FWIW, I'm more forgiving of a reuse in TV-land, with the realities of budgeting for seasons, than I am when it comes to a feature film.
What if the ENT-TNG crossover finale were a bit different? Enterprise, on its way back to Earth for the Federation Charter in 2161, stumbles across a futuristic shuttlecraft. An away team investigates, and it's Captain Riker and Counselor Troi. Their shuttle from the Titan has been thrown back in time. The Enterprise crew have to help them get back to the future without changing history. Thoughts?
At that point I think it would be more interesting for the Enterprise to be thrown forward into the future and see how the things they did laid the groundwork for the UFP and all the great things to come.
It could work. but there would have had to be an explanation as to why Riker and Troi failed to replicate the temporal wake the Ent-E used in FC to return home, or the time travel method used by Kirk and his crew in TVH. I think it would also necessitate an appearance by Admiral Janeway as well if time travel is involved.
I always liked the idea of a finale for this TREK era (especially, because it seemed like it could be the finale of TV trek itself), but even if I just look at it in this way, it failed for me as such a finale: - For being a finale of the 87-05 run and not only ENT, it had, seen in relation, too much ENT characters in it. - Being not only a finale of TNG and ENT, I always missed some DS9 characters in it. - Same sentence, but about VOY characters. - I liked "The Pegasus", especially because of Riker's 'conflict of conscience', but it always seemed to be too special for being the frame of an 'episode to end all episodes' Maybe, the authors had a great idea with this episode, but I also think, that a TV movie or something like that would have been the better way to perform it.
It's funny, CBS All Access lists Terra Prime as the last episode - t maybe an Enterprise fan didn't want to list TATV as the finale/final episode! But probably a mistake.
Sorry to say it IS listed - what I meant was that Terra Prime is listed last, with TATV listed right before it - the order is switched - maybe someone didn’t want first time viewers to be left with TATV as their final impression of ENT
Demons, TATV, Terra Prime... "But didn't Trip commit suicide in that last one? Wait, T'Pol and Trip broke up before he committed suicide, before, and now they're sobbing over a baby and talking about having another one? What the ????"... Watching in that order will be a big to first time viewers. Just bury the copy of TATV somewhere else, like the "How to replace your garbage disposal" or somewhere with no traffic. Just spare everybody.
Just place TATV before “Demons” and “Terra Prime” if they are going to air it that way. Maybe first time viewers will think its in an alternate reality, like the mirror universe episodes.
Personally, I'd just place (in airing order) TATV right after "The Pegasus" (or hell, edit it INTO "The Pegasus") and be done with it.
That would be an interesting concept to see, editing TATV into "The Pegasus." Wonder how it would look?
I had few problems with the finale. I didn't hate it. It was a great premise, loved Riker as Chef, and the closing sendoff blended-monologue was lovely. But there were some missed opportunities. Sandwiching new scenes with Riker and Troi into "The Pegasus", long after Frakes and Sirtis had matured over time, was a strange move. Physically, they barely resembled their "Pegasus" selves. Riker would have been just as hesitant about taking command of the USS Titan, and in similar need of pepping up, urged by Troi to visiting holographic Archer & co. - and it would have been a chance to show us the ship we never got to see at the end of "Nemesis". Loved seeing Shran's daughter, but Shran as a jewel thief? Hmmmm. And Trip could have performed an act of bravery and survived (barely), instead of a downer suicide mission, and still been inspirational to Riker.
I thought Shran marrying Jhamel was a mistake and kind of icky - he was more paternal towards her previously, not romantic.