Actually, Jackson had -enormous- support for LotR. The studio actually pretty much took a huge gamble with the trilogy. If it had failed, New Line probably wouldn't exist today. At least that's what I had read back in 2003, and we all know that everything we read is true! :P<br/><br/>As it was, 'Return of the King' tied 'Ben Hur' and 'Titanic' for the most Oscars for a movie. While many people (myself included) don't put a lot of stock in the Oscars, it is an indicator about public perception, and Jackson really put Fantasy on the map with the series. I honestly don't know what he could have done 'better', to be honest. The things he changed I think were changes for the better - and yes, I loved the books, too.<br/><br/>The Hobbit has gotten extra flack because of Jackson's decision to make it a trilogy, as well. Most people don't realize that yes, the Hobbit was a single book, but Tolkien himself had written tons of notes after the book that would have added more detail to the original story - and that's largely what Jackson is adding in. I remember reading the Hobbit as a teen and constantly asking myself, "Holy Crap, where is Gandalf when they NEED him?" Now - we get to find out. And yeah, I bought my tix for tomorrow, like three weeks ago when they went on sale. Love me some IMAX!<br/><br/>But in regards to Trek, a lot of people will argue that if it wasn't written by Roddenberry, then it's not 'real Trek'. I dunno. The characters are there, the ship is there, the races and organizations are there, etc - just because it's not presented in a way that certain people want it to be, doesn't mean it's "Not Trek". It even says so right on the DVD cover! :P<br/><br/>-ark