I didn't like the ending really and I have a lot of criticisms for the show but overall, as a whole, I think CBS, Kurtzman, Chabon, all the writers, art design team, Stewart, the rest of the cast, and everyone involved, made something that had heart, evoked some passionate reactions from both sides of the "divide," and managed to bring people back to Star Trek.
I haven't really followed Star Trek since TNG ended. ENT didn't get me back, neither did DISC. The JJ Abrams reboot? Sure looked colorful but there wasn't anything that got made me want to go to the theater for it. But this brought me back.
The teaser trailer for PIC was really good. The intro is very elegant. The casting...some of the characters took some getting used to and Agnes...ugh, so annoying and cringey. But Alison Pil, Evagora, Briones, all of them were excellent casting choices, and brought their A-game to their roles.
I think the entire series ran into several cliche traps, but other times you I really appreciated the writing, even if I didn't agree with the direction of it. Take for example Riker and Troi's family. The whole thing about Thad creating his own language and made-up world because he was born on a starship and wanted to be from a homeworld...that was some excellent writing in my opinion, done beautifully. I'll have to check out
Kavalier & Clay.
Marina Sirtis really got to shine here, so much more than in the TNG films, and she got to show off more range than she did in the TV series.
The action for the most part was so-so, but they got it perfect in the escape-from-the-Borg-cube episode. Acting, set design, music...like a all the ingredients coming together for the perfect recipe.
And me personally, I would have ignored NEM. And yet, they refused to ignore what's considered a lesser-ST film and tied it well into this series, complete with "Blue Skies" theme.
The little nod to TOS with the synths being painted with gold flaked skin? What you did, I see it.
*raises a glass*
Congrats on bringing me back to Star Trek! Thanks for the fun ride!
Oh yeah, for anyone who hasn't seen this. (and that smile at :45)