Do we dwell on the negative?

[Shatnertage]

The "what was wrong with TATV" and "what was right with TATV" threads happened to be on top of each other just now, and I noticed that the "wrong" thread has three times as many views, and not quite that ratio of replies.

So do we just like to wallow in the awful parts of ENT these days? Or is it just TATV, the black hole/car wreck that no one can stay away from?

 

[King Bob!]

I think it's the latter. Though I do think that These are the Voyages... have put a certain taint to Star Trek: Enterprise as a whole. If your last memory of something is bad it's liable to override the good memories you have.

 

[JiNX-01]

^ Only if you persist in watching it.

I avoid it like an airborne plague and am thus still able to enjoy the good times.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Have you seen the STXI forum recently? Or the "I like the new film better" thread in I-X? The most popular and successful Trek film in decades shows up, and over a year and a half later the same people are looping the same tired arguments about Delta Vega, beer breweries (oh right, that one migrated here for this cycle) and timelines.

With Enterprise it's "I imagined pre-TOS differently", "I hate the finale" and more nonsense about alternate timelines and canon violations.

In I-X it's "Nemesis/STV/Insurrection sucked"

Voyager's had a recent spate of premise/character bashing too.

Trekkies love to complain, and it's been this way for decades - take a look at Harve Bennett's aborted Starfleet Academy film from the early 90's, and all the bad press and fan flogging it recieved (even from the editors of the licensed comics!) as proof, or get an old Best of Trek book from Amazon and read an anti bumpy Klingon/anti new transporter effect/anti Enterprise refit tirade from 1979.

Nothing ever changes

 

[Shatnertage]

^Yes--I used the black hole analogy because each forum has its own--in GTD/TOS every thread eventually falls into the JJTrek sucks/JJTrek wasn't so bad hole; VOY is either "Endgame" or "Tuvix." And here, each thread eventually ends up in TATV land. Don't even ask me about the Doctor Who forum. I don't hang out in DS9 enough to know what the equivalent is there.

I like the discussion, but it's really funny that the negative tends to interest people more, judging by the thread view counts (though I think the negative thread is a bit older, which skews it).

 

[RyuRoots]

^Yes--I used the black hole analogy because each forum has its own--in GTD/TOS every thread eventually falls into the JJTrek sucks/JJTrek wasn't so bad hole; VOY is either "Endgame" or "Tuvix." And here, each thread eventually ends up in TATV land. Don't even ask me about the Doctor Who forum. I don't hang out in DS9 enough to know what the equivalent is there.

I like the discussion, but it's really funny that the negative tends to interest people more, judging by the thread view counts (though I think the negative thread is a bit older, which skews it).

For DS9 it's probably Season 7. Or Dukat post-Sacrifice of Angels.

But hey, KingDaniel is right. Fans like to argue and complain (myself included, and not just fans of Trek) and it's always been that way.

In a way, it can bring up more interesting discussion. When you bring up something everyone loves, a few people post and say "Yeah, it was awesome." and then it stops. Bring up something everyone hates, and you're guaranteed to get a bunch of replies, maybe even some thoughtful or interesting ones.

 

[Pariah Carey]

If your last memory of something is bad it's liable to override the good memories you have.

While TATV certainly is an exceptionally bad memory, my good Enterprise memories still easily prevail over all the bad ones (TATV is hardly the only one).

But TATV is certainly an unique phenomenon.

It's May 2005, you're sitting there, enjoying "Terra Prime", all emotional and touched by those superb character moments... Just to see them all undone an hour later, as if they didn't matter... As if they didn't even fucking happen... And then it hits you - this is it! This is fucking it, there is no more Enterprise. There WILL be NO more new Enterprise episodes on TV, EVER AGAIN!

And the only thing you can do is let go. But that isn't easy, because everyone has a need for closure, and TATV stole that closure from those three million poor suckers who remained loyal to the show that everyone else gave up on long ago.

All is well that ends well. Enterprise didn't. That's why so many fans find it hard to let go, even now.

Personally, I barely even care anymore, but periodically venting on internet massage boards is good for the soul. It's always good to have a punching bag, even if it is virtual.

 

[F. King Daniel]

wenting on internet massage boards

 

[Pariah Carey]

Uhm... No pun intended.

 

[Shatnertage]

wenting on internet massage boards

Is that a Chekov impersonation I hear?

 

[ALF]

And the only thing you can do is let go.

Absolutely.

I couldn't even watch the show at all if all I thought about it (during) was the fact that it was canceled prematurely.

Try and dwell on the positive... and there are many. Out of the four seasons we did get, many of the episodes were quite good. Every Trek series has classics and stinkers. ENT still ranks quite high for me among the Treks.

There were heaps of awesome episodes! And don't forget... all good things come to an end...

 

[Holiday Romantic]

Try and dwell on the positive... and there are many.

I agree.

Everyone deals with disappointment/dissatisfaction in their own way. When Enterprise was cancelled, I went through the stages of grief... disbelief, anger, eventually acceptance. I achieved closure by writing fanfiction, and fashioning a more satisfying ride into the sunset than the show was able to provide. Perhaps that's why I am able to look back on Enterprise with fond remembrance and celebrate it, rather than tear it apart. I'd still watch "Extinction" or "Daedalus" over 98% of the stuff on TV these days.

Those who focus on negatives tend to be more vocal and repetitive; perhaps that's why they are more noticeable. Maybe the negative threads have a sort of train-wreck fascination for people. Or maybe misery loves company. There is no doubt that, for many, that last hour was a real kick in the teeth, and the pain has lingered.

 

[outdoor1]

That is how society is. We love to dwell on the negative and not the positive.

 

[Reanok]

I prefer to dwell on the positive not on the negative.I still like to watch Enterprise.I enjoyed watching the Vulcan arc yesterday.

 

[number6]

So do we just like to wallow in the awful parts of ENT these days?

It would appear so. I didn't know how much Star Trek sucked until I came to TrekBBS.

 

[Leathco]

I think a lot of it is that this episode is prolly the worst closer for a series since Turnabout Intruder. TNG got one hell of a closer, DS9 got a huge one ending a multi-season story arc, even Voyager, while getting panned, had a huge closer where they did huge damage to the Borg and made it home after 7 years. Even the animated series got "just another episode" as a finale, which is better than what Enterprise got. Enterprise deserved to go out on its own merit, either with Terra Prime as the finale (which would have been great), or a shocker episode. I would have rather seen Enterprise lost with all hands aboard defending a colony world than the six year shift ahead with no promotions, no one aging, nothing changing.

 

[number6]

ENT did go out on its own merit. Terra Prime was the finale. TATV was a coda to the finale.
Sure we can probably agree that TATV wasn't great, but to go on and on and on and on about it five years later is a little silly.

 

[Pariah Carey]

I didn't know how much Star Trek sucked until I came to TrekBBS.

EPIC!

 

[LeadHead]

People have a bone to pick with what was wrong so they post on it, People don't feel the need as often to say that you liked something, especially if someone has already highlighted it.

If someone already said: " The CGI shots of the Enterprise-D were amazing!" we usually won't feel the need to post a follow up on that subject.

 

[Holiday Romantic]

That is how society is. We love to dwell on the negative and not the positive.

Not from where I'm standing, hon. But I'm a Phloxist. Optimism!

Anyway, if that's the way the world looks outside your window, it doesn't have to be that way. If you build it, they will come.