Instead of the TCW...

[Guy Gardener]

Um. What's your point? There were so Nazi's in Enterprise.

Seriously your metaphor does fall flat since the Germans were not the only Axis force in contention with the Allies. I mean how would Hoshi have reacted if it was Japanese soldiers they were all killing indiscriminately instead of Germans? Yes that is incredibly weak racial profiling but it's odd that no one cared about the Nazis... Because they're cute when they're little.

It's also weird that Archer didn't Phaser the fuck out of all the guard posts to the concentration camps and death camps and factory sized ovens with Queues of Jews being herded into their toasty executions.

You opinions I am Not Spock, are %100 on the mark which some of us have been wining about from less than half way through the first season.

 

[Kegek]

Guy Gardener said:
Seriously your metaphor does fall flat since the Germans were not the only Axis force in contention with the Allies.

True. Hell in the Pacific is a great WWII film, but try playing spot-the-Nazi and you'll have no luck.

Anyway, all I wanted from the TCW is not an elaborate arc, or even a hazily planned one... just one that made sense and where characters had clear motivations for doing things. Like DS9's arcs, which were also pretty much made up on the fly with no real idea where they were going.

Thing is, the TCW wasn't that by a long shot. It was merely a buzzword. There are some guys who say not to infere in time. Other guys do. Sometimes those other guys fight each other, sometimes they fight the guys who want no temporal change. All kinds anyway go back in time and screw with things in depressingly bland and cliched ways. (I want a screwed up plot like Doctor Futurity!)

Fun? Not really. Romulans instead? See Nemesis. Or better, don't. Even cool villains cannot repair bad writing.

 

[Braxton]

A fresh producing and writing team was needed for Enterprise. People that were familiar with Star Trek mythology were needed as well. The TCW wasn't a bad thing, it was just done poorly from the start. And since it was a prequel, it should have been more about Earth, Vulcan, Andor, Tellar, Romulans, etc. The Klingons should not have been involved in the series at all, or should have been saved for the final season, where they are introduced as the new nemesis for the newly formed UFP.

 

[I am not Spock]

Guy Gardener said:
Seriously your metaphor does fall flat since the Germans were not the only Axis force in contention with the Allies.

That's very true. I obviously didn't think that one through enough. D'oh!

But the TCW really was a waste of time in the end, as they hadn't planned it out in advance (we never even found out who bloody Future Guy was). Season Four should have been Season One, IMO.

 

[watermelony2k]

ENT should've just started where season 4 began, minus storm front. Let the pilot episode be "Borderland" or a variation of the augments arc.

 

[BrotherBenny]

ENT should have started with an unknown alien foe (whoever it is, is having their strings pulled by the Rommies) attacking an Earth colony and the only ship capable of reaching them in time is the Enterprise, which is pulled off a shakedown cruise with only a skeleton crew.

The skeleton crew send the aliens packing, learn about a mysterious threat to Earth (the Rommies seeking revenge on all of Vulcan's allies) and then being told "here are the rest of your crew, go explore."

What the Romulans don't understand, is that they are the reason for the Federation even existing. If they hadn't tried to split what was barely a working relationship between the Humans and Vulcans, and later the Andorians and others, Archer would never have been able to bring them all together against a common threat - the Rommies.

 

[Skywalker]

Completely agreed, Xeris, the whole backstory should have been about the Romulans trying to keep the Vulcans/Andorians/Tellarites/Humans too busy fighting and arguing amongst themselves to notice the approaching Romulan invasion, but their plan backfires and leads to the United Federation of Planets, which would become the Romulan Empire's greatest nemesis (no pun intended).

I like your idea of having an unknown alien foe (perhaps the Suliban, minus the TCW explanation behind their genetic enhancements?) attacking a Human colony/installation. It keeps the Klingons out of it (not that I didn't mind the Klingons being around) and creates a more direct threat to Earth.

:: If only...

 

[MeanJoePhaser]

I think the show should've started with the ending of FIRST CONTACT (the Vulcan's landing) leading up to the events in First Flight...then onto Enterprise's launch.

Which would've been arguably been considered too boring to be greenlighted.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

MeanJoePhaser said:
I think the show should've started with the ending of FIRST CONTACT (the Vulcan's landing) leading up to the events in First Flight...then onto Enterprise's launch.

Which would've been arguably been considered too boring to be greenlighted.

According the Brannon Braga, the original concept for the series was to be Earth-based and similar to what you just proposed. The first season would've been a "Right Stuff" about the warp program, eventually leading to the launch of a warp capable starship.

 

[Guy Gardener]

From Earth to the Moon was one of the must stirring pieces of TV in the last 10 years.

 

[Praetor]

Yep, just goes to show how many suits it takes to muck-up an interesting idea.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Which has me wondering how much more fabulous that which is already super terrific had been before being rinsed through the suit process?

 

[commodore64]

Braxton said:
A fresh producing and writing team was needed for Enterprise. People that were familiar with Star Trek mythology were needed as well. The TCW wasn't a bad thing, it was just done poorly from the start. And since it was a prequel, it should have been more about Earth, Vulcan, Andor, Tellar, Romulans, etc. The Klingons should not have been involved in the series at all, or should have been saved for the final season, where they are introduced as the new nemesis for the newly formed UFP.

Agree with this 100%. And ENT shouldn't have been one fanwank-ish homage like in season 4 either. What would've been great is to create characters who live in the Star Trek world and are their own - and interesting, conflict-ridden - people. Characters and plot serve each other -- the plot furthers the characters' development and the characters move the plot along. In my opinion, Coto sacrificed the characters too many times ... which is why I don't think his writing is that strong.

Praetor -- nice Tal avatar!

 

[Praetor]

^Thanks, commodore64 , Tal's always been one of my favorite Romulans.

I must agree with your comments regarding Enterprise as well. While Coto's efforts to bring Enterprise more in line with TOS were certainly admirable and somewhat enjoyable, a whole series of fanwank sacrificing character would have been just as bad as what we got.

Regarding the original idea for the series, I don't know if much more has ever been said other than the fact that they wanted the first season to take place on Earth in 2110ish showing the construction of the first true interstellar warp engine and a small cast, that eventually there would be a ship and the show would more starward but largely remain Earth-bound... very 'Right Stuff' concepts apparently.