This episode was a piece of shit. It was a mess, Troi and Riker as unfond of both of them as I am looked like idiots in it. Riker playing history lesson vids to make an important decision which he should have made years ago. Troi once again reduced to echoing people's words back at them as therapy, as if the fans hadn't been mocking that lazy writing for years by then. I could go on, the Trip and T'Pol stuff was a slap in the face and contextless.. but we've had countless threads about how godawful this least liked episode was.
You know you could really drop the "ladies" thing you do. It's kind of unpleasant as well as being an assumption as to the gender of posters. And people don't really team up about TATV, it's more like an angry mob.
No one likes to be lumped into a category based on gender, especially using outdated wording that has rather old fashioned gender role connotations. You've thrown me into your "ladies please!" pot a couple times now and I'm just advising you it doesn't come off well.
The problem I had with TATV as a series finale was bringing in stars from one of the earlier series as pivotal figures in the episode. TNG didn't bring in Shatner and Nimoy for "All Good Things...", DS9 didn't use anyone from TNG in "What You Leave Behind", and Voyager didn't bring in anyone from DS9 for "Endgame". TNG in Enterprise's final show was a case of the writers more concerned with celebrating their own legacy within the franchise, rather than the show's legacy. And the "Ladies. . ." business is sexist condescension which should have gone out of style decades ago.
My big problem with TATV: it can't claim to be a representation of events in the 22nd century. It's an episode in which Riker, effectively, watches TV.
O'Brien and Keiko had already been established on DS9 by the time of the finale. Barclay I did forget (and I've tried many times), but his relationship with Voyager had already been established. Paris is not Locarno, despite them looking incredibly identical.
I disagree. The tradition of ENTERPRISE has been to do things its own way. The Theme Song ... the lack of STAR TREK in the main title for the first couple of seasons ... and so on. These Are the Voyages fits right into that whole motif of doing things differently. And personally? I'm enough of a Jonathan Frakes fan to enjoy seeing him in other series, besides TNG. It was a great idea bringing him and Marina Siritis into the episode and allowing them to be the ones who guide us on this final journey. By bringing their futuristic perspective to the proceedings, it made the episode feel more storied and gave it greater import ...
There was no guiding on the final journey. It was just a big wank. It wasn't even real, it was someone's holoprogram! We didn't even get the REAL characters! The only real characters in the episode weren't even from Enterprise!
Perhaps the irony in my comment is being lost, but my point was that TNG had already built in certain contributions to its direct successors that did not require special guest stars. The fact that it had to be done in this fashion only underlines how out of place Frakes and Sirtis were on Enterprise.
Even Jonathan Frakes didn't like it: Coto and Sussman have stated that Demons/Terra Prime are the real Enterprise finale. And they do a good job! Great story, points towards the Federation, ends on earth. Excellent.
I suppose I can understand some of your criticism(s), I mean ... I would've much prefered GENERATIONS to be a TNG movie, without The Shat and his self-serving lines, sequences and considerations distracting from the New Guard taking over and bringing the entire franchise forward. I wouldn't have minded Kirk's character being in there, otherewise though, perhaps if he ... if he were recast, some way. Yes, that might've been the right approach, come to think of it. Funny, I never thought of that sooner! Wow ... that would've solved everything. But oh, well. Live and learn, I guess.
^How about this: TATV could have been a Trials and Trible-ations style episode, in which the NX-01 crew interfered in the Pegasus mission? It still could have made use of Riker and Troi, and the Enterprise characters would be the focus of the action.
With judicious rewriting - and if the episode had all that it needed to succeed, with time and resources - it might even work! Anything that brings Riker and the TNG crew into the fore is worth the investigation into the possibility, at least.
All other These are the Voyages issues aside...I enjoyed seeing Riker and Troi again. And I did like how easily Frakes slipped right back into character!
Exactly! And I know that Frakes has made comment on TATV, but artists are always so self-critical, are they not? Anyway ... are the characters interesting to watch? Do you care about them? Do the words hold? So far, I'm coming up trumps, here, because the answer for all three of those questions is a resounding "yes!". Riker and Troi were very charming, which is exactly what this episode needed. By the way, I do like other ENTERPRISE episodes. A particular favorite of mine is THE FORGE. When Archer and T'Pol meet the Vulcan who doesn't trust them, that guy is COOL!!! What a pisser he had to die so early on, but he set the tone for quite an enjoyable story ark. Although ... I did hate that CGI sehlat, it looked like shit.