I like some themes of Trek when I read about them (and Scotty and Chekhov are fun) but not enough to start watching every season and films and so on. But then I haven't re-watched Wars for years as well and ignored all the new films after Hidden Menace.
The Abrams movies were the ones in an alternate timeline. I guess technically there's like a bajillion alternate timelines all the time in Star Trek because of that one TNG episode.
Also the TNG movies aren't prequels for the most part and don't ruin the things that came before them as much IDK.
Link
OddOly
I have a feeling it only depends on which one you got introduced to first (Wars in my case). XD