MattJC said:
Somehow how I doubt that, even if this movie is a big success with the general audience, that people will all of sudden decide to live, eat, and breathe Star Trek. Some people might, but the majority?
I just can't see it.
It won't be any different to TMP.
TMP brought a
huge number of people from the general public into ST fandom - including
me! I was very embarrassed that I (secretly) didn't know the difference between Janice Rand and Christine Chapel, because they were both blonde in all the TOS publicity pictures I found.
I turned down a chance to attend a great, intimate, local ST convention with guest Susan Sackett (at which only 80 fans turned up) because I'd read in "Starlog" that conventions typically attracted thousands of screaming fans who'd loved ST since the 60s.
I found organized ST fandom a few weeks after seeing the film (about five times) but it was probably quite a few years before I felt fully accepted. Diehard fans of TOS were quite scathing of TMP, for reasons they told me I had to see all 79 episodes before I'd truly understand "what was wrong with TMP".
The only people who'd discuss TMP with me were other new fans who'd found fandom via TMP. We were referred to as "newbies" by the diehard TOS fans who'd run the club since 1972 and, although it was acknowledged that people like me brought many skills and much enthusiasm to fandom, I wasn't as "real" a fan as they were. At least not until the next wave of "newbies" who turned up via ST IV and then TNG.
ST XI will piss off
lots of old fans, thrill other old fans, convert "Lost" fans to "Star Trek" (or at least widen their interests), and attract thousands of new ones to ST fandom. As did TAS, TMP, ST II, ST IV, TNG and "First Contact". I have no doubt.
