Well I love all the series and well I was disappointed with the ending (except for the name tags on the uniforms). Also it would have been nice for 3 more seasons. I once watched a talk show with most of the captains and Scott Bakula, and William shatner, wanted 3 more seasons. Also I thought the ent uniform were the most realistic. No sleep wear. Lol
General thoughts?
- Thread starter Rian Cleary
- Start date
I love it. I especially liked that they didn't really know how the equipment worked. Everything was brand spanking new.
You know I kind a like that it wasn’t “instant” repair like with other Star Trek ships. The damage spaned more episodes And it’s nice to say that even with that damage they would be able keep her partly operational and even though they have lost probably a third of the crew. I thought the end apparently they lost 27. But that’s really just 24 starfleet crew because three MACO died. Although these are just confirmed deaths. But whenever it comes to death number I always try to be generous when I canAnd by season 3 end, the ship was a wreck with more holes than hull.
Enterprise is one of my favourite Star Trek series, but I didn't always hold it in high esteem. When it first came out, I was in my teens and never gave the show a fair chance, or try to appreciate it for what it was.
The first two seasons were a mixed bag when it came to plotlines. There were some very generic by-the numbers trek episodes, and considering the network wouldn't let the show runners take a break between Voyager and Enterprise, I can't be too disappointed by that. I think it's incredible that in those first two years they managed to produce any decent Trek at all, and yet there were many episodes that made the most of their time period.
Running through all those early episodes, bad or good, was a unique vibe to the show. The characters come from a culture that is closer to our own, which made everything much more relatable. Movie nights, baseball caps, the 602 club astronaut bar etc, it all gave the series an interesting flavour. Also, speaking as the sort of trekkie who is obsessed with the ships and technology, I think they absolutely nailed the nx-01 inside and out. Same goes for the uniforms, which are my favourite in all of Star Trek.
Season 3 was awesome, just a really great story ark. Very strong episodes throughout (neuropressure excepted - more on that later). We saw a group of really likeable characters really put through the ringer, and I felt that by the end of it they were a well oiled, veteran crew. I loved that scene at the start of season 4 when archer said to his bridge officers "Here we go again, wouldn't have it any other way." and you could just tell they were no longer the green behind the ears wide eyed astronauts of season one, but were still eager to get out there into the unknown.
Season 4 had tons of great stuff that, as a fan, I really appreciatedd. The fact that they got back in touch with The Original Series was both welcome and fun.
As for the bad, well the neuropressure stuff I mentioned earlier was the stupidest way of bringing Trip and T'pol together. It felt immature even when I was in my teens. It could have been great to have the T'pol character, who had according to her mother, always struggled with emotions, and was then further compromised by Pa'nar Syndrome and Trellium D, start to have feelings for a down to Earth character like Trip. There was no need for the neuropressure to facilate that, it was just stupid stupid stupid.
The neuropressure wasn't an isolated thing either. For me, probably the biggest flaw of the series in the series was how they went fron treating T'pol like a valued officer in one episode with complexity and depth, only then to treat her as a sex object in the next, a convenient prop for ponn far and decon gel. In some instances, it was worse than TOS, and really let the show, and one of my favourite characters down badly.
I'd gripe about These are the Voyages, but it doesn't exist.
So that was the bad, but in my view, there is far more good in it, and I consistently find Enterprise to be among the most rewatchable Star Trek series out there.
The first two seasons were a mixed bag when it came to plotlines. There were some very generic by-the numbers trek episodes, and considering the network wouldn't let the show runners take a break between Voyager and Enterprise, I can't be too disappointed by that. I think it's incredible that in those first two years they managed to produce any decent Trek at all, and yet there were many episodes that made the most of their time period.
Running through all those early episodes, bad or good, was a unique vibe to the show. The characters come from a culture that is closer to our own, which made everything much more relatable. Movie nights, baseball caps, the 602 club astronaut bar etc, it all gave the series an interesting flavour. Also, speaking as the sort of trekkie who is obsessed with the ships and technology, I think they absolutely nailed the nx-01 inside and out. Same goes for the uniforms, which are my favourite in all of Star Trek.
Season 3 was awesome, just a really great story ark. Very strong episodes throughout (neuropressure excepted - more on that later). We saw a group of really likeable characters really put through the ringer, and I felt that by the end of it they were a well oiled, veteran crew. I loved that scene at the start of season 4 when archer said to his bridge officers "Here we go again, wouldn't have it any other way." and you could just tell they were no longer the green behind the ears wide eyed astronauts of season one, but were still eager to get out there into the unknown.
Season 4 had tons of great stuff that, as a fan, I really appreciatedd. The fact that they got back in touch with The Original Series was both welcome and fun.
As for the bad, well the neuropressure stuff I mentioned earlier was the stupidest way of bringing Trip and T'pol together. It felt immature even when I was in my teens. It could have been great to have the T'pol character, who had according to her mother, always struggled with emotions, and was then further compromised by Pa'nar Syndrome and Trellium D, start to have feelings for a down to Earth character like Trip. There was no need for the neuropressure to facilate that, it was just stupid stupid stupid.
The neuropressure wasn't an isolated thing either. For me, probably the biggest flaw of the series in the series was how they went fron treating T'pol like a valued officer in one episode with complexity and depth, only then to treat her as a sex object in the next, a convenient prop for ponn far and decon gel. In some instances, it was worse than TOS, and really let the show, and one of my favourite characters down badly.
I'd gripe about These are the Voyages, but it doesn't exist.
So that was the bad, but in my view, there is far more good in it, and I consistently find Enterprise to be among the most rewatchable Star Trek series out there.
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I agree. They didn't know how anything worked. They didn't know what they were doing and found out that it's often impossible to make the right decision. That's what I love the most about ENT: the characters were flawed and human and relatable and didn't have an easy solution to difficult situations. They made mistakes and owned up to them. They weren't as bland and smugly superior as 24th century humans, the most boring species of all (except maybe Vulcans).
...although that makes it sound like I don't appreciate TNG or VOY, which isn't true. I just think humanity by itself isn't all that interesting storytelling-wise. I like my humans making stupid mistakes and learning from failure.
I was really sad and pissed off when the show was cancelled, just when it finally became great and way more interesting than Voyager, while that show got chances over chances to stay on air!
I thought it was great from the beginning, but I hear you. Enterprise is one of my favourite shows, and not only did it get cancelled too early, it also got that stupid finale.
More Velcro.
I think when a show debuts, people pick it apart, that’s human nature.
But I’m loving it now.
When TNG was new, I picked at it. I still cringe at some of it.
But not ENT. I’m liking it all.
I think when a show debuts, people pick it apart, that’s human nature.
But I’m loving it now.
When TNG was new, I picked at it. I still cringe at some of it.
But not ENT. I’m liking it all.
When ENT aired, I gave it a fair shot, but ultimately I really couldn't get into it. I tried, but I thought it was boring and uninteresting. I really only watched about 8 episodes of S1, and then came back for a the Augments episodes and "In A Mirror Darkly"...but that was it.
Now, with time behind me, I've come to realize that I was just personally burned out on ~700 hours of Trek, and ENT just happened to be the "next up" show. I re-watched / first-watched it on Netflix last year and I really enjoyed it. I had a much different perspective given that it was almost 15 years behind me, and I wasn't just coming off things like VOY and Star Trek Insurrection. I ended up binging it, and never hesitated to continue watching. Contrast that to VOY, which I still cannot get through without stalling out, despite multiple tries.
I thought it was fun and I enjoyed it for the most part. I like Bakula and a lot of the recurring/supporting cast (Shran, Forrester, Soval, Hernandez, etc). I do wish the main cast and characters were as interesting. I liked Archer, and I liked Trip and Phlox. I thought T'Pol was a little too Spock/Data/Seven, and was not portrayed by as talented a performer. Reed and Mayweather were ok...just not too compelling. Hoshi was pretty good as a "space travel rookie," but wasn't given a lot to do. S1 wasn't great (but that's a Star Trek thing, TOS excluded), but I really enjoyed may of S2's stand-alone episodes. I liked the Xindi arc way more than I thought I would, but it had some ups and downs over the course of a long season. And I also really liked S3's mini-arc format.
Overall, I think ENT is under-rated within the franchise. While it didn't meet my expectations back in the 2001/2 timeframe, I found it to be a lot of fun this time around. Honestly, I found it easier to go through than TNG at this point (and I really like TNG, but it's just so freaking slow sometimes). I may actually look to re-watch ENT again this spring...!
So, while I might not frequent the ENT forum here very much, you can count me as a fan.
Now, with time behind me, I've come to realize that I was just personally burned out on ~700 hours of Trek, and ENT just happened to be the "next up" show. I re-watched / first-watched it on Netflix last year and I really enjoyed it. I had a much different perspective given that it was almost 15 years behind me, and I wasn't just coming off things like VOY and Star Trek Insurrection. I ended up binging it, and never hesitated to continue watching. Contrast that to VOY, which I still cannot get through without stalling out, despite multiple tries.
I thought it was fun and I enjoyed it for the most part. I like Bakula and a lot of the recurring/supporting cast (Shran, Forrester, Soval, Hernandez, etc). I do wish the main cast and characters were as interesting. I liked Archer, and I liked Trip and Phlox. I thought T'Pol was a little too Spock/Data/Seven, and was not portrayed by as talented a performer. Reed and Mayweather were ok...just not too compelling. Hoshi was pretty good as a "space travel rookie," but wasn't given a lot to do. S1 wasn't great (but that's a Star Trek thing, TOS excluded), but I really enjoyed may of S2's stand-alone episodes. I liked the Xindi arc way more than I thought I would, but it had some ups and downs over the course of a long season. And I also really liked S3's mini-arc format.
Overall, I think ENT is under-rated within the franchise. While it didn't meet my expectations back in the 2001/2 timeframe, I found it to be a lot of fun this time around. Honestly, I found it easier to go through than TNG at this point (and I really like TNG, but it's just so freaking slow sometimes). I may actually look to re-watch ENT again this spring...!
So, while I might not frequent the ENT forum here very much, you can count me as a fan.
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Exactly it took me several tries before I liked it. And also I get what you mean about TNG going slow. Also I can usually can not binge watch TNG all the way through. With ENT it took them a while to figure it out. And I like the fact there uniforms aren’t pajamas. I mean when archer went back to the 1940s they thought his uniform was a uniform and not sleep wear like TNG and ds9 when ever they went back in time.
I know the decontamination scenes get justifiably ragged on alot, but they were the only show to give a nod to the idea that decontamination procedures were a must when coming from another world that might have dangerous flora and fauna. The hand-waving was always that the transporter could take care of that, but it doesn't really explain how it was handled on shuttle missions.Aah, the gel and mood lighting. More gel, please. More. More. Rub it harder. Behind the ears, too.
One aspect about ENT that I really like, is that there are plenty of scenes where the crew are shown dealing with the nut and bolts of life on a space ship, like going through decontamination, having to deal with translation issues, putting on and taking off space suits, eating, showering (no toilet scenes though), watching a movie and other stuff like that.
I also appreciate those scenes where the crew are doing ordinary things, like when Travis made that snowman on the asteroid, when Archer had that question and answer video conferencing session with school kids who asked questions about life on the ship (Trip even answered a question about waste disposal), when Hoshi was ordered to find out Reed's favorite food so they could serve it to him as a surprise on his birthday, and that ridiculous shirts vs skins desert lacrosse game.
I also appreciate those scenes where the crew are doing ordinary things, like when Travis made that snowman on the asteroid, when Archer had that question and answer video conferencing session with school kids who asked questions about life on the ship (Trip even answered a question about waste disposal), when Hoshi was ordered to find out Reed's favorite food so they could serve it to him as a surprise on his birthday, and that ridiculous shirts vs skins desert lacrosse game.
Star Trek: Firefly
A love hate relationship with Enterprise, not unlike most Trek. Fourth favorite series after Voyager and before DS9.
Tucker is one of the top main characters ever to appear on Trek, I like that Hoshi was afraid to be on a starship, Malcolm was impossible stiff, T'Pol was wonderful (despite what the fashion police think of her costume) and grew over time as a character.
Biggest let down in terms of characters was Archer, the way he was written and played was (imho) completely wrong for a starship captain. Golly gee, we're in space. There were aliens living on Earth, and the "boomers" had been interstellar apparently for multiple decades, why was Archer so clueless? Archer should have been fully briefed, at least as knowledgeable as Travis. He also should have had previous experience in interstellar voyages, admittedly in slower starships, which we saw that Earth had.
Well starfleet probably didn’t have a lot to brief him because they needed star charts to get to Kronos and used the Vulcan database a lot. But yeah he was pretty under prepared. And naive. But over the course of the series he grew.
Star Trek: Firefly
A love hate relationship with Enterprise, not unlike most Trek. Fourth favorite series after Voyager and before DS9.
Tucker is one of the top main characters ever to appear on Trek, I like that Hoshi was afraid to be on a starship, Malcolm was impossible stiff, T'Pol was wonderful (despite what the fashion police think of her costume) and grew over time as a character.
Biggest let down in terms of characters was Archer, the way he was written and played was (imho) completely wrong for a starship captain. Golly gee, we're in space. There were aliens living on Earth, and the "boomers" had been interstellar apparently for multiple decades, why was Archer so clueless? Archer should have been fully briefed, at least as knowledgeable as Travis. He also should have had previous experience in interstellar voyages, admittedly in slower starships, which we saw that Earth had.
I really understand what you mean, but it was not his weakness. Starfleet did it. If you think Vulcans hold you back last hundred years, you have to have your plans. You have to an agenda after the Broken Bow. Enterprise is your best ship with best crew and you made your investments. It is irresponsible not to manage the excursion.
BnB told that they planned first (at least half) season should be about recruitment of crew and preparing the ship. This idea is rejected by CBS.
Archer is for me very weak written captain with some kind amnesia who forgets again and again his experiences. He doesn't trust T'Pol and everything goes wrong, he realizes and two episode later he doesn't trust T'Pol and.. and..and.. But, I have to say he is most human captain that we ever have. Not idol, not psycho, not megalomaniac and not even Got/ Prophet. He is human and he can die/beaten for me, for sekundant the red shirt, if I could honored to be one of his crew.
Oh no I don’t think he weak. Not at all. A little naive? Yes. But that’s all. And that’s normal considering that starfleet was so young and inexperienced. I do agree they should have written him better but even with that he still one of my favorite captains.
I didn't say he is weak, but he is weak written. He can be a naive of course, but as a captain he have to go through to space with open eyes. He is responsible from all his crew and ship. He have to be more diplomatic. As a captain of a science ship, he have to be familiar with scientific methods, you know thesis-antithesis-synthesis etc. He could be more cool and intelligent.
Anyway he is my favorite captain, while he is still human.
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