Just giving my take on why the show might not have worked for the people who tuned out. I'm not triviallizing your opinions, I'm disagreeing with them and explaining why. Debating them.....
That's different from what you were previously saying.
You didn't say this
might be a reason, you said this was
THE reason why the show failed (bad stories).... you provided no statistical study or other forms or sources to back up your claims, the way you worded yourself previously made it sound like what you were stating is fact and that fact applies to all.
The problem with trying to debate each person's subjective opinions in a subject like this one, is that it can't progress very far, nor will it solve anything.
In my first post in this topic, I stated right off the bat that not only was I aware many may not share my opinion and reasons, but that the things I was explaining were the "Original" reasons why I never gave the show a chance when it first aired.
That doesn't mean what I was explaining is the same mentality I have today towards the show. I have given it a chance, I'm watching the episodes now and I plan on watching it all the way through.... but for now, I like the show and I can put my past hang ups on the show aside and enjoy the show for what it is.
But no matter how much you and I debate over the reasons I explained, those reasons I had in the past are not going to change in the slightest, because it's the past and it was/is all based on my own personal subjective likes and dislikes..... just like you finding the stories flawed in their approach, even if I don't agree they were flawed...... ie: everybody's interests are completely different and can not be changed unless the individual wishes to change them.
Actually I liked the episodic "old fashion" feel of seasons one and two. I was quite disappointed when they went all arc happy in season three and fanwanky in season four.
Fair enough.
To paraphrase what I said to Luther Sloan, just about anything added to the "past" of a fictional universe is "out of the blue". The writers are not prescient.
There are certain things I can understand and personally allow being added to the past of a fictional universe.... add different aliens, add different planets, add different scenarios.... sure... there's room for flexibility for those things to a degree.
But when the core of the series is revolved around a key figure to the overall universe, such as a starship with the same name as other starships and vessels with huge historical impacts in that fictional universe and was never once mentioned or brought up before anywhere in the saga (going on the premise that time moves forward)..... or any other really big key factors in that fictional universe that make it what it is to the majority of the fan base..... those type of things are noticed more and tolerated less.
Now to clarify this... once again, this is not what I think today.... as I can see where Sloan is coming from when speaking of an "Alternative" timeline.... as I saw up ahead in Season two, there's an episode called "Regeneration" that introduces the borg much sooner then TNG's first contact with the borg..... thereby directly tying in this NX Enterprise existing and thus being valid to the rest of the Saga because Picard and Crew were directly involved in time being altered an thus justification for the NX-01 Enterprise existing.... since apparently those borg came from the sphere the Enterprise E blew up in the past.
In other words, there is a legitimate explanation as to why and how this NX-01 Enterprise came to be which does tie into the rest of the ST Saga.
But back when the show began, me as a regular Star Trek Viewer/fan never had this explanation, the reasons why this Enterprise existing was never clearly explained in any valid manner.... it somehow didn't tie into everything else when everything else ties into one another.... it felt disconnected and not until I read about this episode I have yet to see, did I see a connection to the rest of the ST Universe.
Which makes me only wonder now about exactly how much did Picard and Crew affect the timeline when they got back (Insurrection/Nemesis era)
The perplexity I am left with is that either Picard and Crew were always meant to go back and time and start this ball rolling, thus the NX-01 should have always existed in their timeline (should have been a model with the rest of the ships, etc.), just like Sisko going back in time and being Gabriel Bell, or Sisko and crew going back in time to save Kirk during the Tribble incident...... or when Data went back in time to the 1900'th century and losing his head......
..... Or..... Picard and Crew were never originally meant to go back in time, patched up the problems the Borg started, and their own timeline was altered in some way that was never mentioned, which thus created the NX-01 Enterprise, which eventually connected to the future where the Romulan's encountered the Super Nova and Nero went back in time with Spock to mess the timeline up even more..... as not only did the NX-01 look more advanced then kirk's original Enterprise.... but the new Enterprise in the last movie (1701) looked even more advanced, even more so.
While one can easily argue that they were all made advanced looking to appeal to current generations viewing start trek.... the biggest trick is to tie it into the existing history and information everybody already followed through the years..... and accomplishing this trick is imo the key to a very well thought out and successful story/saga.
^ That is where I currently stand..... in that I am currently stuck between one explanation or another.
And while the above may sound a bit fanboy'ish, one of the reasons why I got into Star Trek in the first place was because it made you think deep about these type of things and if they can't explain how the dots actually connect in a clear manner like they always could.... then neither can I and when that happens, I feel a bit detached from the whole experience and it seems flawed.
Anyways, if when Enterprise first aired and they took the time right off the bat to explain exactly how it all started and how it tied in with everything else, I think that not only would I have given it a chance early on, but many others might have as well.