posted
I was raised on Star Trek. I watched and enjoyed all the series - I even really liked Voyager, which I know a lot of people objected to.
I thought I could forgive Star Trek anything. Characters throwing up their tongues and then ‘evolving’ into salamanders? Great! Having sex with your own dead grandmother’s alien ghost boyfriend? Cool! Lost your brain? No Problem! Another Holodeck malfunction? Bring it on.
And yet, I seem to remember giving up on ‘Enterprise’ somewhere in my freshman year of university.
There were a few reasons for that, not least that I hated the theme song. I mean, it’s a lame reason. I loathe the Firefly song too - and I loved that series. But I think, most of all, it was the fact that one of my first year flatmates used to sing ’Faith of the Heart’ (the title seems to be burnt into my brain, even years later) in the shower, out of tune and loud enough to shake the building. EVERY SINGLE MORNING. Wow, that guy was annoying. So I formed a grudge against the show, right there.
Plus, I’d kind of had high hopes for the series - it sounded like it had potential. But I think the last episode I watched was about the engineer finding a pretty woman in a glass coffin and then nothing happened. Or maybe the captain’s dog got sick, and nothing happened. Anyway, I lost patience.
And then it got cancelled. I felt like I’d had a lucky escape. But recently, I’ve been hearing things about the last couple of seasons which make me wonder if I was a little bit harsh. Like, if I could put up with watching Wesley Crusher for all those years, maybe I should give this one another chance. Maybe?
So is any of it worth my time?
Posts: 1528 | Registered: Nov 2004
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First season wasn't bad. After that, it went downhill pretty fast, IMO -- and that's despite the fact that I liked all the characters. It was the plots that made me want to claw my eyes out.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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I went to a pop culture conference. There was a panel on Trek. We had some interesting papers, I thought, but mostly people wanted to talk about why Enterprise was so bad.
IMHO, it's because the writers worked to prevent anything interesting from happening. Consider the episode in which the engineer got "pregnant."
He could have had cause to complain about the woman who done him wrong -- so the writers made it so she didn't know it was possible.
He could have had to go through, oh, motherhood or something -- so the writers made it so the baby could be surgically removed and implanted in another male.
He could have been wistful for the child of his that he would never see -- so the child had none of his DNA; it all came from the mother.
He could have been in trouble for fraternization that led to, oh, the Enterprise almost being destroyed -- so the captain believed him.
Every possible interesting thing that might happened, was prevented by plot points.
I'd agree. The characters were OK (although not that interesting to me). The plots were a pain.
Posts: 1877 | Registered: Apr 2005
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I enjoyed the first season and final seasons the most (though the season 4 opener was the worst, alien nazis?!?). The Xindi storyline got old fast. It suffered the lack of character change that all of the Treks (DS9 being a partial exception) had, but to a much worse degree. The last episode was even years later, and NOTHING changed. Every character was even the same rank. You would think at the very least one would have been promoted to one of the new ships.
In the end, I blame George Lucas and his prequels. Star Trek should have gone forward, not backward. If they wanted to Federation history, that is what the annual time travel plot is for.
Posts: 3134 | Registered: Mar 2005
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I've only seen bits and pieces from the first season and the last season. I've heard the last season it got much better than the middle seasons, which is why some people complained when it got cancelled (as they thought it was finally getting good).
Posts: 1960 | Registered: May 2005
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Yeah pfreah, that's what I've been hearing too. But what I want to know is 'better' really the same as 'quite good'? Bearing in mind that I liked Voyager - the stories weren't always that good, but the characters were likable people and I wanted to know what happened to them.
So far, the general consensus seems to be 'no'.
Posts: 1528 | Registered: Nov 2004
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I was pretty harsh on both Enterprise and Voyager. But now that they are in reruns, every once in a while I see a really good episode and think "Maybe I was wrong." But for the most part, neither series really achieved the potential everyone thought they would have.
The problem with Enterprise was that after 3 new star trek series, the shows had become formulaic. Lots of fake explosions, the ship half falling apart, and in the end after a 2 minute commercial break it was all better again. They also dropped the ball on the character development on Enterprise. And what really bothered me was that they went from not having some technology because it was a prequal series, to developing that tech and then having more advanced technology than TOS even had. It was very poorly done with continuity.
The whole xindi storyline was dumb. Never heard that before in 5 series' of trek and suddenly they attack earth and almost destroy the planet. And the one piece of history they SHOULD have examined, the Romulan wars, they totally ignored!
The song never bothered me.
Posts: 1042 | Registered: Jan 2001
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I kinda liked the song . . . well, at least before they tried to jazz it up. And Enterprise had serious continuity problems from day one.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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I think the last season of Enterprise exceeds the best of Voyager. But I'm a DS9 fan, if that means anything.
Posts: 3134 | Registered: Mar 2005
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I loved the last season of Enterprise - it's the only one I own, and the only one I'd really consider owning. The characters finally got somewhat interesting and the writing finally stopped sucking - and, most importantly, the Xindi storyline ended!! Posts: 3932 | Registered: Sep 1999
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Sheesh, people will find a reason to blame Lucas for ANYTHING. You think DS9 suffered from a lack of character progression? DS9 was the best ST series there ever was. Shame on you!
I've always felt there should be a cameo on at least ONE of the Star Trek shows of a character that has bridged the gap between shows like no other character. Now I KNOW that she was Lwaxana Troi (I didn't know that for a long time actually, as I don't think they sound anything alike), but I think she should have been a guest star AS the person who voices the computer. Could make for some good comedy.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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I meant I wanted her to play an actual person, using her computer voice. Like how Robert Picardo played the guy who created the Doctor AND the Doctor, and Brent Spiner played Data and Noonian Soongh. She could have played the woman that voiced the computer and the voice of the computer itself. I think it'd be funny, she could have played practical jokes on the crew.
Will, you didn't like Lwaxana? I thought she was great, especially when she was giving Worf, Picard, or Odo a hard time. Those were fun episodes.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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I found her annoying (like other characters did), and also pitiful. Why didn't I feel the same way about Neelix? I liked him, although he was also annoying. I found something in him to respect, though -- it was like he really was trying to make the best of a previously awful life.
Posts: 1877 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Lwaxana always cracked me up. She also had some serious moments, like the wig moment with Odo on DS9.
As for Enterprise's theme song, it just didn't FIT as a Star Trek theme song. Before Enterprise, none of the ST shows had a theme song with... lyrics.
Posts: 14745 | Registered: Dec 1999
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TOS might have had the monologue too, I honestly don't remember. One of them had their monologue change. It started off as "It's seven year mission" or something like that and it was changed to "it's continuing mission." I think that was TNG.
And I think this is the perfect thread to share this with everyone.
posted
In case anyone was wondering, the scene with him dancing on the bridge with the hat and cane was for a Gene Roddenberry birthday special. You can find it on Youtube.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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Lyrhawn, that song almost beats that one which goes 'Star Trekkin, Across the Universe' in the hilarious/annoying stakes. Posts: 1528 | Registered: Nov 2004
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You know, it's pathetic that the only version I can find in YouTube was in German, but you can hear it anyway.
I think it's between "oooo" and "aaah", but I'd have to find a clearer version, and one that doesn't confuse me with Kirk speaking in German.
Posts: 3486 | Registered: Sep 2002
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The Temporal Cold War sub-plot was one of the biggest monkey wrenches to Enterprise...one that was thrown in on the very first episode!
I can sort of understand why they did it. What better way to add dramatic tension to a prequel show than a "maybe it -won't' come to be" gimmick?
Compelling characters, vivid action, and exciting stories come to mind. *ahem*
Anyway, I think the only way a story like the Temporal Cold War could have worked was if it had been told from the POV of the futuristic agents directly involved in it. Otherwise, it's just a confusing annoyance...even if it did sort of explain why the continuity between shows was so wonky.
What it doesn't explain is the very creepy attitude the show had towards sex. What was up with all the ointment massages?
Posts: 6689 | Registered: Jan 2005
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Voyager was best because it had the whooshy-tinkle in the opening credits as Voyager flew through the rings of a planet.
Whooshy-tinkle. My Sundays evenings just aren't the same without it.
I gave up on Enterprise as I realised I just couldn't give tuppence for any of the crew. That and I watched the first episode whitout realising what it was, and kept waiting for Al the hologram to appear. I guess I'm just stoopid.
Posts: 892 | Registered: Oct 2006
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