In the old one, Pike had some sort of accident involving radiation, and that's why he was not only stuck in a wheelchair, but burned beyond recognition (handy for when you can't get the original actor) and couldn't talk.

I figured through some of the weird holes in the story pretty much on the fly:

1) The Romulans completely mucked things up, so Pike never enters the situation that brings on the blinky chair - though it still might, as it seemed that Kirk was out of the Academy already for some time when it happened. (Nice homage in the end where he's in a wheelchair).

2) Naming Kirk as second to Spock was a function of physical proximity and familiarity on Pike's part. It was all on the fly, and Kirk was a Firstie in a ship full of them - but one Pike at least knew his name. Stuff like that has happened in history - selection of chain of command isn't based on who's best qualified, but who can get the baton passed to them. It also shows Pike doesn't really know which true officers are on the ship! Anyhow, it's second in command for what he thinks will be a very short duration. When Pike returns from negotiations, Kirk will be third in command, which puts him in charge of the mess, the suppy room, and the gym.

3) Dumping Kirk on Hoth was irrational and, as Kirk pointed out, illegal. That's the point. Spock has lost it - forget the veneer of control, he is as emotionally compromised as Old Spock says he is. They scoped that there was a Federation outpost and dumped him 14 KM from it, which is pretty good considering how big that planet is (Earth norm gravity); I figured the recording was canned advice - Line 3,875: "IF Federation base <=400 KM, THEN 'stay with capsule.'" Somewhere in the research station is an ignored light blinking and a disconnected speaker NOT whooping; hell, Scotty and the bug thought a ship had landed outside of the station and they'd just missed hearing it ("you're not my replacement?").

4) I'm thinking the new Star Trek movie is unique in that it is the first time that the time streams have been polluted and they didn't seek to "put it right;" they just accept that everything will be different.

5) What was weird to me was Spock doing the hippidy-dippidy out of season or whatever the hell Vulcans go through every seven years. Maybe I'm missing something and it is a matter that they must get it then and it is optional otherwise, but my understanding was that Vulcans were pretty much eunics otherwise.

This is more of a nitpick but what was Sulu doing with a katana when they went on the mission to stop the Romulan drill on Vulcan? I didn't realize that swords were standard Federation issue.

It rocks on Blu-Ray.

I suppose I'm a mid-grade Trekkie, as I can summarize episodes and identify species from TOS, but can't tell you the actual episode number.

I liked the original series - it was a space western where the town drifted into the bad guys (instead of the other way around), updated to match Cold War realities. The Enterprise was built by the lowest common bidder, which apparently was Chrysler. It always ran, but clearly there was some MOPAR madness going on.

TNG turned into too much of a soap opera for my likes, and they were so intent on keeping rules unbroken that one wondered if the future might indeed be run by overly politically correct beaurocrats. Space western soap opera (except everyone got along so well I suspected the water was treated with valium) where the town drifted into the bad guys (updated to reflect the United Nations). The Enterprise was built by the highest bidder with a horrific warranty included that ensured nothing short of sabatoge could hamper its functioning.

DS9 struck the middle ground. Space western where the town doesn't move, was built by the Soviets for one of their lesser members before the collapse, and is now partially funded and largely "advised" by Americans, who also provide a security shield for it, since a large deposit of oil wormhole that has strategic importance was discovered within its territory. The characters actually had diverse interests and loyalties to match their agendas.

Voyager was Lost in Space, except they were literally Lost in Space, and the cute girl was blonde and hooked up with the weird alien cook. It split the middle between TNG and DS9 (which was quite a feat), and for some reason is neither compelling to watch nor worthy of a petulant channel switch. I won't pause it to answer the phone, but I will still pop a DVD into the player if I'm really bored. Their ship was made by the same aliens that made the one for Galaxy Quest.

Enterprise was a call back of sorts, and I'm in the minority that thinks that it was actually the best since the original series. The characters weren't just diverse, they grated on each other - and yet used the professionalism of their careers to try and hide it. Space western meets The Equilizer where the town moves to drift into the bad guys (updated to reflect the Global War on Terrorism). Remarkably, it is alone (outside of the original series) in that the characters make bad decisions that come back to haunt them later. The Enterprise is made by no-bid contract firms that gave no warranty whatsoever and various research firms that sold prototypes as if they were production line ready.

I seem to be among the minority here on SimHQ that is able to disconnect and enjoy, if you know what I mean