In 2009, J.J. Abrams boldly went where almost no man had gone before: He successfully rebooted a beloved franchise. His “Star Trek” didn’t please every Trekkie, of course. But most of them were pleasantly surprised by the way he honored the spirit of the original television series and movies while making their universe more modern. The film created lots of new fans, too: It made more than $250 million at the domestic box office.

Lightning doesn’t strike twice, as they say. Abrams’ latest in the rejuvenated franchise, “Star Trek Into Darkness,” offers a bit of fun with the crew of the Starship Enterprise — but not nearly as much as his first film did.