It's been a while since I was a regular in the Connor thread, sorry to say. I just sorta drifted away from it once it seemed things slowed down or got repetitive...but I'll return now since there's new stuff to talk about!
I did, after all, start the pld TUCKARCH TOTALITY threads in these forums dedicated to Connor/Trip as well as Scott/Archer, so it's not like I stopped grooving to Connor.
I guess the argument for dropping the character is that, since he was never really developed anyway, have him leave and devote the time to other characters, some of those who were underdeveloped, but developed enough for fans to want more. (I don't think anyone hates the guy... correct me if I'm wrong.) I've bought into that argument before, but on reflection I'm not so sure. The problem is that he got so little time, could they really have done anything with it? I think that Hoshi in particular should have gotten more screentime and character development, but I can't see that dropping Mayweather, even if she got every nanosecond of his screentime, would have done much.
I've always thought it was ironic that Observer Effect was, IMO, Montgomery's best episode... Since he wasn't playing Mayweather! LOL. Again, he's been on other shows, and he never came across on those as bland as he was made to be on ENT. It truly does feel like the writers simply didn't know what to do with the character in spite of creating what is, the most interesting backstory of all the humans onboard (plus throw in the often rudderless mission statement the crew had during season 1, and it really negatively impacted Mayweather's ability to contribute to anything storywise)..
"Horizon" is still my favorite Anthony M. episode of the series. Sure he got to have an Organian take over his body once and his relationship with that Lindsay Lohan lookalike Gannet in the Terra Prime two-parter helped flesh him out in a few small but needed ways, but about the only episode that he got in the series mostly or even all to himself was "Horizon." And he shone in it.
"Lieutenant Joseph Mayweather" was a more interesting character when the series was first being developed. However, by the time the character de-evolved into Ensign Travis Mayweather...not so much.
Trek's formal dialogue structure didn't suit Montgomery. I think it's Coto who, in one of the DVD commentaries (Similitude, maybe?), talks about how difficult it was to write for Trek because it was not colloquial dialogue; it was very structured and formal. I don't think that Montgomery was ever comfortable with that kind of formality. Some episode conversations were more natural, and Montgomery was fine in those scenes. One of my favorite, in Vox Sola, he's eating and trying to get Malcolm to watch that French film. Just the way he covers his mouth to say, "You'll like it - things blow up," is so charming and natural. But other times, he comes across stilted. As a GenY-er, it's just not natural for him to say "we are going to" instead of "we're gonna," for example. I've said before, you want to see Montgomery in his element? Rent I'm Through With White Girls. He has a real comedic flair - when he's playing a character that isn't bound by formal Trek dialogue. As for why they didn't use him more, I think it's mainly because he didn't come across as being very good on screen (see above observations) and there were other characters who were much better and more likeable onscreen despite being newcomers (like Trineer). He's lucky this wasn't 24; they would have just killed him off with nerve gas or a bullet if they thought he wasn't working out.
Good or bad, Enterprise was the only Star Trek series for which the primary cast never changed. That's pretty much unheard of in any series that goes at least four seasons. Shran, although an excellent prospect for the Enterprise crew, didn't smile as much as Mayweather. The value of a good smile is something to take stock in.
That's true. Mayweather did smile easily. On the other hand, Shran had a fascinating lust for life (I absolutely loved the scene with Archer when he talked about how he got hooked up with Talas. She hit on him (literally) and his alternatives were to court martial her or mate with her.
The Boomer background could have been a good excuse to give him a less stiff and formal form of dialogue - another thing to seperate the "spent his whole life in space" vs "grew up on Earth" culture.
^ That would have been a great idea, especially if it was peppered with boomer slang: I can imagine him teasing Hoshi when she doesn't understand what he's saying...
Good points there, though I think the Season 5 addition of Shran would have energized the show leading up to the first Romulan War stories in a way little else could have. A grim demeanor and cold personality or not, Combs' character would have been a jolt in the arm the show needed to get through a fifth year with flying colors.
Travis Mayweather was my favorite ENT character. I think it is a shame when writers shift focus to 2 or 3 main characters and keep it there...like Archer, T'Pol & Trip. If you think about it the order of focus went like this... Archer T'Pol Trip Alien Guest Star Of The Week Malcolm Phlox Hoshi Second Alien Guest Star Of The Week Misc Crewman Travis It is lack of creativity on the writers part leaving a main character nowhere.
Hell, the ARMORY ROOM got more attention and focus than Travis did...even when Malcolm wasn't in there doing anything.
This leads to the question: If there was a well-written Trek novel that focused on Ensign Mayweather, would you read it? And the 'you' is referring to the posters, not anyone in particular...
Michael A. Martin's The Romulan War: Beneath the Raptor's Wing partially fits that criteria, so I'd say yes, I definitely would.