All range of emotions experienced by me in this one. From tearing up, to wanting to throw the TV out the window.
I thought about putting my TV out the window but a) I couldn't lift it b) I couldn't lift it up high enough for the window and c) I realised Berman and Braga wouldn't buy me a new one as a Valentine to me
ENT is my favorite version of Trek so far. Yeah, I know, total heresy in these parts. Quick reviews: Seasons 1 and 2 had some great episodes but most felt like warmed over VOY scripts. Season 3, loved the arc, loved the Xindi and their reasons for being hostile. The Hatchery, just horrible. Season 4, Once we dispense with the Space Nazi's it's a great season until the end. The Augment arc, The Vulcan Arc, Terra Prime all great sci-fi. TATV, I'm sure it seemed like a great idea on paper but to wedge the entire series finale into a side story for an old series seemed disrespectful to the series as a whole. And then to find out that Trip didn't die and went on more adventures in the books made his death a waste and pointless.
I've rewatched Enterprise lately, and it's worse than ever for me. There are sooooooooooooooo many things wrong with it, but my main issue has been with Archer. His character was so hung up on what other people thought of him, always trying to get people to like him, I couldn't take him seriously as a captain. And that's also in large part because of Bakula's acting. To my knowledge, Bakula had no stage background in the way that several other actors/captains did, and so he didn't know how to command a stage or a starship. He never commanded authority in any way, in my opinion, and the captain's chair is a major component of the success of any ST series. A lot of people blame Voyager for the decline of the ST franchise in the early 2000s, but to me it was Enterprise - which never even reached 100 episodes. Sorry I gotta be a hater on this one, but rewatching it now feels like punishment even for a loyal Trekkie.
I love Enterprise to bloody shreds. There's only a handful of things I dislike about it: that actress in Precious Cargo, the space nazis (because fuck that noise), the Orion women episode (cringe), the finale. That's basically it. What I loved about was how the crew had no clue what they were doing and made everything up on the fly. They were human and flawed and genuine, which I could identify with. I still can.
The salty Vulcans were hilarious, and Shran is the best. "THE ANDORIAN MINING CONSORTIUM RUNS FROM NO-ONE!"
Yes. I agree. I find the ENT crew to be very relatable. I am currently watching ENT on H&I, basically watching ENT for the first time. Like you, I have enjoyed watching the crew winging it, making it up as they travel along. The characters come across as gritty pioneer explorers. I liked the story of "Flight or Fight", where Hoshi had to overcome her fears and had to learn to adapt to all that comes with deep space travel and get her space legs. Flawed but very human. Also, to me, there is (figuratively) a blue-collar vibe about the crew. They seem ordinary and down to earth. I think the jumpsuits, (literally blue collars) that they wear, contributes to creating that working class vibe. I saw "Desert Crossing" on H&I last night. In one scene, Trip hallucinated about food, specifically drumsticks, prime rib, mashed potatoes etc. There have been plenty of scenes, throughout season 1, of the characters eating, especially common Earth dishes. The relatively plain industrial look of the interior of the ship, the crew having movie nights, eating, and stuff like that, I think it all adds up to making them seem ordinary. And there generally isn't a pretentiousness about the ENT crew, unlike, say, the TNG ones. Picard and most of his officers have an air about them. They too often behave as though they have transcended from being mere ordinary humans. So far, I have really enjoyed watching the series.
I liked Soval and Shran they're great characters that steal the show when they appear on screen with the other Enterprise cast members.
Both are very charismatic and fun. I love how exasperated Soval always is with his lot in life. He often has a bit of a point, too.
I've been checking out HD Trek on Netflix, and rewatching some of Enterprise. I find myself "remembering" cool stuff, then using Google to figure out which episode it is. Just watched Dead Stop. I really thought I was remembering a Doctor Who episode, but it turned out to be Enterprise. (There probably was a Doctor Who just like it though) I've always pretty much only watched season 3 and 4 when revisiting Enterprise, but I am now finding gems in what I always considered the bland era
Good for you. ENT is a lot better than so many give it credit for. Sorry not sorry about repeating myself.
That is what I feel about TNG as well. It seemed that the directors had a prime directive to make the characters larger than life, amplified, without vulnerability, self-asssured, just full of themselves. I like more humanity and humility, than sheer gravity.
I know some don't think Enterprise is good, but I think it's fun, and very enjoyable. It had a lot of good characters, (not to mention Porthos is absolutely adorable). And I also loved that it was somewhat weird.
I don't watch a grand total of five episodes, four of which being season 4 ones (Space Nazis 1 and 2, the Orion women one, and TATV). Truth be told, I will never get why so many think that seasons 1 and 2 were just formulaic. That's not the case at all where I'm concerned. I think ENT seldom shied away from bringing the conflict and actually showing emotional fallout connected to making tough choices. But that's just how I see it.
ENT season one. Just started it, pretty great in the beginning. Hey, they eat food before it makes it to the floor.
Speaking about eating, I was a bit surprised to see that the stewards, who bring Archer and his dining mates their meals, are male crewmen. Ironically, it is a complete gender role reversal from the (future) era of TOS, where it was the duty of female yeomans to serve food, and whatever else, to Captain Kirk.