Gonna bust my ENT cherry soon.

[clint g]

Well lemme just toss my 2 cents into this conversation

I personally think Ent gets a horrible rap for the worst possible reasons.

One of the biggest is continuity violations. i really don't see where these major violations are. It certainly wasn't any worse than any other trek out there. The only ones I can think of were either easily explained away in the show or were not big enough to make a difference. I sometimes get the feeling people were harping on Ent more because it was a prequel and as such had extremely high expectations as far as how coninuity with other series would occur.

Another issue that people had while the show was running was the heavy time travel focus. I remember people saying things like"its dated, its been done to death, etc etc". For me this was never an issue since, while it has been done alot, so long as I get good episodes I am happy.

In the end I would say just sit back and enjoy the ride. Ent really did have some excellent episodes of trek, and it is unfortunate that many trek fans refuse to pay attention to it. I would even rank some of its episodes (Twilight, Terra Prime, In a Mirror Darkly) amongst some of the best episodes of star trek

 

[galleywest]

Rabbittooth, if for no other reason, you should watch the finale so you can join in the never-ending (and I do mean neeeeever-eeeeeeending) debate. There are, as you can see, two distinct camps with vehement supporters on either side. One thing I can guarantee is that no one will ever agree on it and the people in one camp will forever think those in the other are insane and vice versa. I suggest not only not reading spoilers but also not reading too many opinions about the episode before you watch it, so that you can come into it without bias one way or the other.

I think that if you enjoy the characters and the premise you'll have a very good time with the show as a whole.

And yes, please do keep us posted!

 

[Rabittooth]

You're right. Kathy and I have talked about it and don't think we could stop ourselves from watching the last episode. But...thanks to you guys, forewarned is forearmed.
We've watched the first 4 episodes and the last, "Unexpected" we really enjoyed. There were lots of familiar Trek elements in there blended into a good story in new ways. It was the first one that felt like "real" Trek to me so far, but we have enjoyed everything we've seen so far.
Archer seems like a good Captain, a bit more rough around the edges, which you'd certainly expect, but still...all the qualifications and personal courage , intelligence and morality seem to be there.
We both love that he's brought a Beagle on board.
As with any Trek, we both know we've got to give it time to get to know the characters and let them evolve and grow.
Kathy, as a horror film fan, likes the "creepier" feeling of the show so far (although I don't really see it as creepier really), and she doesn't like T'pol.
I think she's got a cool Seven of Nine vibe going (a character we both loved), but Kathy says she's not getting a good "Vulcan Feeling" about her. She'd like to see a character more like Spock or Tuvok, and she doesn't see any hint of that yet.
We're pretty jazzed about the whole experience. It's awesome to have so much new Trek in front of you. We've got a two year old daughter and busy lives, luckily, or we'd likely finish the whole series too quickly in a handful of marathon sessions.
We really appreciate all the responses, and would love to hear more of you chime in too. Some of you have come flirtingly close to spoilers though...don't ruin anything for us!!
Dr. Phlox seems VERY cool and seems like he's gonna be the source of lots of great entertainment.
So far so good...especially that last episode. I'm surprised at the frequency of Klingon interaction! Very sweet. I keep thinking it'd be cool to see a few Klingons with smooth foreheads thrown in to mix things up and help TOS continuity, but Kathy thinks I'm nuts and that only super geeks like me would care about anything like that.
Still...it couldn't hurt to throw us a bone every now and again.
The visuals are indeed gorgeous on this show. Costumes, sets, props, visual effects...very nicely done and really makes the show more engaging.
It's so funny...we've kinda been saving Enterprise like dessert for so long, it seems odd to now be finally taking a bite. Even worse...it's a small dish at only 4 seasons. It's gonna be upsetting to be staring at an empty plate with no new Trek on our immediate menu once it's done.
Once again...thanks everyone...and keep it coming. I'll keep you guys updated on our feelings too.

-Rabittooth

 

[commodore64]

Glad you like it so far! It's funny, I thought 7 of 9 was decent when she entered, but felt she quickly became "hot babe." I liked T'Pol. She was probably my favorite character for the first two seasons.

Rabbittooth, I almost think you're better off just watching it without people commenting and tarnishing your viewpoint. I was *shocked* when I got to this board after all of season 1 and some of season 2. Some of the opinions I completely disagreed with -- almost as if people had been watching a different show with different characters. I'd hate for them to ruin that for you.

Also, just based on your post back -- it's too easy to spoil you! If I even describe more of how -- it would spoil you!

I recommend you unplug for your marathons and then jump back in after your done.

 

[KayArr]

Have fun--season 1 is my favorite season!

 

[kitkat]

Just consider the final ep to be a bad TNG ep that shows how inaccurate history can be even during that time.

Wise, you are.

 

[Rabittooth]

Yeah...it's been kinda hard to stay spoiler-free for years...but other than knowing that the opening song was weird, that there was occasional nudity due to "contamination" or something and that fans complained of continuity problems, I really have managed to remain ignorant.

Also...I grabbed some pretty high-res images from the RPF of the drawings Archer has in his ready room once. Saved 'em for future printing if I liked the show when I eventually watched it.
Gonna have to try and dig those up.

-Rabittooth

 

[Pensive]

Hey if you find those, let me know -- those would be a great hallway gallery addition

 

[startrekwatcher]

We've watched the first 4 episodes and the last, "Unexpected" we really enjoyed.

I thought Broken Bow was a really solid pilot episode--not the franchise's best--but a nice introduction to the players and the 22nd century mixing both old and new faces alike with a nice rip-roaring adventure.

Unexpected was never a favorite of mine. It was okay for the first half . I enjoyed the production design especially the alien ship as a throwback to the 60s and TOS but the second half was just a tad too silly for me.

she doesn't like T'pol.
I think she's got a cool Seven of Nine vibe going (a character we both loved), but Kathy says she's not getting a good "Vulcan Feeling" about her. She'd like to see a character more like Spock or Tuvok, and she doesn't see any hint of that yet.

It takes Jolene a few episodes to get a handle on the Vulcan expressions and controlled demeanor but by Unexpected I thought she had it down. I wouldn't go into the show with certain preconceptions about how she should or shouldn't behave with regards to earlier Vulcans like Spock or Tuvok. She is her own character with her own unique personality and issues. I think a lot of people judged her too harshly based on their rigid expectations. She was actually my favorite ENT character.

 

[Rabittooth]

Hey if you find those, let me know -- those would be a great hallway gallery addition

Found 'em. They're actually not as high res or as good as I'd remembered. Still...they could be re-worked and re-sized to be fairly screen accurate.
I posted them in a separate thread here:

http://www.trekbbs.com/showthread.php?p=1718512#post1718512

startrekwatcher... I can see that I'm definitely gonna like T'pol. I just hope my Wife digs her too. Still too early to say.

-Rabittooth

 

[gblews]

Kathy, as a horror film fan, likes the "creepier" feeling of the show so far (although I don't really see it as creepier really), and she doesn't like T'pol.

Yeah, I didn't like T'Pol either in the first season. The character is one of the most enigmatic in all of Trek.

I just didn't find Jolene's performance of the character up to par back then. But I think part of the problem was that she didn't understand T'Pol, meaning she thought she was playing a female version of Spock and T'Pol was never meant to be that. However, Jolene's natural "vulnerability" really made the character fascinating through those first two seasons. She was always talking tough but was somehow "needy".

IMO, its not until season 4 that Jo really seems to grasp and accept who T'Pol really is, although she does have some nice moments in season 3.

 

[AstroMike]

I loved Enterprise and I started watching Trek back in the early seventies. Trip Tucker quickly became on of my all-time favorite characters and the look of the show is great. Like any series they had their hits and misses, but given the fact that it only went four seasons instead of seven, I thought they did a fantatstic job. I miss watching new episodes of the series.

 

[LeonardsLady]

I just finished watching ENT in its entirety. I'm a Niner at heart, but ENT was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. Some random thoughts:

1) The theme song did eventually grow on me. I prefer the version that was used in Seasons 1 and 2 as opposed to that for Seasons 3 and 4. I met my husband (the person who introduced me to Trek and rewatched every episode with me from TOS through ENT) in May 2003, and I can remember telling him at that time how much I hated the ENT theme song. I guess I felt that a theme for a Trek series had to be instrumental. By the way, it is best to not skip past the theme during Season 4 so that you can enjoy a cool surprise.

2) One thing that really surprised me about ENT was how fast the characters grew on me and how quickly I began to like them. I didn't get comfortable with the characters in the other series for sometimes up to one whole season. But with ENT, I started to care about them within about 10 epsiodes.

3) ENT also piqued my interest in checking out other stuff that the actors had done. My husband and I are planning on buying all seasons of Quantum Leap (my husband enjoyed the show as a kid) to see more of Scott Bakula. We also just watched Re-Animator for the first time this weekend. We are horror fans, so we enjoyed the blood and guts. Jeffrey Combs was hysterical as Dr. Herbert West.

4) Porthos is the bomb! I never got tired of seeing him. I thought it was a great idea to have a starship captain bring along his pet. Porthos beats the fish in Jean-Luc's office any day!

Anyway, take your time and enjoy. ENT exceeded my expectations. It's a shame it was only on for 4 seasons.



LL

 

[Pensive]

1) The theme song did eventually grow on me.

I love the theme, it's the only one I don't skip out of the 5 series.

ENT exceeded my expectations. It's a shame it was only on for 4 seasons.

Agreed. I wish it had gotten at least a 5th season.

Welcome!

 

[Rabittooth]

Oh yeah...we're both really sucked in now too. Kathy admits T'pol is getting better and we're really liking all the characters and the story lines alot.
We find ourselves watching whenever we get a spare moment.
The recurring "Temporal Cold War" theme is confusing me a bit, but it may not be the writings fault as I have a tendency not to grasp these things as clearly as others can probably because I'm not a fan of the concept. I feel like it's difficult to care about what happens to everyone if it's the type of thing that can be reversed or made never to occur by someone with a handy dandy pocket time traveling doohickey.
We're most of the way through Season One and already mourning the fact there's only three and a half to go.

-Rabittooth

 

[Noname Given]

...Dr. Phlox seems VERY cool and seems like he's gonna be the source of lots of great entertainment.
So far so good...especially that last episode. I'm surprised at the frequency of Klingon interaction! Very sweet. I keep thinking it'd be cool to see a few Klingons with smooth foreheads thrown in to mix things up and help TOS continuity, but Kathy thinks I'm nuts and that only super geeks like me would care about anything like that.

-Rabittooth

Okay, here's a broad bone in response to the above - You'll like the 4th season then

 

[SFRabid]

When I first watched a few scattered ep's I hated T'Pol and Tucker because it seemed they were only being used for eye candy. Like many others I was insulted by the decon chamber and Vulcan massage. It left me thinking that Enterprise was written for teens and adolescents. Too many times looks is chosen over acting ability and we end up with poor shows that are not worth watching. When I got to see more of Enterprise the people playing those characters did well enough that I moved on and enjoyed their time outside of decon.

 

[KayArr]

You know what? Connor and Jolene acted their asses off on that show--two of the best in the cast, maybe even THE best. So if I get to see some skin, too--well, what's not to like? I think the decon scence was fine--sure there was skin, but the two actors weren't oogling each other, or copping a feel, or trying to stroke each other. No looking at genetalia, etc. They were showing that they were 2 professionals discussing something without being distracted by hormones--I thought it was fine.

 

[SFRabid]

You know what? Connor and Jolene acted their asses off on that show--two of the best in the cast, maybe even THE best. ...

I did not say they could not act and I concluded with an indication of the opposite. What I said in simple terms is the show gave me the initial impression of depending on cheap thrills which is usually an indication that other areas will be low quality. Eventually those actors proved me wrong and so did the show, but I don't blame people for expecting the worst when seeing those scenes. It's obvious that looks played a major role in casting for this series and that is backed up by interviews by some of the actors.

 

[commodore64]

I did not say they could not act and I concluded with an indication of the opposite. What I said in simple terms is the show gave me the initial impression of depending on cheap thrills which is usually an indication that other areas will be low quality. Eventually those actors proved me wrong and so did the show, but I don't blame people for expecting the worst when seeing those scenes. It's obvious that looks played a major role in casting for this series and that is backed up by interviews by some of the actors.

You know, I really agree with you. I thought the Broken Bow Decon scene was retarded and insulting to my intelligence. I was nearly ready to write off the show there and then. But I didn't. Like you, I found something worth watching and prayed (well, figuratively) they never stooped there again.

In my opinion, the writers did stoop many times though. Sometimes to a fun and interesting affect, really giving more insight into the characters. Sometimes to an eye-rolling one -- predictable and demeaning in all the wrong ways.

And I leave it there.