Chris

Trek has normally featured some action sequences though.

Ouyyir i'ch'Rihan

They were drama with a fair amount of action and a little comedy. Whereas, in my opinion, the new ones resemble action movies more than anything else.

lyb42

They do have to put butts in the seats.

Chris

Something with the widest appeal possible, while not totally alienating established fans would make the most sense.

Ouyyir i'ch'Rihan

Although they could have made much better choices. I, for one, lost interest after the first movie.

CommanderM

The first movie with the younger cast worked for me best as a stand-alone. It's when it became obvious they wanted to make more of them that the problems began IMHO.
The 2nd movie was not a personal favorite for different reasons, and I am weary of the phrase "for a wider auidence" and all that it entails.

Ouyyir i'ch'Rihan

Like an alternate history story. That would make the movie more palatable.

I think is is useful to differentiate between "must put butts in the seats" and "want to put an many butts as possible in the seats." The latter is the only way Hollywood people can think.

CommanderM

Yes, precisely! I personally regard the film as an alternate history.

crazy_diamond

^ good way to go about it

lyb42

I don't disagree. In fairness, though, given the astronomical budgets they're spending to make these features, can you really blame them for wanting some assurance that they'll see a return on the investment?

Ouyyir i'ch'Rihan

The problem with concentrating too much on special effects, and the cost of creating them, is that it can easily lead to Star Wars syndrome: lots of great visual and audio effects, but plot? What is that? It can easily be damaging to a show like Star Trek that has always considered the plot, good or bad, to be an integral part of the show. But oh well. Welcome to the brave new world.

lyb42

All true points, and I'd say you're preaching to the choir, really. Again, though: Big movies cost big bucks, so the people spending the money want the assurance that they aren't just throwing the money away. You look at which movies are trending, and you make your own movie like those. After all, Star Trek: The Motionless Picture was all about the story, and look at how many ways that went wrong.

Chris

It can be just as effective to describe something, and let the viewer use their imagination.

Until audiences reach their saturation point with that particular type of movie, and something fresh comes along to start a new trend.

crazy_diamond

Just hope the script is good...

lyb42

Bingo