The least disliked episode of STE - season one

Hi, I want to start something that i found in the TNG forum.

Sorry if this has been posted before or this can only be posted by the member that started this.

Anyway here was the rules from the TNG thread

So, here's the game. The basic idea is your standard elimination game. I'll provide a list of the episodes for each season and you need to eliminate your least favorite or the one you deem the 'worst.' Please provide an EXPLANATION for why you are eliminating your choice and be sure to copy and paste the list with your choice removed. Finally, leave at least 2 eliminations by other posters before you eliminate another episode.

No tactical voting! You cannot remove an episode because you feel they would threaten your preferred episode's chance to win. Pretty simple. Enjoy!

Winners
The Original Series - Mirror, Mirror
The Next Generation -

Broken Bow
Fight or Flight
Strange New World
Unexpected
Terra Nova
The Andorian Incident
Breaking the Ice
Civilization
Fortunate Son
Cold Front
Silent Enemy
Dear Doctor
Sleeping Dogs
Shadows of P'Jem
Shuttlepod One
Fusion
Rogue Planet
Acquisition
Oasis
Detained
Vox Sola
Fallen Hero
Desert Crossing
Two Days and Two Nights
Shockwave (1)

 

I choose to throw out ``Dear Doctor''. It's an outright offensive episode. It attempts to tell a story of why a noninterference directive is a necessary, or even good, thing, and piddles the concept down its leg. Dramatically poor, philosophically outrageous, logically fallacious, and yet more insult to the oft-injured character of Captain Archer.


The survivors list now:

Broken Bow
Fight or Flight
Strange New World
Unexpected
Terra Nova
The Andorian Incident
Breaking the Ice
Civilization
Fortunate Son
Cold Front
Silent Enemy
Sleeping Dogs
Shadows of P'Jem
Shuttlepod One
Fusion
Rogue Planet
Acquisition
Oasis
Detained
Vox Sola
Fallen Hero
Desert Crossing
Two Days and Two Nights
Shockwave (1)

 

There are worse eps, but I want the terrible Two Days and Two Nights off the list as soon as possible.

Broken Bow
Fight or Flight
Strange New World
Unexpected
Terra Nova
The Andorian Incident
Breaking the Ice
Civilization
Fortunate Son
Cold Front
Silent Enemy
Sleeping Dogs
Shadows of P'Jem
Shuttlepod One
Fusion
Rogue Planet
Acquisition
Oasis
Detained
Vox Sola
Fallen Hero
Desert Crossing
Shockwave (1)

 

I nominate Aquistion. I would argue that Enterprise has the strongest first season of all the spin-offs, but this really lets the side down. A pointless exercise in fan service (and even then, was there anyone who really wanted another Ferengi episode?).


Broken Bow
Fight or Flight
Strange New World
Unexpected
Terra Nova
The Andorian Incident
Breaking the Ice
Civilization
Fortunate Son
Cold Front
Silent Enemy
Sleeping Dogs
Shadows of P'Jem
Shuttlepod One
Fusion
Rogue Planet
Oasis
Detained
Vox Sola
Fallen Hero
Desert Crossing
Shockwave (1)

 

My nomination is for Terra Nova. More than any episode of this season, the acting from the guest actors just made me cringe. (Maybe it was the way they spoke?) at any rate, I can't think of this episode without thinking "mole people".


Broken Bow
Fight or Flight
Strange New World
Unexpected
The Andorian Incident
Breaking the Ice
Civilization
Fortunate Son
Cold Front
Silent Enemy
Sleeping Dogs
Shadows of P'Jem
Shuttlepod One
Fusion
Rogue Planet
Oasis
Detained
Vox Sola
Fallen Hero
Desert Crossing
Shockwave (1)

 

You know why this one is slow going? Too many of the episodes are so forgettable that no one knows which ones to vote out. I'm dropping Unexpected 'cause I'm pretty sure it was terrible.

Broken Bow
Fight or Flight
Strange New World
The Andorian Incident
Breaking the Ice
Civilization
Fortunate Son
Cold Front
Silent Enemy
Sleeping Dogs
Shadows of P'Jem
Shuttlepod One
Fusion
Rogue Planet
Oasis
Detained
Vox Sola
Fallen Hero
Desert Crossing
Shockwave (1)

 

Broken Bow
Fight or Flight
The Andorian Incident
Breaking the Ice
Civilization
Fortunate Son
Cold Front
Silent Enemy
Sleeping Dogs
Shadows of P'Jem
Shuttlepod One
Fusion
Rogue Planet
Oasis
Detained
Vox Sola
Fallen Hero
Desert Crossing
Shockwave (1)


I'm getting rid of Strange New World for being The Naked Time Part 4. (Did they ever do this episode on Voyager?)

 

I think it might also be that the group hasn't quite got the snarky streak that, say, Next Generation's fan core can support. I mean, over there, it's easy to both kind of like the first season but also see it as sooooo many boring embarrassing episodes. Enterprise ... well, it has a couple disastrous episodes, but not really any that are such glorious jaw-dropping messes as ``Joe Piscopo teaches Data to be violently anti-funny'', or ``Quark has to be a GIRRRRRL!'' or ``Warp Ten Makes You Into Space Lizards''. They make for awful viewing but great camaraderie as you go over the ruins.

But maybe it would help to include a little memory prompt for episodes, like, 'crew captured in alien booger field' (that's Shadows of P'Jem, of course).

Anyway, I shall resume the casting-out, and pitch 'Oasis' overboard. It's yet another holodeck episode for all the people who hadn't had enough of those and who weren't desperately hoping that being a prequel series would mean we wouldn't get holodeck episodes anymore. It's a fair enough story. But it doesn't do anything to fend off the complaint that Enterprise was doing worn-out copies of Voyager episodes that were worn-out copies of Next Generation scripts. For a show that needed to dazzle and to proclaim its own identity, it's a weak-tea impersonation act.


So, remaining in the list are:

Broken Bow
Fight or Flight
The Andorian Incident
Breaking the Ice
Civilization
Fortunate Son
Cold Front
Silent Enemy
Sleeping Dogs
Shadows of P'Jem
Shuttlepod One
Fusion
Rogue Planet
Detained
Vox Sola
Fallen Hero
Desert Crossing
Shockwave (1)

 

IMO, I think it's slow going in part because we just don't have the numbers of fans that take part in these activities. We are a special fanbase...sticking with a show that was kind of the "black sheep" of the franchise. Anyway, since I actually ENJOYED most of season 1, it's getting a little more difficult. But I'm throwing out "Civilization" , mainly because I found the premise of Archer's hookup with the alien woman to be contrived and forced.

So, remaining in the list are:

Broken Bow
Fight or Flight
The Andorian Incident
Breaking the Ice
Fortunate Son
Cold Front
Silent Enemy
Sleeping Dogs
Shadows of P'Jem
Shuttlepod One
Fusion
Rogue Planet
Detained
Vox Sola
Fallen Hero
Desert Crossing
Shockwave (1)

 

I'm going to throw out "Fight or Flight." It's not especially terrible, but kind of dull and uninteresting compared to the others, in my opinion.

Broken Bow
The Andorian Incident
Breaking the Ice
Fortunate Son
Cold Front
Silent Enemy
Sleeping Dogs
Shadows of P'Jem
Shuttlepod One
Fusion
Rogue Planet
Detained
Vox Sola
Fallen Hero
Desert Crossing
Shockwave (1)

 

Going to take out Rogue Planet, i only watched it once but i did not really like it and was boring so that is why i only watched it once.

Broken Bow
The Andorian Incident
Breaking the Ice
Fortunate Son
Cold Front
Silent Enemy
Sleeping Dogs
Shadows of P'Jem
Shuttlepod One
Fusion
Detained
Vox Sola
Fallen Hero
Desert Crossing
Shockwave (1)

 

I would like to through out 'Vox Sola'.

There's not much excitement with a "monster on ship" story if the monster is contained in one single room for the entire runtime. The character stuff between the 'captured' characters wasn't that interesting, and there was nothing clever about the solution (yeah, just talk to the monster. It will understand. Horta at least needed to be mind melded with to be able to comprehend the humans. This episode's resolution is just "Hoshi did a thing and now we can talk"). Also, that none of the crewmembers died made it incredibly low-stakes for a "monster episode".

The best thing about "Vox Sola" was the look at the alien planet in the end, completely overgrown by the strange alien creatures. That I really liked

Broken Bow
The Andorian Incident
Breaking the Ice
Fortunate Son
Cold Front
Silent Enemy
Sleeping Dogs
Shadows of P'Jem
Shuttlepod One
Fusion
Detained
Fallen Hero
Desert Crossing
Shockwave (1)

 

I think the next one should be 'Silent Enemy'. While the mysterious Aliens are kind of creepy, nothing really happens other than a few shots fired. And when the episode ends we have learned nothing about them and we never will because they were never used again. Pointless story.
I suppose the B-story was meant to be 'cute' and it's mildly entertaining, but I have to ask: Really? Ensign Sato on a Quest to find Lt. Reed's favorite food? Oscar winning material right there.

Broken Bow
The Andorian Incident
Breaking the Ice
Fortunate Son
Cold Front
Sleeping Dogs
Shadows of P'Jem
Shuttlepod One
Fusion
Detained
Fallen Hero
Desert Crossing
Shockwave (1)

 

I am going to toss out "Fortunate Son". It was okay, but not great. I wanted to really like it, because it gives Travis a chance to shine. But, sadly, he didn't shine. I also disliked the First Officer of Fortunate. Seeking revenge is one thing, but doing so at the expense of his crew - which included CHILDREN- is just inexcusable to me.

Broken Bow
The Andorian Incident
Breaking the Ice
Cold Front
Sleeping Dogs
Shadows of P'Jem
Shuttlepod One
Fusion
Detained
Fallen Hero
Desert Crossing
Shockwave (1)[/QUOTE]

 

I'll remove Shadows of P'Jem, for being a dull follow-up to The Andorian Incident.

Broken Bow
The Andorian Incident
Breaking the Ice
Cold Front
Sleeping Dogs
Shuttlepod One
Fusion
Detained
Fallen Hero
Desert Crossing
Shockwave (1)

 

Sleeping Dogs must go. The most boring Klingon episode ever. It feels like they included it because there had to be a Klingon episode. Watching Malcolm and Hoshi figuring out klingon controls is not very exciting. And Archer convincing the agressive Klingon woman to trust him is a tired cliche.

Broken Bow
The Andorian Incident
Breaking the Ice
Cold Front
Shuttlepod One
Fusion
Detained
Fallen Hero
Desert Crossing
Shockwave (1)

 

Okay..it's getting harder for me now! But this round I'm going to toss "Desert Crossing". I enjoyed Clancy Brown as the guest star. And I generally enjoy the Archer/Tucker friendship. But, as "bonding" goes, I found this one to be weaker than "Shuttlepod One". And although they threw in a gratuitous scene of shirtless Archer and Tucker (for us shallow fans..), they neglected to include REED.....which was their biggest sin!

Broken Bow
The Andorian Incident
Breaking the Ice
Cold Front
Shuttlepod One
Fusion
Detained
Fallen Hero
Shockwave (1)

 

I'll go with Fusion this time. I remember it being a bit boring for me.

Broken Bow
The Andorian Incident
Breaking the Ice
Cold Front
Shuttlepod One
Detained
Fallen Hero
Shockwave (1)

 

Boy, we're reaching the territory of actually watchable episodes

I would like to throw out "Shuttlepod One". The idea behind this episode was good. But the execution was kind of boring and very... pedestrian. There was never really a feeling of actual danger or excitement. Or cleverness of the protagonists... they never had to do repairs under pressure. They were mostly just sitting around and waiting for stuff to happen.

Especially noticable because a few years later Stargate Atlantis had an episode called "Grace Under Pressure", with a somewhat similar premise (although underwater). And that episode was intense.


Leaves us with:

Broken Bow
The Andorian Incident
Breaking the Ice
Cold Front
Detained
Fallen Hero
Shockwave (1)


PS: The one episode I really wish would have stayed a bit longer was "Fortunate Son". Yeah, it was flawed. So very much. But it had great space battles. And Nausicaans. I'm easily distractable...