Why was Enterprise received so poorly?

[dcm]

For me the show promised to be about the beginnings of the Federation. Then, it went off the rails with The Temporal Cold War and the Xindi. The show felt like it was going to return to its original premise, but then it got canceled. It's ending was also terrible.

So much this. I wanted three things to happen in enterprise. Romulan war, birth of the federation and more gloriousearly star ships exploring the stars. I aint get none of that. The temporal bullshit still pisses me off to this day. I hate time travel stories. Because most of the time it's not done right. It's just such lazy story writing. It's so recursive. Only justifying itself. So pretentious. For similar reasons is why I hate multiverses. So nihilistic. Nothing matters in the multiverse. No consequences. Mirror universes are exempt from my contempt btw.

The Phantom Menace has way better tech than the original trilogy but I think people accepted this change because TMP occurs in a gilded age of majesty, the last hoorah of a dying civilization careening towards inevitable decline and a fascist takeover.

I hated the prequels and I was the target audience. In general hated star wars. I couldn't understand the love and reverence that people had for the series. When I heard my elders disparage the prequels. I couldn't understand why they loved the originals so much. It was only years later when I first saw the OT, I was mesmerized. The reveal at the end of empire had no weight for me, because of those damned prequels. But still, it was so damn good. I cant believe the genius who made that also made phantom menace.

Tangent here:
Out of all the originals. Return of the jedi sucked. Felt like an early attempt at a prequel to me. Especially with those fucking ewoks. Man I fucking hate ewoks. I saw both versions of star wars. The originals on vhs and the remasters on dvd. Remasters were dogshit. They robbed the original versions of their purity. Especially that cgi alien singing in jabba's palace. I dont know why but I felt shame and embarrassment for watching it.

As bad as the prequels were. There was one good thing. Revenge of the sith. ROTS was much better than ROTJ though. Felt like OT quality. Felt like lucas was only piddling around waiting for this point in the story to happen. So he could get serious.

Disney star wars is dog shit. I only saw TFA and I have not seen a single other disney star wars movie(Back then I had no idea who jj was and now that I do I actively avoid any and all of his projects). I'm glad that more people are coming around to the fact that disney star wars is bad. Remember, disney didn't kill star wars. They just bought the rotting corpse from george lucas

 

[DonIago]

^I think "Rogue One" might challenge your views, but I'm not going to try to persuade you.

 

[ussrowe]

I watched it when it first aired and am basing this off my fuzzy memory.

Nobody was really asking for a prequel, but then we got one and yet it seemed like they didn't even fully commit to the prequel premise, introducing time travelers and using TNG Klingons in the pilot. My memory is the producers even saying they weren't that interested in keeping continuity when fans balked at the opener. Later they try reconciling them all with the augment virus.

T'Pol, like Seven before her, also became a more interesting character as time went on but to begin with those decontamination scenes were just for UPN cheesecake. UPN was trying too hard to be an edgy startup. Like someone else mentioned, it's not too long after ENT that UPN and WB cease to exist separately and become the CW.

 

[Space Socialist]

I watched it when it first aired and am basing this off my fuzzy memory.

Nobody was really asking for a prequel, but then we got one and yet it seemed like they didn't even fully commit to the prequel premise, introducing time travelers and using TNG Klingons in the pilot. My memory is the producers even saying they weren't that interested in keeping continuity when fans balked at the opener.

Yeah, I remember being disappointed around August ‘01(?) reading the earliest online reports about the series. Seemed like the TPTB weren’t 100% committed to the prequel concept other than in the lightest, least imaginative sense. Wondered early on if the temporal Cold War and Klingons stuff in the pilot was a backdoor to soft reboot the series as a not-prequel if the TPTB needed/wanted to.

 

[PCz911]

This was a series that “could have been”. They could have gone in so many directions but the who temporal war thing was not the way to go.

The producers and writers were Bereft of new ideas…. They were burned out and this feels like the product of a “close enough for government work” attitude.

I really wanted to like the show. Trip and T’pau had some on screen chemistry but their relationship was poorly written.

but, then again, I also felt that TNG movies felt very different from the shows (and not in a good way). Same group of burned out writers? Maybe.

 

[Dukhat]

Oh absolutely this. I remember the things Les Moonves was rumored to have said about Trek. The guy is an absolute terror to people and shows he hate....the guy is the reason why Murphy Brown has all but become lost media because he hated it's female EP.

And most of the things you heard were probably false. The most prevalent rumor was that Moonves hated Star Trek. That's patently untrue. He hated shows that were expensive to produce but still didn't make enough money in returns to justify their high cost. Which is what any good television producer worth his salt would think. If ENT was a ratings powerhouse, he wouldn't have cared that it cost so much to make. That's why there's such a prevalence of 'reality' TV shows: They are cheap to make and their ratings are through the roof. But somehow the fandom translated that as 'Les Moonves HATES Star Trek!!!'

(I am not defending Moonves as a person. In my opinion, the guy is a first-class creep. But he was successful tv producer, and his decision to cancel ENT wasn't out of any personal malice toward the show or Trek/sci-fi in general.)

 

[Space Socialist]

TBH though, I’d rather have had a flawed prequel series like ENT than a 24th c. Starfleet Academy series, which would’ve been the easier and cheaper option for Berman & co.

 

[fireproof78]

The Phantom Menace has way better tech than the original trilogy but I think people accepted this change because TMP occurs in a gilded age of majesty, the last hoorah of a dying civilization careening towards inevitable decline and a fascist takeover.

The Phantom Menace was my first "Oh, Star Wars won't be what I expect" moment as a teen. I still don't find it reconcilable with the rest of the series. Like Enterprise it took the approach of needing the touch stones of the franchise while using them in strange ways.

 

[Sci]

There are a lot of problems with Star Trek: Enterprise -- it's too U.S.-centric, its cast is disproportionately white and male, it goes out of its way to sexually objectify its few female characters, its ideas about how to depict the evolution of the Federation are implausible. But the most fundamental problem with ENT and the most fundamental reason it wasn't received well, is that in its early seasons it's a badly-written show. Rick Berman and Brannon Braga were suffering from creative burnout, and it shows. It wasn't until Manny Coto took over that ENT became creative, exciting, and well-written.

 

[Skywalker]

I really want to see the AU version of ENT where Berman and Braga got to do their original Right Stuff-esque story arc to open the first season instead of having to deal with studio-mandated things forced on them to keep the show "familiar" like transporters and time travel.

 

[Ragitsu]

I really want to see the AU version of ENT where Berman and Braga got to do their original Right Stuff-esque story arc to open the first season instead of having to deal with studio-mandated things forced on them to keep the show "familiar" like transporters and time travel.

The AU-proper Enterprise comes before world peace.

 

[Richard S. Ta]

The most prevalent rumor was that Moonves hated Star Trek. That's patently untrue.

This. I may be misremembering but I'm sure Moonves was a primary mover in getting DSC off the ground?

Moonves hated losing money and ENT was bleeding cash yearly.

 

[dcm]

its cast is disproportionately white and male

NGL that's kinda racist bro.

 

[Richard S. Ta]

NGL that's kinda racist bro.

No it is not.

If you don’t have anything intelligent to add, don’t add it.

 

[Hopeful Romantic]

No it is not.

If you don’t have anything intelligent to add, don’t add it.

@Richard S. Ta, please refrain from passing judgment on your fellow members' intelligence. Thanks.

 

[Richard S. Ta]

@Richard S. Ta, please refrain from passing judgment on your fellow members' intelligence. Thanks.

You are the last person on the board I want to argue with but:

No it is not.

If you don’t have anything intelligent to add, don’t add it.

Clearly my response questioned the intelligence of the post itself. Not the poster.

As per the rules.

 

[Ragitsu]

NGL

Nagelring?
Nauglamir?
New Gamer League?

 

[somebuddyX]

Nagelring?
Nauglamir?
New Gamer League?

Not gonna lie.

 

[Henoch]

There are a lot of problems with Star Trek: Enterprise -- it's too U.S.-centric, its cast is disproportionately white and male

Main Cast:

1. Captain - male, white
2. First Off. - female, white (alien)
3. Chief Eng. - male, white
4. Tactial Off. - male, white
5. Doctor - male, white (alien)
6. Communications - female, asian
7. Helm - male, black

Male: 5/7 = 71%
Female: 2/7 = 29%
White: 5/7 = 71%
Black: 1/7 = 14%
Asian: 1/7 = 14%

Compared to the 2000 Census for the U.S., males were over represented, females were under represented. and asians were over represented. White and Black were correctly represented. Hispanics were a no show for the main cast, but at least there was a Vulcan and a Denobulan. I have no data for the 2150 Census, yet.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Main Cast:

1. Captain - male, white
2. First Off. - female, white (alien)
3. Chief Eng. - male, white
4. Tactial Off. - male, white
5. Doctor - male, white (alien)
6. Communications - female, asian
7. Helm - male, black

Male: 5/7 = 71%
Female: 2/7 = 29%
White: 5/7 = 71%
Black: 1/7 = 14%
Asian: 1/7 = 14%

Compared to the 2000 Census for the U.S., males were over represented, females were under represented. and asians were over represented. White and Black were correctly represented. Hispanics were a no show for the main cast, but at least there was a Vulcan and a Denobulan. I have no data for the 2150 Census, yet.

2.4 billion people died unexpectedly during the middle of the 21st century, probably without replacing themselves, or half the dead were babies, which may be just because it was cold and they looked yummy.

The Earth Census of 2050 may divulge a population smaller than we have now, especially if 3/4s of the species lives in the asteroid belt? So are we after a Earthcentric Census or a Sol System Census?