I owned STTNG and STLE for awhile and couldn't justify having both in a ~20 pin collection at the time. They do shoot differently, but for me, STTNG is a classic and STLE was just "ok". Big caveat: I was an early adopter and the code was half-baked at the time. I also didn't like the "dots" and all the modes seemed too similar. It is definitely a smooth shooting game.
SWLE is really fast. Rule set is deep & unique. The theme integration rocks. Makes you a better player.
You don't have to be a "pro", but it makes you earn your multi-balls, that's for sure.
snaroff