In general, I don't like science fiction shows very much---for example, I hated BSG and Firefly. However, something about ENT kept me watching; I binged the entire series over a week. I enjoyed the main three characters and found some of the some of the issues that ENT covered to be fascinating. That said, I thought that ENT had some serious problems. Specifically, ENT had uneven pacing; pointless plots for the sake of fan service; and characters whom acted as if they were incompetent, melodramatic, or thirteen. Despite these problems, I found ENT to be more captivating than TOS (which is the only other ST show I’ve watched).
Characters:
I enjoyed the main three characters, with Archer being my least favorite. Initially, I found Archer to be extremely unprofessional. He let his personal history overshadow his duties as first space captain of Earth (i.e. his condescension and patronizing tone towards T'Pol despite asking her to stay on Enterprise). Let’s not even get started on Archer’s obsession towards Porthos in spite of his responsibilities towards his crew and role as diplomatic envoy of Earth (i.e. A Night in Sick Bay).
Despite Archer’s negative traits, he did grow on me. Archer was a good representation of humanity. He encompassed a desire to explore and help (albeit with the finesse of a bull in a china shop). He cared, even when proper protocol dictated otherwise.
Archer’s willingness to commit unsavory acts in season 3 turned him into something more than a cocky space cowboy. It made him interesting as opposed to the standard American hero. Whereas the previous 2 seasons portrayed Archer’s actions as righteous, season 3 had him being unsure. His uncertainty in his leadership choices and desperation in fulfilling his mission reflected a maturity that was previously missing from his characterization.
Trip was my favorite character in ENT. With the exception of season 3, he was depicted as a sunny person, confident in his role and eager to explore. He was compassionate and artless and brash at times—but always willing to learn. I thought Trip had a lot of chemistry with the other bridge characters.
Like Archer, I thought Trip's depiction matured in season 3. His hatred towards the Xindi was the other side of his emotional nature. His developing relationship with T'Pol was significant from a symbolic perspective. I loved the episode where he confronted Degra and broke down over Lizzie with T'Pol---the first because it reflects his desire to succumb to his darker urges, the second because it reflects his conflict between being a good senior officer (leader of humanity's last hope) and grieving over his personal loss (his close bond with Lizzie).
I thought T’Pol grew the most in ENT. In the beginning, she was a loyal agent, unquestioning of her society's norms and disapproving of those who behaved warmly to humans (i.e. V’Lar). In the end, she broke so many of her society’s unassailable rules, becoming the first to join Starfleet (home to the “young” humans) and bond with a human (and such an emotional one as well). That T'Pol grew as a result of assault and addiction is somewhat problematic because it suggests her people cannot grow bar extreme external forces. On the other hand, her assault by Tolaris and Trellium addiction can be viewed as the result of her curious nature.
I enjoyed how T’Pol was depicted as an extremely competent woman. There were moments where she was reduced to the damsel in distress (i.e. Raijin, Orions). However, there were more moments that utilized her background as an intelligence operative. That she often engaged in verbal sparring with Trip or Archer and won in their power plays is an inversion of traditional gender tropes and is a far departure from Uhura (TOS) or Chapel.
I enjoyed how T’Pol remained the outsider throughout ENT. First, she was the disdained one, suspected of colluding with the High Command at the expense of Enterprise. Then she was the unruly child, daring to walk where no Vulcan had gone before. That she did it unwillingly was part of what made her journey interesting. Her feelings towards Tolaris’s assault reflected humiliation from succumbing to base emotion and self-hatred for undermining what’s “acceptable.” That she moves past it to indulge in Trellium is remarkable, considering the societal indoctrination and trauma. Similarly fascinating is her relationship with Trip, which is an extension of the outsider theme.
Seasons:
I thought the first two seasons were all right. They followed TOS's planet of the week format. I thought they captured ST’s themes of exploration and optimism (i.e. Breaking the Ice). The crew explored the new and bizarre (i.e. slug that trapped Trip and Archer in goo). However, some of the episodes were really pointless. I thought the heist by the Ferengi was a welcome departure from being attacked by local hostiles or having technology fail in the middle of nowhere. What I didn’t appreciate was the fact that episode was literally nothing more than heisting. There was no character development. I didn’t learn anything particularly profound about Ferengi culture except for their fondness of the shiny.
What kept my attention about TOS was the fact that it used the science fiction medium to push societal issues and make me think. What makes someone real? Nature or nurture? What would it have been like had the later Roman empire never fell? What would Nazi Germany be like? Too often in seasons 1 and 2, there were episodes like the heist by the Ferengi or shore leave at Risa instead of episodes like Cogenitor, Similitude, or Demons/Terra Prime.
Cogenitor examined individual autonomy and cultural relativism. Similitude examined sentience and sacrifice (and love). Demons/Terra Prime acknowledged the fact that space exploration is not without fear of the unknown. For all that Earth has become a united government by Archer’s time, it is still a place where people would react defensively towards the “other.” One hundred years later, and humanity is still striving to better its nature. That Elizabeth died is emotional manipulation (such a cute chubby baby!) and very, very sad. However, the last scene encapsulated the spirit of ST. There is always hope—optimism that we can work together for a better future, that there is a brighter possibility waiting out there.
My personal favorite is season 3. I thought that the main characters developed greatly in this season. Archer had to face what it means to be a captain. Trip had to deal with his grief. T’Pol made extremely poor life decisions. Shockingly, the other characters even had meaty parts (Malcolm and his power play with Hayes/MACOs, Hoshi and her torture by the Xindi).
Season 3 also gave me Degra—that alone makes 3 excellent. Here we have the developer of the weapon that totaled Earth yet he is not unrepentantly evil. Rather, Degra is someone who tries to make the right decisions with the facts he has. Degra created the bomb because he wants to protect his world. He wants to ensure that his children have a safe future. When faced with Archer’s evidence, Degra doesn’t stall. He behaves rationally. He recognizes the consequences of his decisions and tries to make for them. When confronted by Trip, he doesn’t react defensively. How he acts conveys who he is. That he dies violently at the hands of someone so despicable re-emphasizes his braveness and sincerity. If only the showrunners could have spent the same time and effort in developing the main cast of ENT…
I thought having an over-arching plot restricted the amount of fluff and improved pacing. I thought season 4 had many problems with pacing. The showrunner tried to cram so many ideas in season 4 that the stories seemed rushed. Certainly, they could have been more developed. I thought having an extra episode in the Demons/Terra Prime arc would have been useful (because Paxton’s organization was defeated in part by Trip being Macgyver…which required some suspension of belief). I thought incorporating hints of xenophobia (blowfish Phlox was a start) throughout the season would made Terra Prime a more insidious force and turned the arc into a battle of wills.
I didn’t really care about the Tellarites or Orions. Later I found out that they were calls to ST canon. However, I thought the gratuitous catering to sex appeal in Bound to be cringe-worthy. That the Orion women turned out to be the ones controlling the slaver would been interesting had there been more buildup to that reveal. The other problem I had with season 4 is execution. I thought the Augments arc examined relevant issues. It looked at nature versus nurture and the viability of genetic engineering on a society. However, the actors whom played the Augments were kind of wooden. Also, Soong oscillated between worried parent and malicious provocateur.
TATV was awful for various reasons. First, I didn’t understand why characters from TNG were on a finale for ENT. Even if this was supposed to be a finale for all of ST, shouldn’t the episode represent the entire body of ST canon? Second, I didn’t understand the point behind Trip’s death. Certainly, I could see him sacrificing himself for the crew---but did he really have to die so close to the de-commissioning at the hands of really amateur bandits? Third, it’s not realistic that the other bridge crew members never received a promotion in ten years. They’re all super competent. They saved Earth. Hoshi was instrumental during the Xindi Mission. Malcolm is a competent super spy. Lastly, why spend all that time building up T’Pol and Trip’s relationship if you’re just going to have them breakup off scene?
Trip and T’Pol:
I liked Trip and T’Pol’s relationship. Here we have two individuals from polar worlds who developed a friendship. They were sassy and super competent as a team. During the lowest point of their lives, they managed to find one another.
I thought their entire relationship regressed in season 4. So many of their problems in season 4 could have been resolved had they actually communicated with one another instead of running away, whether emotionally or physically. I thought the showrunner could have done a better job with T’Pol’s behavior in Daedulus. Considering the bond, I’d assume her coldness was due to fear as a result of her upbringing. The thing is, anything like that didn’t come across the scene very well (and there needs to something like that to make their overarching narrative in season 4 coherent). I also thought it was silly how every time Trip and T’Pol might have gotten their relationship figured out some obstacle popped up (i.e. Koss, T’Les dying, Terra Prime). I wouldn’t have cared about their breakup in TATV had it not been Demons/Terra Prime and the fact that the show spent a significant time in framing this fated narrative for them.
Theme Song:
It wasn’t that awful. Honestly. I thought the lyrics worked thematically.
Characters:
I enjoyed the main three characters, with Archer being my least favorite. Initially, I found Archer to be extremely unprofessional. He let his personal history overshadow his duties as first space captain of Earth (i.e. his condescension and patronizing tone towards T'Pol despite asking her to stay on Enterprise). Let’s not even get started on Archer’s obsession towards Porthos in spite of his responsibilities towards his crew and role as diplomatic envoy of Earth (i.e. A Night in Sick Bay).
Despite Archer’s negative traits, he did grow on me. Archer was a good representation of humanity. He encompassed a desire to explore and help (albeit with the finesse of a bull in a china shop). He cared, even when proper protocol dictated otherwise.
Archer’s willingness to commit unsavory acts in season 3 turned him into something more than a cocky space cowboy. It made him interesting as opposed to the standard American hero. Whereas the previous 2 seasons portrayed Archer’s actions as righteous, season 3 had him being unsure. His uncertainty in his leadership choices and desperation in fulfilling his mission reflected a maturity that was previously missing from his characterization.
Trip was my favorite character in ENT. With the exception of season 3, he was depicted as a sunny person, confident in his role and eager to explore. He was compassionate and artless and brash at times—but always willing to learn. I thought Trip had a lot of chemistry with the other bridge characters.
Like Archer, I thought Trip's depiction matured in season 3. His hatred towards the Xindi was the other side of his emotional nature. His developing relationship with T'Pol was significant from a symbolic perspective. I loved the episode where he confronted Degra and broke down over Lizzie with T'Pol---the first because it reflects his desire to succumb to his darker urges, the second because it reflects his conflict between being a good senior officer (leader of humanity's last hope) and grieving over his personal loss (his close bond with Lizzie).
I thought T’Pol grew the most in ENT. In the beginning, she was a loyal agent, unquestioning of her society's norms and disapproving of those who behaved warmly to humans (i.e. V’Lar). In the end, she broke so many of her society’s unassailable rules, becoming the first to join Starfleet (home to the “young” humans) and bond with a human (and such an emotional one as well). That T'Pol grew as a result of assault and addiction is somewhat problematic because it suggests her people cannot grow bar extreme external forces. On the other hand, her assault by Tolaris and Trellium addiction can be viewed as the result of her curious nature.
I enjoyed how T’Pol was depicted as an extremely competent woman. There were moments where she was reduced to the damsel in distress (i.e. Raijin, Orions). However, there were more moments that utilized her background as an intelligence operative. That she often engaged in verbal sparring with Trip or Archer and won in their power plays is an inversion of traditional gender tropes and is a far departure from Uhura (TOS) or Chapel.
I enjoyed how T’Pol remained the outsider throughout ENT. First, she was the disdained one, suspected of colluding with the High Command at the expense of Enterprise. Then she was the unruly child, daring to walk where no Vulcan had gone before. That she did it unwillingly was part of what made her journey interesting. Her feelings towards Tolaris’s assault reflected humiliation from succumbing to base emotion and self-hatred for undermining what’s “acceptable.” That she moves past it to indulge in Trellium is remarkable, considering the societal indoctrination and trauma. Similarly fascinating is her relationship with Trip, which is an extension of the outsider theme.
Seasons:
I thought the first two seasons were all right. They followed TOS's planet of the week format. I thought they captured ST’s themes of exploration and optimism (i.e. Breaking the Ice). The crew explored the new and bizarre (i.e. slug that trapped Trip and Archer in goo). However, some of the episodes were really pointless. I thought the heist by the Ferengi was a welcome departure from being attacked by local hostiles or having technology fail in the middle of nowhere. What I didn’t appreciate was the fact that episode was literally nothing more than heisting. There was no character development. I didn’t learn anything particularly profound about Ferengi culture except for their fondness of the shiny.
What kept my attention about TOS was the fact that it used the science fiction medium to push societal issues and make me think. What makes someone real? Nature or nurture? What would it have been like had the later Roman empire never fell? What would Nazi Germany be like? Too often in seasons 1 and 2, there were episodes like the heist by the Ferengi or shore leave at Risa instead of episodes like Cogenitor, Similitude, or Demons/Terra Prime.
Cogenitor examined individual autonomy and cultural relativism. Similitude examined sentience and sacrifice (and love). Demons/Terra Prime acknowledged the fact that space exploration is not without fear of the unknown. For all that Earth has become a united government by Archer’s time, it is still a place where people would react defensively towards the “other.” One hundred years later, and humanity is still striving to better its nature. That Elizabeth died is emotional manipulation (such a cute chubby baby!) and very, very sad. However, the last scene encapsulated the spirit of ST. There is always hope—optimism that we can work together for a better future, that there is a brighter possibility waiting out there.
My personal favorite is season 3. I thought that the main characters developed greatly in this season. Archer had to face what it means to be a captain. Trip had to deal with his grief. T’Pol made extremely poor life decisions. Shockingly, the other characters even had meaty parts (Malcolm and his power play with Hayes/MACOs, Hoshi and her torture by the Xindi).
Season 3 also gave me Degra—that alone makes 3 excellent. Here we have the developer of the weapon that totaled Earth yet he is not unrepentantly evil. Rather, Degra is someone who tries to make the right decisions with the facts he has. Degra created the bomb because he wants to protect his world. He wants to ensure that his children have a safe future. When faced with Archer’s evidence, Degra doesn’t stall. He behaves rationally. He recognizes the consequences of his decisions and tries to make for them. When confronted by Trip, he doesn’t react defensively. How he acts conveys who he is. That he dies violently at the hands of someone so despicable re-emphasizes his braveness and sincerity. If only the showrunners could have spent the same time and effort in developing the main cast of ENT…
I thought having an over-arching plot restricted the amount of fluff and improved pacing. I thought season 4 had many problems with pacing. The showrunner tried to cram so many ideas in season 4 that the stories seemed rushed. Certainly, they could have been more developed. I thought having an extra episode in the Demons/Terra Prime arc would have been useful (because Paxton’s organization was defeated in part by Trip being Macgyver…which required some suspension of belief). I thought incorporating hints of xenophobia (blowfish Phlox was a start) throughout the season would made Terra Prime a more insidious force and turned the arc into a battle of wills.
I didn’t really care about the Tellarites or Orions. Later I found out that they were calls to ST canon. However, I thought the gratuitous catering to sex appeal in Bound to be cringe-worthy. That the Orion women turned out to be the ones controlling the slaver would been interesting had there been more buildup to that reveal. The other problem I had with season 4 is execution. I thought the Augments arc examined relevant issues. It looked at nature versus nurture and the viability of genetic engineering on a society. However, the actors whom played the Augments were kind of wooden. Also, Soong oscillated between worried parent and malicious provocateur.
TATV was awful for various reasons. First, I didn’t understand why characters from TNG were on a finale for ENT. Even if this was supposed to be a finale for all of ST, shouldn’t the episode represent the entire body of ST canon? Second, I didn’t understand the point behind Trip’s death. Certainly, I could see him sacrificing himself for the crew---but did he really have to die so close to the de-commissioning at the hands of really amateur bandits? Third, it’s not realistic that the other bridge crew members never received a promotion in ten years. They’re all super competent. They saved Earth. Hoshi was instrumental during the Xindi Mission. Malcolm is a competent super spy. Lastly, why spend all that time building up T’Pol and Trip’s relationship if you’re just going to have them breakup off scene?
Trip and T’Pol:
I liked Trip and T’Pol’s relationship. Here we have two individuals from polar worlds who developed a friendship. They were sassy and super competent as a team. During the lowest point of their lives, they managed to find one another.
I thought their entire relationship regressed in season 4. So many of their problems in season 4 could have been resolved had they actually communicated with one another instead of running away, whether emotionally or physically. I thought the showrunner could have done a better job with T’Pol’s behavior in Daedulus. Considering the bond, I’d assume her coldness was due to fear as a result of her upbringing. The thing is, anything like that didn’t come across the scene very well (and there needs to something like that to make their overarching narrative in season 4 coherent). I also thought it was silly how every time Trip and T’Pol might have gotten their relationship figured out some obstacle popped up (i.e. Koss, T’Les dying, Terra Prime). I wouldn’t have cared about their breakup in TATV had it not been Demons/Terra Prime and the fact that the show spent a significant time in framing this fated narrative for them.
Theme Song:
It wasn’t that awful. Honestly. I thought the lyrics worked thematically.
Anyways, the point I'm trying to make is that Vulcan nature is inherently a contradiction. Dealing with that contradiction is bound to create screwups. 
