hm. Its a very good analysis, well written, but personally I dont agree entirely.
The most important thing right now seems to be the, whats the correct English translation, most common denominator? Screw people who want things to fit, who want at least a bone thrown how the whole new thing ties in and developed (I am talking about JJ Star Wars), lets just overload people with soundbits and iconic things they love, add the unavoidable action factor of a 201+ movie and, to play it totally safe, repeat what has been before. Cant fail with a squadron attack on a Death Star thing.
For JJ Star Trek, same thing. Yes, I found it appealing to a degree when the movie evolved and let, this time, Spock cry Khan while Kirk dies of radiation. But in the end its so cheap I could cry, and the (intended) side effect is blowing away the old canon. Vulcan? WTF, blow it away. The rest, just put it through a mirror or adapt slightly.
So some people are young and just discover those two franchises, others are consumers of an entertaining movie and dont bother about the “lore”, others live with it for decades, immerse themselves (yes, get enarmored with some things like, in my case, Mara Jade or the Romulans and are biased towards the movies already when those things are gone) and ask for a bit more. I dont feel the latter group is really served. Partly, I understand, because nowadays everything costs so much, they have to be successful. Without massive special effects nobody is coming, thats the fear they have, I guess. Not sure if thats true, but too a part it surely is.
In the end, as the author said, we get recreation, no development at all. Star Wars could have gone anywhere, not necessarily the great Thrawn Trilogy, but no, they went mostly nowhere. Star Trek, jumpstarting the franchise, they went simply back. Thats not bold, and certainly not where no man had gone before.
I agree with you entirely, watching something that is not “official” has not the right feel, and it wont matter in official compendia etc. But with the indiscriminate slashing of what has grown organically, what is official and whatnot can change so quickly (and for the worse, in my personal opinion), that any fan-created piece has the same legitimacy (correct word?) as the studio staff. All the ore enjoyable when its so well done. Even if the voice in the back of the head says “its not real”.