens in futuristic London, where a couple is visiting a comatose girl at a hospital. Cumberbatch's character tells the distraught father that he can cure their child. Benedict Cumberbatch, J.J. Abrams and Chris Pine pose at a Tokyo news conference for "Star Trek Into Darkness" on Dec. 4. Koji Sasahara/Associated Press Next is a scene on Class M Planet Nibiru, where Kirk and "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban) are fleeing a tribe of aliens who seem to be on the verge of extinction unless the Enterprise crew can keep a volcano from exploding. Spock is poised to deploy a device that will stop the eruption, but he finds himself standing on a rock surrounded by rivers of lava. Also seen in the sequence: John Cho as Mr. Sulu, Zoe Saldana as Uhura, Simon Pegg as Scotty and Anton Yelchin as Chekov. The full list of theaters showing the Imax extended preview is available here. "Star Trek Into Darkness" is scheduled for release on May 17, 2013. Laura J. Nelson Twitter: @laura_nelson "Star Trek": "Darkness" plot involves "force of terror"