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From Engage, make it so, do it, to Son of a Bitch

James T. Vader

Lieutenant
It's common now for shows on cable after 9pm to drop anything but an F bomb, but what happened back in 2001 that made Berman and Braga decide that "Son of a bitch" would essentially become Enterprise's catch phrase.

Seems like a cheap attempt to make the characters more relatable.
 
While I'm certain the phrase was uttered, I'm also certain it was not uttered as often as you imply. Not even close.
 
Enterprise was trying to be an edgier show, UPN was trying to be edgier network, and we saw how well that worked out for both of them. I didn't even notice the SOB reference until I did a speed watch after getting the series collection. And the phrase was nothing new, except for Star Trek. Back in the 70s, Maude Findley said the same thing to husband Walter, which was a real surprise in those days.

And if cable shows can't say :censored: before 9pm, what the hell happened? That's what cable used to be all about in the 80s and early 90s.
 
"You can't be afraid of the wind." Wasn't it? :lol:

There speaks the guy who's never been in an elevator with me, to hundredth floor.

Just wrong... on so many levels.



I had no problems with swears, if the drama calls for it. They can either edit them out or film it Beverly Hills Cop style... with a different, PG-13 take of that whole scene for network TV. It's all in the edit and the studio get two versions to peddle, I suppose.

Enterprise humans weren't supposed to be perfect and so far this century, I'd say we we're de-evolving backwards if anything. I'd love the 24th Century to turn out like early TNG, but right now... let's just say I have my doubts. Any group of people confined together for weeks at a time on a more primitive ship, would be cursing a blue streak when frustrated. Maybe should've pushed even more in that direction, when the situation called for it.
 
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"You can't be afraid of the wind." Wasn't it? :lol:

Yeah, I'd take that line a little more seriously if Archer didn't abort a shuttle landing because of stormy and windy conditions in the next episode. To say nothing of.... colorful metaphors as Spock would say.
 
What they were trying for, were more NASA mission control type commands really. Almost truckers in space, on a CB radio.

When something's ready, it's "Good to go" for instance.

"Let's go" probably got repeated a few times. Not really catchphrase material though.

I don't think you can genuinely try to manufacture that kind of thing. Often what gets remembered, wasn't said that often... or in the exact way it ends up being recited anyway.

"Beam me Scotty" breaks down as three words rearranged or extrapolated from what actually got said during TOS.

"Engage" was coined during their unsold Pilot and virtually disappeared until TNG came along.
It became "Mr. Sulu. Ahead, Warp factor [whatever]".
 
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AND they wore baseball caps.
I loved all that... although I wouldn't wear one myself. Too American. But hats make sense in anykind of uniformed service to me. You'd think Engineering might be a hardhat or an environmental suit area, the earlier back you go. The movies put that right beginning with the Motion Picture, with areas off in the distance where they were required.

Those quilted blue/gray leather jackets and chunky EM-33 guns, which look like hairdryers too. They were awesome in "Broken Bow" but anything not futuristic enough, soon disappeared.
 
yeah, the use of "ass" and "son of a bitch" was a way of making the show seem edgier and showing that these aren't the more "refined" characters of the TOS and TNG eras. It does come across as pretty silly.
 
I believe Archer's catch-phrase was going to be "Suck my fat one, you cheap dime store hood!" But then they realized that no-one knew what a dime store was anymore.
 
"Khan, you cocksucker!"

Oops, wrong generation.

You know that's what he wanted to say but the PG rating shields just limited him to.... KHAAAAAAAAN... which in retrospect if he said cocksucker no one would find that memorable. :p
 
Guys JJ has that thing wrapped up so tight nothing has leaked out, KingDaniel is just messing about with fan fantasies. There are camps of "we want THIS!!" folk for varying scenarios since we know just about nothing :lol:

btw since some countries including my own get the film on May 9th you might want to turn off your internets for a couple weeks because stuff is going to explode.
 
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