Hey all,
Chuck started watching Enterprise a little while back, usually during the times where I was working odd hours. I recently joined in at the end of Season 2, and now we’re at the point where they just entered the Xindi story line and the ship went into the Delphic Expanse.
I’ve got to say, the first few episodes I saw (Season 2) were pretty rough, and I was considering giving up until this new Xindi war storyline. My thots:
- Archer - I think Archer is the biggest flaw this show has, at least to the point I’ve seen. I like the idea of Archer very much, and I’ve seen Scott Bakula act with skill. But up until the Xindi war, Archer sounds so flat and emotionless, his phrases clipped as if out of context from anything around him. We decided it sounded like pre-recorded sentences in a video game that could be stuffed ad-hoc into any situation. I understand he’s less formal and less reigned-in than any of the other captains, but it seems to me he’s lacking in leadership skills. He is admirable sometimes in his actions, when he loyally defends his principles. But when it comes to interacting with his crew, he seems kind of confused, or stunted, or lacking the greater perception required to be a good captain.
Example: Trip throws first contact with an alien species completely down the toilet by teaching a third-gendered person to read and dream of a life of individual expression. It basically had been relegated to “pet” status, as its only usefulness was providing an enzyme necessary for the married couple to have offspring. Trip’s interference causes a terrible outcome, but Archer doesn’t even try to connect with Trip on the matter as he dresses him down.
He could have said “You were trying to apply human values to an alien situation, and while your intentions were noble, it led to disaster. We must remember that we can’t foresee such consequences and therefore have to follow the rules.” Instead, Archer blasts him angrily for disobeying orders and storms off without any real discussion. He loses the opportunity to teach his officer a valuable lesson that could have important consequences in the future.
Just one example, but one that struck me as bad captain-ing. Picard, Sisko, and Janeway would have all tried to connect with Trip to teach him something, and I think even practical-minded Kirk would have done something beyond administering disapproval. Trip said that despite the rules he did what he believed Archer would have done in that situation, and we know this was true, yet Archer acts completely caught off guard that his officers might look to him as an example.
Ultimately Archer does come off, like others here have said, as wide-eyed, naive, and somewhat meddling. It’s not a huge problem, because I kind of like that he has so much heart behind his actions. It would just be nice to see some of that heart, or thoughtfulness, or something going on behind the eyes, other than reading lines.
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T’Pol and Trip are, in my opinion, the strongest characters on the show - meaning the most developed, dynamic, and engaging to the audience. T’Pol is in the ole’ catsuit, yes, but she’s also very interesting, intelligent, and startlingly loyal and understanding of human values compared to her Vulcan counterparts. She’s sexy but not over-sexualized (at least when she’s not being rubbed down with goo). Trip’s accent annoys me a little, but he brings a kind of work ethic and rural-seeming practical sensibility that’s refreshing. He’s kind and funny, and not totally predictable. Good stuff. And Phlox is a less major character, but he brings this quirky, knowing kind of weirdness, intelligence, and charisma. His acceptance of all kinds of cultural things that humans find out of the norm is pretty cool, especially when we have to watch the other characters (or ourselves) squirm a little.
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Travis is cool, but there’s almost nothing to his character. He’s like the perfect, obedient, well-trained officer with no flaws. I like him all right, but he’s not interesting in the least. Except, holy crap, the guy is built like a model-athlete, and they do nothing with that.
I keep expecting Malcolm to be interesting, but he’s not. Plus, they keep portraying him as exceptionally attractive to females in various encounters, and I don’t really see that either.
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The theme song - I hated it the first few times I heard it. Then I paid close attention to the visuals behind it and realized how much heart and soul went into the idea. It feels a little like a Christian rock tune, but I was down with that. Then they picked up the rhythm and made it sound more “upbeat” just as the series storyline turned dark. It now feels out of place, and the heartfelt vocal performance, which is always among the front credits, gets buried beneath the cheerful thumping of synth drums.
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Writing and dialogue - pretty bad, unmotivated, and loaded with cliches, until about Season 3. There was a sudden shift, where storylines became more coherent, and people started sounding like people. It’s disappointing that the many really good plot ideas behind the scenes were tanked by other problems. (Except the episode that was an anemic re-make of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Whose idea was that?)
All in all, I actually do like the show. I don’t like the way Archer is executed as a character, but he has improved dramatically as we get into Season 3. T’Pol is great, Trip and Phlox are cool, and the others at least don’t drag them down. I would have turned my attention to other things, but the Delphic Expanse storyline has brought me back.
