Enterprise

[ShellyCW]

I'm a newly minted Star Trek geek, so I'm eager to hear what others think about Enterprise on UPN.  
My thoughts:
Some of the individual plots are a bit weak, but I enjoy the majority of the episodes which turn out to be character driven.  The characters are very promising, though the southern guy's (Trip?) home spun analogies can get annoying.  One of the latest episodes reveals some interesting tidbits about the evolution of the Vulcan ideology--one of my favorite episodes so far.  All in all, I'd give Enterprise 2 thumbs up.   However, they need to replace that god awful theme song.

 

[Christy]

I love Star Trek Enterprise!  Definitely a two thumbs up from me also.  The song has got to go!  Whoever came up with that crap should be drawn and quartered!  I can't imagine it "growing on me" and ever liking it.  

Are you into any of the other Star Trek series?  We've got almost every Next Generation on tape (and have been known to have all day marathons!), and we watch Voyager every night at 10:00.  

 

[ShellyCW]

I first got into Star Trek from Next Gen.  (Patrick Stewart )
I looooooove Next Gen, and we're working on getting all the episodes on tape as well.  Recently, I've really gotten into the original series, much to my lingering pre-Trekkie embarassment.  I love the chemistry between Spock, Kirk, and Bones.  I've seen random episodes of Deep Space 9 and the finale of Voyager.  My husband didn't like Voyager, and he's been my mentor into Trekkie-dom so I have a (largely untested) bias against it.  

Unless I'm mistaken, they're currently working on a new Next Gen movie.

 

[Christy]

I hated Voyager when it first started.  Didn't watch it for like a year, then caught it one night and the characters had finally come together to make a great show.  Captain Janeway's voice has always been a pet peeve of mine.  Just something about it makes me want to smack her!  I think my favorite episode was when the Doctor (who's a hologram) got dowloaded into 7 of 9's body (she's got Borg parts) and went a little crazy.  

You really should watch it sometime.  It's on every night at 10:00 on UPN

 

[Frank]

I guess, like a lot of recent sci-fi shows - I really had higher hopes for this show. It doesn't interest me. Actually, I basically didn't like Voyager, either, because unlike Next Gen or DS9 - the characters were too bland. On NextGen, you had a few very good actors like Levar Burton, Patrick Stewart and Colm Meaney, and some really bad ones, but in every character, you had a good feeling of what they'd be like in person. (However, its first season was SO bad, it's a good thing I caught it later). Voyager, and now, Enterprise - the characters don't seem to interest me. They're flat - caricatures (except Bakula).

Secondly - the stories so far haven't been very imaginative to me. I *do* like the idea that space is still very unknown; that they actually DO have to learn new languages; they still haven't met the Romulans, and don't really know the Klingons; the ship is kind of, well, ship-like - rough, and not palatial like the later ships would be; the rough edges of working with an arrogant, logical emotionless race; they brought back the Andorians!; and so on. They are actually *explorers*, and not as in NextGen, kind of a ship on patrol (I never could understand how after centuries of exploration, there was still so much frontier *within* the borders of Federation space). But the stories haven't been as fascinating as even some of the more clever ones of the original series.

I also hate the theme, but I do know that some of its style is intended. They wanted to be able to pitch this show as Trek, but yet not Trek. No scene after scene opening shots of the ship through space, no symphonic opening. They even intentionally left off the "Star Trek: Enterprise" kind of title they could have used, but went with the simpler Enterprise. It does work, kind of. Because its a 'prequel' series, it *can't* have the same look and feel the other three later shows all had.

 

[Christy]

Frank, I have to disagree with you on the characters on Voyager.  They have become my favorite.  Especially "The Doctor" and "7 of 9".  Some of the first year episodes sucked, but after that, they rocked.  I think Voyager will pick up also.  Right now they are building character relationships.  The Start Trek I never really got into was Deep Space 9.

 

[Frank]

Nah. I do agree about the Doctor, and I thought his portrayal as 7 of 9 was *really* good. Even had her head movements down. But I've seen Robert Picardo in many roles, and he's a good actor. Beltran, on the other hand - was *terrible*, and his character Chakotay, never really does all that much. The only persons who were interesting to me were Kes, 7, the Doctor and maybe Echeb.

The others were way too one-dimensional. Like Harry Kim. What kind of person is he? You never know (actually what *amazes* me about Harry Kim is he managed to stay an Ensign for seven years). Tom? All you know is, he's a reckless overgrown kid. B'Elanna? A hothead who knows a lot of stuff. Even Janeway got on my nerves because her character was written recklessly. At the beginning of the series, she has very high moral standards. Throughout the series, she changes constantly.

By comparison, I liked Worf and Miles O'Brien on NextGen, and they both went on to DS9 (which also had its mix of interesting characters, and bad ones, like Avery Brooks). Colm Meaney had some of the best scenes on either show. I still liked an episode where the viewers first meet the Cardassians, and that Miles fought in that war. He shows contempt for the Cardassian representative, who continually shows courtesy. Later, when he shares a drink with the guest, he mentioned how he fought in that war - how he struggled in hand to hand with a Cardassian, firing his weapon at him, not knowing it was set to kill. He mentions with horror how the man was vaporized before him. And then he says "I never killed a man before. I don't hate YOU, Cardassian - I hate what your kind MADE me".  A good scene.

I guess we'll have to disagree. I stopped watching Voyager *because* of weak characterization. Occasionally I'd watch if a good guest star came on (such as Daniel Dae Kim, who appeared in that Voyager episode where they were trapped in orbit above a planet where time was going very fast. He was outstanding in that one).

 

[ShellyCW]

I have no idea about the chronology in the opening credits because I always fast forward through them because of the song.  
Awww, Vicos, I can't believe you're embarassed by the original ST.  It had many, many corny moments, poorly designed aliens, bad female characters, William Shatner and loudly colored sets--but it was so optimistic about humanity's future.  I think the Star Trek series has been one of the very few shows in the past 30-40 years to show a hopeful future.  Every movie and TV show today has a nihilistic outlook on where we're going.  
Besides Spock eschews the old cliched non-human character who strives to be more human.  Not only does Spock embrace his Vulcan side, he actively stays away from his half human nature.  I love Next Gen. but they dig into that cliche with Data, who is otherwise a great character.

 

[Kyle]

I watched last season’s shows and liked them. Some weren't so good but overall

It isn't as action oriented as the 60's version, but I figure on giving it a couple seasons to find its sea legs.

I like that its more primitive technology from an earlier time... no shields, outrageous weaponry etc. And I was more of a fan of the campy ole 60's shows anyway.

As for the music I actually like it and the opening sequences from Da Vinci-Wright Bros.-Bell X1-Mercury-Apollo etc. to our current space program. Not sure why they picked a Rod Stewart song but I think it works.

 

[czygvtwkr]

Anyone watch this last season? I think they have really turned it around and made it much more interesting with the Xindi threatening to destry earth.

But you would think with such a big thing that the series set in the future would have mentioned something like that, I mean that is pretty darn significant.