Started watching Enterprise for the first time ever

[Deimos Anomaly]

Just watched the one with Trip and Padma Lakshmi, of all people, escaping from the kidnappers.

I thought this one should have been called Enterprise: A New Hope to be honest.

This alien princess was waylaid, and says she was on a "diplomatic mission" (exact words). A short time later there is an escape pod getaway with two people crammed into a tiny escape pod. Hey where have we seen that before....

So they land on this swampy uninhabited planet, and within about five minutes she says to him.. "You're my only hope" again her exact words.

Then there's the part where she suddenly goes all horny alpha female and just grabs him and lip locks him mid sentence. Unless my memory's fading Leia did the exact same thing with Han, though it may have been in one of the later movies.

 

[Deimos Anomaly]

Just watched the ep with Archer put on trial by the Klingons. Including a re-appearance by JG Herzler no less. Probably the best Klingon actor in the entire TNG-DS9-VOY-ENT era.

I must say I got a good laugh out of the depiction of Archer according to Duras.

"This is Captain Archer of the battlecruiser Enterprise! ...DEATH TO THE EMPIRE!"

Also interesting was the bit where Kolos and Archer were in the jail cell and Kolos came out with this bit of exposition / backstory on the state of Klingon society. It was the sort of thing everyone in the fan community already inferred had to be the case, but then it comes ex cathedra from a klingon character in a Star Trek episode. It actually paints a picture of the Klingons as a society in decline. And up until relatively recently (the time of Kolos' parents) it was different. It kinda explains the stagnation that begins to manifest itself... in the 22nd century the Klingons are considerably more technologically advanced than Starfleet. By the time of TOS they're even, perhaps even a little behind, by the time of TNG it seemed like the UFP had definitely overtaken them.

One of the better eps I've seen so far. Almost redeems ENT from the vile Dear Dr.

 

[Hopeful Romantic]

^^ I enjoyed "Judgment" too, also because of Hertzler--Colicos and Schuck are my other favorites for portrayals of Klingons--and the "Rashomon" treatment with the different POVs. I think that episode had a great look and feel to it, and the echoes of "Undiscovered Country" were a nice touch.

"Enterprise: A New Hope" I hadn't really made the connection, but it's kinda duh now that you point it out.

Really enjoying reading your thoughts on the episodes, DA. Keep 'em coming

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

MY GOD COUNT ZERO WTF IS THAT AVATAR.

The other cinematic thing about ENT jefferiestube8 is the score. Excellent atmospheric music compared to the cheesy TV pap served up by the other series. I always remember the score from Cold Front in particular.

 

[Skywalker]

MY GOD COUNT ZERO WTF IS THAT AVATAR.

The other cinematic thing about ENT jefferiestube8 is the score. Excellent atmospheric music compared to the cheesy TV pap served up by the other series. I always remember the score from Cold Front in particular.

"Regeneration" has probably my favorite music from the series.

 

[lurok]

What I've noticed is how little music they use compared to TNG or VOY, which lay it over everything with a trowel. But what little they do use is prob the best of all the series imho. Bar TOS maybe, but I'm a sucker for Sixties kitsch.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

I agree, it's the best of the series.

TOS music.. that's like Christmas carols, sooooo deeply ingrained as to not be something I can say anything discerning about.

 

[Deimos Anomaly]

"Cogenitor"

Wow. Now that's how an interspecies ethics episode should be done.

A wonderful illustration of a human, acting instinctively to do what, from the entirety of his life-experience-pool with humans (and even some other human-like species), seems to be right - to be the decent thing to do - but which actually ends up creating a completely FUBAR situation.

It's a great lesson on the need to tread carefully in contacts with new cultures, to think before you act and consider the ramifications - good and bad - of your actions.

If they ever wanted a deep space ethics episode it should have been this and this only, and not the ham-fisted monstrosity that was Dear Doctor.

 

[Quinton O'Connor]

All caught up now and awaiting more. Keep 'em coming!

 

[lurok]

Even though 'Cogenitor' isn't a personal fave (reminds me too much of a TNG cast-off), there's a couple of things I think they do really well in that episode: have the antagonists be very sympathetic, and that final scene where Archer chews Trip out. That's a great ENT moment.

 

[Deimos Anomaly]

Regeneration - Yikes, it's teh brog!

This may actually be Star Trek's first ever terminator-style looping grandfather paradox. The researcher in the Arctic says it looks like the wreckage was from a perfectly spherical vehicle 500m across. They also say it's been there for about a century. This leads, of course, to the conclusion (as a viewer) that this must be the remains of the sphere destroyed by the Enterprise-E in First Contact.

By the end of the ep, the Borg have been destroyed, but not before they got a message off towards the DQ telling the collective where Earth is. It will reach the collective in the 24th century.

So this encounter causes the TNG era Borg attacks on Earth... the last of which involves time travel to attempt to prevent human warp flight and human-vulcan first contact... only to be thwarted by the TNG crew and ship, with their sphere blowing up and crashing on earth, where it waits 100 years to be discovered, assimilate a transport and escape, be persued by Archer's enterprise, get their signal off and be destroyed... which causes the TNG era Borg attacks on earth... and round and round it goes.

 

[Deimos Anomaly]

Watched The Expanse today and finished season 2. Season 3 is downloading in the background as I write this post.

Lot of things happening here.

• A mini Death Star type thing popped out of FTL at earth, and promptly opened up on the planet. It gouged a trench from Florida across Cuba and down the Caribbean to Venezuela. From the looks of it about a mile deep and a mile or two across.
• The Suliban again. But now they're helping Archer, and warning about those behind the earth attack. It's only a test, apparently the real thing is being built now.
• A here-be-dragons region is introduced, the titular Expanse. Various tales of horror are presented, including a Klingon crew turned inside out and a recording of a Vulcan ship whose crew have gone berserk in a sort of Event Horizon like fashion.
• Klingons here, klingons there, klingons under the beds, klingons behind the radiator. Duras has been made a fool of again after the bounty hunter escape, now he gets a chance to redeem himself. And he is one persistent SOB. With the balls to chase Archer right into the Sol system, and subsequently pursue him into the here-be-dragons land, when other BOP's had broken off in fear.
• Trip is burning for revenge... I've spoilered this ep enough so far, so I'll not say why this is, but it seems to have turned him rather cold blooded.

Oh, and they can't get rid of T'pol no matter what.

Best moment in the ep: When the Klingons gang up on Enterprise 3 on 1 and demand surrender, and Archer just yells GO TO HELL without missing a beat.

All in all things seem to be really picking up. Looking forward to season 3 now, glad I stuck with it.

 

[Quinton O'Connor]

Aha, man, Archer's "go to hell!" there is so glorious.

Seasons 3 and 4 are terrific. Bear in mind there are still a few bleh episodes early on in the third season, but the show finds purpose with "The Expanse" and maintains it.

 

[Skywalker]

Congratulations, you've survived the weak half of the show. While there are of course a few bad episodes to come, the rest of the show from here on out is (on average) much better. Enjoy.

 

[BillJ]

Aha, man, Archer's "go to hell!" there is so glorious.

Seasons 3 and 4 are terrific. Bear in mind there are still a few bleh episodes early on in the third season, but the show finds purpose with "The Expanse" and maintains it.

It's just unfortunate season three was built off of such a silly mistake by the Xindi. Bothers me everytime I watch anything related to it.

 

[Deimos Anomaly]

I'm quite a few eps into season 3 now, and it's a whole lot darker than the first two seasons.

The ones that stick out in my head are the ship full of Vulcan zombies, and the telepath alien that tried to extort Hoshi into staying with him on a deserted planet forever.

The Vulcan episode also had a chaotic asteroid thicket worthy of the famous Hoth example...

The most recent episode I watched was one where Archer and T'pol were 12 years in the future. If nothing else, a battle scene during this ep illustrated very neatly why I've always thought the bridge should be buried at the center of mass of the hull, not perched on the top of the saucer section.

I like it so far. The tension is really racking up.

 

[Quinton O'Connor]

Season 3's my favorite year, so I hope you continue to enjoy this cool arc. The tension is really well-done, I agree.

Most pin Season 4 as the best year, and I certainly won't disagree that it's also quite good. You're in "ENT is great" territory now, and for the most part you won't depart from it.

 

[Deimos Anomaly]

Just watched North Star.

Never thought I'd see a ST episode open with a wild west hanging!

Aside from that, this ep was pure fun. Including the final battle. A classic western shootout, but with six-shooters vs rayguns.

Another thing I forgot to mention in my last post: The military commandos that have come aboard this season. I really like them. Although they do raise a few questions:

• Why are they still using plasma weapons, while starfleet has gone to phased particle weapons...
• They also seem to carry painstiks, or something like them. Never thought I'd see Earth putting out troops so equipped. Not really a question, more of a surprised observation.
• Whatever happened to them? They are never seen again in TOS, TNG DS9 or VOY.

Moving on...

 

[jespah]

The MACOs are covered here - http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Military_Assault_Command_Operations

Even canon isn't too sure about what happened to them. And, actually, the statement on that page about the only person with a post-ENT military title being Colonel West is wrong, as that fails to mention Colonel Green. And Memory Alpha mentions Green here - http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Colonel

So the short answer is - I dunno.

 

[BillJ]

The MACOs are covered here - http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Military_Assault_Command_Operations

Even canon isn't too sure about what happened to them. And, actually, the statement on that page about the only person with a post-ENT military title being Colonel West is wrong, as that fails to mention Colonel Green. And Memory Alpha mentions Green here - http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Colonel

So the short answer is - I dunno.

I think they're talking about officers within Starfleet.