Comments From Someone Who Has Seen Into Darkness

Most of this is because Roddenberry was allowed to be writing for TV again in the first place. During the movies with the original cast, he was kicked upstairs by Bennett and the Paramount brass after TMP, which is why the movies were somewhat better while still being Star Trek in form and message (The Voyage Home being the best example, with its plot about ecological issues.) Of course, after Paramount decided there was to be a new TV show, Roddenberry had to be back as the creator. But just because he was a great creator back in the '60s doesn't mean he'll be a great creator in the '80s, and so we got what we got with TNG (as much as I liked it.)

 

Roddenberry wasn't the first choice of Paramount to create a new series, more like fourth or fifth behind people like Leonard Nimoy and Greg Strangis. IIRC.

 

Which is dumb.

 

Because Trek movies are normally better, thus the bar is set higher ?

Sadly not : Trek 3, Trek 5, The Next Gen movies...

 

How did Nimoy get to be considered for that top job? That's amazing (if true) and it's too bad that he didn't get to do that.

OTOH, we can be glad that Greg Strangis didn't get control of Star Trek, considering what a mess he made of the War Of The Worlds TV show.

 

Because they were looking for a name to attach to the series to give it some cachet with people who knew Star Trek. They talked to Bennett as well.