I'll take one example, the most obvious example, from the new film.
Benedict Cumberbatch as Khan Noonien Singh. If this was just "Star Trek
remade with a new twist" then I wouldn't mind that a not particularly tall
or beefy white Englishman is playing a very tall, beefy (supposedly) Indian (I
say supposedly because the actor was Mexican, but you get the idea). I wouldn’t
mind, because it’s a new interpretation. Just like I wouldn’t mind about Spock
being the creator of the Kobyashi Maru test or the whole crew being at Starfleet
Academy at the same time (I would mind about Spock and Uhura, though; that’s
just too far, J.J.) I wouldn’t mind because it’s a new interpretation. Except
it’s not, because they’ve gone down the road of “deviated timeline” when the
Romulans-that-aren’t-really-Romulans (don’t get me started on that) went back and changed history. Because this means Kirk, Spock Bones, Khan - they're all supposed to be the same people as in the original series (TOS from now on) and the accompanying films. The exact same people. This is reinforced by Leonard Nimoy popping up to talk about fighting Khan in the TOS episode Space Seed and in The Wrath of Khan, telling his younger self how dangerous he is, meaning that the big beefy "Indian", played by Ricardo Montalban is the same character played by Benedict Cumberbatch (see picture below).
This isn't to say I didn't enjoy the film. I did, and Cumberbatch steals the show. But the problem remains. This is a new version of Trek that at the same time is pretending to be the same as the original. You can't have it both ways. For me, as a huge fan of TOS and Trek in general, this has ruined the new films. They cannot be the same when so much has changed - please don't try to tell me that Romulans going back in time caused all the main characters suddenly to be at the Academy together, or caused Khan - who, let's remember, is from the 1990s! - to suddenly be a white Englishman. I don't think even "red matter" has that type of power. Unfortunately it seems J. J. Abrams believes he does.
