[pabianice]

Hey; here's your chance. Paramount Studio reads Free Republic.

[strela]

The franchise has been Rick Berman-ized to death. When the writing team assigned situations and abilities that are out of canon to the universe as established in the original series, it sounded the death knell for the franchise as far as I am concerned. I've seen exactly two episodes of Enterprise and will never watch another.

The Enterprise was supposed to look like a toy at this point in the canon, not this advanced, shiny new thing that would not look out of place next to the Enterprise-J. Robert April, a man's man, was the first captain of the Enterprise, not this slack-jawed twit with his mangy, flea-bitten beagle and range of emotions that run the gamut from A to B. (The decontamination scene with Jolene Blalock in the pilot was very hot though).

As far as I am concerned, this incarnation of Enterprise and the ST universe is DOA. Run Rick Berman out of town on a rail, get some decent writers who PAY ATTENTION TO AND ACKNOWLEDGE CANON, and stop calling the killing of major characters "high art," and you might have something.

[william clark]

Actually, there's one obvious shot in the arm they could give it. Veer away from the strict premise of a ship going planet/galaxy hopping, and create a series set in the ST universe that has a more conventional premise like that of a cop show or a spy show (how does "Federagents" sound for a title). That's not to say that the characters would have to stay tied to a specific location all the time, but some sort of location consistency would actually be refreshing to see in a world where the only constant has been change. Instead of a "Wagon Train" to the stars, a "Gunsmoke" amidst the stars.

[SteveH]

Bring in Aliens. And Predators. And Aaahnold. And Sheryl Crow (on bass). :-)

[Lee Heggy]

I would like to see a little bit of the style of writing that is in 'The Outer Limits' adapted to the 'Trek' theme. Plot twists and some really drastic senarios with some truly BAD and truly 'alien' aliens. Of course that takes creativity and that cost $$$$.

[Doug Loss]

Actually, Trek hasn't been worth watching since DS9 ended. If you want decent SF on TV, you have to watch Farscape (cancelled by the SciFi Channel and ending on Mar 21) or Firefly (cancelled by Fox; read about it at www.fox.com/firefly/). As you can see, there doesn't appear to be much of a market for decent SF on TV.

[537 Votes]

Berman and Braga have got to go. They 'retired' Gene Roddenberry from Trek for a lot less, and Roddenberry was the creator.

Super Colossal Mega Blunder #1: Going backward, not forward. Everything Enterprise encounters is something where Kirk could say, "Been there, done that." So right there is the critical flaw. The premise of the show is, "Where someone has gone before." So you have an entire series based on making the first-run episodes feel like reruns.

[mikegi]

Jim, it's dead.

I didn't like the Next Generation and haven't watched any of the others. The characters and stories just weren't interesting. The future is boring! No sense of exploration, danger, etc. The only episodes I remember are the "Time Loop" crash-with-another-ship and the one where they pick up people from the 21th century who had died and were stored on a spaceship. I couldn't stand Picard with his condescending know-it-all crap (Stewart is possibly the worst actor around).

[Redcloak]

Captain Archer needs work. Others have made similar comments and for good reason. I just can't picture this guy's exploits one day inspiring a young Cadet Kirk.

[gbunch]

I consider myself somewhat of a Star Trek fan, mainly of the original series and a little of Next Gen. (Anybody else remember the '70's Saturday morning animated Trek? That was cool!) Guess I'm dating myself here...

Trek has had some great moments, but I long ago grew tired of TNG's blandness and repetition. Years after I abandoned it, I'd occasionally tune in to see how it was. It was ALWAYS, ALWAYS yet another lame episode based on a holodeck malfunction, or a mysterious planet covered in lava and noxious gases, EXCEPT for this one teeny little spot which - voila! - was inhabited by 20th-century humans. Puh-LEASE! That stuff works once, not fifty times.

Around that time (mid-late '90s), I'd seen bits and pieces of this then little known series called Babylon 5. What I saw was very very good, but I realized the underlying story was extremely deep, far-reaching, and complex. The ONLY way to watch it is from the very start, so I borrowed some tapes and did so. In a word: AWESOME! Complex storylines, terrifying alien races, characters with flaws, unpredictable and sometimes tragic outcomes, blood, guts, a**-kicking action - it's all there. I even read once that that B5 had raised the bar so much that the Trek writers were forced to take notice and act, since Trek's blandness was a stark contrast to the depth and fast pace of B5. (I never bothered to check if Trek improved; by this time I was forever spoiled!) If you have not seen B5, and want to do so, I say again: Begin with the very first episode, and watch it all in order. Questions raised in the first season or two are sometimes not answered until the fourth or fifth, so be patient. However, it's worth the wait, and one helluva ride along the way. It just gets better as you go, too.

By the way, the series was written as a 5-season arc, with a beginning, middle, and end. Sadly, it is no more. However, SciFi runs the series on weekday mornings, and it is about to start over from season 1, episode 1, beginning March 31.

The best source of Babylon 5 info is here.

[dyed_in_the_wool]

Three words: More Blue Goo!

[neutrino]

Your suggestions are all good

1. MAKE IT OBVIOUS
2 MAKE IT MORE REAL
3 LET CAPTAIN ARCHER BE HEROIC
4 OPEN FIRE AND CLOSE THOSE PIE HOLES
5 GET US ON THE EDGE OF OUR SEATS

There are some other issues. They need to review their logic. Please recall an episode wherein the weapons officer fell down a cliff on a comet and broke his leg. Oh, come now. A comet? And the gravitational acceleration is what? Utter nonsense.

Then two episodes ago, we have T'pol getting some sort of MTD (mentally transmitted disease) due to being psychically raped by some mind melder. This is a ludicrous distortion of the original concept of mind melding; and the propaganda message was so blatant that I simply switched off the show. I didn't bother to watch the end of the episode.

The most recent episode has Archer arguing that the Vulcans and some other race should have peace and not fight anymore. One wonders if he's considered transmitting Kumbaya on all frequencies. I haven't erased it yet, but the previous episode, along with the previews of this episode, has convinced me to delete it...unwatched.

To fix the show, cut the social propaganda nonsense. Make it an interesting story. Quit making the Enterprise a warp-capable social service agency.

Maybe they could hire General Norman Schwarzkopf to teach Archer how to command...and how to talk and act like a commander.

And, next time Archer is in a fight for his life with some Suliban or other, phaser the (expletive deleted) and dispose of the body through the garbage chute!

[mg39]

I stopped watching "Enterprise" months ago, and believe you me, it was not an easy thing to do. Unfortunately, Berman & Co. have dumbed down the show to an intolerable level.

Science fiction needs to be imaginative and challenging; the only thing "Enterprise" has going for it is T'Pol's knockers, and while they are a 10, the show itself is still a 1 (or maybe 2, for obvious reasons).

[Havoc]

Bump for later comment. I've watched since I was old enough to sit up in front of the tv - Original series fan.
Gotta put in my 2 cents..

[fish70]

They need to kill Enterprise and use the money to bring back Space Above and Beyond. The best military sciece fiction show that was ever on the tube.

[dyed_in_the_wool]

Sci Fi bump. Don't know if you watch the show or not.

[Hellmouth]

According to Trek Today, they're bringing back the Borg:
http://www.trektoday.com/news/200203_03.shtml

[Poohbah]

The first mistake they made was to blow off Trek continuity.

[Frank_Discussion]

Wow. I've surveyed this thread, and most poster responses have run the gamut from "Why is the same-old-same-old?" to "Why isn't it sacred STAR TREK CANON?" and I have to say: You folks can't seem to enjoy the series unless you're b!tching about it!

I'm not trying to be mean to y'all, but I am a little blunt I suppose.

For the rabid non-PC'ers: I agree with you in that pontification on social issues is a sometimes annoying Star Trek trait. This has always been the case, even with TOS, so there you go. For myself, I find that the current show is the least PC. Something of a PC nature comes up, and then the Captain, or another crewmember, says "the hell with it!" and pays the consequences or reaps the rewards. Basically: Do what you think is right and follow your orders, assuming the two can be combined, but remember that life can be a b!tch.

For the Canon folks: It hasn't fallen prey to too many "violations", indeed it has merely fleshed out some things that were unexplained. The only continuity error I really acknowledge is that the Imperial Klingons (chocolate mousse heads) are everywhere, whereas the TOS klingons were modified to look human for liaison purposes. From what I understand, Roddenberry had wanted more makeup-enhanced Imperial-types, but there was no budget for it before the movies. Based on that, I think the continuity may be even BETTER on 'Enterprise'.

Why does 'Enterprise' continue to run into TOS aliens? It could be because they've only now gotten past 100 light years in a very big galaxy.

This 'Enterprise' and it's crew don't seem to be a bunch of prima-donnas, the ship is realistically vulnerable and tactically at a disadvantage. It overcomes these things, with a certain amount of temerity, but often with a very instructively bloodied nose.

IMHO, if you go in to just watch the show without a frigging chip on your shoulder, you might enjoy it more. For myself, that was easy: I stopped watching ST about halfway thorough DS9, and almost gag when I see Ms. Columbo on the bridge of Voyager. 'Enterprise' was touted as something new, and thus far hasn't disappointed me.

I could say more, but I have to get back to work. It was really difficult to watch the spectrum of responses roll by so bitterly.

[green team 1999]

15 minutes battles in space!
miniskirts for female crew!,like the original
replace the captain,or he dies on episode clifhanger!
more close up`s of t`pol,yeah!
another female on the crew!

[hattend]

Too bad the ratings are down...I really enjoy "Enterprise". It's on my record list (I'm not home when it airs) and I even watch the reruns!

Much better than "Voyager" and I loved Voyager! I realize capt Archer is the ambassador of Earth and still just forming up the federation, but I agree with another poster...he gets pushed around way too much. Start shooting first and ask questions later (ala Kirk).

I hope the show survives...can't live without my Star Trek fix.