I've figured it out...I know what's wrong with Enterprise!

[WillParkinson]

There is NO emotional investment in most of the characters. With Star Trek: TNG, Deep Space 9 and even to an extent Voyager you at least had a connection to the characters.

In the episode of Enterprise that played on Wednesday (we just watched it tonight) there was a harrowing rescue, explosions, injuries and...well, we didn't really CARE if someone lived or died. I can't connect with any of these characters except maybe T'Pol or the doctor. The rest of them just don't grab my attention (OK, Trip does when he takes off his shirt but that never lasts long.)

[LeftCoast]

1. I think you're right

Though I like Trip and "feel" for him. I think he's just a better actor. I believe him in that role.

[WillParkinson]

3. Trip

I like Trip when he's fun. However, when he tries to be serious (like when his sister was killed) it was a real stretch for the actor to convey those types of emotions well, I think.

Malcolm, the tactical officer, I think we were actually CHEERING for him to be killed because he just grates on my nerves.

If any member of Enterprise were to be killed it would be kind of a non-event for me. When Tasha Yar was killed I cried because I liked the character. I just don't care for these folks in the same way. They are too much 2 dimensional.

[arcane1]

2. I've been trying to get into Enterprise

and it does have some really good qualities (the set design alone makes it worth watching!) but I can relate to what you are talking about. B&B have a hard time writing characters who aren't caricatures, and it shows. I wasn't too thrilled about the 'war on terra' arc they came up with, but I suppose it's better than no arc at all...

I try to be home to watch it, and usually enjoy it, but don't neccessarily feel bad if I miss one.

so for now, IMHO, it fluctuates between 3 and 7 on my 10-point scale, depending on the episode in question...

(though Hoshi is a warp 10 :loveya: )

[ablbodyed]

4. You've GOT IT.....

Only T'Pol and the Doc have any interesting aspects. The rest are dull and duller, except for the dog!!!!!. Not to be racially insensitive but "Merryweather" is THE WORST OF ALL. He has the charisma of a sleeping Gray Davis. The Doctor is really a great character, with convincing gestures and dialog. Saw the actor in NYPD Blue last season (played a conflicted character, and was convincing). T'Pol is ONE SEXY BABE and I'm a gayboy.
Actually, it was a pretty good episode, they HAVE been better this season. My Ma is NOT a SciFi fan but watches with me, sometimes chortling over the ridiculous plots.
By the way, they've pulled 'Boomtown' one of the best things on TV. IDIOTS.

[Interrobang]

5. I figured that out years ago...

"Enterprise" is Star Trek for modern Republicans. All the aliens are either full of themselves or helpless peons, the main characters are total stereotypical Ugly Americans, and the plots are incredibly jingoistic. Say whatever else you want about it, I'm not watching it anymore.

[ReadTomPaine]

9. Have to agree with this observation...

The show has a RW slant that I find hard to take esp since TOS and TNG were so progressive in their core philosophy.

[Deja Q]

28. Excellent point! I did watch a few Enterprise eps...

and, yeah, Archer is defintely a puke. Especially in this 3rd season when Earth was attacked. I don't care enough about this spinoff to remember enough diaglogue to clinch my argument, but as you've figured it out... :-)

[Skip Intro]

6. I agree, but I think that's only one of this show's problems

I think Bakula is the worst. Every line is - uh - spaced - uh - and - uh - grunted. I imagine Patrick Stewart delivering the same lines - say what you will about him, he brought the Picard character to life.

Its hard to tell if Bakula's lines are poorly written or not, because I can't get past his awful, stiff delivery. And I like Scott Bakula, but something is very wrong with his portryal of Archer.

I'm not really all that happy with T'pol either. A Vulcan should be a Vulcan. I'm really not liking this romance thing going on between her and Trip. (agree with you on trip, btw).

Agree with whoever said the Mayweather character was horrible too. Sleeping Gray Davis nails it.

I LIKE Hoshi!

And I like Malcolm. I believe they should have him come out as Trek's first gay character. Wonder how Trip would handle that?

But I think one of the biggest problems with the show is the premise. One of the attractions of Trek was the futuristic technology, and the societal achievements. You can't have that in a Trek that takes place before Kirk. I think the idea of a prequel was worth discussing, but should have been rejected. I want to be dazzled. I want to say, "wow," when I watch Trek. I don't get that from Enterprise.

And the tired formula of a never ending parade of "aliens" with slightly different foreheads attacking the ship and being fended off is just that, tired. They're boldly going where we've already been a hundred times.

This show needs a Q. It needs a crystalline entity. It needs some imaginative awe factor that capitalizes on the heretofore unknown and unseen. The excitement of "SPACE" just isn't there.

Why not have those whale-like aliens (from the Expanse's evil-doer meetings) attack the Enterprise. Let's see their ship. Let's have some unexplainable anomalies. Let's see something we haven't seen before.

These guys, this whole ship and crew and all (well, maybe a few characters could be lost) should somehow be catapulted into the future, beyond Picard-era, found by the futuristic Star Fleet, re-assigned to the most futuristic Enterprise yet, and get out and explore some strange new worlds, new life, and new civilizaions.


Ok, I'm done.

(except to say that I now appreciate Voyager more than ever. I was wrong about that show. It was light years ahead of Enterprise)

[Deja Q]

27. How would Berman handle a gay character?

The only gay character he created was an androgynous character who thought she was a woman and had the hots for male Riker (of course, who wouldn't?) Ugh, that "Outcast" episode was awful... Even Jonathan Frakes lamented he would have preferred the androgynous character being a MALE and going after him. But why tapdance around the issue with the androgynous gambit at all when simply addressing the issue head on would have made more sense (and look more mature in the process).

Look at the appalling "Enterprise" episode dealing with AIDS. It was a rather contrived joke of a concept, and yet another episode to make the Vulcans look bad in front of those morally superior human beings... I now feel sorry for Spock and even Tuvok (who even repeated Spock's own dialogue, word for word, on occasion)!

"Voyager" did have its good episodes and had enough likeable characters (but why, oh why, did nobody phaser Neelix out of existence, but at least Kes left?!), and I love the Activision computer game based on Voyager, but if it was made just to prove how much better it is than all subsequent Trek series, then we've got a big problem.

[SOteric]

7. I can deeply identify

with Porthos.

[7th_Sephiroth]

8. Hoshi and t'pol

they allways find a wau to get them out of thier clothes *damn FCC wond let them go all the way*

[Terwilliger]

17. they did!

one episode had T'Pol changing clothes behind a hanging sheet...only the sun was behind her, and he changing was in silhouette

Watch "Carbon Creek" and see what I mean.

[trof]

10. fooled me

I thought this would be about rental cars.
;-)

[WillParkinson]

16. I'm sorry...

I know it Hertz...

[Kamika]

11. whats wrong is that the episodes suck

Its like a big rehash of voyager, stupid episodes with a alien of the week and then push the reset button.




Thank lord for deep space nine the BEST trek ever.

Deep space nine had a BIG story arch that developed over the years, ok the first two seasons were not that great but it still had a clear direction, and from season3 the series were even better then next generation.

Voyager had EVERYTHING speaking for it, alone in space, they could do anything, but what happens? they just do some medioker rehash of next generation with some alien of the week episodes and to save it they get the borg.. puh leeze.




Oh and i hope the doctor dies.. a real brutal death..

Im thinking he could be the first ever visitor to the cardassians and get "questioned"

[ReadTomPaine]

12. Voyager always sounded like Space 1999, Trek style.

Didn't even live up to those modest standards, in my view.

[arcane1]

23. DS9 is INDEED the best trek (with TNG coming in 2nd)

Bring back the Sisko!!! Hell, he can go anywhere, anytime he wants now!

:bounce:

[Kamika]

24. it is really good

im watching it from the start at the moment, im at episode 10 in the 5th season, i download a bunch of episodes at work and see when i get home.

Starting to get hard to find them now since season6 isnt out on dvd i guess ill have to get bad quality but i can hardly wait to see the two last seasons.

I did the same thing with tng :D

[arcane1]

29. I'm envious

I missed a good half of the last 3 DS9 seasons, and still trying to catch up... but man, some of those story lines ring so true, even today... especially today!!

hoping for the DVD's this holiday season :bounce:

[spinkbottle]

13. You may be right

I loved Scott Bakula on Quantum Leap, but I wish his character had more... I don't know. Personality? I find him worthy but a bit dreary.

I love T'Pol, though.

[WillParkinson]

14. Scott Bakula

He was perfect in Quantum Leap. Why? Because his character WAS a beffudled man. In Enterprise he's the captain of a starship and he STILL acts like Sam (from Quantum Leap).

[Terwilliger]

18. Befuddle that order!

MAYWEATHER: They're coming in at warp speeds, Captain...weapons armed!

ARCHER: Uhhh...make ready for...photon speed...(Al!!! AL!!!!)

[SpaceCatMeetsMars]

15. The characters are too immature. I know that they are supposed to be more

cowboyish and less evolved, since it's further back in the past of the future, but they are ridiculously immature. I had to stop watching.

[arwalden]

19. Shirtless Trip... Tight-Shorts Trip.... Glistening Perspiring Trip

I care!!

-- Allen

[Kolesar]

20. Trip's accent is forced

I hate to say this, but Trip's western accent reminds me of our unfavorite eastern prep-boy president trying to sound like he is from Texas.

Gotta give his trainer some credit though, that actor's got muscles.

[Ratty]

21. You're absolutely right

The creators of the show failed to create that indefinable "magic" that made some of the earlier shows great. There are other problems with the series but I would be more than happy to overlook them if they had built a better cast.

Part of the problem is that they made a crucial mistake early on. They attempted to portray some of the characters' more undesirable traits in order to make them more human and easier for us to identify with.

Malcolm was revealed to be an uptight prig in a couple of episodes. Aww, can we feel sorry for him? Can we hope he learns to relax and enjoy life more? NO! We hate him now.

Hoshi revealed her cowardly side. She's terrified of the transporter, she's scared of violent confrontation, she doesn't want to go on away teams if there's a chance of danger. Poor Hoshi. Can we root for her to gain more courage and self confidence as the show progresses? NO! We hate her now!

T'Pol's okay, but like every Vulcan role since Spock she thinks not displaying emotion means acting robotic and deadpan. Message to T'Pol: Lack of emotion does not mean lack of depth!

Trip is the best one of the lot. They should kill em all off except for him at the end of the season and rebuild the cast around him!

[Astarho]

22. What's really wrong

is that Berman & Braga, (or as some fans call them, Beavis and Butthead) just don't care. Prequels are supposed to fill in the missing gaps, not rewrite already established history. B&B and the writers under them are constantly rewriting history which tosses the other Treks out the window. TV guide summed it up perfectly when they were talking about Smallville, about how they can add twists and turns to the young hero's life without compromising the adult icon. Whereas Enterprise is doing the opposite.

Disastrous first contact with the Klingons like Picard described didn't happen. Romulans don't have the bird design on their hull and have full cloaking technology, despite what we learned in TOS. The Ferengi show up 200 years early and no one on the Enterprise crew asks who they are? The Borg show up 200 years early, and so on.

I agree about the lack of emotional investment in the characters, but I think it is becasue B&B are phoning it in. And just to twist the knife, Berman has an 8-figure deal to produce Enterprise.

[Terwilliger]

25. eight???

I'd do it for four figures and it would be a HELL of a lot better

[Deja Q]

26. Wrong, the problem is the tired'n'stale format RICK BERMAN uses

Don't forget, the same characters aren't allowed to die - so no matter how injured they get, they'll be tap-dancing and getting massaged by T'Pol in next week's episode. :eyes:

Yes, the franchise used to be good. Otherwise TNG would have vanished into obscurity long ago.

But the same thing for 13 years is bad.

Even in DS9 and in Voyager, the characters are cardboard cutouts and half the plots were re-used from other episodes. This is great if you're a Borg drone, but for everybody else it gets tedious - rather quickly too.

Don't get me started on how "Berman Trek" drove the concept of time travel into the ground, nor did they ever get it right either. They also buried the Borg and overused the Klingon species as well.

Trek needs a rest and then a NEW production team for pity sake!