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Originally posted by Burt

While I agree with the this (mainly the Wii stuff) nate did hit on something that drives me mad. Films. I like Star Trek. I like certain other shows. And while I understand the need to make these big screen outings 'accessible' to the main stream, I can't stand when they ruin it. And they really do seem to do it to the Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Computer Game Genres. I watched a movie a while ago, called Sin City. It's not my thing at all, but is a very well crafted film in it's own right. I found it to be full of things that you would only know if you read the book. Like they decide to make a film for the fans (I guessed from the look on my friends face as he watched it).
Now I understand that they want to make money, but I wish that sometimes a 'good' faithful film would be made, instead of a million billion pounds in profit!

Sin City was a good example of a hit that transcended fandom. In my experience with friends who've seen it, most haven't read the original comics. And those who have thought the adaptation was spot on. And the movie was successful enough for a sequel (or sequels, if reports are to be believed). Lord of the Rings is a similar phenomenon, where a film series which catered pretty closely to the geek material gathered enough critical momentum for an academy award (not to mention its box office take). Batman Begins? V for Vendetta? The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe? Spiderman? The list goes on.

A project, regardless of its medium, can simultaneously cater to fandom and new fans. And the upcoming Trek XI must do precisely this if Paramount expects the franchise to rise again any time in the near future. Its a very lofty task indeed -- think about how much the Trek name has become synonymous with all things uncool for how many people. I don't envy the producers one bit.

Originally posted by Infinite Improbability
Okay, here's the kicker: step into your Wayback Machine and go forward in time fifty years. Ask anyone if they've seen Lost. I'll bet you get a negative. Ask if they've seen Star Trek: The Original Series. Positive. No question.

The wayback machine can go into the future too? Sweet.

Regardless, it doesn't really matter what people will remember and what people don't. The recognition of the term Star Trek (and let's face it, for most the term means Kirk and Spock and maybe a vague recollection of a bald guy) isn't what matters at the moment. What matters are the associations people make with that name, in conjunction with good marketing and positive word-of-mouth. People may have heard of Star Trek. But how about its latest incarnation specifically? And what do they associate with the term? Great television, or nerds with poor hygene? How has the buzz of Star Trek in the past... let's say five years compared to the buzz of Lost? This is what matters right now to the people who decide what shows to produce and what shows to cancel based on their popularity. And right now, financially speaking, Lost wins. Period. Sorry, that's how the game is played. The Star Trek property has potential, certainly, which is why another film is in the pipeline. But take a look outside of your own perspective for a little while and see what mainstream filmgoers/ television viewers will actually spend time and money on. Because that's where the franchise needs to go.

When it comes to the Wii/Nintendo decision, I'm a snob, and you won't convince me otherwise. Who needs an "easy-to-remember" name? If you have and use a console, you say the name a dozen times a day. You could call it the "Nintendo Grypzonigizatorate" and people would remember it. "Hey Bob, have you played Metroid Prime Grypzonigizatorate yet?"

There's got to be a name that appeals to a wider demographic that doesn't seem pandering to the old-school gamers. Even Nintendo Gyro would've been an improvement. Nintendo Remote. Nintendo Infrared. Nintendo Wifi. And so on.

Nintendo doesn't care that you already have a console and call it by its proper name daily. Nintendo cares about the people who it could potentially sell a system to. They needed a name with a hook that was easy to remember and would hook potential buyers. Notice that they don't even include Nintendo in the official name -- it's just three letters you have to remember, and two are the same. Sure, they could've called it something else. But the name they chose met those criteria (while "Revolution" certainly does not). The name is chosen. It is printed right on the final retail version of the console that is sitting in front of my TV. I'm amazed there's anyone around at this point in the game still clinging to the silly codename. Especially when Nintendo's decision to drop it might very well be playing a critical role in assuring that Nintendo participates in the next generation of video game consoles.