Lately I've been trying to think about what I would have done with the new movie in order to attract new fans without completely abandoning the past 40 years of continuity, or just making a horribly contrived generic sci fi action movie for that matter.
The first thing to tackle would be a good teaser. Having read through Kirk's background, I think the massacre on the Tarsus IV colony would make a pretty dramatic start to the movie. Basically I'm thinking that 13 year-old Kirk actually witnesses the death of his father at the hands of some soldiers sent to collect the Kirk family for the mass execution Governor Kodos has planned. What I'm thinking is that George and Winona Kirk take up arms to defend their family against being taken by the soldiers because they've caught wind of what's being planned by the colonial government to go down. In the process, George is killed by one of the soldiers, but Winona is able to kill all but one of the others who retreated. Winona then takes her two sons into the wilderness of their planet, which thanks to their fungus problems has stripped the land of most of its vegetation, making it resemble a desert.
I'd then go to Vulcan to introduce Spock, though I'm not sure if this would count as part of the teaser or not, or if I should even do it. I just thought this would make a nice transition scene because it would start with Spock in the wilderness of Vulcan, undergoing his kahs-wan. I'd open the scene by showing him walking during dusk, and turning to see his pet sehlat bounding anxiously after him, the way a pet dog that is closely attached to its master might. Spock calls out to it (naturally all of the dialog would be in Vulcan with subtitles), telling it to go back home, as he must face his trial in the wilderness alone. Just then there would be a wild cry from over a hill – a wild le-matya. At first Spock would hesitate, and his expression would display a little fear as he watched the carnivore charging toward him. Spock pulls an improvised knife he made on his journey and prepares to use it, but just as the le-matya leaps in the air to tackle him, his pet sehlat tackles the le-matya in mid-air and takes it down. A rather nasty fight ensues, and the smaller sehlat is bested by the venomous le-matya. Mortally wounded, the sehlat can only whimper and writhe weakly in pain on the ground. The unexpected obstacle out of the way, the le-matya once again focuses its attention on young Spock. Just as the tiger-like beast is about to leap again, it is pelted by a rather sizeable stone in the top of its head. Enraged, it turns its attention on its new attacker and roars. At this point we'd see that the rock-thrower is another, slightly older Vulcan boy, who just then hurls another rock that hits the le-matya in one of its eyes. The le-matya charges the other Vulcan, but he is able to move slightly to the side and essentially embrace the beast as it rolls to the ground. Hugging the big cat tightly, he is able to give it a nerve pinch, putting it out. Spock runs to help the other Vulcan out from under the unconscious le-matya and recognizes his older cousin, whose name he calls out: Selek. Selek tells Spock he is fine, and attention is turned to the mortally wounded sehlat. It's explained that the le-matya's front claws are venomous, and that the sehlat is doomed to die a slow, painful death. Selek admonishes him for giving away his position to the le-matya, and tells him that he must now make a choice for his pet. Let it die on its own, or give it a quick death. Spock kneels next to his pet and runs his hand through its fur, bringing his hands to cup the animal's head in his hands. He seems to stare into its eyes for a brief moment, then with a quick movement he breaks his pet's neck, killing it instantly. And this might actually make a better, more sudden end to the teaser.