Significance of dreams

[commodore64]

In Enterprise there are many dream sequences -- Archer dreaming about his father in Broken 'Bow, Archer dreaming about kissing T'Pol, T'Pol dreaming of the Vulcans attacking her in Impulse, T'Pol dreaming of kissing and then strangling Trip, Trip dreaming of his sister's death, etc. There are also halucinations and fuzzy remembrances (Phlox seeing T'Pol in Doctors Orders and T'Pol rememberring seeing/hearing jazz in San Francisco). I think each of the dreams has a significance and think it's interesting the writers used that device so often to show what motivated/concerned the characters.

So, what do you think the dreams mean?

 

[Jadzia]

Imagine if you were to go on a starship and spend a year in space. Initially it might seem exciting. But also, space is a very blank environment. More lonely than an empty room. At least with an empty room you know of a world outside it, just beyond the walls. But in space that blankness goes on for hundreds of millions of miles in all directions. Can you imagine what that might feel like? To not really have a ground to stand on? No real day or night? Where suddenly your whole world is the confines of a small man-made ship. And consequently, your loved ones are no longer part of your world. I think it would be a very strange feeling to suddenly be put in this situation

In TOS/TNG, space travel is commonplace, so there is much less anxiety. Warp speeds are such that worlds no longer feel so far away. In that time, people on starships are more at ease in themselves, and therefore more at ease with one another, which in turn puts people more at ease in themselves.

I feel that Enterprise uses dreams to represent unspoken anxieties and uncertainties that are motivated by the situation described in the first paragraph. Also, to find threads of familiarity and normality, because all of them are away from their "world". They would each try to fill that absence with memories and speculation, and try to find some replacement in the new world for what they had in their past.

 

[jgdst]

^ I'd go along with that.

While not strictly a dream, Vanishing Point is based entirely round Hoshi's fears of the newly approved transporter too.

As the first human crew to venture that far into space, and with no counsellor on board, they are going to experience the excitement and stress in certain ways. Phlox tells Hoshi as much in Exile.

As I recall, one of the early character bios for Hoshi (before the series started) said that she'd grip onto the sides of her console every time the ship went to warp. Sadly, this particular anxiety is only brought up in the pilot, but the writers did like to show us what was going on inside character's heads without certain gadgets like the holodeck for convenience, but through dreams and hallucinations - not normally my favourite way of getting a point across, but I never gave it a second thought in Enterprise as it was handled so well.

(Hmm, all examples of Hoshi's anxiety... weird )

 

[gblews]

In Enterprise there are many dream sequences -- Archer dreaming about his father in Broken 'Bow,

Profound and not seen enough in the show. Like Worf said, adream about your father is "powerful indeed".

Archer dreaming about kissing T'Pol,

Archer was horny for T'Pol, who could blame him - she fine.

T'Pol dreaming of kissing and then strangling Trip,

T'Pol was horny for Trip. And then Trellium. I addressd this more in the Vulcan/Denobulan thread.

Don't forget about T'Pol's dream about kissing Tolaris. Another horny moment for her. I found her relationship with him fascinating. He seemed to be 1 or 2 steps ahead of her at every turn. I think she was intrigued by this and that led to repressed sexual feeling and the dream. T'Pol seemed to have a thing for unconventional guys.

(dreaming of)/hearing jazz in San Francisco).

Good taste. I was a fan of avant garde jazz to for many years. Still am actually.

When it comes to dream sequences, I think they can be over thought. In Trek in particular, what is apparent is usually what the dream is about.

 

[kissthestar]

Trek in general has had some intriguing uses for dream sequences. The San Fran jazz sequence was excellent in ENT. Perhaps if the writers had based the series on a sleeper ship premise, ENT would still be with us today!