First-Timer's Season Impressions
The season has had a nice sense of growing. For the most part it has built up on what came previously. And it ended on a brilliant cliff-hanger. The two-parter itself was nice too, just the second part dampened the cliff-hanger's effectiveness a bit, when it all turned out to be a minor accident.
Also the character's felt like they were growing. Growing as people and growing attached together.
It was mostly because they just developed their friendships in this season. Malcolm and Trip. Hoshi with the crew. T'pol with humanity. At first they all had their defenses up a bit, but grew more used to each other over the season. T'Pol's pretty playful for a vulcan in later in the season.
Also Archer by the end of season was more... exhausted? That „route to Risa“ period before Shockwave... in those episodes Archer really felt a bit burned out from trying to right every wrong he stumbles upon.
I enjoy the small touches like the low-tech feel of the ship. Hooks instead of tractor beams, limited use of transporting, the buggy translators, the alien languages, warp 5 in theory... however, other than the language thing, I don't think those things are so awesome by themselves as some of Enterprise episodes have thought. And sometimes I think the aliens start speaking english too quickly.
The episodes themselves... when I read over my impressions I often notice that I described this or that episode that it was a bit „too general Trek, but saved by the character interaction“. Well this is true. Enterprise's strongest point currently is it's characters. Which is a good thing. Now it needs for episodes and stories to be more worthy for the characters. They (episodes) were adequate enough for an introductory season, but it definitely must not repeat season 1 again, because... the overall feeling of the season is that it is building up for something. I'm a bit afraid about that because of the general history of Trek. Season 1 needs to have something like Empire Strikes Back following it. I got the characters, now throw them into action. That is how I feel about the season.
I would also cut some episodes out of the season. To cut the fat. I'd definitely remove Aquisition. And Oasis and Terra Nova. However there were some elements that I enjoyed in every other episode that I just can't pretend to do a final solution on them. So I'd rather just name the episodes that to me define what Enterprise is:
- Broken Bow
- Strange New World
- Andorian Incident
- Cold Front
- Dear Doctor
- Shadows of P'Jem
- Shuttlepod One
- Fusion
- Detained
- Desert Crossing
- Two Days and Two Nights
- Shockwave
All other episodes shared too much with "general Trek". But many of them had wonderful character moments, despite the familiar elements. But these episodes above, are to me completely Enterprise. So about just half of season. But 26 episodes is too much to ask anyway. No Trek has managed to fill that space completely with awesomeness. The good thing is that the characters grow on those other episodes too. For example, Fight or Flight is important for Hoshi and in Sleeping Dogs we alredy see a more grown Hoshi who's still scared but more skilled to hide her fears. And Fortunate Son develops the universe a bit. However, they're good for the first season if character's get developed or if we gain insights about characters in them. It's just better be not the model for the rest of seasons.
Those episodes above also build a sense of continous storyline(s). They are the ones that carve the world and explore it's system. They make it feel like there are things happening in this world.
So to sum it up: only half of Enterprise's season is going on it's own path, the character's are good enough that they transcend even the bad episodes, overall the season is quite adequate for an introductory season (with some cuts it's better) but now it's time to expand on those "Enterprise episodes".
Talking in future tense about a show that's already been done with is probably a sign of lunacy, but oh well...
Speaking of lunacy. My first draft for season impressions text was quite different, there were things in it I wanted to assimilate into this text above... but it just didn't happen... on the other hand I feel bad about it kinda going to waste...so I'll post it.
Random Ramblings
Humanity in Enterprise is like one of those funny eastern european countries that want to join Nato and European Union all the time. Only humanity is much more nicer than those eastern european countries. I mean that they are similar in the sense that you just want to ask them that do they still practice cannibalism in the place they come from, because it just sounds so... alien and unnatural. In fact, Enterprise really alienizes humanity. Alienize – probably have to explain what I mean. Well, Star Trek and sci-fi in general portrays aliens in "one member of a species is like any other" way, in "aliens have only one culture, each species have it's specific species culture" way. You know, the sort of our world complexity don't apply to alien cultures... they are all unified. And Enterprise, I think does that to humans too. Humans are naive, innocent, sentimental, quick to anger, quick to cry, compassionate, emotional, major mood swings – in Enterprise humans really are one species with specific species-central traits.
True, this "we humans are like..." exists in all sci-fi. But Enterprise actually portrays them like previous Treks portrayed aliens. Klingons go "arrghh!!!", humans go "I wowses you, I wanna helpses you!" Sure, TNG-era had this "we humans are so evolved and that's why we can't have any character conflict because that wouldn't just be evolved, now would it", but they still felt like humans... like us... they were us modern earth-people, just with weird culture, but we could feel the same complexities that we have nowadays... that earth is not one unified species place with one unified species culture and species traits, it's the klingons that go "aarghhh, honor!" and vulcans that go "logic, logic, logic!" and romulans "I shall bring glory to my empire!", because that's what their species is all about, but we humans are different and complex. But Enterprise makes us into sci-fi alien species. Now we are the klingon's who go "arrgghh, honor!" and vulcans who go "logic, logic, logic!", only that our trait is that "we wants to help everyone!" So it was every interesting to see humans being reduced to an alien species.
And speaking of species, vulcans are now surprisingly complex and richer than their stereotypical trait. Sometimes Trek says something stupid that other species have that kind of culture because it comes from their genes. It's biological for a klingon to go "honor!!!" and for a vulcan to go "logic!". But in Enterprise now we are the ones who are biological and vulcans are rich complex society. Before we were the cultural... our culture made us into what we are in Trek... other species were formed by their biology. But now Vulcans are shown on a cultural level. It's their culture that makes them into that way, not their biology. They learn to be vulcan, not born into vulcan. They're now shown as a society with different ideologies, and that the current mainstream one might not be the most... natural.
But we humans are biological alien species "who must help everyone from UNHELPEDNESS!!!", because it's our biological nature.
So it was very interesting to watch humans as one of many galaxy's species.