• Welcome! The TrekBBS is the number one place to chat about Star Trek with like-minded fans.
    If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

TATV sux!!11!!! vol.47 - the Jonathan Frakes edition

In my opinion, the critical mistake was trying to shoehorn the "whimsical holodeck adventure" into an existing episode. If they'd have followed the idea I'm about to suggest, I'm sure TATV would have been embraced as the valentine it was intended as.

Sometime after the events seen in "The Neutral Zone," Will Riker has a dilemma. He's thinking about growing a beard, but he's always been happy clean-shaven. How can he possibly decide what to do? His captain is hardly going to be any good at advice--he doesn't even have hair on his head. Clearly, the only event in the history of Starfleet with the same import as this beard/no beard conundrum is the final voyage of the first starship to bear the name "Enterprise."

After seeing Archer lose his best friend and T'Pol the man she loves but barely shed a tear, Riker realizes that life is too short to be stuck in a rut. As the delegates assemble for Archer's speech, he makes his decision.

"Computer, end program."

The final shot of the series--and the televised franchise (for now)--is Riker throwing his disposable razor in the trash and thoughtfully stroking his chin, which is beginning to show a bit of stubble.

Now that's a valentine to the fans, isn't it?
 
shatnertage said:
The final shot of the series--and the televised franchise (for now)--is Riker throwing his disposable razor in the trash and thoughtfully stroking his chin, which is beginning to show a bit of stubble.

Now that's a valentine to the fans, isn't it?
Click to expand...

Only if Troi is in the corner eating a bowl of chocolate ice cream. That would just bring tears to my eyes.
 
shatnertage said:
In my opinion, the critical mistake was trying to shoehorn the "whimsical holodeck adventure" into an existing episode. If they'd have followed the idea I'm about to suggest, I'm sure TATV would have been embraced as the valentine it was intended as.

Sometime after the events seen in "The Neutral Zone," Will Riker has a dilemma. He's thinking about growing a beard, but he's always been happy clean-shaven. How can he possibly decide what to do? His captain is hardly going to be any good at advice--he doesn't even have hair on his head. Clearly, the only event in the history of Starfleet with the same import as this beard/no beard conundrum is the final voyage of the first starship to bear the name "Enterprise."

After seeing Archer lose his best friend and T'Pol the man she loves but barely shed a tear, Riker realizes that life is too short to be stuck in a rut. As the delegates assemble for Archer's speech, he makes his decision.

"Computer, end program."

The final shot of the series--and the televised franchise (for now)--is Riker throwing his disposable razor in the trash and thoughtfully stroking his chin, which is beginning to show a bit of stubble.

Now that's a valentine to the fans, isn't it?
Click to expand...
Well this certainly would have had the same dramatic impact.
 
On the surface, it doesn't seem like a bad idea. Riker and Troi looking back at Enterprise and Archer's contribution to the formation of the Federation. It would have made a nice bookend if that's all it was. Instead, we got some convoluted reasoning for Riker's retrospective set during Season 7 of TNG. It would have been much better if it were Riker and Troi aboard the Titan preparing for "Federation Day" or the 200th anniversary of Archer's birthday or something.
 
I've always favored the idea that the Enterprise-E finds the wreckage of the unknown Enterprise NX-01, reconstructs the final mission from mission logs in the holodeck and uncovers a conspiracy that made the entire NX program disappear from the history books and that still, more than 200 years later, poses a threat to the Federation. Because that's how ENT felt all the time: it simply didn't fit into TOS/TNG/DS9/VOY, and it had never been mentioned before, and with all that time travel shit and Vulcan's misbehaving, first contact with Klingons taking place differently than fans expected and Borg returning and blabla, nobody could be sure if it really fit into the original timeline, etc... . So it would have made sense that it was also unknown to the characters in-universe, and that in the finale, a two or even three-parter, the entire franchise would have had the chance to come full circle.
 
^^^That's actually a pretty good idea that would have put the series itself into context.

It would have been much better if it were Riker and Troi aboard the Titan preparing for "Federation Day" or the 200th anniversary of Archer's birthday or something.
Click to expand...

Yes, it should be Captain Archer Day, with paper mache dolls and Riker doing his best Archer impression.
 
JarodRussell said:
I've always favored the idea that the Enterprise-E finds the wreckage of the unknown Enterprise NX-01, reconstructs the final mission from mission logs in the holodeck and uncovers a conspiracy that made the entire NX program disappear from the history books and that still, more than 200 years later, poses a threat to the Federation. Because that's how ENT felt all the time: it simply didn't fit into TOS/TNG/DS9/VOY, and it had never been mentioned before, and with all that time travel shit and Vulcan's misbehaving, first contact with Klingons taking place differently than fans expected and Borg returning and blabla, nobody could be sure if it really fit into the original timeline, etc... . So it would have made sense that it was also unknown to the characters in-universe, and that in the finale, a two or even three-parter, the entire franchise would have had the chance to come full circle.
Click to expand...

Um... Wow. that's actually a very good idea. :D
 
JarodRussell said:
I've always favored the idea that the Enterprise-E finds the wreckage of the unknown Enterprise NX-01, reconstructs the final mission from mission logs in the holodeck and uncovers a conspiracy that made the entire NX program disappear from the history books and that still, more than 200 years later, poses a threat to the Federation. Because that's how ENT felt all the time: it simply didn't fit into TOS/TNG/DS9/VOY, and it had never been mentioned before, and with all that time travel shit and Vulcan's misbehaving, first contact with Klingons taking place differently than fans expected and Borg returning and blabla, nobody could be sure if it really fit into the original timeline, etc... . So it would have made sense that it was also unknown to the characters in-universe, and that in the finale, a two or even three-parter, the entire franchise would have had the chance to come full circle.
Click to expand...

Although I, as someone who didn't care for the show for the same reasons you state, would have been fine with that ending, I think it would have alienated people who were actually fans of the show. Plus, there'd have to be a pretty damn good reason behind such a conspiracy, and a pretty logical reason how these events could even have been "covered up."
 
Dukhat said:
JarodRussell said:
I've always favored the idea that the Enterprise-E finds the wreckage of the unknown Enterprise NX-01, reconstructs the final mission from mission logs in the holodeck and uncovers a conspiracy that made the entire NX program disappear from the history books and that still, more than 200 years later, poses a threat to the Federation. Because that's how ENT felt all the time: it simply didn't fit into TOS/TNG/DS9/VOY, and it had never been mentioned before, and with all that time travel shit and Vulcan's misbehaving, first contact with Klingons taking place differently than fans expected and Borg returning and blabla, nobody could be sure if it really fit into the original timeline, etc... . So it would have made sense that it was also unknown to the characters in-universe, and that in the finale, a two or even three-parter, the entire franchise would have had the chance to come full circle.
Click to expand...

Although I, as someone who didn't care for the show for the same reasons you state, would have been fine with that ending, I think it would have alienated people who were actually fans of the show. Plus, there'd have to be a pretty damn good reason behind such a conspiracy, and a pretty logical reason how these events could even have been "covered up."
Click to expand...

Yeah, making a full blown Next Gen episode would have pissed me off even more.

Plus, what doesnt make sense in Enterprise?! I think 99% of the stuff is explained. I can't think of one glaring error which deserves the explanation of a cover up.

Oh, and it taking place differently to "how fans expected" is just crazy.

TATV sucked. Big time. The best thing to do is just ignore it, like we all ignore Spock's Brain, Code of Honor, If Wishes Were Horses and Threshold. It just so happens that Enterprise's worst episode ever was its last one.
 
Agree, TATV Sucked but Enterprise didn't, and it's easy to ignore TATV! (Even if I do have the signed script - why did it have to be that one!)
 
A more logical explanation is that TNG, DS9 and VOY are the problem. ENT is great as a TV show and prequel to TOS. When the harebrained attempt was made to reintroduce characters from outside of the TOS/ENT realm is where the episode failed.
 
images91826259194845.jpg

John Billingsley said:
It was as if suddenly somebody from another cosmos dropped in and wrote the script, above and beyond the fact that the Enterprise’s story was swallowed up by the framing device. I think people had just gotten used to Manny’s voice. I missed it in the final episode. Frankly, it should have been a two-parter. Our storyline needed to wind up…

I’m all over the map on this one because I have a lot of different feelings about it. My problem with the final episode, ultimately, was that by jumping ahead however many years we jumped ahead, it was as if anything we did in the third and fourth seasons had no real weight. It seemed like the third and fourth seasons were being dismissed, which I’m sure was not the intention, but that was one of the things that bothered me.[Trekmovie]
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Sign up / Register


Back
Top