What Choice Was There?
 

IMO- Trek was done and it was undone by Berman and his systematic approach to breaking down the basic laws of the Trek universe. This has been debated over and over and I feel he peaked with DS9 and dived with subsequent incarnations. Enterprise had glimpses of where Trek could have gone if the production team had the bravery and backing to do it but we know where that ended up.

Cancellation.

BSG showed that a re-boot/re-imagine was possible if done well - so why would this not work for Trek?

Here's the heresy part of my hypothesis - this movie will be a genesis moment for Trek - it's a chance to bury the baggage that Trek carries and invigorate the fan base while bringing in new friends. If it means losing a few fans who can't cope then fair enough but this is going to be a massive mainstream cinema event and the success this could bring will re-invent the franchise.

Is JJ the 'Great Bird of the Galaxy' for the 21st century?

He could just be......

More than likely, Star Trek will either be a Batman Begins sized hit, capable of relaunching the franchise, or a Star Trek: Nemesis sized flop that stalls it out for another six to ten years or more.

This will be the first Star Trek film that has neither William Shatner nor Patrick Stewart. At least one of them has always been there. J.J. Abrams is certainly taking a risk here, but anything worth doing is seldom easy.

Are Star Trek's characters strong enough, like those of James Bond or Superman, to survive the transition to new actors? I think they are, as long as the new actors are skilled enough and are working from a good script. What defines Star Trek? The most important elements are the characters and the stories. As long as Abrams gets those right, we'll have a movie that feels like Star Trek, no matter who plays the parts.

"Risk is our business."
--Captain James T. Kirk

I don't want a reboot/remake but a 're-energizing' of the franchise :)

Since I've never actually seen it, I cant comment on the shows content, but I think I recall hearing that there was threat of cancellation of BSG several times. Is it still running or has it been cancelled? Even if it was only threats...that's not a shining example of how "reboot syndrome" helps a fanchise.

The 4th season of Enterprise would've redeemed the show if given the chance. Still, given the popularity of the re-runs on the Sci-Fi Channel, it would be great if they and Paramount struck a deal to revive the show on Sci-Fi. Let's face it, with lame shows like "Tin Man" and "Flash Gordon" Enterprise might be just the audience draw they need.

BWDIK.

Imagine how much clearer this will all be come Christmas!

Agree. B&B left things in shambles. Time to move on and if they 'canonized' things we shouldn't always take it as sacrosanct.

I agree when someone said that this movie is going to be either a HUGE hit or a HUGE failure. From all the excitement though, I cant really see it being a failure (but then again, I'm biased arent I)

I have hopes for this movie, that it will stick with canon and not be so radicalized that it alienates Trek fans while drawing a new crowd of fans. However, can a Trek fan really be turned off to Trek? Star Trek V: The Search for God, and Nemesis -by some people's accounts, though I honestly like Nemesis- are thought to have been poorly done movies, and I've heard many folks decry these movies, although they've stuck around for a long time to come. I don't think it's possible to completely disrupt a Trek fans desire for Trek, though it may dampen it.

I would like to see this movie re-energize the franchise, but I'd like to see it done in such a way that it neither dampens current fans' love of it all, but it also invites others to join the phenomenon of Star Trek openly.

I know when I go see this movie, I will watch it for the entertainment value, not for the manner in which the canon is portrayed, not to see that every stitch on a uniform is portrayed, that each new actor resembles as closely as possible the former actors. Indeed, if this movie begins the introduction of some new ideas no one's thought of before, but also that fit within the definitions of the franchise, I'm all for it.

To be honest, I would love to see a new D&P game done for this, but I would also love for the MMORPG to be done correctly and released soon (by soon, I mean as soon as the new developers can get their things straight, plus two years).