Star Trek fans are some of the most miserable bastards around. Guess what guys, your original star trek, was someone else's "Crappy version of a wagon train TV show". "I can't believe it's filmed inside, instead of outside like the wagon train shows I liked." "Why are they all pretending to fall down?" "Why are they fighting people with clay slapped on their foreheads, instead of Indians?"
Are you perhaps confusing the original Battlestar Galactica -- which creator Glen A. Larson literally described as "A wagon train in space" -- with Star Trek TOS? Because TOS has squat to do with wagon trains, spacebound or otherwise.
I'm not a hardcore Trekkie, but I know enough to recognize that your description of the old series has sod all to do with reality.
I get what you're saying; the old stuff is always loved by someone who hates the next new thing, and then someone who loves the new thing will hate the newer thing after that and blah blah blah. But your description of the original series is just...nothing to do with the actual show.
Anyway, I think JJTrek is ultimately pretty disposable.
Its resemblance to the source material is largely a product of broad caricatures of the characters (although Spock and Bones are handled pretty well, Kirk has more to do with Maverick in Top Gun than he does with the Kirk from the show or the older movies), terminology, and loosely interpreted production design. The vibe of the films is just a generic space adventure.
The first film was...you know, ok, I guess. I thought it was pretty bland but it was reasonably entertaining for an airplane ride. I had zero desire to ever rewatch it. And the score SUCKED. I noticed that before Mike mentioned it, even. It was incredibly grating.
The second film seemed to have promise, but turned out to be basically just Wrath of Khan II: Electric Boogaloo. It struck me as a wasted opportunity that drew its strength more from Nick Mayer's original story than from anything intrinsic to the new film.
My wife and I started watching the third film a few months ago on Amazon Prime one night. She likes the new Trek movies, and isn't an old school Trek fan (she doesn't dislike it, she just never really watched it). But even she was bored with the third one which felt COMPLETELY generic and seemed to have no connection to anything remotely related to Trek. It was just Generic Space Adventure Movie featuring Dashing Captain Guy and his plucky crew. Meh.
I think there are some great core concepts and values that can be drawn from Trek. It's an interesting universe in which you can tell really cool stories. However:
1. I really do NOT think it's suited to feature films. You either need the ability to build a longer, larger storyline, or you need something tighter and more episodic.
2. It doesn't lend itself to fast-paced action very often, even if the story itself remains exciting and fast-paced. Trek isn't and shouldn't be a roller-coaster ride. We have a gajillion such movies and franchises out there to choose from. I don't need another one just with primary-colored Trek wrapping.
If JJTrek really does die as a result of this, I won't be bothered, mostly because I don't think anything will really have been lost. You can still get your Generic Space Adventure movie on elsewhere, I'm sure, and Trek will undoubtedly re-re-re-re-re-launch somewhere else. Paramount isn't about to let this franchise die. Maybe I'll like what comes next, maybe not. But whatever.