Watching Enterprise for the first time on DVD. A critique

[SirAnthony]

Hi all,
I'm new to this board but I have been a big ST fan for many years. I really like the philosiphy of the shows. That being man kind going into the future. Handleing problems in new and different ways. I think the prime directive was brilliant forward thinking. I loved alot of the characters and thier unique problems and special abilities. I especiually loved episodes where they were caught in some anomily that forced them to think differently to save themselves.

I have been watching several episodes every week on DVD. I am half way through the fourth season. I have to say I'm very disapointed in the show.

First I didn't really like the idea of going back in time instead of looking forward. ST is about going forward. But thats not really the problem with the show. The problem is they seemed to have abanodoned many things that made ST great. The impression I got from the first season was they were trying to do Gunsmoke in space. I swear some of the plots were flat out rip offs from old westerns. This gave the show a real dated feel from the start. It's like the writers were plain tired of ST and decided they were going to do another show. Only they would call it Enterprise and have it on a ship in outer space. The best shows in the first season were the time travel cold war story line. In the special feature interview the creators of the show acted as if that story line was put there because the studio wanted something Sci Fi in the show. I think the studio was right.

There were a few good shows in the first two seasons. The time travel episodes (except the conclusion the cliff hanger between season one and two). A couple of episodes when they were attacked by pirates were good. But the show also suffered from the convieniant ending syndrome. There was a real problem with the show creating this big scenario. Then realizing they had no more time, just end the episode with a rediculous quicky. A perfect example is the episode when Archer is on trial by the Klingon empire. It wasn't a bad eposode. But Archer gets sentenced to this horrible prison that no one has ever escaped from. Not only that, but most prisoners only live for a year. So what happens? One day some one from enterprise waltzes into the prison and says "lets go". The end.

I had heard that the series gets better during the third and fourth season. I was dissapointed that it only got worse. The cowboy diplomacy was just too much. One of the things I like about ST is the show setting examples of how mankind would handle diplomacy and other situatuations differently in the future. Instead we have Archer torturing prisiners for information. This left a bad taste in my mouth. Not onlt did it happen once but several times. Then Enterprise turns to piracy themselves by raiding another friendly ship. I couldn't believe they actually did that. I was hoping they would return to that ship later and give the warp core back. But it never happened. Somehow I can't help feeling that the series was influenced by Sept 11th. If so it's too bad people are willing to give up thier ideals during a time of crisis like our president has.

There were some cool apects to season three. The whole sphere scenario and spacial distortions was a very cool idea that did not get explored nearly to my satisaction. The five xindi races were sort of cool. It would have been nice to learn more of how that was possible. They even mentioned a sixth extinct race but never elaborated. I think there were alot of missed oportunities in season three. Instead they did the end of the world thing. Somehow the Xindi had the technoligy to travel in warp conduits like the Borg do hundreds of years later. It works for me! The best eposode in season three was when Enterprise showed up from the past and we met old tpal. This was the only episode of enterprise were I actually cared about the characters.

Speaking of characters... That is another big problem with the show. There werent any good characters. I couldn't have cared less about any one of them. Characters have always been the heart of ST. Kirk, Spock and Bones were the heart of the first series. Then we had Data who was the best all time ST character. Patric Stuwart is a great actor and was born to be Picard. Deana Troy was a good "B" character. In Voyager we had the holographic doctor. The doctor is so close to taking over the number one spot in my mind. What a great funny character. Love her or hate her, you gota give Janeway credit for her dominating presense. For a couple of years 7of9 was more than a pretty face. A very interesing character who also happened to be STACKED! I loved Voyager and think it was the best of the best ST series. Good shows week after week after week. I don't mention DS9 because I hated that show. With the exception of Quark.

Back to Enterprise characters. Lets start with Archer. I felt he was miscast from the start. He was too nice a guy and just didn't have the right presence for the part. Later he turns into real jerk. It's no wonder Trip wants the hell off the ship. Speaking of trip... Once you get past the obvious cowboy oakie from wiskokie thing he was the best character on the show. But on NG or Voyager he would have been a "B" character at best. Tpal. Why was she there???? She was horrible. Absolutly horrible. The rest of the characters I could take or leave. I don't think it would have mattered if any of them weren't there. The doctor was sort of likeable. The Armoury guy needed a good ass wooping.

I still haven't seen the infamous final epesode. But I do know why Enterprise failed.

[Founder]

Yeah all of your credibility went out the window when you said you hated DS9...

Not to mention, its painfully obvious you're trying to mix your politics with Star Trek. A topic I made in the DS9 section deal with that. The show will never work when you try to do that.

[SirAnthony]

[Lt.CommanderTuvok]

I respect your opinion about enterprise being a disappointment, but it wasnt a total disaster, we got to see some parts of that time period that played its role, even tho there should have been so much more. There wasnt much of a prime directive before the federation was established, and it meant doing whatever it takes to survive.I didnt like archers decision to take a warp coil from a friendly ship and use it to complete its mission, but as its stands, other races would have commited to piracy just the same to enterprise, and was done on occasion. As for archer torchering people in a sense, it was imparitive to the survival of the human race and earth, because everyone was practically involved in a xindi plot or working for them in some form, and being nice wasnt the best idea in the expanse, it would have gotten you killed.So i can see why archer was the way he was.

In all enterprise was a good show, it just needed more add-ons to the episodes, to unfold more stories of the time period.I was happy they played enterprise, it was something else to look forward to.

[SirAnthony]

[PrankishSmart]

Enterprise DVD's are going to be dusty in 20 years time. It's not going to be something that people still like to watch, like TNG on DVD is now 20 years later something people still watch and is still put on TV. No one will remember ENT in 20 years.

[ZiriDelvar]

I tend to agree that Enterprise will never have the same impact the other shows had. I think it will be memorable only as the last attempt at a Star Trek series.

[Sonic74205]

I understand that this is your descision and your own evaluation of that show and how everyone is different. But i disagree with you. I love ENTERPRISE but not so much that im am oblivious to its problems. In my opinion season 1 & 2 were excellent. They seemed more like the episodes Gene Rodenberry would want. A slower science fiction story where everything is explained and evaluated. I also liked season 3 too, it shows some of the extremes people will go to just to find the truth and how people can slip away and changed after a tragic series of events. Season 4 however. I wasnt keen on, It tryed to link with the other Star Treks which was a VERY bad idea. Also if you realised they made the character story lay out more like the origional series. In the origional it was mainly Kirk, Spock & McCoy. In Season 4 Enterprise is was mainly Archer, Tucker & T'Pol. A very bad idea indeed. One of the main things enterprised lacked was character building and A & B story lines in an episode.

Enterprise was a great show and had the potential to be a hell of alot more but it god held down by the star trek fans and the other star trek shows. Enterprise was based on the same idea as Smallville. It had no connections to the previous series. Accept in the end Enterprise tryed to mimic the other series and this lead to its downfall. The actors were great, the characters were great the enterprise universe was great and the idea was great. But in the end its was made into something is wasnt.

Im sorry SirAnthony but i strongly disagree with you. Also i love DS9 and i certainly dont think Voyager was the best Star Trek show.

[JupiterPrime]

[Vincent]

[SirAnthony]

I'm glad to see some responses to this. I went to alot of trouble to write it because I felt the need to express my opinion on the show. It would have been nice to have a proof reader/editor but oh well. I see different people have different opinions on the show. Thats is normal.

I'm 41 years old. I have been watching Star Trek since I was a kid. I'm probably too old for it now but I still love it. I may be a little jaded watching TV all these years. I require a certain amount of sophistication in any program I watch. There was just too much wrong with Enterprise in my opinion. But I can still watch NG or Voyager and love them. I even purchased the original series on DVD and I'm enjoying that. I give it some slack because it was made in the 60's. Sometimes I see some mediocre acting etc. It's kind of campy but I still like it.

I have also been watching the first eposodes of DS9 and some of the episodes are not bad. I just didn't like the whole Maquee era of ST. I didn't like the direction the series took later on. I agree the religious aspect was annoying. Painting Sisco as some kind of profet was hard to swallow. I used to get real annoyed with Major Kira. But looking at her now... God she is really cute!

[Founder]

[SirAnthony]

I seriously doubt that the continuity of the series was the main reason for the downfall of Enterprise. It's as simple as this. The majority of people who were faithful to ST did not like the show. Otherwise it would still be on the air.

[JupiterPrime]

Im not going to get suckered in to a debate about the usefulness or need of religion - if it works for you, fine - personally I think its a useless waste of time. but hey whatever floats your boat, just as long as you understand that mine deserves to float just as much as yours

[Founder]

[Lord Borg]

I'll agree to the canon Violatons there was plenty of them, but there was also to much nit picking on the fans part. They found violations where they didn't exsist. THEN the reaction is "We didn't want it cancelled....just fixed" well, what the HELL do you think will happen when no one watches it, and does nothing but bitch about it? Pretty obvius to me. It's a shame this happend to the actors, the cast was wonderful.

[Sonic74205]

I agree with what all of you were saying about the cast. From the very first episode the acting was superb. Definatly the best out of all Star Trek. You watch the first season of TNG, DS9 & VOY and you will see that some of the acting was absolutly appauling. Mainly from Ensign Kim, Commander Sisko, Dr. Bashir, Councellor Troi. But then you watch the very first few episodes of Enterise and you will be amazed at the difference. Trust me on this one

Also yes the continuity was an issue among the fans. I think the makers of enterprise shouldnt have been influenced by fans so easily. If they didnt listen to all of the fans complaints and suggestions then it wouldnt have suddenly gotten worse.

Also the episodes of ENTERPRISE that had been done before in other trek series. I actually think that many of the cover episodes they did were actually more like the episode it should have been for the other series. Episodes like "Singularity" & "North Star". "
North Star" is a re-make of "The 37s" From Voyager and i think the enterprise version was mutch better.
"Singularity" is a re-make of Voyagers "Scientific Method" Which was taken from The Next Generations "Schisms" I think the best is "Schisms" followed by "Singularity", "Scientific Method" comes last in my books.

[Kuro-chan]

[Vincent]

[Lord Borg]

[Sonic74205]

[SirAnthony]

Well I think we can all agree to disagree. I wish we had more ST to look forward to!