A
It's true Gene Coon would never consider these stories at all because there not doing anything new.
I haven't posted here in years, but reading the post in this thread, I felt compelled to.
Oh, so you ripped his skeleton from out of his coffin to ask him that, did you? So glad you have that inside track to what Gene thought.
I find your repetitive negativity towards the project appalling. And holding up Exeter, Exeter of all things, as some more in tune, and correct keeper of the Star Trek spirit just plain weird.
Don't get me wrong. I enjoy Exeter, Phase II, Farragut and some others tremendously.
But I like STC the most. It has the highest and most consistent production values, the most skillful acting and just as important to Star Trek, the most telegenic cast.
You're right in that the writing could use some tightening up, but really, what couldn't? TOS itself had quite a bit of sloppiness even in the 1st & 2nd seasons, never mind some of the excrement that was greenlit for the 3rd.
So I'll take some of the not strict to '69 references, character developments, and story methods to have something thats leaps and bounds above the 300 million dollar JJ saga in looks, tone, and spirit.
As for something taking me out of Star Trek, it's not the little nitpicks that someone like Warped9 complains of that does it, it's the sheer mass of moobs, goatees, and pot bellies on the other fan films that do.