Ira Steven Behr

[toughlittleship]

Something I never knew was that Rick Berman and Brannon Braga consulted with Ira Behr about Enterprise, who gave them, in his owns words, "a very clearheaded critique of what the show needed to do to fulfill its premise". Behr also suggested that they deepen the characters, although he felt Berman and Braga did not use any of his ideas.

I wonder if this was before the third season, which had a lot of DS9 similarities. Opinions/thoughts?
http://www.trektoday.com/news/020404_01.shtml

 

[gblews]

When this item was originally reported, I recall thinking that this little meeting must have taken place after season 2 or, perhaps, during season 3. I also remember being VERY disappointed to hear that the Beebs apparently did not take any of Behr's advise.

And just as it was back then, I'd still give a king's ransom to know what Behr's thoughts and suggestions were.

 

[ChristopherPike]

I don't know about Behr but Ronald D. Moore took an active enough interest in ENT, to suggest ways the Andorian's Imperial Guard may've been folded into the Federation later on. I forget where and when.

The production designers obviously intended to reflect technologies that would be combined in the future.

The Vulcan starships had consoles with coloured 'jelly bean' style buttons.

 

[toughlittleship]

I found another comment from Behr in 2004, in which he relates that Berman told him that he and Braga may step back and allow Enterprise to be "another DS9 experience". Behr wasn't sure what this meant and neither am I.

http://trekweb.com/stories.php?aid=40f49602300c0

 

[ChristopherPike]

It probably means they (or maybe just RB) were looking to be less hands-on, with the day to day. Somebody else running the writing room. Which is what happened eventually with Manny Coto, after he came aboard contributing a few stories in Season 3. That's what I interpret from "another DS9 experience".

Look at the shear amount of stories that had B&B credits on them in the first two seasons alone.

Maybe just wanted to hear Behr's frank criticisms, after coming to no conclusion reading the passive-aggressive reviews kicking around forums - usually just personal abuse aimed at them. Maybe they genuinely were asking for his help. With nothing to speculate about, I can assume what his response was. But say, middle of Season 2 and the sense of apathy to Trek at the time, I dread to think. If it went along the lines of starting again from scratch, it was their creation and they would have every right to show him the door. Manny Coto based on running his show (Odyssey 5) was probably asked for his opinion. Then went on to fulfill the prequel criteria, doing nothing that threw the other seasons right out the window. Not that I'm suggesting Behr would've done that, given he took over Michael Piller on DS9 and all the dull Bajoran religious saga that dominated earlier years didn't exactly go away. Although that certainly took a back seat for the Dominion and then the Klingons, and more Dominion, before resurfacing towards the end.

Probably how the Temporal Cold War was going to end up. Sidelined for bridge building toward the Federation (Seasons 4 & 5), then the Romulan War runs its course (Season 6) and *BAM* Future Guy shows up again (Season 7). Daniels not showing to help, knowing however Archer deals with him, ends up being what's in his historical records anyway.

 

[toughlittleship]

I found it strange that Berman started writing Star Trek when Enterprise began, despite having been a producer on the franchise for more than a decade and with only one episode written before, TNG's "A Matter of Time". Perhaps Brannon Braga was writing the majority of the scripts, with Berman wanting to have some measure of control over them, hence the many episodes crediting them both as writers.

 

[grabthars hammer]

Behr: You should deepen the characters.

B & B: Like, an episode where the ship gets buried?

Behr: No, flesh out the characters, make them colorful.

B & B: We did that, we have a black guy on the show... we think..?...

Behr: NO, YOU MAKE THEM ACT AND FEEL MORE LIKE REAL PEOPLE!

B & B: Oh, we see... maybe in season 8 or 9. We've first got to invent some more problems that can be fixed by reversing the polarity of things.

Braga: ...and introduce stuff named after Montana.

Berman: yes.

 

[Yevetha]

They would had needed a stronger cast too.

 

[ChristopherPike]

They would had needed a stronger cast too.

Not really. They made a great gang. Even better anytime Gary Graham turned up as Soval, or Jeffrey Combs as Shran.

We just didn't get to used to having them around, for as long as we knew the others.

Seriously. DS9 had that character extension from TNG. Meaning we'd already seen O'Brien about for 4 or 5 years beforehand and probably about 2 of which made him interesting. Worf. Who basically owned that show, alongside Data.

 

[Yevetha]

Hoshi and Mayweather were pretty damm boring

Tucker and Reed and T'Pol were mediocre.

Bakula was good when it was allowed for him to be good.

Could for example Hoshi compare with the lively well acted Kira?

 

[ChristopherPike]

No, I can't. But Hoshi wasn't written to be an aggressive terrorist. They're more down to earth than that. Like us. Have you ever faught in a war? Lived in an occupied land? I'm guessing not...

She's a teacher, who becomes the ship's linguist and communications officer, later going on to develop the universal translator. Doesn't particularly like space travel. A little freaked out by aliens, particularly the non-humanoid ones.

I can't say I agree with your assessment of Tucker at all. But you maybe ought to speak with other ENT fans about that. He was popular enough for plenty of folks to have hated the way his character was written out. Which is telling.

 

[Albertus]

Personally, I liked Scott Bakula as Archer. My favourite was Dr. Phlox (John Billingsley).


Albertus

 

[G2309]

Hoshi was shown to have grown (more than other Enterprise characters) by thelast 2 episodes of series 4 ( I don't count the unmentionable holodeck episode)

 

[JiNX-01]

Hoshi was shown to have grown (more than other Enterprise characters) by thelast 2 episodes of series 4 ( I don't count the unmentionable holodeck episode)

Actually, we saw signs of Hoshi's growth in the Countdown episode when she tries to fight the Reptilians. She sabotages their effort to get three codes so they can launch the weapon and at one point even tries to commit suicide. This from a character who tremulously asked in BB whether it was safe to stand near the warp engine.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I wonder if this was before the third season, which had a lot of DS9 similarities.

Seems likely. ENT S3 sure struck me as "DS9 done by people who don't know how to do DS9."

Behr could have given them advice on how to make ENT better - or B&B could have watched DS9 and figured it out for themselves - but that's no guarantee that they'll be able to replicate it.

Something similar happened when the Stargate folks tried to imitate BSG. They just made a boring, stilted series that was as trivial and forgettable as the previous two series, but no longer even any fun.

Talent can't be taught.

 

[SFRabid]

Talk about a series that copied everything and did it wrong. That last Stargate series was Voyager with Replicators. I knew it was over when they resorted to yet another automated foe.

 

[Broccoli]

Talk about a series that copied everything and did it wrong. That last Stargate series was Voyager with Replicators. I knew it was over when they resorted to yet another automated foe.

Atlantis wasn't that bad!

 

[SFRabid]

I liked most of Stargate Atlantis and the Wraith were a good foe. When Stargate Universe started using automated ships as foes ...

 

[Anji]

Behr is a damn good writer and excellent producer. The only reason I can think why he was not consulted was because B&B were power tripping.