It’s so bizarre to read this in the present, knowing how incredible TNG was, but I get it - the original crew WAS Star Trek to them.
The dedicated fans revived this series in syndication, well after it had gone off the air in 1969, and felt attached to the characters that they had obsessed over between then and the 1980s. Like modern fans, they thought that departure from what they knew would ruin it.
I wish I could go back in time and tell them that TNG is going to rock.
This is a fantastic write-up.
This is what my brain is hoping for (and never gets) any time one of those click-bait articles tries to reel me in with a title that sounds similar.
@The_Picard_Maneuver thanks, glad you enjoyed it!