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Please sell me on ENT.

kes7

Fleet Captain
Fleet Captain
So, I grew up on TNG, got really into VOY when it aired on Spike a few years ago, and enjoyed all the TOS movies and most of the episodes. However, I never got into DS9 or ENT. I'd like to start watching one of those series now and don't know which one to pick. So you all are the ENT fans, please tell me why I will love it. I'm going to post a similar thread in the DS9 forum. Thanks in advance.
 
Enterprise is the closest Trek I've ever seen to TOS. Not because the producers returned to the Big Three with a supporting cast (as opposed to an ensemble cast), but because of the chemistry between the cast/characters. The show handles humor and drama very well, IMO, and the characters are very likeable.

I would also note that many fans who started out watching and then quit, have given ENT another chance since it was picked up by the SciFi channel and upon re-examination, they like it.

People who never had a chance to watch before SciFi airings or DVD rentals are also becoming fans.

Just give it a try. You'll find that some episodes aren't so great, but even weak episodes have their character moments ....
 
I truly love character stuff. So it sounds like there's plenty for me to enjoy with ENT. But what I'm kind of reading between the lines here is that maybe that's all there is? I mean, is there an overall interesting storyline to follow, or just great character interaction?

ETA I'm not trying to be difficult, I'm just truly unspoiled on ENT and curious about it -- I've only seen Regeneration because it's on my Borg Fan Collective DVD set. I have never seen another episode.
 
Enterprise is the closest Trek I've ever seen to TOS. Not because the producers returned to the Big Three with a supporting cast (as opposed to an ensemble cast), but because of the chemistry between the cast/characters. The show handles humor and drama very well, IMO, and the characters are very likeable.

I would also note that many fans who started out watching and then quit, have given ENT another chance since it was picked up by the SciFi channel and upon re-examination, they like it.

People who never had a chance to watch before SciFi airings or DVD rentals are also becoming fans.

Just give it a try. You'll find that some episodes aren't so great, but even weak episodes have their character moments ....

For the record, I was one of those who gave up on it after it's second season. I started watching tidbits of it in it's late third and early fourth season and liked some of what I was watching. Lately, I've been getting ENT episodes from Amazon.com and I am enjoying them. So far, my favorite episode is "Similitude". It's worth rewatching. Now, I can't say it's better than DS9, but that's because I'm a Niner. But I am saying that ENT is worth watching, and has some great stories. Oh, and you've gotta love Trip, and Phlox just makes my day.

J.
 
Welcome to the forum, kes7. :)

I truly love character stuff. So it sounds like there's plenty for me to enjoy with ENT. But what I'm kind of reading between the lines here is that maybe that's all there is? I mean, is there an overall interesting storyline to follow, or just great character interaction?
There are good stories, too-- from standalone episodes to story arcs that last throughout a season, with many powerful and poignant episodes among them.

One of the reasons I like Enterprise so much is because I care about the characters and their interaction. That makes the storylines all the more compelling to me. I was intrigued from the first show I saw, and my interest never lagged. For me, there's something to enjoy in every episode, whether it's character interaction, plotline, humor, drama, acting, production values. (Yes, I enjoyed Season 2 also. ;) ) I'm one of those who wishes the series had a full seven-year run.

I hope you give the show a try and see what you think. :techman:
 
The best I can do is to suggest you watch Carbon Creek from Season 1 and most of Season 4. Watch season 3 if you subscribe to the "darker/edgier = better" theory. DO NOT watch the series finale whatever you do!!! :)
 
Carbon Creek was season 2. Other good episodes include Minefield, Dead Stop, Singularity, Cogenitor, The Expanse, The Catwalk, and The Breach.
 
ENT has lovely character moments (I would say almost every single episode has at least a couple) where you can see the characters growing up and growing closer. There's no conflict for conflict's sake, but there are differences of opinion based on perspective. In that way, ENT is more "real" than DS9. People gripe all over the place about the character flaws in ENT - but that's what makes them interesting to me. They try to do the right thing, but they are not always right. ENT is also more intimate, somehow. It might be the claustrophobic nature of the ship itself, but I like how the characters have conversations - they don't just stand on their marks and pontificate to each other like some other Treks I could mention. Mostly, when you watch ENT from Broken Bow to Terra Prime, you see a definite growth arc, not only of the captain, but of humanity (and Vulcan) in general.

I would recommend watching ENT first, then DS9. I think it would be frustrating to watch 7 seasons of DS9, in which humanity and Starfleet are much more evolved and wise and experienced, and then go back to the beginning (pre-Federation) and watch all the mistakes they made getting there.

As to particular episodes that people like or don't like: make your own decisions.
 
I would recommend watching ENT first, then DS9. I think it would be frustrating to watch 7 seasons of DS9, in which humanity and Starfleet are much more evolved and wise and experienced, and then go back to the beginning (pre-Federation) and watch all the mistakes they made getting there.

Oooh, an excellent point. I had just posted on the DS9 thread that I thought I would start with DS9, but this gives me pause. Hmm.
 
Any series that takes the time to stick two characters in a shuttle abandoned in deep space while oxygen slowly drains, that drops the temperature in the studio so that they are really shivering and you can see their breath, that allows the characters to reveal themselves in the increasing stress, and just lets the actors do what they do best - for the whole hour - is aces in my book!

Any series that takes time for the time-traveling future explorers to go through a 20th century drive thru while a vegetarian struggles with her order and a villain enjoys a greasy hamburger - has a great sense of humor.

Not to mention that it has a stronger identification with the world we live in than those far-future Galactic civilizations; and a crew that is sometimes ambivalent about space travel; and a captain who sometimes gets his ass handed to him by a well-placed cultural lesson - well there is just so much to appreciate about Enterprise.
 
Just try real hard to stick with it through year one and two. You will be rewarded in year three and four. DO NOT watch the final episode, consider the one before it the last one.
 
Watch it from the beginning, and give it time to grow on you. I was not a big ENT fan during the original run, but when I watched the series the second time I became a giant ENT fan. They do a lot of character development along the way, and they have more than their share of great eps. S3 is, IMHO, their best work.
 
So you're an ordinary guy or gal standing in a shop and they've got some DVD boxsets of great TV shows on special offer...

Lost, Battlestar Galactica, The Wire, Sopranos, CSI (which seems to take up half the freakin' display in fact :lol:). You notice tucked away down on the bottom shelf, where the company insist the shop staff place it, something called Enterprise. Bending down to take a look, you realise there's some smaller letters above that title. Glancing around to make sure nobody's watching first, you peel back the bargain sticker and discover it's actually a Star Trek series. Yep, that's right you recently saw that new movie at the cinema (thought it was a bit dumb in places but mostly good :p). Hang on though, that's the guy from Quantum Leap on the cover, I don't remember him ever being in it. There's that famous old series from the 60's, with its movies & new reboot. Then there was a show starring that bald English fella and his android sidekick. That was big in the 90's just like The X-Files. After that the memory gets a little hazy... didn't they have a black guy in charge of a space station and woman getting her crew lost...

Might as well see what this is about. So you skim across the writing on the back of the case...

"It is the mid 22nd Century: over a hundred years before Kirk and Spock. The crew of Earth's first Warp 5 starship; led by Captain Jonathan Archer, are making their first steps into the galaxy. Firmly believing humankind has been held back for too long by Vulcan interference, Archer is eager to embark on Enterprise's mission of deep space exploration. Survival proves perilous the farther from home they travel. Outmatched by superior aliens equipped with far more powerful weaponry, this first crew face a steep learning curve. Among their challenges will come Klingon aggression, militaristic Andorians, territorial Romulans and the Suliban; a race receiving aid from the future. This Temporal Cold War story arc heats up with the arrival of a probe sent by the Xindi and seven million people die in an unprovoked attack. With another more powerful weapon being assembled deep within the Delphic Expanse, Starfleet hastily curtails the Enterprise's assignment, sending their most experienced crew in a desperate attempt to save Earth. Along the way, we discover familiar elements from future Star Trek series at an earlier stage - the Mirror Universe, green skinned Orions, Vulcans gradually coming to respect their illogical allies, who are making the first steps to unite warring aliens and form the Federation."

Hmmm. Sci Fi. Didn't really follow all that... but maybe they blow stuff up. What the heck, it's on special offer right? Can't be any duller than Heroes...
 
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I'm on the side that says watch the first two seasons instead of jumping to season three. The character development you get from the early seasons makes seasons 3 and 4 better. Seasons 1 and 2 has some bad episodes but there is also a lot of good episodes that helps you grow attached to the characters
 
Definitely watch it from the beginning. If you miss Broken Bow, you will truly be missing out on the best series premiere of the franchise. If you don't watch from the beginning, you will miss out on the growth of the characters and important aspects of their interactions. As previously posted, I agree that this series is set more relevant to our times and I enjoyed even the "bad" episodes.
 
"It is the mid 22nd Century: over a hundred years before Kirk and Spock. The crew of Earth's first Warp 5 starship; led by Captain Jonathan Archer, are making their first steps into the galaxy. Firmly believing humankind has been held back for too long by Vulcan interference, Archer is eager to embark on Enterprise's mission of deep space exploration. Survival proves perilous the farther from home they travel. Outmatched by superior aliens equipped with far more powerful weaponry, this first crew face a steep learning curve. Among their challenges will come Klingon aggression, militaristic Andorians, territorial Romulans and the Suliban; a race receiving aid from the future. This Temporal Cold War story arc heats up with the arrival of a probe sent by the Xindi and seven million people die in an unprovoked attack. With another more powerful weapon being assembled deep within the Delphic Expanse, Starfleet hastily curtails the Enterprise's assignment, sending their most experienced crew in a desperate attempt to save Earth. Along the way, we discover familiar elements from future Star Trek series at an earlier stage - the Mirror Universe, green skinned Orions, Vulcans gradually coming to respect their illogical allies, who are making the first steps to unite warring aliens and form the Federation."
Wow! I've got to get that series! (Oh wait. Already did, the minute each season came out. :p ) Just wish it'd been a 7-season set.
 
So, I grew up on TNG, got really into VOY when it aired on Spike a few years ago, and enjoyed all the TOS movies and most of the episodes. However, I never got into DS9 or ENT. I'd like to start watching one of those series now and don't know which one to pick. So you all are the ENT fans, please tell me why I will love it. I'm going to post a similar thread in the DS9 forum. Thanks in advance.

If you're a serious fan then 'Enterprise' is crucial because historically it's where the Star Trek universe begins, that is, with the first warp capable star ship and the first mission.

Surely you can't fully comprehend a story unless you've heard the beginning of it.
 
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