Haha, yeah, I didn't really mean anything truly emulatory (not a real word... until now) with the "Damage" thing. I meant another ep that fully drives home the danger involved in the situation, with some more losses as a result. Perhaps a bridge officer, even. Go wild with it. (Just not too wild.) I like your ideas. In fact, perfect world, I'd probably pick them over mine. But I know Manny Coto -- bless him -- really wanted more of Season 4's style with Season 5. Based on everything I've read, that was the plan, with the same ratio of Romulan build-up arcs. My mind tends to run with the tossed-around ideas for Season 5 as a framework for that year, and then it goes crazy with the war goodness for 6. But yeah, your idea's excellent and as a big fan of the Xindi arc and serialized Trek in general I'd have been enthralled with two seasons of the Romulan War. Cool Shran idea, too.
Thanks for all the compliments! I guess I didn't really think you meant an exact copy, but I just wanted to be clear. Your mention of a bridge officer gives me an idea for a story where a main character leads an away team - which is then completely wiped out, including the main character. This would give good opportunities for grieving and desire for revenge. Regarding the Romulan war, I guess I was thinking of a comparison with the Dominion war from DS9, which went on ... how long? I don't remember, but it seemed quite a while. But I guess the war could also be a much shorter affair. The important thing is that it feels like a big shock, and leaves a changed political landscape in its wake.
Wasn't the Romulan war fought with nuclear weapons as well? I have one of the old Trek books with all the episodes and synopsis in them and it mentions that the war was fought largely via nuclear weapons..
Aye, that'd be good. I'd love to see something like that in some future series. Two years, yeah. The sixth and seventh seasons. 'Twas a big deal. But even DS9, with the major exceptions of the opening volley's big seven-parter and the ambitious "Final Chapter" ten-parter, spaced its war stuff out amidst varied stories. Just about everything in the latter seasons pertained to the Dominion War, but it wasn't on the level of the Xindi conflict nonstop in terms of presentation. There was plenty of time to explore how the war was impacting various galactic threads. ENT could certainly do things in the DS9 style, too, though. I guess it wouldn't have to be like the third season -- and besides, since it wouldn't be the NX-01 heading off on a possibly one-way trip into something like the Delphic Expanse, I guess it'd probably be more like DS9's war, anyway. I am not even entirely sure where I'm going with this! Just rambling and analyzing different approaches. That's the kind of thing I imagine the producers would probably be fairly... open with, if you get my drift. Coto would find some way to make the spirit of the phrase click with the canon, somehow, maybe... but I am pretty sure Archer would still be ordering Reed to ready phase cannons.
That's from the TOS episode "Balance of Terror". Spock gives a talk on the Fed's history with the Romulans: Referring to the map on your screens, you will note beyond the moving position of our vessel, a line of Earth outpost stations. Constructed on asteroids, they monitor the Neutral Zone established by treaty after the Earth-Romulan conflict a century ago. As you may recall from your histories, this conflict was fought, by our standards today, with primitive atomic weapons and in primitive space vessels, which allowed no quarter, no captives. Nor was there even ship-to-ship visual communication. Therefore, no human, Romulan, or ally has ever seen the other. Earth believes the Romulans to be warlike, cruel, treacherous, and only the Romulans know what they think of Earth. The treaty, set by sub-space radio, established this Neutral Zone, entry into which by either side, would constitute an act of war. All this stuff was invented in order to explain why no-one had seen a Romulan before, which in turn was used to justify a sub-plot about racism against Spock (who looks like a Romulan). The stuff about atomic weapons and no visual communication seems pretty silly now, but continuity nuts take this stuff pretty seriously, which might explain why no-one has yet had the nerve to actually show the Romulan conflict. There are various ways you could explain these things. Romulans might have some cultural aversion to being seen by their enemies, though how they would then control conquered species is anyone's guess. Or possibly they had a lot of spies undercover as Vulcans, and didn't want to give themselves away. Atomic weapons: Spock may be referring to some specific incident(s) rather than saying it was the only or predominant weapon used. OR "atomic" might have a different meaning in his time, perhaps indicating weapons that disintegrate targets into their atomic components, or fire atoms as the projectile (see charged particle weapons). My own idea is that the Romulans used long-range subspace missiles with "dirty" nuclear payloads. They would fire these at the Federation from deep within their own territory, thus avoiding contact with the enemy and inflicting long-term devastation on planetary populations.
Thanks! I forgot to mention that the whole thing about not being able to take enemy captives is another laughable dilemma. This is supposed to explain why no-one ever saw a Romulan, but overlooks that even a dead enemy would still provide valuable information.
Frankly, Trek has been something of a slave to its bloated canon for far too long in some respects. I think this is the sort of thing that made ENT such a risky proposition in the first place. TOS is so perennially reverent to so many, and it made so much of what ENT could have been into a veritable no-fly zone. Thankfully they managed to fly around it.
There were plans for a Romulan War film, Star Trek: The Beginning, which would have explained Spock's "primitive atomic weapons" comment as referring to the weapon Tiberius Chase stole from a Terra Prime-like group http://www.aintitcool.com/node/34635
I don't really love ENT, as such ... that distinction would go to the most satisfying series of the franchise - STAR TREK: The Next Generation. But I am addicted to it ...
I quite like Enterprise. It has the benefit, to me, of being a show I didn't watch much of for a long while, so unlike my very favorites DS9 and TOS, I haven't seen every episode countless times already.
I love Deep Space Nine, but seriously like Enterprise. It had so much going for it, and more good episodes that the snobbists would like to admit.
I love Enterprise, I love all the Trek's. In my personal ranking it is second last, as I really do not think it can hold a candle to TNG/DS9/VOY however I prefer it to TOS. To me, Enterprise is a show of two halfs. The first two seasons were...wrong. It felt like they launched the show on the basis of an idea: "Hey lets make a show on the first Enterpise! Before Kirk!" without actually having much idea about what they wanted to do with it. However, the latter two seasons are brilliant. The look and feel of the show [ship, uniforms, weapons], the cast, the episodes, the Xindi arc...it all suddenly clicks and works. In many ways those two seasons are some of the best of the franchise...but sadly it was too late. [I still haven't forgiven them for cancelling it...a fifth season even just to wrap things up would have made a world of difference] I can't help but feel that if ENT had debuted in the 90's it would have seen out its seven seasons. [My favourite three, DS9/VOY/TNG all had shaky starts] But in today's TV, four seasons is an eternity and if your show isn't working wonders in it's first season then the axe is already being sharpened. I even think the much maligned theme suits the show perfectly. I really wish they hadn't: Used laughably innapropriate sexual scenes to 'sex up' Star Trek. Some of the infamous decon chamber scenes [and T'pol changing/Hoshi topless] were cringe worthy. Made the first two seasons so...plodding. So slow paced. Made the first two seasons so dependent on gun play. Every episode results in phase pistols being fired or cannons being fired. TNG in season 2 busted out 'The Measure of a Man' which, to me, is what Trek is all about. Kind of, sort of, maybe, talked a bit, about a temporal cold war, if we can be bothered, ish, now and then. 'Enterprise' ...sorry no it should have been 'Star Trek: Enterprise' from the start. Along with the sexual stuff, the gun play and dropping the 'Star Trek' from the title, Enterprise always had this feeling of trying to be 'cool' which was never going to work and I think that immediately irked some fans. But once the show found its feet, I loved: The NX-01. The Akira-prise, whatever...it looks great. I really do think it looks like a believable link between current spacecraft and future Enterprise's. The uniforms. No tugging on the shirt ala Picard. The uniforms in Enterprise look useable, useful and again, believable. The cast. They are an odd bunch but loveable. Archer is prone to random fits of lunacy [A Night in Sickbay] but aside that is generally cool, Trip is awesome, Hoshi/Reed/Phlox are amusing and quirky. The technology! Polarise the hull plating! The caution around the transporter, seeing famous Trek technology in its infancy... The Xindi arc was exhilarating. I really, really enjoyed it. The beginnings of the Federation! There is just something about the feel of Enterprise that is unique. So no OP, you are not alone. I too love Enterprise and I often muse about how good it could have gotten.
I'm an Enterprise fan, I thought it was really interesting, fun, had a good cast and went to some interesting places, such a shame we didn't get a full run.
I watched TATV again, recently, after not having watched ENT in a while and you know what? I realized that I really missed watching this series. Season 3, especially, always entertains and it's a shame that the final season sort of veered away from that approach, pretty much. But ENT always held my interest and I'm glad to say it still does. Had I been the creator of ENT, there is much I'd do differently, but what we actually got was not too bad. It looks like STAR TREK. It smells like STAR TREK. It is STAR TREK!
Enjoying ENT ten years after. Great cast, but I started at season two. The episode that got me hooked was TPOL flashing back to her time in 1950s PA. Classic Trek episode. The one with the automatic repair station with nefarious intentions confirmed things. Now, there is also added value of nostalgia. Trip, Malcom..great characters. TPOL is great. Phlox..Hoshi. Classic. Sad there were only four seasons..but, glad at least those. 13 years ago, the show just didn't do it for me. First season just seemed more of the same, but worse. You don't know what you got. Also..show looks great on big screen. Maybe unrealistic..but would love to see reunion movie to give them a better finale.
I appreciate it more now than I did when it was on originally. I even like Season 1 and bits of Season 2, even though Season 3 is my favorite season.
Five years ago..no way I'd say this, but I'd bet 50 bucks an audience would cheer at clever cameo of TPOL or Archer cameo in next Trek film..combined with cameo from Data or something.
That's the general consensus... even if all the while, 10 year plus old shows are getting revived left, right and centre. Deadwood being the latest example. Doesn't stop me secretly wishing CBS would do something like that. From the studio's perspective though, Enterprise got an ending before the plug was pulled. Even if many people simply didn't care for it.