Quoted from Astropin:

Are you serious?
Passthrough ring - BFD! Both MET & ST have a magnet which actually throws the ball around.
Magnet
upper playfield - Really? Ball goes over a couple switches? No Flipper.....oh boy I get to nudge!
2 metal ramps - MET = TWO METAL RAMPS & WIREFORMS!! ST = more speed and more flow.
wireforms
metal sword ball lock - These are cool....not $1500 cool....but cool.
3 vuks
divertor - Both MET & ST have diverters...or "electronic gates"
2 towers -
LED ring board
What does ST pro have?
Interactive Vengeance Ship
Better speed & flow.
Better sound quality.
Factory LED's
Free ball return lane behind third flipper
Memory drop target
Magnetic Ball Lock
Super-Speed Ball Kicker Protects Ship & Fires Balls
7 Tri-Colored LED Star Trek Shield Emblem Custom Molded Inserts
Fire Button and Laser-Cut Fire Button Plate
Phaser and Photon Torpedo Feature Controlled By Top-Mounted Fire Button
Third Flipper
2 Electric Gates in Orbit Lanes
Left Eject Kicker Lock

Quoted from Rarehero:

No, you missed my point entirely.
LOTR - TONS made, operators are over it, it's not used in tournaments, prices are "normal".
IM - Not many made, operators wanted it, tournaments wanted it, collectors wanted it, prices were going apeshit.
There was no argument against IMve...all the factors were in place, including Mustang bombing, IM license still being relevant & IM having the cheapest BOM in a Stern ever.