What I like about the show and what I don't

It was theirs to destroy, apparently.

 

Bed 'n' Breakfast has a lot to answer for....

 

That's the order of things...

 

Archer and his crew did something to wipe them out of the timeline. Now they're in JJ Abrams' Trek timeline.

 

Could this be another one of Daniels' blunders?

 

It's interesting since Enterprise was never a good fit as a prequel to Star Trek; even when the final episode lined the ship with the other trek shows in the timeline.

I think adding an NX-01 model with JJ Abrams Trek add some some support where the new characters were aware they're in an alternate timeline (STAR TREK 09) or universe.

 

Other models on Marcus' desk were the Phoenix (ST: First Contact), the NX-Alpha (ENT: "First Flight"), Enterprise XCV-330 (ST: TMP, ENT: "Home") and the Aries IV (Voyager's "One Small Step"). The idea is that the timelines were identical until Nero appeared and attacked the Kelvin, hence the use of ships from prior Trek series.

 

I have to agree with those who tired of all of the time travel stuff. I think that's why this show seemed to stray. Luckily, they largely abandoned that in the third and fourth seasons.

 

I cannot help but think that Abrams-Trek (seemingly like the majority of the Star Trek universe) would rather just forget Enterprise as a show and a concept. I truly loved it but it was an acquired taste for many and a bad taste for some. They dared to be so different with that series that some of the choices they made (like the campy soft-soap theme song and the angry surly, pacing Captain, for example) that those who were accustomed the general story, pacing and tone of the 90s era shows just couldn't get into it. I think it would be extremely unlikely that Captain Archer and his crew would ever be mentioned in future shows and movies.

It's a shame too. I really liked Enterprise; especially after they kicked it into overdrive in the 3rd and 4th seasons. I think the NX-01 was probably the sexiest ship ever and I won't even get into how hot T'pol was.

 

It was a bad idea, badly executed.

 

Yep. Who knows where the show would have started and went if Manny Coto was involved from the start? I think season 4 of Enterprise was some of the best Star Trek writing in all of the series and movies, bar none. But alas, it was the B&B show during seasons 1 & 2. And by season 3, many of the viewers had already checked out.

 

You do understand that ENT takes place 100 years before both TOS and the Abrams films, right? And that both universes share the same ENT past?

 

What I liked about enterprise:-

. Showing us everything that was new, like taking a transporter we were used to seeing for years and seeing it introduced and only eventually using it more often.

. The characters were all likeable, I even liked Archer's character early on (in my opinion he only got the captain position due to his father being the engine designer and early on he was not really suited to that role, but he eventually grew into a half way decent captain).

. I really enjoyed the Xindi arc it was something completely different that I had not seen in Trek before season long arc's and then in season 4 having "mini-arc's" of 2-3 episodes.

. The mirror universe episodes were enjoyable (much more enjoyable than the DS9 ones IMO)

. The ship looked great from the outside, and did have a sort of submarine feel inside (though not as much as something like say BSG).

. The uniforms were efficient design and very utility based, some of the later series are too formal (latter seasons of TNG for example). I had no problem with never seeing TOS style uniforms being introduced as there is a sizeable time-scale between the 2.

What I did not like:

. T'pol "uniform" was fine up until the point she resigned her vulcan commission and entered starfleet, at that point she should be wearing the regular style uniforms everybody else wears.

. I feel some of the "tech" was introduced too quickly, I would like to have seen more of the plasma based weaponry early on before switching to phasers like they did with the spacial torpedoes and photon torpedoes.

. TCW, I just feel as because this story was "enforced" by the network no body really wanted this in the story and I though the writing of it came accross as such.

. The Decon scenes, I understand why they were there as there was no "transporter" to remove any unwanted parasites but they over sensualised it.

. Finally in the final episode everyone was exactly the same as when they started, by that I mean no-one got a single promotion Reed could have been a Lt cmdr and Hoshi and Travis should have been at least LTJG or even full LT. Especially given that Travis has aspirations of being captain someday he was happy (apparently) staying as Ensign as long as Ensign Kim did on Voyager.

 

You do understand Spock, and his Romulan enemies from the prime universe traveled into the JJ universe and it's possible time can be manipulated and altered in the Star Trek universe?

You do understand in First Contact TNG crew went back in time and revealed everything of what's going to be to 21st century pioneers? Doing this could alter and hamper the timeline?

You do understand there was an episode of Enterprise where scientist discovered a Borg drone which was a DIRECT occurrence because of time travel?

You do UNDERSTAND there were villains who were not seen but were considered from a different timeline in the series?

You do understand there are no evidence of the NX-01 in any of the PREVIOUS Star Trek series or the movies except for JJ Abrams' Into Darkness?

 

You do understand it's just a TV show?

 

The official word of the writers can be found in VOY: "Relativity" . . .

DUCANE: The Pogo Paradox.

SEVEN: A causality loop in which interference to prevent an event actually triggers the same event.

DUCANE: Excellent. Can you give me an example?

SEVEN: The Borg once travelled back in time to stop Zefram Cochrane from breaking the warp barrier. They succeeded, but that in turn led the starship Enterprise to intervene. They assisted Cochrane with the flight the Borg was trying to prevent. Causal loop complete.

DUCANE: So, in a way, the Federation owes its existence to the Borg.

SEVEN: You're welcome.

Ditto every bit of backstory in the Trekverse - none of it exists until someone mentions it. And lots of that backstory is mangled - look at the Enterprise-C on the Next Gen conference wall, which has a totally different shape to the one we later see in "Yesterday's Enterprise" or Scotty thinking Kirk came to rescue him in "Relics", or Kirk's ever-changing number of nephews in TOS. Ultimately, it's a TV show and for any of it to work, you need to suspend disbelief. I don't get how fans will insist one thing is "an alternate universe" but some similar mistake or retcon isn't.

 

Some Trek fans can take this 'canon' thing a bit too seriously. I once read that, while they were making Enterprise, if anything was said or done that didn't match what had been said or done on previous ST series, Paramount would receive dozens or even hundreds of angry letters from fans in the weeks after a show aired. That's why it became key to employ 'fact' checkers to ensure they weren't stepping on anyone's toes.

I'm not inclined to notice things unless the error is blatant, and even then, I find myself lacking the will to sit down and write a letter to Paramount about it. It's not like they're going to go back and re-film the scene later in order to appease me.

 

You do understand I'm a Star Trek fan?

 

The JJ Abrams Star Trek IS AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. It was established to the point the characters THEMSELVES acknowledges it. I found it interesting, as a discussion, Enterprise was already toying with this concept before the Abrams film with a mysterious villain from the future. It could be the normal Trek future or, MAKE IT FUN, a speculative future from another universe. NX-01 in Into Darkness is THERE and applies to the discussion, like it or not.

Some FANS will bend over backwards to anything, even when storylines mentioned DOESN'T make sense. As long as they can see the title and see familiar races, props, Star Ships, planets, and explosions THAT'S WHAT MATTERS to them. Suspension of disbelief is not the issue, it's about being ignorant and obtuse.

 

What I like about the show:

1) It's Trek. And more trek is (almost) always a good thing.

2) Jolene Blalock. I think she did a terrific job with her character; particularly in the later seasons.

3) Extremely good makeup effects.

4) The cast as a whole was solid if unspectacular.




What I didn't like:

1) The writing. It was just very, very weak imo. Story lines that went no where, weak attempts at character development, even weaker attempts at titillation, very few fresh concepts (most of the best episodes reminded me of earlier Trek episodes or movies), and an over reliance on action over story. The writing just seemed lazy.

2) The theme song. Is it a small, insignificant thing to complain about? Yeah...but it's bad. You know how the X Files always had an awesome "hook" scene at the beginning of the show that grabbed your attention? Now imagine that the X Files theme was replaced with a 60 second clip of Bryan Adams singing "Everything I do, I do it for you." And that's what Enterprise had. It's a mood killer that is in every single episode.




I've only recently watched the series and FWIW, as harsh as my criticisms of the show are, I still liked it. In a way it reminds me of TOS; there are a lot of episodes from the original series that I really do not care for, so I simply skip over them. I think that if I rewatch Enterprise and avoid the episodes that i dislike, I will like the series even more.