Enterprise....from an 'Old Guard' perspective

[TrickyDickie]

Hi Y'all,

One of my older brothers got me hooked on Star Trek in the very early 70s when I was very young. I was never what you could call 'obsessed,' but I have been very close to it virtually all of my life. When the movies began, I thought they were 'okay' but that the stories left quite a lot to be desired. I actually like The Final Frontier best of the films with the original cast, not because it is 'great' or breaks new ground, but because it's actually more in keeping with the original series. When Next Generation arrived, I was extremely skeptical of any sort of updating or tampering with my beloved original....but I came to enjoy TNG very much. Deep Space Nine and Voyager I have not had the opportunity to see a lot of because reception of the channel they were on was not good, but what I have seen I have liked quite well. I find the Cardassians to be rather irritating, but that's probably because I simply haven't seen enough of them to put them into a balanced perspective in my mind. Enterprise....I had heard a lot of negative things about the series early on and I did not get that channel at all. So, I am now watching it for the first time. I must say that the new original series movie did a lot to pave the way for my introduction to Enterprise. Once again, I was prepared to absolutely despise different actors playing the original characters, a different take on the level and look of the technology, etc. They surprised the hell out of me. I really enjoyed it. The story could have been a bit stronger, but all in all I was quite pleased. Right from the beginning, I have been thoroughly enjoying Enterprise. There is not one thing about it that I don't like. I enjoy all of the characters and all of the performances by the actors. Trip is my favorite character and I have found his accent and his mannerisms to be 'spot-on.' You just get the feeling that you would be immediately relaxed around him from the moment that you meet him. Like an old friend whom you've just met. I have read various criticisms of Trip and of Travis and of others and I just do not agree with them. I have read what was done with 'These Are The Voyages' and have watched bits of it on youtube. I can't say that I like the way they ended the series. It's almost like a father not letting a son finish a project on his own. Ending things within the framework of TNG was just not the way to go, in my opinion. And I do agree that killing off Trip the way they did was another mistake.

Enterprise has actually become my favorite series and that says a lot coming from someone who has always been so close to the original series. I look forward to reading the novels. And it would be nice if the producers would do a movie or something and fix their stumble....which, for those of us who are close to the series and to Trip, was more of a headfirst plunge into a dungheap.

David

 

[number6]

This is pretty much the mantra of the typical haters of ENT....or actually anything new in the Trek realm, for that matter. The creative team did what they wanted with the series without our permission, so storylines don't match up with what fans think should have happened and that's what pisses the old guard off so much.

I enjoyed the show. Sure there were a few clunkers, but every show has them.

 

[star]

Welcome. I too am a big TOS fan (though not quite to the level as some others) and I love ENT. Sure, there were moments where I felt like the writers missed the boat, but overall, in many ways it felt like it got back to the frontier-roots of Trek that I feel is missing a bit in 24th century series (TNG, VOY & DS9 -- though I do quite like TNG).

Glad you enjoyed it!

 

[JiNX-01]

Welcome to the cabal of ENT fans! I loved the show right off. Trip's my favorite character. I'd be interested in in what you have to say about the episodes as you watch...

 

[JiNX-01]

And it would be nice if the producers would do a movie or something and fix their stumble....which, for those of us who are close to the series and to Trip, was more of a headfirst plunge into a dungheap.
David

You'd might want to get the ENT novels "The Good That Men Do" and the sequel "Kobayashi Maru." I won't spoil them for you.

 

[I am Surak]

David you hit the nail on the head. ENT and TOS go together like a sports car and Sunoco 260.
Glad you found us.
Peace and long Life!
Surak

 

[Scotty]

Well TOS and ENT are very much alike. Formulaic, slow paced and outdated, that is. TOS at least had that sixties charm and it was the one that started it all. That is why I really love TOS. ENT had no excuse. It was woefully behind on the times, before it had even premiered.

During TNG and DS9 Trek had grown into a mature drama series, ahead of most sci-fi shows at the time. Voyager was a good show but wasn't innovative in any way. With ENT TPTB actually took a step backwards, creating a highly episodic and formulaic light adventure show when all other (sci-fi) shows at the time were highly serialized and getting increasingly darker. Season 3 was an enjoyable but obvious attempt to jump on that bandwagon but by then it was obvious that the writers had no plan for the show and most importantly, its characters.

I think its cancellation was well deserved.

 

[Duane]

ENT is the most emotional of all of the trek series in my view. I love much of it. Trip is the best character by far, and the actor portraying him is just excellent.

I would go so far to say that my favorite five ENT episodes are better than my favorite five of any other Trek series. The best five VOY episodes give it a good run for the money.

And this is coming from a TOS fan!

 

[TrickyDickie]

With ENT TPTB actually took a step backwards, creating a highly episodic and formulaic light adventure show when all other (sci-fi) shows at the time were highly serialized and getting increasingly darker.

My wife and I are about half-way through season one thus far and we don't consider the series to be as formulaic as a lot of other television series have been over the years. The inclusion of moral and ethical dilemmas, that make you think, has lived up to the 'spirit of Star Trek.'

TOS was conceived at a time when the Cold War was in full swing. Its message was that diversity could be a strength, rather than a source of conflict. Yes, at first, Mr Chekov was more than a little stereotypical and may have owed the look of his 'do' to The Beatles, but over the course of time his character was developed into much more.

Perhaps it's not such a bad idea to get back to the roots of Trek and offer an alternative to that which is 'darker.'

It has been said that a society's dramatic fiction to a significant extent mirrors its everyday reality. But, the question must arise: to what extent is it a two-way mirror?

I have stated elsewhere on this board that I believe it is absurd to blame The Matrix and Marilyn Manson for the events at Columbine High School. However, in a general across-the-spectrum sense, I feel that if the overall trend in entertainment as a whole shifts toward a 'darker' feel, as I believe that it has, there is going to be at least some feedback into reality. It is inevitable, for the simple fact of human nature being what it is. Trends affect perception. Sometimes in subtle ways that don't always show up immediately as blips on the radar screen.

Adolf Hitler said, "If you tell people something long enough and loud enough, pretty soon they'll start to believe it."

That approach is not subtle. But let's take the example of tv cops. Contrast the days of 'Adam-12' with the lion's share of cops as depicted in series television today. Personally, I am weary of the burned-out, edgy, boozy, dysfunctional cops that you see so much of in the movies and on tv today. My wife and I were recently acquainted with a five year old girl who thought that was the everyday normal behavior for police officers today. There have been several generations of latch-key kids whose main babysitter has been the television and they have grown up not knowing any better. A very significant number end up acting out what they have perceived to be reality and in that way the fiction has affected the reality.

I am no fan of saccharin and I do not feel that all entertainment should be served up in a 'Pleasantville' format. I would just like to see more of a balance, rather than an across-the-board 'darkening.'

I was in the grocery store a few weeks ago and the guy in front of me was talking to the cashier about 2012. He said that right now he is not saving any money, not watching his weight, etc. He said that in mid-2012 he's going to dig a big hole in his back yard, fill it with canned goods, and hide underground unless or until the threat has passed. He was very emotionally worked up about it.

How much good news do we get from the media? Sometimes I think that there should be a public service announcement disclaimer broadcast on tv every ten minutes that states:

THINGS ARE NOT QUITE THIS DARK. WE REALLY MEAN IT!

Too bad Leslie Nielsen passed away....

 

[star]

What an incredibly thoughtful assessment. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

I think that's what I enjoy about Trek in general... the idea that things could be better in the future, tempered with dealing with real situations. (I think social commentary has always been a large part of Trek.)

You are only in the first season? I'll be interested to see what you think of the show as it evolves (particularly the third season).

 

[TripTucker2012]

Hello to all and I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays. Wish you all the best for 2011! I am TrickyDickie's wife so of course I wanted to lend my opinion to his thread.

I started out being pretty "old school" with TOS. I can't really say there has been a Trek I haven't enjoyed. I saw more of DS9 than my husband did. I also read and enjoyed the "New Frontier" novels. However, I was disappointed that Peter David said he was just going to write whatever he pleased and if the fans didn't like it that was their problem. Well, the fans are the heartbeat of anything out there. Without us, where would this be?

I was impressed with Enterprise and it has become my favorite. I feel like it is very easy to get to know the characters, and they seem very real to me. Their fears, desires, strengths, weaknesses...the character depth is there. They aren't set aside as these super-human beings that nothing scares or hurts. I have heard all the discussions about Trip's accent being annoying and not being authentic. My brother lived in Sarasota almost all his life, and I can tell you when I was staying there I met many folks that sounded just like Trip. Besides, I don't feel you can judge a character on how he/she sounds. From my screen name I don't have to tell you he is my favorite character and I enjoy seeing him very much.

In my opinion, the way they chose to end Enterprise was just wrong. To come out and say that if the show hadn't been cancelled they would have never killed Trip was ridiculous to me. I feel they should have stayed true to the end, which they just didn't do in my eyes. I am thankful that the novels decided to fix the error as best they could've.

Thanks for listening to me ramble and hope you all have a good one!

 

[AggieJohn]

I found Enterprise to be the most polar of the series. It was the best of times it was the worst of times. I really enjoyed some stories, the arch with the Andorians was really good and you really like the characters introduced but the Zindi and temporal cold war crap really lost me, it seemed so anti prequel. In the end I liked the crew, T'Pal, Trip, Archer (though he seemed a little too angry all the time) I would have thought brave and kind of funny considering Scott Bacula was playing him? But the overall story liine missed the mark, it was actually too bad they cancelled it when they did because I think they had learned their mistakes, and were including good stuff toward the end like the Romulans and the Ogmens, which were really cool and felt like the stories we were all hoping to see in a prequel.

 

[Captain Robert April]

One good part about the Augments storyline is that it put the Eugenics Wars right back in the 1990's where it belongs, correcting an admitted error on Ron Moore's part from DS9. It also provided an out for the Klingon ridge issue, and why the Klingons might be a tad embarrassed by the whole thing.

 

[Hathaway Brown]

Archer (though he seemed a little too angry all the time)

Yes, I guess he does come across a little angry at times (particularly in S3), but he does have good reason.

Between the Vulcan's holding Earth (and his father) back and the Xindi probe, it's bound to leave you a little irritable.

 

[TrickyDickie]

We just finished season one last night. We enjoyed all of the episodes except for 'Two Days and Two Nights.' It wasn't 100% bad, but the behavior of Trip, Malcolm, and Hoshi seemed very out of character and drew the episode way down.

 

[pookha]

Archer (though he seemed a little too angry all the time)

Yes, I guess he does come across a little angry at times (particularly in S3), but he does have good reason.

Between the Vulcan's holding Earth (and his father) back and the Xindi probe, it's bound to leave you a little irritable.

there is an episode in season 2 which gives more back story on trip and archer and their involvement with the warp five program.
a little more personal then vulcans just held his dad back.


as someone who grew up with original tos i really liked enterprise.
yeah it had some clunkers but over all i really liked it.
in some ways that the characters were more emotional and sometimes even snarky goes back to tos.

especially early tos.

 

[Hathaway Brown]

there is an episode in season 2 which gives more back story on trip and archer and their involvement with the warp five program.
a little more personal then vulcans just held his dad back.

Is that the one where A.G. dies? Far as I remember the High Council told Starfleet to suspend the programme after they tried the NX-Beta out.

Can't honestly remember any other issues.