Gaffer Tape said:
Did they think people wouldn't understand the dates unless they were made to reflect our own? I don't know. It seems pretty clear to me that bigger number=later date than lower number, so I don't get why they changed this at all.

I think they figured the original stardate system was confusing. I know that I never really understood how a stardate worked. I knew that bigger number=later date, but I always figured the number was just random. I know it was explained somewhere, I just don't know where. I honestly didn't even notice that the stardate reflected the actual year in the movie.