That's interesting... I also find myself explaining to my Trekker fans (I consider myself a Trekkie, though) why I think Enterprise is the best out of all of them.
I had my doubts about Scott Bakula, but Oh boy... (Quantum Leap lapse back) did he win me over in the pilot episode. I can't imagine anyone else in the part. I think his portrayal of a military officer is dead on.
Of course, being in the Air Force, I'd rather serve under Jack O'Neil and hop on the Prometheus instead of the Enterprise's naval crew.
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Sometimes I feel like the only person in the world who actually likes Enterprise more than most of the other Treks.
-Vic.
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You are not alone. According to this thread, there are currently three of us.:)
Enterprise is my favorite too. Seeing Archer struggle and agonize over right and wrong makes the show for me.
Deep Space Nine had a lot of this struggling, but Sisko already knew right from wrong as defined by the Federation and its long history. His struggles were tough, but nothing like Archer's.
I also like the Andorians (need to see some of their melee weapons, though).
And cranky Vulcans who might get into a civil war.
Charlie
Chief Technical Officer
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Seeing Archer struggle and agonize over right and wrong makes the show for me.
For me, it's the difficulties presented by the new technologies and the fact that the crew is forced to cope with situations that are familiar to the viewer, but have no precedents in their experiences. And the whole nature of exploration is stronger in this series than in any other Trek, though they've been downplaying that lately, much to my chagrin.
-Vic.
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I think I have to fall into the other category -- I don't loathe Enterprise with every fiber of my being, but after a promising first season, it fell off my watch list in season two and, when I occasionally watched it in season three, I really wasn't wowed. This is all just personal opinion, mind you -- I like shows many other people loathe, and I try to avoid "dislike because of snobbery" as much as possible.
For me, the big issue ended up being what I perceived as the blandness. Kirk was always a bit of a wild card, and he could crack a joke or go in with phasers blasting. Picard had the calm reserve and a strong Shakespearian depth beneath. Sisko got to emote more than Picard did, and I really enjoyed DS:9 (while feeling like I had to defend it) for something that was in the Trek universe but different. Voyager didn't do it for me once they brought Seven into the picture -- most of the episodes felt too easy, and it felt like the writers shied away from giving Janeway any personality to pin on her after the first few episodes, so that she could do whatever was necessary in a given show.
And with Enterprise, I feel like the same thing is going on. It's possible that the recent season with the new war stuff solved some of those issues, but it just wore me out. I felt that they would take interesting steps toward creating a morally ambiguous situation worth arguing over, and then they'd pull the last punch by having one side do something obviously stupid to reveal themselves as "the bad guys" and let it be okay for Archer & Co. to blast them.
Again, just my opinion, and it's the opinion of someone who stopped watching halfway through season two and only came back for individual episodes of the end of season two and all of season three. (And I totally agree with Big Jake that I'd rather be serving under O'Neill.)
The important thing, of course, is that it entertains you for an hour. If it does that, it's doing its job, and nothing else is really important.
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Chief Technical Officer
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It's possible that the recent season with the new war stuff solved some of those issues, but it just wore me out.
I think that plot went on far too long, and ultimately took the show further from the explorative nature that I liked so much in the first part of the first season, and making it more like every other Trek - and not in a good way. I have hope that with that plot wrapped, we'll get back to the stuff I liked. But I still like it better than DS9 or Voyager.
-Vic.
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Star Trek TNG had some of the best writing; so much so that everything after that seems to pale in comparison. Having said that, the war with the Jem Hadar in DS9 was simply awesome. We finally saw a war that took a toll on the Federation, and Starfleet for the first time. Seeing huge sweeping starship combat engagements on such a massive scale was never really done well before. As for Enterprise, I was really intrigued by the temporal cold war story arc. That held a lot of promise for me. That and the fact that the ship and her crew were actually out exploring the unknown.
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I also got worn out by the third season arc. However, the ratings went up, so something must have gone right.
Archer did face some tough moral challenges. He tortured someone for info, which is pretty hardcore for Star Trek. He also stole some needed replacement parts from some friendly aliens to complete his mission. I'm not sure I agree with how the writers handled everything and maybe that's good, it got me thinking.
I know Manny Coto was promoted to showrunner for season 4 and he is a real Trek fan. He'll wrap up the temporal cold war story and get Enterprise back to some of the more familiar aspects of Trek . A Vulcan civil war, genetically enhanced humans, a Vulcan wedding cermony, and the launch of the Columbia NX-02 (and a tribute to the space shuttle of the same name).
I'm really looking forward to season four. I like the new writer, can't remember his name, and his idea to go back to classic Trek themes that fans will like.
Season 4 has been the best so far, no doubt!
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Chief Technical Officer
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I'm really looking forward to season four. I like the new writer, can't remember his name, and his idea to go back to classic Trek themes that fans will like.Season 4 has been the best so far, no doubt!
I haven't been overwhelmed, personally. An indicator for my interest is how long shows sit on my TiVo before being watched. Lost, for example, always gets watched the night it's recorded. Carnivàle rarely makes it to the following day. Enterprise tends to sit for about a week these days - not good. The latest one I watched - the one with the silicon virus - started off really strong, but the ending was *terrible*, and the plot had planet-sized holes in it.
I want to like it - I really do - but they're starting to lose me.
-Vic.
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I'm not surprised that it was cancelled. I am a little disappointed. I like the crew, but I didn't like the temporal cold war and the war of the sphere builders went on way too long. I did like the vulcan stuff and I wanted to see more of the discovery of long known races.
As for Voyager, Seven's costume design ruined it for me. She wore flat shoes all of her life, then switched to heels. She should have been crippled! I'm crippled when I wear the things for a day! There were other things that bugged me, but that one destroyed my suspension of disbelief.
I have to say that although I am not suprised to see that it was cancelled I loved Enterprise more then any of the others. Yes I even liked the Temporal Cold War story arc. For the most part the show was not only the best it washed away the travesty that was called "The Next Generation"
However the one show within the Enterprise series that insulted me to no end was "The Hatchery" Now out of all the episodes when only one of them insults my intelligence and personal experience I would have to say that the show was beyond excellent.
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I never paid much attention to this show when it was on, mainly because it couldn't manage to maintain a schedule. It's on sale at iTunes in HD, so I picked up all four seasons-- I love it! Absolutely, I love this show. I can't see what all the hate was for back in the day, or why people still roll their eyes if you mention it. It's actually a really good show. And I like the title song, too, by the way...