I don't know. I don't really think in terms of "overrated". I am used to not being in line with popular opinion.
Watching Enterprise First
- Thread starter GulBahana
- Start date
Being an avid ST fan for as long as I can remember, it's not surprising that my 9 year old has become a huge fan as well.
Her first exposure to the ST universe was Enterprise - although not at my request or insistence. I had been re-watching ENT and was on season 2 when my daughter (7 at the time) begged me to watch it (I honestly never pushed it on her though, as I wanted her to come to ST on her own free will). I told her that maybe some of the stories would be too adult for her, but she continued to beg me. After talking it over with my wife I agreed to let her watch ENT. We watched Broken Bow and she immediately asked to watch another, then another... she was hooked!
Since then she's watched all of ENT, TNG, DS9, and now we're on VOY season 3. At the completion of every series she's cried -- I think because she knows she'll miss the characters (and, as I've told her, you only get to watch something for the first time once). Watching ST has become a reward for good behavior and it's been a very special time for us to share. Honestly, I'll miss these times with her when we complete all of the series. I've been able to watch these stories again for the first time -- but this time through my daughter's eyes.
So, with that backstory out of the way, to the OP's question - I've asked my daughter what series she likes best so far and she tells me that her favorite is TNG, but she still loves ENT, if for nothing else because it was her first.
In the end, I guess it doesn't matter what series you start with - it just matters that you start watching
Her first exposure to the ST universe was Enterprise - although not at my request or insistence. I had been re-watching ENT and was on season 2 when my daughter (7 at the time) begged me to watch it (I honestly never pushed it on her though, as I wanted her to come to ST on her own free will). I told her that maybe some of the stories would be too adult for her, but she continued to beg me. After talking it over with my wife I agreed to let her watch ENT. We watched Broken Bow and she immediately asked to watch another, then another... she was hooked!
Since then she's watched all of ENT, TNG, DS9, and now we're on VOY season 3. At the completion of every series she's cried -- I think because she knows she'll miss the characters (and, as I've told her, you only get to watch something for the first time once). Watching ST has become a reward for good behavior and it's been a very special time for us to share. Honestly, I'll miss these times with her when we complete all of the series. I've been able to watch these stories again for the first time -- but this time through my daughter's eyes.
So, with that backstory out of the way, to the OP's question - I've asked my daughter what series she likes best so far and she tells me that her favorite is TNG, but she still loves ENT, if for nothing else because it was her first.
In the end, I guess it doesn't matter what series you start with - it just matters that you start watching
This. I wish more of the new movie critics could realize this, that any Trek, good or bad, has the change to get people into the older series.In the end, I guess it doesn't matter what series you start with - it just matters that you start watching
Enterprise tops few fans' list of favorite series, but without it I never would have watched VOY, TNG or DS9.
I don't know. I don't really think in terms of "overrated". I am used to not being in line with popular opinion.
I've only been on the boards for a year but I haven't found the majority of your opinions to be that out there. Except for you not having a problem with T'Pol's drug addiction. But even then, less people here seem to mind than on other boards (particularly House of Tucker and Triaxian Silk).
I keep some of my edgier opinions to myself! I mean, what would happen if people found out I think the TNG movies are better than the TV show?
There was a....particular group of fans that felt the drug use was done for a purpose of hooking her up with Tucker. I don't necessarily agree, but I do think it more talented writers could've put the two of them together without introducing that particular element in the mix. It was already hinted at during Breaking the Ice (or at least the foundation laid down).
Blasphemy!I keep some of my edgier opinions to myself! I mean, what would happen if people found out I think the TNG movies are better than the TV show?
I admit TNG as a whole doesn't hold up as much as it used to for me. Some episodes are still good to rewatch, but the perfect utopia with no internal conflicts besides that horrendously forced Bones/Spock thing with Pulaski/Data....yeah, not so much.
I went to one of your past blog posts with your take on the characters. Jolene Blalock never struck me as perky though her love for Spock and TOS comes through. I thought she became more likable as the show went on (especially in season 3) but unfortunately, bad first impressions stick for some peopleI keep some of my edgier opinions to myself! I mean, what would happen if people found out I think the TNG movies are better than the TV show?
I think that's why the drug use gets a lot more hate on the boards in my last post than on Trek BBS. These are Trip/T'Pol shipper sites so they feel it cheapens their relationship (not to mention her character). Some non-shippers take the drug addiction as proof she didn't really love Trip. It didn't help that the Amanda Cole storyline was also contrived (more so than the drugs in my mind). Why not just build from the friendship started in Breaking the Ice?
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Ok, I don't get out much. I hadn't come across the "shipper" term before. Thank goodness for urban dictionary.
I don't know which post you're refering to, but I suspect I was talking about the actual actor, who was such a contrast to the character she played.
EDIT: Or I think I described T'Pau from season 4 as perky. Maybe you got the name mixed up.
Y'know, I think part of it is just subconscious puritanism as well - these characters we love cannot do drugs!
I wouldn't say that trellium means T'Pol didn't love Trip, but I think it could easily be argued that she needed some sort of "ice-breaker", otherwise nothing would have overcome her cultural inhibitions.
If the writers had foreshadowed the trellium thing, and shown T'Pol deliberately exploring emotional interactions before the "whoops I'm nekkid" scene happened, the whole thing would have been less jarring and therefore more acceptable. That's my theory.
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This was the post I was talking about. More specifically, the sentence with "perky girl-next-door Blalock." But if you really want to talk about actor/character difference, the the biggest one is between Bakula and Archer. Everyone talked about how he was a good leader in real life but that didn't always come across in the inconsistently written Archer. For honorable mention, there's Anthony Montgomery, who comes off as bubbly in interviews. https://eyeresist.wordpress.com/2011/04/11/star-trek-enterprise-episode-ratings/
I don't disagree with you about drugs removing inhibitions to acting on your true emotions. Of course it would have taken long for T'Pol to admit she was in love with Trip if it wasn't for the trellium. But it doesn't negate Anna's point that with better writing, it's not necessary. Almost everything about Harbinger was jarring. In fact, we got zero clue she was using drugs until Damage. So once I heard she was using trellium to explore emotions, I felt like they were telling, not showing.
I don't deny that some people think certain characters can't possibly do drugs. But with the heroin epidemic being in the news a lot (a least in the States), we know it's possible for well-accomplished people to get addicted. Personally, I don't have a problem with the idea that T'Pol could fall into that, just the execution. If they said she was using trellium to build up immunity (an idea used in some fanfictions) or to deal with the stress of the Expanse, people would have been more accepting. But as a touch telepath, she's exposed to Trip's emotions regularly when she does neuropressure. The writers seemed to forget this. In other words, she doesn't need trellium at all to explore human emotion.
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Speaking of irony, back when this show was on the air in first run, the biggest critics of Archer as written were fans of Scott Bakula's work on QL. They came for him and became Tucker fans when it was clear that Archer was written all over the place (to be very, very kind). Suffice it to say there was a significant amount of fans that supported killing him off and placing Trip in charge.
So true! I came for Bakula, but I stayed for the Tucker and Reed. Mostly Reed. Though I DID like Archer well enough. Even though the writing was all over the place, Archer was always likeable enough to me. But that may have been Bakula coming through his character.
I came into Enterprise cold turkey. To me, season one Archer came across as a bigoted ass towards Vulcan. In the interest of disclosure, I'm black myself, and it's entirely possible I read more into that than B&B intended. But given I heard similar sentiments from others, I wasn't the only one thinking it or missing whatever TIIC were trying to convey.
I'm Caucasian, but I agree that Archer came off as bigoted towards T'Pol. I'm not sure if that was intentional or not. I mean, it gave us a starting point, and showed how much he grew as a character in the following year. I thought the friendship they developed was more poignant- knowing how Archer felt about T'Pol in the beginning.
Also, I found Soval to be extremely condescending towards humans (though I wouldn't call it bigoted like Archer). Likewise, the growth he showed through the series, culminating with his staunch support of Archer by Season 4, was also very poignant to me.
The writing was inconsistent to the extent that I just try to ignore the dissonance. One of the good things about season 1's "Fallen Hero" (ep 22) is seeing how far Archer and T'Pol's relationship has warmed, but then in season 4's "Home" Archer is shouting at the Vulcans as though nothing has changed since the pilot episode.
I agree that Soval's growth was good to see. I think we all love his exchange with Trip in season 4:
SOVAL: I lived on Earth for more than 30 years, Commander. In that time I developed an affinity for your world and its people.
TUCKER: You did a pretty good job of hiding it.
SOVAL: Thank you.
TUCKER: You did a pretty good job of hiding it.
SOVAL: Thank you.
I liked Archer, I don't think that in Broken Bow he was ever really captain material, I always felt as if a large part of him being the captain of the first warp 5 starship was because he was the engine creators son. I did feel like he became a half decent captain during the first 2 seasons but from season 3 onwards he had also learned to make the more difficult calls.
Michelle Erica Green seems to think that they were telling us through V'Lar that Archer and T'Pol's friendship had grown instead of showing. For the record, I find her to be one of the more thoughtful reviewers out there, even when I don't agree with her.
http://www.trektoday.com/reviews/enterprise/fallen_hero.shtml
Personally I found Archer to be the most bigoted in TATV with "you never trusted Andorians." But later it gives us one of the best friendly moments between him and T'Pol. Go figure.
http://www.trektoday.com/reviews/enterprise/fallen_hero.shtml
Personally I found Archer to be the most bigoted in TATV with "you never trusted Andorians." But later it gives us one of the best friendly moments between him and T'Pol. Go figure.
I remember watching Home, and thinking that his rant towards Soval was for once justified. It's been awhile since I saw the episode, but from what I recall it came across as Soval doing some major Monday quarterbacking of the Xindi mission and Archer being wound tight from all the shit they'd just been through.
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