The Star Trek Blu-ray supplements disc is a full-on digital Oscar campaign (intentionally framed so or not) for the production staff and the movie. If Paramount is interested in Star Trek firmly joining the Best Picture race, they'd be wise to distribute this release to Academy members. They'll receive it in the mail and pop it right in without blinking.

Various people, my editor included, have dismissed Trek as a worthy member of the Big Ten. Star Wars was nominated in 1977, and the idea behind expanding the number of nominees to ten is to field great films from various genres. There's no prerequisite style of storytelling or content to being worthy of nomination. Naval action/adventure is a slot previously filled by Mutiny on the Bounty (in 1935 and 1962), and the fact Trek is science fiction shouldn't enter against it.

The chatter on it has cooled in the months since release, but it's time to fire that engine back up and sneak it into the derby. How many Academy voters are there? Comp FYC discs can;t cost that much, right? Everyone's talking about the huge cost increase for campaigning, so why not push it in a different way than you usually would?

Am I saying it's one of the greatest films of all time or one of the greatest in science fiction? No, I'm not at all, and I'm also not dismissing the opinion some may have in favor of that opinion either. I do know that a lot of handicappers are having trouble filling out their "Best Picture top ten", and just like we can't have five Iraq War docs in Feature Documentary, we can't have ten arthouse dramas in Best Picture. It's all about balance, and if there's a popcorn counterweight I'd be okay with, it's this one and this one alone.

I titled this column Arthouse Cowboy not because I exclusively love cinema as "art" with an "h", but because I equally love thrilling popcorn fare that earns its audience. I hope a nomination for Star Trek helps change the rules of the Oscar game as so many have known them for far too long.