Rewatching Enterprise

[Roundabout]

I have been watching ENT on H&I. A number of episodes that were shown recently stood out for me.

"Marauders" struck me as ENT's version of a Western. Archer and crew were like cowboys in white hats who rode into town and discovered that the locals were being pilfered and strong-armed by a bunch of bandit Klingons. They decided to help the underdog locals to rid their community of those Klingon outlaws.

The story reminded me of a classic Western theme. I thought the fight scene at the end was somewhat lame, but overall, I really enjoyed the episode. Also, I was impressed with the look of the sets and the desert setting.

"Precious Cargo" and "Dawn" were Trip-centric episodes. The story concepts for either episode were not new. They have been done before elsewhere.

Trip coming to the rescue of a damsel in distress and then the two falling romantically for each other, in "Precious Cargo", is a type of story that I have seen before. Btw the actress who played that damsel in distress is a fine looking woman.

In "Dawn", Trip is stranded on a bleak planet with a hostile alien, and the two realize that they have to overcome their differences and work together in order to survive and be rescued. A story similar to TNG's "The Enemy".

Having said that, I still enjoyed watching ENT's version of those story concepts. Both episodes were entertaining and done well, imho.

The episode "Stigma" seemed to be perhaps an allegory about AIDS, I suppose (when this episode originally aired). The story is about Vulcan society's intolerance and discrimination for a minority group of Vulcans who engaged in the practice of mind melding and then getting a disease from doing so. Whether the episode was indeed an allegory about an issue in the real world or not, it was a good story, in any case.

 

[Roundabout]

About Trip, the more that I see of him, the more that I see a resemblance between him and George W. Bush. Add to that, Trip's accent, and there seems to be more of a resemblance, imho. Interestingly, ENT aired during Dubya's presidency.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to play politics. I'm just saying.

 

[XCV330]

About Trip, the more that I see of him, the more that I see a resemblance between him and George W. Bush. Add to that, Trip's accent, and there seems to be more of a resemblance, imho. Interestingly, ENT aired during Dubya's presidency.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to play politics. I'm just saying.

I guess if southern accents sound similar if you live outside the south but he doesn't sound anything like Bush to me, or look like him. Enterprise started airing before 911 and Bush was anything but popular in those early days, and didn't skyrocket to a brief ballistic popularity pattern until after the world changed. I don't think they would have attempted to try and make a character Bush-esque.

 

[CommanderRaytas]

Canon Violation!!!!

THIS ISN'T STAR TRE-

Okay, all right. Quitting while I'm ahead, here.

 

[chris of nine]

About Trip, the more that I see of him, the more that I see a resemblance between him and George W. Bush. Add to that, Trip's accent, and there seems to be more of a resemblance, imho. Interestingly, ENT aired during Dubya's presidency.

.

Well. I felt that, too.

Taliban, Suliban. Let’s call the whole thing off.

 

[Roundabout]

I guess if southern accents sound similar if you live outside the south but he doesn't sound anything like Bush to me, or look like him. Enterprise started airing before 911 and Bush was anything but popular in those early days, and didn't skyrocket to a brief ballistic popularity pattern until after the world changed. I don't think they would have attempted to try and make a character Bush-esque.

I wasn't suggesting that the Trip character was a reflection of Bush's personality or politics. All I meant was that I saw a physical resemblance between Trip and Dubya. And as far as I know, it was simply an interesting coincidence that ENT aired when Bush was president. I was just sharing my observation which I thought might be amusing (apparently not ) and perhaps others might have had the same observation about it.


Anyway, since we're on the subject of Trip, from what I have seen so far, I have been impressed by Connor Trinneer's acting on the show. Trip is surprisingly a likable character.

In "Marauders", the way Trip interacted with the kid was cool. The kid looked up to Trip like a hero. And Trip played his hero role with modesty. It was a good performance by Trinneer, imo.

I also mentioned the episodes "Precious Cargo" and "Dawn" in my earlier post. Again, I thought Trinneer's performance was pretty good in both eps.

And in "Stigma", the B story was about Phlox's wife shamelessly hitting on Trip. Trip was desperately trying to resist her advances. It was hilarious. I have to say that Trinneer could do the comedy as well as the serious stuff on the show effectively.

 

[CommanderRaytas]

You might be the only one who likes Precious Cargo.


To be honest, though, I like most of that episode, especially Trip. He's always great. I just dislike the actress's performance. She kind of ruins it for me. The other Trip-centric episodes are more engaging. I completely agree that there are some great ones in seasons one and two, not just in the other two.

 

[Reanok]

There's an interesting story I read about Connor and Precious cargo he got tired of filming the fight scene in the swamp set multiple times and said no he wouldn't do it again.He said they filmed enough stuff already. I can't remember where I read that story it may be Memory alpha.

 

[gakelly]

I have never watched Enterprise before, but I am up to season 1, episode 11, and the show isn't as bad as I thought it would be. There really aren't any memorable episodes, but it doesn't suck either (I was expecting Voyager level bad). Season 1 is much better than season 1 of TNG.

 

[Roundabout]

You might be the only one who likes Precious Cargo.


To be honest, though, I like most of that episode, especially Trip. He's always great. I just dislike the actress's performance. She kind of ruins it for me. The other Trip-centric episodes are more engaging. I completely agree that there are some great ones in seasons one and two, not just in the other two.

Maybe the rest are in hiding.

The actress who played Kaitaama is a very good looking woman. It was worth watching the episode just to look at her. When she tore off the bottom of her dress, she revealed her sexy legs, and it was the beginning of the strip off. The story was predictable once Trip rescued her from that cryogenic tube. The two started bickering and whining about being stuck together. They got into that cramped escape pod, and the sexual tension was obvious. Of course, the story climaxed the way that it did -- not untypical for this type of story about a hero rescuing a damsel in distress.

I know the story wasn't hard scifi and it wasn't a great episode. But it was a sexy and fun episode. It was entertaining.



On a different note, I saw "Judgment" last night. The episode seemed to me like it was an homage to TUC. In the ep, Archer looked like he stood in the same, or similar, tribunal chamber that Kirk did in TUC. He was even sent to serve his sentence on Rura Penthe as Kirk had to in TUC. It was an interesting episode, although the ending was a bit abrupt.

Even though J.G. Hertzler had on a different Klingon makeup, and was an altogether different Klingon character in this episode, his character sounded just like Martok. Hertzler has a very distinctive voice.

I liked the Klingon character that Hertzler played in this episode. The character wasn't cartoonish or too much of a caricature like the TNG era Klingons.

 

[sekundant]

About Trip, the more that I see of him, the more that I see a resemblance between him and George W. Bush. Add to that, Trip's accent, and there seems to be more of a resemblance, imho. Interestingly, ENT aired during Dubya's presidency.

As I told before at 2002 I gave up ENT, strictly speaking ST among other things, while I wanted to change my life radically and began with a major cleaning up action. I remember last three episodes that I watched: Vanishing Point, Precious Cargo and Dawn. I was very upset about those weak remakes and half naked Bush Jr. look a like. Wasting time, eliminated!

At that time Bush Jr. was not the most popular US citizen at the this side of the great water. I suspected also that time the Trip figure is a kind of PR story. So, Trip was nor sympathetic neither sexy for me. I thought we do not need another Kirk/Riker clone. Especially, Precious Cargo was very very awkward, imho.

I did not also like that they tried at the same time AnT / TnT and in parallel made Trip some stupid kind of space Casanova. (Heyy, he is an Engineer! Again he is an engineer, how can be Trip a Casanova? It makes whole the series unbelievable. Guys, believe me, I know what I am talking about! )

Well, as I discovered ENT for me, I made a tabula rasa and gave Trip a chance. First, I realized that CT's amazing acting skills compensating the weakness of writing. Second, his physical similarities with Bush Jr. was not intended. Braga told he was the only one who wanted the CT, TPTB's favorite was another actor. (I forgot the name but he does not look like Bush Jr. or CT) Well, with all my respect to him, I still think CT‘s face is not handsome with his unusual proportions. Nevertheless, CT is „not“ Trip and Trip is sexy, funny, romantic, geek, engineer and very very likeable „real“ figure.

I wish Billingsley and Trinneer got more chances to show their talents. It‘s a great shame!

I have read more than once here, some people don't‘ like Jolene Blalock‘s performance. For me she is the best Vulcan female, that we ever have and in generally second after Vulcan inventor Nimoy. Even Spock could smile as half Vulcan, she could only use her eyes, eye brows and voice as pre-Kir‘shara Vulcan and totally believable for me.

 

[Roundabout]

I have read more than once here, some people don't‘ like Jolene Blalock‘s performance. For me she is the best Vulcan female, that we ever have and in generally second after Vulcan inventor Nimoy. Even Spock could smile as half Vulcan, she could only use her eyes, eye brows and voice as pre-Kir‘shara Vulcan and totally believable for me.

Don't count me as one of those people. I have been impressed by Blalock's portrayal of a Vulcan. I find T'Pol to be a compelling character. I also have to say that Blalock is easy on the eyes. T'Pol is cute. Sometimes she looks like tomboy when she is shown above the chest.

To me, T'Pol comes across as self confident in her Vulcanness. Thank goodness she is not angsty or brooding and not sure of her identity.

I like that she is cool calm and unfazed, like that time when she didn't panic when Reed (who had been taken over by an alien) came into her quarters and attempted to "mate" with her in "The Crossing".

I also like that she tells it like it is, at least in her opinion. It may turn out that she is wrong, but at least she is straightforward. I also get a kick from seeing her at times being anti social (but is normal for her). It sometimes cracks me up. It's like she doesn't give a damn as to how humans think she should behave.

 

[1001001]

I liked T'Pol quite a bit.

If you just view her character as a Vulcan teenager, it really works.

I think they said she was 66? Just a young one, by their standards.

 

[Roundabout]

Watched "Cogenitor" last night.

It was interesting to see Andreas Katsulas play a good alien in this episode, in contrast to his Tomalak character in TNG.

But the main story of the episode involved Trip and the cogenitor. It was a compelling story. For the most part, I liked the episode, and I didn't have any problem with the actress who played the cogenitor. Nevertheless, I couldn't help but wonder if the story would have been just as effective if the actor who played the cogenitor was a male instead of a female.

The cogenitor was suppose to be the third gender of the Vissian species. So theoretically, I suppose the cogenitor could have been played by a male actor with the same type of makeup. While watching this episode, I was reminded of TNG's "The Outcast", which I happened to have watched on H&I a couple of nights prior. If you remember, the outcast character in that story was non-gendered.

I remember reading comments, in probably this forum, where some posters thought that the moral of that story would have been more effectively told if the role of the outcast character had been given to a male actor instead.

I know the two stories are different. But I do wonder if the perception of "Cogenitors" by the viewers would have been different in some way if the cogenitor had been played by a male actor. Would the Trip/cogenitor dynamic have worked out as well as it did if there had been a male actor as cogenitor instead? Would a male actor in that role make the cogenitor less or more sympathetic, or no difference? Anyway, much ado about nothing, just wondering.

 

[CommanderRaytas]

I think it wouldn't have made a difference, really.

That is one good episode.

 

[JohnR]

I'm probably the only person who liked Season 1 of ENT better than Season 4. Everything was brand new in Season 1 for the crew, so they were making it up as they went along. I enjoyed seeing new species and new situations. Season 4, on the other hand, had too much fan fiction. I didn't need to see another Data episode.

 

[CommanderRaytas]

I like season 4 fine. However, it contains the only ENT episodes I adamantly refuse to watch: Space Nazis I and II, that Orion women bullshit episode, and the finale. When I'm in the mood, I will even watch Precious Cargo, but not those other four. They can honestly bite me.

 

[mwang141]

I got the same feeling , ENT is far more better now when comparing to Homer Simpson's Discovery....

 

[Phoenix219]

Watching Broken Bow for what may as well be the first time. I've seen random episodes here and there but have never seen the series front to end, and have never seen most of the episodes. More of a first watch then a rewatch, even if I am familiar with all the major narrative beats. Random thoughts....

The show looks dated enough that I can buy it being a precurser to TOS. There are enough push buttons and sliders (3 on the transporter!) and 90s looking computers. The paneling is all pretty utilitarian. The models that young Jon is building have the TOS nacelle caps. The humans on Earth seem like modern day military/bureaucrats. The communicator noise is spot on and the prop is less sleek then the 60s ones. T'Pol had Spock's scanner! Lots of colored squares in the background! Also, I'm realizing that this show, not Discovery, introduced the annoying TNG chimes this early in the timeline, which makes Discovery pretty perfect as far as audio fx goes. The shuttles aesthestics and striping falls right in line with TOS as well, and I wish the very first episode didn't already approve bio-transport.

And wow, was the decontamination scene as pointless as rumored. There was absolutely no reason they couldn't have just cleaned themselves.

It really does feel like humans are new to the universe. Rigel might as well have been right out of Star Wars. Compared with modern shows, it definitely has some cheese - the alien strippers and what not... haha.

The show could have done without the Temporal Cold War, thats for sure..... but it doesn't seem to have deserved half of the hate it received when it aired. It seems a lot more faithful of a prequel then I expected so far.

I'm sure it won't continue at this level, but the pilot had more action in it then an entire season of TNG. The phaser battle and shuttle escape with the Sulliban felt like something out of Halo.

I'm really not looking forward to getting to episodes like Dear Doctor or whatever it is.

 

[Ensign Mas]

I'm also doing a rewatch. The first in quite a few years. Will post my observations later.