what was in your mind for each film before you saw/knew anything?

As I recall early STARLOG reports referred to Trek II as "The Undiscovered Continent" (not a typo on my part, this was their mangling of Meyer's preferred title) and reported that Khan would steal a weather controlling machine.

I got the impression from early reports that Kirk and company would crash the Bird of Prey in San Francisco Bay, barely missing the Golden Gate Bridge, on their arrival in the past in TVH. Easy enough to see or read about the return trip and think it was the arrival.

Sir Rhosis

 

The teaser trailer for Star Trek: First Contact had me really worried that the crew was somehow downgraded to a class of ship with a Constitution-style saucer, especially since the next shot had worried Riker and Troi on a shaking bridge. Thankfully, it was only a teaser trailer that reused the scene of Sisko's Saratoga under attack.

 

In part because of this thread I officially bought the Next Generation bluray set and STII individually, since I don't have the much talked about "restoration". For awhile I didn't want to triple dip (VHS, DVD, BD) but what the Hell.

GEN: I'll give this another look, it's been ages since I looked at it.
STFC: I like this but not as much as when I walked out of the theater.
ST:INS: I actually rewatch this one more than the others, possibly because I'm not super enthused or hateful of it. Trying to get a read on it.
STNEM: Great looking movie, really expecting a great picture on BD.

I think it's to Trek's credit that we can all still rewatch and get something different out of them, escpecially after all those years, and remembering the anticipation of first seeing them.

RAMA