The Augment Arc

[STIntergalactic]

I just finished watching the Augment story arc in the fourth season. I liked it on the whole. But did anyone else find the ending needlessly cheesy?

"Cybernetics...artificial life forms. I doubt I'll finish the work myself. It may take a couple generations." Or something similar.

Did they have to be so on the nose about it? Maybe Soong could have just said he was going to quit genetic engineering, without being so specific. It's not like we didn't know what the Soong family would end up doing.

 

[Pensive]

Yeah it was a little cheesy but it's Star Trek.

Plus, I know there would have been new viewers to the franchise who might not have known Soong invented Data.

 

[Admiral_Young]

I think one of the purposes for doing the Augments Arc was so that they could bookmark it with Soong coming up with the concept for androids, and yes I thought it was cheesy but oh well.

 

[Trekwatcher]

It was a forced way for them to wink at the audience. The line was silly, and Spiner was a bit too over the top. Perhaps after playing Data for so long he is not at nuanced at delivering lines with some emotion to them...

 

[pookha]

did anyone else get the feeling they rethought soongs character midway through.
he comes across as pretty heartless in the first episode and starts developing a conscience during the second episode.

 

[KayArr]

I disliked most of season 4 other than the Vulcan trilogy, and disliked the Augments more than any other except the Mirror Universe. The only reason they did these 2 shows was to have Brent Spiner on, they served no other purpose for the story of the first Starship Enterprise. For the most part, any kind of work and growth for the acutal Enterprise characters came to a near standstill in season 4.

 

[DarthPipes]

I liked the Augment arc a lot although the Augments themselves were very boring and one-dimensional for genetic supermen.

 

[KayArr]

So then...why'd you like it alot?

 

[DarthPipes]

Because it was fun. Brent Spiner's return was very good and it was a cool callback to the whole Eugenics War thing. I just wish the Augments themselves could have been less one-dimensional.

 

[commodore64]

Darthpipes, I can't help but agree with you again! Arc was fun. Spiner was fun and the character was fine. The augments, despite having the guy from Dune who is an excellent actor, were written terribly.

 

[DarthPipes]

I think the problem stemmed from the alpha leader having motives that made little sense. Also, they're all supposed to be genetic supermen and superwomen so they should all think they are the best one capable of leading their pack. The Augment leader didn't have the success that Khan had.

 

[Admiral_Young]

The only good thing about the Augment Arc was that Muad'Dib was the leader of the Fremen I mean Augments!

 

[SFRabid]

I disliked most of season 4 other than the Vulcan trilogy, and disliked the Augments more than any other except the Mirror Universe. The only reason they did these 2 shows was to have Brent Spiner on, they served no other purpose for the story of the first Starship Enterprise. For the most part, any kind of work and growth for the acutal Enterprise characters came to a near standstill in season 4.

You give a valid reason for not liking season 4 but it is considered to be one of the best. I thought the Mirror Universe arc was done better than those of other ST series. Nice twist at the end. The Vulcan arc was interesting and I like that Vulcans were not flawless as presented in other series. The Augments made a nice lead in for the Kahn story line. I do agree with what someone said in a previous post, Spinner's personality changed in the second episode. I thought it was an improvement. More misguided than evil.

 

[commodore64]

You give a valid reason for not liking season 4 but it is considered to be one of the best.

By whom? I think he can like or dislike whatever he wants to. And as a long-time TOS fan, I like season 3 better. I agree and think much of season 4 is fanwank where rather than mimic what makes TOS great, they drop references instead. Not superior television to me.

 

[DanCPA]

I enjoyed the Augment arc.

I enjoyed the *wink* to Trek audience. Come on, it was a good wink, down to having the same actor play Soong that played his son, that played all 3 of his droids!

 

[SFRabid]

You give a valid reason for not liking season 4 but it is considered to be one of the best.

By whom? ...

General consensus of every forum and fan site I have visited. Everywhere you go you meet people who consider seasons 3 and 4 the best while 2 is the worst. People who think 4 is among the worst instead of being among the best are in the minority. Nothing wrong with those opinions, but they are in the minority.

 

[KayArr]

I disliked most of season 4 other than the Vulcan trilogy, and disliked the Augments more than any other except the Mirror Universe. The only reason they did these 2 shows was to have Brent Spiner on, they served no other purpose for the story of the first Starship Enterprise. For the most part, any kind of work and growth for the acutal Enterprise characters came to a near standstill in season 4.

You give a valid reason for not liking season 4 but it is considered to be one of the best. I thought the Mirror Universe arc was done better than those of other ST series. Nice twist at the end. The Vulcan arc was interesting and I like that Vulcans were not flawless as presented in other series. The Augments made a nice lead in for the Kahn story line. I do agree with what someone said in a previous post, Spinner's personality changed in the second episode. I thought it was an improvement. More misguided than evil.

If it was considered one of the best, why didn't the ratings go up? Just because some folks who hated all of Enterprise except season 4 think it was the best doesn't mean the rest of us do. Sorry to sound bitter...I know that around here folks seem to like it best, but I think that there are plenty of "from day one" Enterprise fans who would disagree.

 

[KayArr]

You give a valid reason for not liking season 4 but it is considered to be one of the best.

By whom? ...

General consensus of every forum and fan site I have visited. Everywhere you go you meet people who consider seasons 3 and 4 the best while 2 is the worst. People who think 4 is among the worst instead of being among the best are in the minority. Nothing wrong with those opinions, but they are in the minority.

Forum and fansites are hardly representative of all fans. The vast majority of fans never visit either, so how can you really know?

Saying the my opinion is in the minority seems to devalue it. Go ahead and say internet fans like it best--but talk of consensus about it just bugs me.

 

[MattJC]

If it was considered one of the best, why didn't the ratings go up?

I don't know, maybe it was because UPN didn't do a damn thing to promote the show?

 

[KayArr]

Hmmm...real hits seem to have a hell of a lot more to do with word of mouth then network promotion. If all the internet Star Trek fans were loving season 4 so much and spreading the word to each other and really represented zillions of people...ratings should have climbed.