Was Enterprise Rushed Too Quickly?

[Admiral_Young]

I posted this in the Voyager fourm but its really an ENT discussion. I've always felt that UPN and Paramount rushed the prodcution of Enterprise too quickly after Voyager ended its run. I think that both the fans and the franchise would've been served better had the two taken some time to actually come up with a premise other than "we're doing to do a super cool prequel series that the fans are going to clamor over that'll chronicle events up to TOS" . I understand that there were certain events that they felt they had to capitlize on, such as signing Scott Bakula (who at the time IIC was close to signing with either NBC or Sci-Fi channel to produce a new Quantum Leap project) and were probably desperate to pump out another series to fill in Voyager's time slot for the next series.

I think though a break...maybe a year or two...to come up with a bible, characters, and plots that weren't just rehashes of previous episodes in the franchise and ship design that didn't resemble a peviously used one (Akira class obviously) etc. Instead of ENT premiring in the 2001/2002 fall season, bump it a year or two (potentially as lnog as the 2003/2004 season) sure you're not making any money but your giving the fans a break from the disapointing "Endgame" and getting them pysched for a new series (I was already psyched for ENT but then was pissed off again with "Broken Bow" also if you wanted to you could still sign Scott, let him go do Quantum Leap, then bring him back when you're ready to go into production. I think we would've gotten a better quality series than the one we got...maybe not, but those are just my thoughts.

Admiral Young

 

[Broccoli]

Maybe. I remember reading that Berman wanted to take a quick break after Voyager ended, but UPN/Paramount said no. A quick break would have at least recharged the batteries of the writers.

Then again, Enterprise might have been met with worse reaction. If it waited for a few years, there would have been a completely different cast, most likely a different writing team, etc. Who says a delayed project would have been better.

Then again again, I'm sure Berman and Co. would have loved to just take a season off after going (at that time) 14 straight.

 

[gblews]

Wrong question. The right one is; should the two burn out victims, Berman and Braga have been allowed to produce the show. The answer is, no.

Had TPTB chosen the the right production staff all the other stuff would likely have taken care of itself, including, possibly ratings. I wish Paramount had decided to search for the right producers with the right concept instead of going with the knee jerk decision to go with the Beebs.

Things like Scott being considered for the role of captain may never have happened, OR if it did, the character would likely have been written as something Bakula could handle.

 

[JiNX-01]

I seem to recall reading that Bermaga were given 6 months' notice by TIIC at UPN to come up with a new Trek series to follow Voyager.

With more time, a bit more thought might have gone into the overall story line. I also understand that the UPN bigwigs demanded that the show reflect lots of high tech, etc. (transporter, phasers, etc.)

 

[startrekwatcher]

JiNX-01 said:
I seem to recall reading that Bermaga were given 6 months' notice by TIIC at UPN to come up with a new Trek series to follow Voyager.

With more time, a bit more thought might have gone into the overall story line. I also understand that the UPN bigwigs demanded that the show reflect lots of high tech, etc. (transporter, phasers, etc.)

B&B began working on developing what would become ENT in season five of VOY. They worked on it for 2.5 years. Brannon began taking less responsibility for VOY handing it over to Biller in season seven after alternating duties in season six.

So there was plenty of time to polish it. There were struggles with the studio in determining if a prequel was the way to go which was one reason the TCW was added as an out should things not work out.

 

[kalysto]

JiNX-01 said: I also understand that the UPN bigwigs demanded that the show reflect lots of high tech, etc. (transporter, phasers, etc.)

Why didn't they just do a further future style Trek then, instead of trying to rewrite what many fans already knew of the series ? It could of even been a Federation faction in their little TCW going back and guiding events, best of both worlds; super high tech where they could let all their tech dreams come true (and inspire a new generation, just as TOS and TNG did), and a more realistic pre-TOS world.

In any case, I don't know if it was rushed. Personally, I was excited about a new series so soon after Voyager, considering I didn't watch past the first season.

 

[JiNX-01]

startrekwatcher said:

JiNX-01 said:
I seem to recall reading that Bermaga were given 6 months' notice by TIIC at UPN to come up with a new Trek series to follow Voyager.

With more time, a bit more thought might have gone into the overall story line. I also understand that the UPN bigwigs demanded that the show reflect lots of high tech, etc. (transporter, phasers, etc.)

B&B began working on developing what would become ENT in season five of VOY. They worked on it for 2.5 years. Brannon began taking less responsibility for VOY handing it over to Biller in season seven after alternating duties in season six.

So there was plenty of time to polish it. There were struggles with the studio in determining if a prequel was the way to go which was one reason the TCW was added as an out should things not work out.

Wow, 2.5 years? Gad. Burnout is a terrible thing.

 

[pookha]

kalysto said:

JiNX-01 said: I also understand that the UPN bigwigs demanded that the show reflect lots of high tech, etc. (transporter, phasers, etc.)

Why didn't they just do a further future style Trek then, instead of trying to rewrite what many fans already knew of the series ? It could of even been a Federation faction in their little TCW going back and guiding events, best of both worlds; super high tech where they could let all their tech dreams come true (and inspire a new generation, just as TOS and TNG did), and a more realistic pre-TOS world.

In any case, I don't know if it was rushed. Personally, I was excited about a new series so soon after Voyager, considering I didn't watch past the first season.

frankly very little is know of history pre tos in canon.
just really a few lines and a couple of dates here and there.

and even some of that contradicts each other.
for example when subspace radio existed is possibly contradicted in tos episodes.

the problem was fanon wise a lot of fans had set in their minds how things should be even if there wasnt a lot to back things up.

 

[Anna Yolei]

startrekwatcher said:

JiNX-01 said:
I seem to recall reading that Bermaga were given 6 months' notice by TIIC at UPN to come up with a new Trek series to follow Voyager.

With more time, a bit more thought might have gone into the overall story line. I also understand that the UPN bigwigs demanded that the show reflect lots of high tech, etc. (transporter, phasers, etc.)

B&B began working on developing what would become ENT in season five of VOY. They worked on it for 2.5 years. Brannon began taking less responsibility for VOY handing it over to Biller in season seven after alternating duties in season six.

But it's not like B&B weren't entirely hand-off with Voyager while working on that, was it? :is unsure: I'm hardly an apologist, but too much work is what went horribly wrong in the period of 1994-1995 with TNG ending, DS9, FC being filmed and VOY in pre-production.

That being said, a two-year breather could have helped everyone, Bermaga included.

 

[tambo]

i liked it i believe that enterprise is the best of the trek series with voyager coming in second years from now enterprise will be view as the best most of the episodes of tos & next gen are not that great

 

[kalysto]

pookha said:

the problem was fanon wise a lot of fans had set in their minds how things should be even if there wasnt a lot to back things up.

I don't think anything anyone could have done would of satisfied some of the more hardcore fans, whether the writers were refreshed or not.

I wonder if those who did not see any Voyager have a greater appreciation of Enterprise than those who did ? From what I have read of people's reviews, many storylines were rehashed quite blatantly. It didn't effect me, but I can see how it would be rather annoying.

 

[Anna Yolei]

kalysto said:
I wonder if those who did not see any Voyager have a greater appreciation of Enterprise than those who did ?

*Raises hand*

Enterprise was the only series I watched first-run, and I remember one of the first threads I saw when I registered to TBBS was something along the lines of "Is Enterprise Canon?" and a bunch of rather nitpicky and (IMO at the time) stupid reasons to claim a show was indeed not canon. I was rathe confounded and needless to sat, my account remain fairly inactive for another few months after that.

It wasn't before watching TNG and seeing Enterprise's third season that I could see Voyager for the hollow tripe that it is, and I can't blame a single viewer for not giving Enteprise a shot after that. I freely admit I wouldn't have.

 

[Jack Bauer]

Anna Yolei said:

startrekwatcher said:

JiNX-01 said:
I seem to recall reading that Bermaga were given 6 months' notice by TIIC at UPN to come up with a new Trek series to follow Voyager.

With more time, a bit more thought might have gone into the overall story line. I also understand that the UPN bigwigs demanded that the show reflect lots of high tech, etc. (transporter, phasers, etc.)

B&B began working on developing what would become ENT in season five of VOY. They worked on it for 2.5 years. Brannon began taking less responsibility for VOY handing it over to Biller in season seven after alternating duties in season six.

But it's not like B&B weren't entirely hand-off with Voyager while working on that, was it? :is unsure: I'm hardly an apologist, but too much work is what went horribly wrong in the period of 1994-1995 with TNG ending, DS9, FC being filmed and VOY in pre-production.

I don't think Berman was hands off but Braga turned over the show running duties to Biller for the seventh season. And then Braga wrote a couple of episodes in the final season. So he had less involvement then.

 

[CaptJimboJones]

Yes and no. The premise was solid, and the characters were great. So clearly they were able to put the fundamental idea for the show together just fine.

The problem, however, was in many of the stories they told during the first and second season. Too many of them weren't particularly original, especially to hardcore Trek fans. But I think this could have been avoided with a fresh new writing staff rather than a "break" after Voyager. Had the Season 4 writing team been in place from the beginning, I think we'd have seen really, really good ENT episodes from Day 1 without skipping a beat at all.

 

[Skywalker]

I do think the show would have benefited if UPN had let the Beebs take a break for a year or two, like they'd originally wanted to do. It would have given them more time to really nail down the characters and the era, and maybe they could have put down some really solid stories from the beginning.

However, it wasn't really the rush into production that was the main problem (IMO), it was the network interference that forced the TCW, no Romulans, the T&A, and the childish antics into the show. Although I can't really blame UPN for the stretch of boring/abysmal episodes in the middle of the second season.

 

[Admiral_Young]

I didn't know they were developing it as early as Voyager Season 5...I wonder what the other ideas were before it was conclusive they wanted to explore the prequel idea. Perhaps I asked the wrong question yet and no it wasn't should Berman and Braga be allowed to handle another series, as far as Paramount was concerned at this time, Berman had pumped out two pretty successful series so there was no reason for any concern on Paramount's part that another series would be any different. I just feel like it was somehow rushed and everyone would've been better served if there had been a break.

 

[T'Parm]

In hindsight I'm glad they didn't wait a few years, if they had Enterprise would have had less seasons. Once Moonves was in charge Enterprise was doomed.

 

[Jack Bauer]

Admiral_Young said:
I didn't know they were developing it as early as Voyager Season 5...I wonder what the other ideas were before it was conclusive they wanted to explore the prequel idea.

The prequel idea is what Berman decided on when he wasasked to develop a fifth series.

 

[Majisto]

pookha said:

frankly very little is know of history pre tos in canon.
just really a few lines and a couple of dates here and there.

and even some of that contradicts each other.
for example when subspace radio existed is possibly contradicted in tos episodes.

the problem was fanon wise a lot of fans had set in their minds how things should be even if there wasnt a lot to back things up.

to add, TOS wasn't written to sustain a 40 year franchise or have a richly developed and colorful universe built around it. it happened anyway and a lot of great ideas have been built upon the original series but look at how much of it has never been revisited again because the ideas were very blatantly scientifically unsound or an expression of cold war thoughts on technology and the future.

 

[Trekwatcher]

I strongly feel that a break would have been good. It would have given the fans more time to digest VOY, which I personally really enjoyed, and would have set up more anticipation for a new show. I think that ever since DS9 started during the run of TNG that there has been a real element of Star Trek fatigue, and I think that not having a break contributes significantly to it. 2-3 years between series would have been a good thing.

Less is more.