Why was the 4th season so much better than the rest?
- Thread starter K'Toska
- Start date
I suggest you look up the meaning of the word, "tart" when used to describe a woman, bro.I'm talking about T'pol's using cosmetics like a hotty would. I'm talking about wigs that look realistic and styled ... possibly even tinted. I'm talking about Season 4 finally realising that it's OK for Jolene Blalock to look great on STAR TREK television ... if somewhat belatedly.I have no idea of what you're talking about here.
SMH.
Yeomand Rand probably wore that wig because she wasn't allowed to carry a purse around - and used it to hold her cosmetics, credit cards, breath mints ... But are improved wigs really what made the 4th Season of -ENTERPRISE- "so much better than the rest?". I am beginning to wonder ...
The final year of this show has a lot of great things on offer. One is a couple of decent 2 parters. That whole Terra Prime thing was very well written. I understand the stated reason for the T'Pol/Trip hybrid, but if it were taken out of the story, would it really change things that much? It seemed a little forced to me, like what terrorist would really need that, when the scars from the Xindi attack were still fresh?
The Vulcan episodes were deeply flawed, especially with Archer staying in "custody" at the Syranite camp for so long. Again, these are Surak's people and teachings at works here. All T'Pau would've ever had to do was meld with T'Pol to know and understand the truth. There were all kinds of incidental reasons for this or that treatment of Archer & T'Pol, but again, it was kind of hard to believe we were looking at Surak's "true" philosophy.
The Mirror Universe episodes were what they were, but the tonality was so different from the TOS version, I found it hard to believe they were one-in-the-same. The augment storyline just went on and on for way too long and it really did feel stretched out and Brent Spiner wasn't that good in his episodes. I know I'm supposed to be in awe over it all, but the augment cast themselves, were amazing! They were alot of fun to watch. So ... for me, Season 4's reputation as being the crème de la crème of this series is hype, mostly. It's like one of those things you "say" like how "Trouble with Tribbles" is such a hillarious TOS comedy, when the humour's really kind of flat and the whole thing's boring, actually ...
The final year of this show has a lot of great things on offer. One is a couple of decent 2 parters. That whole Terra Prime thing was very well written. I understand the stated reason for the T'Pol/Trip hybrid, but if it were taken out of the story, would it really change things that much? It seemed a little forced to me, like what terrorist would really need that, when the scars from the Xindi attack were still fresh?
The Vulcan episodes were deeply flawed, especially with Archer staying in "custody" at the Syranite camp for so long. Again, these are Surak's people and teachings at works here. All T'Pau would've ever had to do was meld with T'Pol to know and understand the truth. There were all kinds of incidental reasons for this or that treatment of Archer & T'Pol, but again, it was kind of hard to believe we were looking at Surak's "true" philosophy.
The Mirror Universe episodes were what they were, but the tonality was so different from the TOS version, I found it hard to believe they were one-in-the-same. The augment storyline just went on and on for way too long and it really did feel stretched out and Brent Spiner wasn't that good in his episodes. I know I'm supposed to be in awe over it all, but the augment cast themselves, were amazing! They were alot of fun to watch. So ... for me, Season 4's reputation as being the crème de la crème of this series is hype, mostly. It's like one of those things you "say" like how "Trouble with Tribbles" is such a hillarious TOS comedy, when the humour's really kind of flat and the whole thing's boring, actually ...
I agree about that. I think it was just inserted by B/B to justify Trip and T'Pol being split up in TATV.
Right! But ... you know, I won't deny that it was cute to see T'Pol's attempts at bonding with her binary clone and trying to be a good mum, even in the most peculiar and unfortunate of circumstances. It wasn't a completely useless addition to the story, it had its moments, but in the end, yeah ... it did feel kind of manipulative. And that's always bugged me, because it seemed like it was there, mostly to motivate the audience into siding with The Good Guys. Same as giving Peter Weller's character a disease that only alien medicine could cure, to make him come off as a hypocrite. Is it not enough that he's prepared to blow up the earth to keep aliens off it? I mean ... it did seem rather convenient, especially, to give T'Pol something else to judge him on. There were problems with the writing, but the themes overall were good to touch on. Like terrorism and people's fear of change and the demonising of people they don't want to like or know. TERRA PRIME went down some interesting roads, indeed ...
The baby actually played a pretty important role; she was presented by Terra Prime to all of Earth as evidence that human/alien (in this case Vulcan) interbreeding could yield offspring. This allowed Terra Prime to stoke fears that the human race could (or would) be bred out of existence.
The scars from the Xindi attack bred anger at the Xindi as well as Starfleet. Baby Elizabeth stoked fear of "genocide". The two emotions combined could well have accomplished what TP wanted, which was all out war against aliens on earth. It seemed like a logical part of TP's plan, to me, especially since it had been widely thought that humans and aliens could not produce offspring. Showing humanity that it could be done provided an additional thing to worry about.
I thought that was a parallel with the hypocrisy of the Nazis, i.e. none of the big leaders resembled a blond Aryan superman. Goering was obese; Goebbels had a club foot. Maybe the point is that, with this kind of extremist position, some sort of illicit compromise is inevitable.
But if you watch Peter Weller's speech, the baby is basically mentioned as a throw-away line. Also (as I said elsewhere) a cute lil' baby is more likely to make people go goo-goo than scream in outrage. It would have made more sense to crossbreed with something repulsive to humans, e.g. a Tellarite.
Agreed. Peter's character does excuse his own hypocracy with the dismissive observation that he's "not the first visionary who didn't live up to his own ideals."
I wish they would've done it like that - brilliant! And you were right that Berman seems to have never wanted Trip & T'Pol to be anything but Friends with Bennies. Yet, if it was going to be about Trip & T'pol, then she should've gotten pregnant, "recently." This would get leaked to Terra Prime's operative, somehow - even ahead of Trip's knowing. Then kidnap T'Pol to make an example out of her and other mothers who are in a Human/alien relationship. Paxton (?) and his followers can then show that this is becoming much more common. And naturally, yes, the more alien/creature-like looking kid(s) will be marched up to the camera with Peter Weller narrating about the horror of it all.
Now the stakes are even higher regarding mounting a rescue. The actual episode obviously tries hard to stay in controlled situations, to $ave money, and give the existing cast something to do. Unfortunately, the story suffers for it, a little bit. In any event, it was always kind of obvious with T'Pol that she had it in her to be - or, at least, want to be - a good mum. This was shown in too Human a way in the actual thing, maybe, but ... that's STAR TREK, for you.
I think this would have been a much more believable way of handling it, and would have given the characters more of an emotional stake than a surprise clone baby (though the actors did well with the situation). And the crew making a multi-species raid to rescue T'Pol could have helped to show the world who the good guys are.
Season 4 often feels confined by its budget, but Terra Prime does feel especially claustrophobic. Couldn't they even budget for some wider lenses to make stuff look bigger?
However, Vulcans are the ones that have a century-long relationship as overlords --- benevolent, but still overlords --- who could be portrayed as colonizing Earth to the benefit of Vulcan. Tellarites might be uglier, but they haven't got associations like that.
Interesting that you should mention the semantics of the speech. I've read, and I've heard Connor Trineer say , that Weller spent a lot of time "in his trailer rewriting his lines". And apparently because of his star power, they allowed him to do that...I wonder if this speech was something that he fiddled with, and perhaps the original speech had the baby mentioned in some other context ?
Just a thought.
Good point.
I actually prefer Season 3. The Xindi arc had me at the edge of my seat. I was 16, though. Haven't watched it since. (I'm on my first ENT rewatch right now, so we'll see how things go.)
But yeah, Season 4 was good, too. I was legtinately depressed for a while when the series was cancelled, especially since it'd not been so log since Farscape was cancelled, too. My teenage heart had been stabbed.
Something something something Les Moonves.
But yeah, Season 4 was good, too. I was legtinately depressed for a while when the series was cancelled, especially since it'd not been so log since Farscape was cancelled, too. My teenage heart had been stabbed.
Something something something Les Moonves.
Nick Meyer and other directors have said, before, that actors are great at pointing out that a scene's flawed and not working. BUT ... their solutions are seldom, if ever, actually very useful, at all. I'm convinced of that ...I've read, and I've heard Connor Trineer say , that Weller spent a lot of time "in his trailer rewriting his lines". And apparently because of his star power, they allowed him to do that...I wonder if this speech was something that he fiddled with, and perhaps the original speech had the baby mentioned in some other context ?
Just a thought.
Regardless of your perception of what the reaction to the baby was, my point had to do with the baby's role in TP's little mini revolution.
Further, I don't know how much time you thought would have been appropriate for Weller to have given to talking about the baby but, per the story, TP's "bombshell" was simply showing the baby to Earth's population. TP apparently felt that showing the baby would be pivotal in swaying public opinion to their side and against Starfleet.
This is the reason I stated that the baby's role was a lot more significant than you may have understood it to be.
It's a Trek show. Everyone knows the odd/even-numbered rule for movies, but we tend to ignore the other rule: Trek shows start with season 4. Season 1-3? Ignore them (for the most part). Works for all the modern-era Treks.
Well ... T'Pol did remind the father in the end that, "Elizabeth was important."
Let me ask you, gblews: Did you feel that the 4th season of -ENTERPRISE- was "so much better than the rest"? I'm in full agreement with O'Conner, in preferring Season Three. Personally, I just found it to be much more satisfying ... in the final analysis.
Not really. I really like the second season of TNG (superior cinematography, music and sense of wonder) and I think it's almost universally agreed that the third season is when the series got great (through Michael Piller's writing and creative leadership).It's a Trek show. Everyone knows the odd/even-numbered rule for movies, but we tend to ignore the other rule: Trek shows start with season 4. Season 1-3? Ignore them (for the most part). Works for all the modern-era Treks.
Same thing with DS9: The second season is my favorite of the whole show and the third is seen by many as the moment when the show found its footing (with the arrival of the Defiant and the introduction of the Dominion).
And I must say, I feel the same about Enterprise: it's not the fourth season that's the best, it's the third! At least to me. The show had a sense of purpose and a unique style in its third year. The fourth is good, but it's a lot of fanwank and three-parters that really should be two-parters.
