I guess I don't understand that, but are Paramount and CBS two entirely independent corporate entities now that share the Star Trek license after the split?
There's probably a way to make mid-budget films inside the Trek universe. I'm watching some random episodes of TNG at the moment and a lot of the stories could theoretically be turned into films.
I have no idea if films like Ex Machina or Her were financially successful, but it seems like folly to try to chase the "billion dollar box office" with something like Star Trek. It's never going to be Marvel or Star Wars, and unlike those two properties, this franchise actually has the capacity to tell more interesting stories than simply rehashing what we've seen time and time again.
Star Trek production history time (greatly streamlined).
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez founded Desilu in 1950; by the time of Star Trek, Lucille Ball (who had bought out Arnez) sold to Gulf + Western; Desilu became Paramount TV after Paramount Pictures, which was purchased by G+W a year earlier. Ironically Gulf didn't want to buy Star Trek along with the rest of Desilu because it was doing poorly, but it came along as part of the package; had Roddenberry the money he would have bought the rights to Star Trek when Gulf offered him them. But he didn't have the scratch, and history continued.
Trek becomes a phenomenal success in syndication, the powers-that-be at Gulf see the success of science fiction at the box office, and their planned Phase II series becomes Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Things trundle along with the movies and new shows, with the ultimately-regrettable idea that they can use Star Trek to headline a new channel, UPN, with Star Trek Voyager and on (only took the better part of 20 years for that Phase II dream to restart...) UPN ends up changing demographics and leaving Star Trek adrift while the network turns over to America's Next Top Model and its ultimate merger into the CW, Star Trek is on the rocks, and by-now-parent company Viacom splits into two companies in 2005CBS takes the television, and Paramount remains with the movies.
It's the failure of UPN and the Viacom split that probably does the most to kill Trek, rather than Enterprises' middling-to-weak ratings by its end. A lot of the Trek-friendly executives are shuffled around or lost, Berman and the old Trek crew are out, and Paramount convinces the now-separate CBS to give them time to try a new feature film before CBS takes another stab at Star Trek on the small screen. Enter the JJ-verse.
Now, the two companies apparently are sort of keeping their distance. The new Trek show runners even said that they have to give a buffer around Paramount's film entries so that they don't compete or whatever.
It's really stupid, as is the whole spinoff in the first place, but I don't think either company could essentially buy the rights off the other one; there's too much potential money at stake.
