Enterprise should have consulted Trek novelists sooner!

[Cadet49]

I really wish that the developers of Enterprise had brought in some of the Trek novelists that had written about the pre-Federation Earth and its neighbours, like Diane Duane (The Romulan Way, Spock's World), Margaret Wander Bonnano (Strangers from the Sky), The Reeves-Stevens (Federation - though they did finally hire them on in Season 4), and maybe Diane Carey (Final Frontier) to contribute elements from their stories to the world they were creating on the prequel series. Fans had come to cherish elements of these writers' novels for a long time, and it would have been a nice tip of the hat to the impact Trek lit has had on building fans (my first exposure to Trek was by reading a Trek novel, before I had ever seen the show!) and the cleverness of these writers.

For example, I found the Romulans on ENT to be just cookie cutter copies of TNG Romulans - devious, using underhanded techniques like unmanned drone ship to fight their battles - and would have loved to see elements of Duane's Rihannsu culture integrated into the story (Yes, I know that had been an issue with producers in the past, including TNG, if I recall correctly...)

Rather than using the same writers they had used on TNG and DS9 and VOY, which frankly I feel seemed to running out of original ideas, they could have tapped into the wealth of Trek lit writers who were well established with the fan base.

They did finally bring in the Reeves-Stevens in Season 4, which was the best move that series ever made ... too late, unfortunately.

Anyone else feel this way?

 

[JD]

I've felt this way pretty much since I started reading the books. As much as I enjoyed Voy., and Ent. I really feel that there is alot more originality in the books than there was in those shows.

 

[The Laughing Vulcan]

Enterprise needed to be a reboot of the franchise in my opinion, with only one narrative rule. No TIME TRAVEL! I wanted to see a show about the Federation's past, but instead got temporal cold war antics and 31st Century nonsense.

By a reboot of the franchise, I mean a completely different design ethic, a completely different production team, and definitely new composers. To me it was just TNG-VOY in jumpsuits, and the music had a big part to play in that.

Would getting the Trek Lit fraternity involved have helped? I don't know. Perhaps getting writers from a completely different sphere, not burdened with the baggage of Trek past would have been more freeing.

It may not have worked, it may have been even more of a disappointment, and the Paramount shenanigans that doomed Enterprise would still have happened anyway.

But it would have been different.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I'm a huge fan of the old novels, and their version of pre-TOS lore, but I don't hate Enterprise for choosing a different path.

About 30 seconds into "Broken Bow" I realized TPTB had chosen to rewrite Trek's past and I made an effort to enjoy the show for what it was rather than hate it for what it wasn't. I dislike TPTB for allowing so much bilge in the first two seasons, but not for their choice to despict a galaxy that's been at a technological standstill for (by DS9/VOY's time) over 200 years.

My favourite season of Enterprise is the third one, with the Xindi mission. I liked it because it didn't fanwank at all, it didn't pander to fans, it was a new adventure in the Star Trek universe. What the show should have been from the start.
Season 4 was enjoyable, but IMO they needed a lot more subtlety in their TOS/TNG references. Soong's "I think I'll try...(wink, wink)...artificial life! (hold for applause)" and the in-your-face pandering fanwank was too much.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Oh, yeah: I do wish J+G R-S, or in fact anyone else (Marshak and Culbreath included), were writing and plotting the post-finale Enterprise books. I've hated every page of the relaunch so far to the point I gave up on Romulan War and haven't looked back

 

[JoeP]

Oh, yeah: I do wish J+G R-S, or in fact anyone else (Marshak and Culbreath included), were writing and plotting the post-finale Enterprise books. I've hated every page of the relaunch so far to the point I gave up on Romulan War and haven't looked back

I keep going back and forth as to whether I should start in on it. I have The Good That Men Do, but haven't read it yet...

 

[RandyS]

I've felt this way for years, but I have to wonder if the realities of TV production would have made any difference. After all, the writers, no matter who they were still had to answer to Rick Berman, and Berman in turn still had to answer to UPN. Chain of command and all that....

 

[F. King Daniel]

I read somewhere that the transporter was put in to Enterprise at the request of the network suits. I also suspect the saucer/nacelles design has something to do with CBS having copyright on the Enterprise's rough shape.

I think it's fair to say those in charge never had any plans for their prequel to line-up with old novels.

None of the discrepancies have had any impact on my enjoyment of the books or episodes. I enjoy the different interpretations of the early Trek universe, like Final Frontier, The Romulan Way, Starfleet Year One etc.

 

[Christopher]

It's worth pointing out that the Reeves-Stevenses weren't brought in just for being novelists. They're experienced television producers and showrunners in their own right, which is more than any other Trek novelists (except Jeri Taylor) can say. TV and prose are different disciplines, and someone who's good at prose won't necessarily have the skills and approach that a TV production needs. (Although Diane Duane does have significant TV-writing experience as well, though not producing.)

 

[flemm]

I think ENT put itself in a difficult spot to begin with by deciding to be a prequel at a time when tv viewers had probably seen just about all the Star Trek they really wanted to see after 14 years and 21 seasons of TNG/DS9/VOY.

Certainly the meandering Voyager-esque feel of seasons 1 and 2 left much to be desired, but would the show have been more compelling to a wide audience if it had begun by mining existing Trek continuity as in season 4? I doubt it. These stories can be appealing to fans already immersed in the lore, but don't strike me as well-designed to attract new viewers. Likewise, I don't think bringing existing Trek lit to life would really have been a viable approach, as these stories target dedicated fans.

Season 3 was probably closer to the type of style a new Trek show needed to attract attention, but this season basically abandoned the "prequel" idea entirely, which suggests that perhaps this wasn't the best idea in the first place.

The reality is Trek probably just needed some time off, some new creative energy, and a reboot.

 

[Trent Roman]

Season 3 was probably closer to the type of style a new Trek show needed to attract attention, but this season basically abandoned the "prequel" idea entirely, which suggests that perhaps this wasn't the best idea in the first place.

Jumping on fads--like the prequel craze spawned by the (then) new Star Wars films--rarely makes for good creative decision-making. The people in charge seemed to have no idea what to do with the premise for most of the series' run.

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

 

[TerraUnam]

Why do I always feel so alone as a person who liked Enterprise and likes the novel series too?

I mean you don't have to have a classic Trek two-part hull design in the pre-Federation 2150's. The formation of the Federation lets a writer do a whole lot of handwaving without a lot of effort. Why can't we just accept that Earth was only one of five founding worlds?

 

[Cadet49]

My favourite season of Enterprise is the third one, with the Xindi mission. I liked it because it didn't fanwank at all, it didn't pander to fans, it was a new adventure in the Star Trek universe. What the show should have been from the start.

I personally think that if they had started with Season 3's story arc, it would have turned off the average viewer. A season long story arc means that you may not understand what's going on if you miss a few episodes, and many viewers will simply change channels.

Soap operas have season-long story arcs, true, but they also don't have aliens that look like giant Earth animals, like the Xindi did - "Hey, dear, why is there a talking Sloth, a Manatee, and a giant Praying Mantis attacking people? Are those aliens?" - they could have been a bit more creative on the alien design.


Plus, for many fans, the "threat to Earth by superpowerful alien invaders" had already been seen in the Borg arc of TNG, and the Dominion in DS9 (heck, the Xindi sphere just looked like a re-dress of the Borg Sphere!). To see this theme repeated AGAIN in ENT at the get-go might have turned off potential Trekker viewers, too. Just my opinion.

I think the Reeves-Stevens and some of the other writers would have given us a deeper, rich intro to the pre-Federation.

 

[Nerys Myk]

My favourite season of Enterprise is the third one, with the Xindi mission. I liked it because it didn't fanwank at all, it didn't pander to fans, it was a new adventure in the Star Trek universe. What the show should have been from the start.

I personally think that if they had started with Season 3's story arc, it would have turned off the average viewer. A season long story arc means that you may not understand what's going on if you miss a few episodes, and many viewers will simply change channels.

Soap operas have season-long story arcs, true, but they also don't have aliens that look like giant Earth animals, like the Xindi did - "Hey, dear, why is there a talking Sloth, a Manatee, and a giant Praying Mantis attacking people? Are those aliens?" - they could have been a bit more creative on the alien design.


Plus, for many fans, the "threat to Earth by superpowerful alien invaders" had already been seen in the Borg arc of TNG, and the Dominion in DS9 (heck, the Xindi sphere just looked like a re-dress of the Borg Sphere!). To see this theme repeated AGAIN in ENT at the get-go might have turned off potential Trekker viewers, too. Just my opinion.

I think the Reeves-Stevens and some of the other writers would have given us a deeper, rich intro to the pre-Federation.

I would disagree. A season long arc or even a series long arc is pretty much the norm for TV drama these days. the more episodic feel of the first two seasons might have been a turn off for modern viewers.

Getting new viewers was probably more crucial to the success of the show than hanging on to the trekkers/fans. In the end it was pretty much a fans only show.

 

[JoeP]

Why do I always feel so alone as a person who liked Enterprise and likes the novel series too?

Nope, you're not alone. I really liked Enterprise, and in starting to revisit it somewhat recently, I've found the first season to be quite enjoyable. Nothing really all that original, of course, but enjoyable nonetheless. I'm in the second season now, and that's been quite the snoozefest so far. And I remember the 3rd and 4th seasons being strong during their first airing, so 3 out of 4 isn't at all bad in my book.

Can't speak to the novels. I've never read any of them, though I do have The Good That Men Do. I've been mulling over whether or not to start in...

 

[flemm]

^That said, I don't think season 3 is precisely what was needed, simply closer to a formula that might have worked in certain respects, notably an on-going story arc involving original material with a significant amount of action.

The Xindi storyline begins too abruptly, though, to work as the first story arc for the show, at least as actually filmed, and I don't think ENT would have necessarily wanted to start out being about a war with random aliens.

Speaking hypothetically, perhaps treating the show less like a prequel and more like a reboot that started at an earlier point in history than TOS would have been the way to go. From that point of view, you could jettison the idea of earth being under the Vulcans' tutelage and reimagine first contact entirely, along with everything else about how early exploration with warp drive unfolds.

 

[kkozoriz1]

I would have made a first season arc over the return of the Klingon to his homeworld. It would have made sense to have the voyage take much longer. Many of the episodes would worked out much the same but having a Klingon on board would have added some much needed tension.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Margaret Wander Bonnano (Strangers from the Sky)

You didn't notice the resemblance between "Strangers..." and "Carbon Creek"?

Why can't we just accept that Earth was only one of five founding worlds?

Who said we don't accept that? In fact, that's straight from the material originally laid out by Franz Joseph's "ST Starfleet Technical Manual", and clarified by Eileen Palestine & Co.'s "ST Starfleet Medical Reference Manual": the founding races/colonies were Earth, Alpha Centauri, Vulcan, Andor and Tellar.

 

[F. King Daniel]

^I noticed!

One was far better than the other, sadly.

 

[Therin of Andor]

One was far better than the other, sadly.

It's possible to love "Strangers..." and "Carbon Creek". I do.