Enterprise discussion

Television, Movies Games and Books Star Trek
#61

so I’ve never completed watching any of the series, either on the idiot box or idiot discs. (or now, via web…) Started out mostly because I got busy during the runs of the series, and would miss an episode or two. And some of the shows depended heavily on catching previous episodes, while others were fine as “slice of life vignettes” in the midst of the show.

Enterprise was the one series I eagerly anticipated. And I never got farther than halfway through the first season. Sure, I’d catch an episode here and there, but mostly I was just pulled in too many different directions.

My fascination comes partly from the fact that I really enjoyed TOS, though I would not say it is my #1 favorite. I wanted to see how they would make new tech look like old tech trying to be new tech. I also wanted to see how they would “give birth” to a series that has heavily impacted society, dare I say life in general? (I mean, come on. My current cell phone is smaller than a communicator, gets internet activity for a charge, and does more than a communicator. And it’s five years old. I realize a communicator is supposed to be able to punch through the interference - or some of it, at any rate - of an atmosphere to contact the ship in orbit, and my phone does not quite have that range, but that’s what the cell phone antennae / boosters are for.)

I loved most of the casting, with a few minor exceptions. One of my favorite actors happens to be Scott Bakula, which I thought was a good sign. The temporal cold war completely lost my interest, however. I’ve seen and read quite a few things with time travel in it, and the possibilities of paradoxes, and the mistakes of what might happen. I kept expecting some “Doc Brown” reference during the temporal episodes. While I appreciate, even really really really (lot more reallys) like the BackTF series, I wanted something a little more original.

And one of those moments I like was during the episode when they introduce the phase cannons, and it does basically nothing. The comment of “what happened? last time was [more impressive]?” “last time it was overcharged.” “can we do that more often?” - reminds me so much of most of my interactions in daily life…

#62

Best Mirror Universe Episode EVER.

Also, I really liked the Vulcan stuff. Because Vulcans are cool.

#63

I loved the one where T’Pol told the story about the 3 Vulcans who landed on Earth in the 1950’s, and ended up stranded there permanently. Great episode!

#64

I will never be able to get past that time-travel war shenanigans or that total horsesh*t cliffhanger that tried to leave us spending a summer believing that the entire Trek verse timeline had been destroyed.

“Oooh! Oh noes! They done destroyed Earth! I guess all the stories we know and love will never happen! Wait, could there be the smallest chance that Archer somehow finds a way to undo it? I guess we’ll have to wait on the edge of our seats, biting our nails for three months!”

Everybody says it gets better, but eff 'em for wasting our time with that shite.

The scene in the pilot where T’pol and Archer rub each other down with green lube – sorry, it was futuristic antibacterial gel; I always confuse those two – was a masterpiece of sorts, though.

#65

That’s one of my favorite episodes…

#66

Thanks for the reminder GreenLantern. Think I’ll do some Enterprise rewatching.
Welcome to the Forum. After Superman, Green Lantern was my favorite comix.

#67

I like Enterprise, the same way I like all the Star Trek series, some more than others and for different reasons.
I’d also put in another plug for the Enterprise novels. “The Good That Men Do” and “Kobayashi Maru” are basically season 5 of Enterprise. “The Romulan War” books 1 and 2 (have not read 2 yet) seem like season 6. Stronger than most of Enterprise was, and definitely follow along with where the series seemed to be headed. “The Good That Men Do” also casts certain parts of the Enterprise finale in a different light, without giving too much away.

#68

Absolutely. There was a little bit of Jake/Nog driven retconning wrapped around TGTMD that felt forced, but it was required medicine to undo some of the spectacular mess Berman/Braga dropped onto the set floor during the finale of Enterprise.

I very very very much liked the various TOS tie-ins, the very reasonable explanations given for the apparent technological disparity between TOS and Enterprise, and more. These books are worth reading, just be prepared for a little bit of hamfisting in the beginning as they wrestle the good franchise back onto the rails.

#69

Been doing a rewatch of Enterprise. First time around I gave up on it about half way through season 1. Thought I’d give it an honest chance (without an attitude) this time. I’m on season 2 and I gotta say I am really enjoying it. Another “Thank you Crüe” moment.

#70

(First post! Be Gentle…)

Enterprise was really nostalgic for me. Little tiny things they put in there that only a Trekkie would know. I remember watching it with my mom in the hospital, where phrases like “Dude! It’s the AXANAR!!” were uttered by me, and usually her eyes would roll. Good times. The Andorians have always been one of my favorites (despite the fact that they were barely mentioned prior to Enterprise), and it was nice that they finally got some screen time.

There was a lot I didn’t like. While I agree that T’Pol was indeed hot, I didn’t like the blatant Seven of Nine-esque “I am an emotionless, unattainable large-breasted person in a skintight suit but you totally know someone’s gonna get some of this before the end of the series but who will it be?” characterization. THAT seemed really desperate. I wasn’t a fan of the Xindi arc, and I actually missed large swaths of episodes that season, only to be caught on DVR’ed reruns much later.

I totally agree about Coto’s saving of the show in the last season. I have never been a fan of Berman/Braga (quite the opposite), and I’d nearly given up hope on Enterprise till I saw a few of those eps and got re-hooked. I enjoyed the mini-arcs much more than a season-wide arc. The finale stank. Even the Next Gen guest stars felt dirty afterwards.

Overall, I think Enterprise could have been really great (and in many ways, WAS really great), had Berman/Braga given up sooner and the show had had a chance to be Star Trek earlier, and not just “A sci-fi show with Vulcans and Klingons in it”.

#71

Welcome YnrohKeeg!

Enterprise was really nostalgic for me. Little tiny things they put in there that only a Trekkie would know. I remember watching it with my mom in the hospital, where phrases like “Dude! It’s the AXANAR!!” were uttered by me, and usually her eyes would roll. Good times. The Andorians have always been one of my favorites (despite the fact that they were barely mentioned prior to Enterprise), and it was nice that they finally got some screen time.

There was a lot I didn’t like. While I agree that T’Pol was indeed hot, I didn’t like the blatant Seven of Nine-esque “I am an emotionless, unattainable large-breasted person in a skintight suit but you totally know someone’s gonna get some of this before the end of the series but who will it be?” characterization. THAT seemed really desperate. I wasn’t a fan of the Xindi arc, and I actually missed large swaths of episodes that season, only to be caught on DVR’ed reruns much later.

I totally agree about Coto’s saving of the show in the last season. I have never been a fan of Berman/Braga (quite the opposite), and I’d nearly given up hope on Enterprise till I saw a few of those eps and got re-hooked. I enjoyed the mini-arcs much more than a season-wide arc. The finale stank. Even the Next Gen guest stars felt dirty afterwards.

Overall, I think Enterprise could have been really great (and in many ways, WAS really great), had Berman/Braga given up sooner and the show had had a chance to be Star Trek earlier, and not just “A sci-fi show with Vulcans and Klingons in it”.

I absolutely agree with everything you said. You nailed every point I’ve ever made about Enterprise. Check out the other Star Trek series threads. There are also Trek Tuesday frak parties @ 10pm EST. Currently we are watching episodes from the seventh season of TNG and the second season of DS9.

#72

Welcome YnroKeeg!

Like Frakkintalos, I also totally agree with everything you said regarding Enterprise. But he and tend to think alike :smiley:

I love the way they portrayed the Andorians in Enterprise. And the third season they through some great little bones to the hard core, old school Trekkies (like myself).

#73

The Andorians were my favorite aliens in Enterprise. I just love that show. I wish they’d managed to soften T’Pol up a bit, that would have been refreshing, like the way the Trek reboot movie gave Spock an extra dimension. I’d never thought of Spock as a sexual being until the reboot, and yet he remained Spock. Would have loved seeing T’Pol like that.

#74

I just finished this series on Netflix…and I gotta admit for the most it was pretty good…like a lot of you guys I had no need for the Temperal Cold War (though I did love how it allowed the humans to show up the “Time Travel is unpossible theory of the Vulcans” :D)…I liked the human/Vulcan tensions and frustrations and I loved seeing the baby steps of humans in space and the slow birth of the Federation…while the 2 Mirror episodes were cool and I did love seeing the mirror story, it felt like COMPLETELY random and like “crap we got two episodes to fill…let’s do this!”

I too found myself REALLY liking the Andorians too…about as much as I liked the Vulcans being arrogant and wrong and finally accepting humans as equals…

I didn’t like the Xindi arc till it got going…one day I might re-watch the series and I’ll like it more knowing where it was going

The Series Finale was pretty terrible, and I watched the end credits PISSED that we didn’t get to hear Archer’s speech which was unforgivable…also what they did to Tripp for NO REAL REASON…arrrgghhhh (and then what’s worse was to spoil it coming with the cheesy TNG cross-over)

As annoyed as I was with the Finale I did like and smile at the “Boldly go” montage…but it wasn’t enough closure on the series for me…

#75

I’ve only seen Enterprise through the one time, so I too will be looking forward to when we finally get to it in our tuesday trek re-watches… in several years?

I LOVED those mirror universe episodes. They’ve stayed with me more than any others. I would have loved to see more in that mirror universe.

#76

You know, I have a feeling the cast had a real blast making those episodes. The acting was deliciously over the top and to be honest, I loved those episodes all the more for it.

#77

The production crew probably loved them too, since they made a whole new opening credit sequence for them.

#78

If I’m around on those Tuesdays I may have to jump in on this :D…I’ve been having an argument with a friend about the theme song of the series too…I loved the song for seasons 1-2, but when they sped it up it just irked me (though I do agree it did have a very “non-Trek” feel to it…I really grew to like the song)

I did like the episodes too…esp the opening scene when they blasted the Vulcan and off they went…they just felt kinda randomly placed ya know? It was cool to see how much more bad-ass ships from TOS were compared to the ships of the era (and how they kept the look true to the originals)

I did love the ending where Hoshi took over…that was a nice touch…I wish they could have tied it in a little with the rest of the series…maybe something silly like when Mirror-Archer dies have his “normal” counter-point freak out and jump out of bed…a small touch like that would have been cute

the mirror opening (and closing) credits were WAY cool!

#79

I understand what the producers were trying with the new opening theme. The problem lies not in its execution but in the way their artistic decision lacks conviction as they buckle under scrutiny. It relates to the audience, “Yeah. We don’t really care. Here. We sped it up. Feel better?” It feels like a slap in the face.

I did love the ending where Hoshi took over…that was a nice touch…

I love naughty Hoshi.

#80

They did seem to do a LOT of that in this series didn’t they?
It’s been a week and I’m still ticked about Tripp…

I love naughty Hoshi.

Oh yeah…me too :smiley:
(though she did remind me of my ex from Argentina a few too many times…oi…)