Well.. we must have been watching different shows. I enjoyed a lot of ENT, and I am a lifelong fan of the original show, certainly not a "teen boy." That statement is an insult to anyone who enjoyed that show and certainly at the root of this thread's intentions.
Well, it wasn't my intention to be insulting to those who enjoyed the show. I found some things about the show that I enjoyed as well. I just assumed it was common knowledge that the producers of ENT were going for a younger demographic and that's why they put so much pseudo-sexual content in the show. I was also making the case that on the whole ENT wasn't nearly as thoughtful or intelligent as TOS. I find it difficult to believe that a majority of people who disagree with me, but I will concede that it is a matter of taste.
The producers intended the series to be more like "The Right Stuff."
UPN kept dictating the demographic everytime they retooled the network. You can really see it in the programming of UPN since it's inception. I think the level of "retread" storylines reflected the wishes of the newtork more than the wishes of the producers. I noticed this with VOY at well. They would have never had a guest appearance by the Rock if that show had been in syndication, but then even syndication changed over the years.
I personally think television itself has been dumbed down. You can put nearly any 60s television drama or sci-fi show up against a contemporary counterpart and make the same conclusions. I think all the Star Trek series attempted to make the best show under the limitations they had. Obviously some series had different limitations.
Each series was a product of its time. ENT reflects that as much as TOS did in the sixties. I don't think anyone under, say, 35 or so could make that connection because they wouldn't have had the opportunity to have lived long enough to experience such changes in society and in the entertainment industry first hand.
I remember how people used to complain about the musical scores from the modern series compared to the swashbuckling fanfares of the original show. That is not just the personal tastes of one particular producer, but the dictates of an industry trend in general.. There is always a bigger picture and most people make these comparisons between series in a timeless vacuum. This kind of comparison is extremely flawed and unrealistic in my opinion.
The writers of ENT were fans of the original show. But writing for television has also changed a great deal in 40 years time. Television entertainment itself has changed over 40 years. That anyone can write anything thought provoking and keep it on the air for more than 14 episodes on network television is something of a rarity..(or cult hit??) This is of course not even taking cable networks into consideration..How many cable networks really take those kind of risks??
Another thing to take into consideration is demographics itself. TOS' original viewing numbers never took age groups into effect. It was relvealed that the show appealed to younger viewers at the time. It is well known that the most fertile demographic is the 18-25.. Fans of the original show are now in their 40s, 50s and 60s.
The newer series all did a great deal to please those fans too while still trying to appeal to the demographic of people who actually go out and buy the stuff advertised. I think the syndication era gave producers a lot more leeway to take bigger risks, but even they are not immune to falling numbers. DS9 brought in Worf to bring in TNG fans when their numbers were falling.
I think we were lucky to get 18 years of Trek. None of these shows would have survived now, expecially given the small minded cynicism of sci-fi fans, and let's face it sci-fi fans are a niche market at best.
NuBSG pulls in 3-4 Million viewers on Sci-Fi and is a qualified hit. ENT pulled in 3-4 Million viewers on UPN and was cancelled. More people would rather watch America's Top Model or American Idol. This is the general television viewing public.
TOS wasn't immune to this kind of network pressure. If they had had their way, Spock would have been smoking special Vulcan cigarettes.
ENT gave us three decon scenes. VOY gave us the Rock. Don't think the writers and producers didn't fight that as hard as Gene Roddenberry might have. Granted, the decon scenes were something the producers put in, and I didn't find this objectionable. It makes sense in an era where the transporter's biofilters wouldn't have existed yet and while the camera enhances the sensuality of the scene, notice the characters were pretty nonchalant about it. It was just another day in space for them. That justifies the decon scenes for me.
As far as Warped, the derision comes from listening to the constant one note complaining. Despite his claims about being finished with posting here, he still continues and that only serves to expose his true intentions:Trolling people who disagree with him and then crying foul when he gets called on his own bullshit. I have no sympathy.
The reality is that it's a two-way street and some people are irrationally intolerant of his opinions. However, I'll leave him to fight his own battles.
But then he did say that he no longer gave a shit. So I guess it's all fair game now.
