I was watching the special features on my "Star Trek I" DVD and it was fascinating to me that the release was actually delayed at short notice because they hadn't actually finished editing the film, and that it was a huge battle on Robert Wise's part to even get that to happen - apparently it was entirely possible that they'd have had to release the movie to theatres without editing having been completed.
So basically, my question is: what if Star Trek I was released to theatres in a state where, rather than being a movie that tends to polarise Trekkies, it was instead universally regarded as crap? Would it have been anywhere near as successful? Would there have been any sequels? What would happen to Star Trek from there?
(OOC: Assume that "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" in this TL is pretty much identical to the 2001 Director's Cut. And yes, the movie actually was unfinished when released to theatres - that's why the effects shots are so long and boring, because they didn't have time to cut them down.)