> Could this be a post-Roddenberry thing? He was consistent in trying to
> provide social commentary, wonder if that was lost on the people who took the
> flag after his passing.
You can make a strong case that ALL the movies after "The Motion Picture" were
"post-Roddenberry" even though he was still alive through ST6.
Roddenberry produced and had great control over TMP, but that movie went way
over budget, and most critics and fans felt it was sluggish. For "Wrath of
Khan," Paramount replaced him with Harve Bennett as the new producer.
Roddenberry apparently did not like TWOK, which he felt was too militaristic.
Despite his reservations, fans loved it, and from that point on we kept getting
more Trek movies, but with little input from Roddenberry, who was relegated to
the sidelines.
TNG gave Roddenberry a chance to regain control of Star Trek, and to put his
stamp on it. In the first couple seasons, you see this clearly. It has many of
his later ideas, such as Earth having evolved into a peaceful, perfect place
with no conflict. This idea really wasn't present in TOS.
By the time the TNG movies came out, moviegoers were expecting more action, and
more special effects in movies. The idea of putting a pacifist version of TNG
onto the big screen was a nonstarter for the studio. And that's why Picard
becomes an action hero. This strategy worked for "First Contact," but failed
for the subsequent movies.
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