ship! https://i.imgur.com/LxQhtZc.jpg

So, I'm hearing rumors about the ship, ranging from time travel to a prototype to...

The Mirror Verse.

Nothing major (that at least I can figure out), but Admiral Pike tells Kirk to swear to secrecy about the Prime Directive being violated to prevent Klingons from taking over a colony planet. If I could guess, there's a secret faction to Starfleet that knows a war with the Klingons is inevitable and has been building up secret forces for a takeover.

Wonder if that secret organization is Section 31?

Excelsior?

That's what I thought when I saw an Enterprise-like ship that was just bigger and meaner looking.  Perhaps a mirrorverse Excelsior?

Yeah, so Khan. Section 31 was created after Vulcan was destroyed and their mandate is to militarize Starfleet. In exploring deep space for new technologies they found the Botany Bay and revived Khan to use his knowledge to further their cause, holding his crew hostage. Not a bad way to shoehorn him I suppose. Terrific acting from Cumberbatch, he's a scary dude. Loved how they showed him being able to wipe the floor with *anyone*. The Section 31 ship - the USS Vengeance - is badass.

The blood thing was shit though, sorry. Kirk pulls a Wrath of Khan engine room maneuver, dies, and Khan's regenerative blood brings him back. Bah.

Half way through the movie Khan and Kirk are in sickbay having an argument. To change the subject Kirk glances over at McCoy, who's working on a dead tribble.

"What are you working on Bones?"
"Applying Khan's blood to a dead tribble's necrotised flesh."

At the end of the movie just after Kirk dies, said tribble comes back to life. I actually facepalmed in the theatre.