h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The Even/Odd numbered Trek film theory has been around for as long as I can remember, but IMHO it's a classic case of correlation over causation. What never seems to be mentioned when comparing these movies as that numbers two, four and six all have the involvement of Nicholas Meyer (director of two and six, co-writer of four).

Robert Wise aside, Meyer is clearly the most talented filmmaker to work on the series. Wise, of course, is a legend, but he had little control over The Motion Picture and was frustrated at having to please so many egos, Shatner and Nimoy included. Meyer, on the other hand, had a slightly more irreverent bearing (he wasn't a fan of the show, and only went back to watch it properly having been offered the directing gig - even then he was less than impressed). You only have to watch his delightful 1979 film, Time After Time, to see the lightness of touch and breadth of original ideas, both in writing and directing, that mark his contribution to the Trek franchise. The lesson should have been: exclude Meyer to your peril.

By the time the Next Generation crew hit the cinema, Meyer had had his swan song with number six; but the whole team had shifted with Generations. The producers, writers and directors were now the veterans of the 80s/90s TV spin-offs, bringing with them a cynicism, over-reliance on arcane Trek history and generally hit-and-miss product. In other words, they were entirely different beasts, and even the odd-numbered theory has trouble with them (Nemesis is by far the worst Next Generation movie, and it's number ten).

The original series was groundbreaking, but (shall we say, tactfully) entirely of its time. Meyer seemed to be the only guy who could infuse it with the timeless charm all the cinematic updates strived for, and he happened to work only on the first three even-numbered Treks.

So that's my theory: it was Meyer, not voodoo.