Scott Bakula Star Trek Enterprise

[purlieu]

Fortunate Son. I suppose part of the appeal of this show is that it's set in the Star Trek universe. If it was a different series, a story like that might not be quite as interesting, but seeing it as the early days of human space travel and how far things go between this and the other series is very enjoyable. It's unusual to get a much less utopian approach to people in space, and the idea of the freighter crews as frontiersmen is appealing.

[purlieu]

Cold Front. Ah, so it's going to be one of those X Files/Buffy style arc-seeded-throughout-the-show-at-random-times programmes. Well, that was great. Lots of mystery, a real sense of things being very much bigger than anyone involved is aware of. Enjoyed that a lot, and looking forward to seeing how it all develops. Also enjoyed the way Silik turned into a computer game character after he jumped out of the ship.

[purlieu]

Silent Enemy. One thing I'm really feeling with Enterprise is how it feels like everyone's out of their depth exploring terrifying new regions of space. Much moreso than Voyager ever did. This had a great tension and an enjoyably unknowable enemy. The favourite food subplot was a touch clunky but not too bad.

[JamesTC]

I think you are broadly liking Enterprise like I do.

Season 1 feels like they had an idea on how to approach it and there was momentum to it. But the audience just didn't respond which leads to Season 2 becoming meandering after a strong opening four episodes. Season 3 then picks up momentum a few episodes in which is carried through to the end.

[purlieu]

I'm definitely curious to see how it develops.

Dear Doctor. That was fantastic. Really nice to have an episode from a different character perspective to the ones we've had so far, gave some much needed variety. Phlox is a very likeable character so focusing on him was enjoyable, and it's the first time we've had a story properly based around the fact that the show exists before someone has written "some kind of... Directive", which was incredibly well handled, expositiony use of that word aside. The ethical dilemma was very engaging and I wasn't sure which was Archer would go. Great stuff.

[Lemming]

Phlox's decision in that episode completely turned me off the character for ages. Still can't quite get my head around the logic. There's an episode in the fourth season that kind of acts as a counterbalance to Dear Doctor, and it ended up being my fav episode of that season.

Loved the mercilessly unsubtle Archer speech at the end of Dear Doctor though. "MAYBE SOMEDAY SOMEONE WILL MAKE A DIRECTIVE - A PRIME DIRECTIVE, YOU MIGHT CALL IT - THAT TELLS US WHAT TO DO HERE."

[Poobum]

Loath that episode, can't get past the contempt it makes me feel that a writing and production team can create an episode that is so ill-conceived and ignorant, that it ends up being pro-genocide.

[purlieu]

Sleeping Dogs. Hard to know what to say there, just a decent story, nice to have the tension come from the situation rather than some kind of antagonist.

[JamesTC]

Loath that episode, can't get past the contempt it makes me feel that a writing and production team can create an episode that is so ill-conceived and ignorant, that it ends up being pro-genocide.

Whilst I agree that it is ill-conceived, I think it is kind of the point that it is pro-genocide. I don't really think they understand why the Prime Directive exists and what the purpose of it is. That has been a long-standing problem with Star Trek, in fairness.

The only really great Prime Directive episode is the TNG episode Half a Life. And that kind of ends up falling on the side of being pro ritualistic suicide. Or at the very least being respectful of it.

[Poobum]

I think there's too much scientific illiteracy going on to trust that that was the dilemma they were going for. There this repeating thing in Trek where evolution is seen as some magic directed process that should be revered and not interfered with, rather than a ad hoc process of cobbled together adaptations. Couple that with a "genetic" disease, arising in an entire (multi-billion?) population, which isn't happening, and also overlooks the fact that all disease has a genetic component. The biggest thing in managing endangered animals is that their limited gene pools make them susceptible to disease, there is certainly no reasonable ethical argument that you just let them die 'cause evolution decided.


My interpretation is that the writers never even considered the eugenicist and genocidal aspect they had introduced, and were lost in their "evolution must be allowed to go its way" attitude. If they were aware of these aspects than that makes it even worse because a counter argument doesn't present itself in the episode in any coherent way. Also the episode ends with them complicit in the genocide as if it was a reasonable conclusion, there's certainly no impression that have just done something horrific, just difficult.


I do like Sleeping Dogs, because it's a really interesting story of the pettiness of honour. I can very much imagine Klingons being extremely insulted by being given unsolicited help.

[purlieu]

Shadows of P'Jem. Good to see aspects of the previous P'Jem story having consequences, be interested to see where this all goes. Some ok T'Pol stuff, and good to see Jeffrey Combs again. Not a standout but fine.

[Malcy]

in the dumbest episode ever

Not having that. The idea of an all Vulcan starship yes but not the episode itself.

[Poirots BigGarlickyCorpse]

Not having that. The idea of an all Vulcan starship yes but not the episode itself.

oh come on

a Vulcan holds a stupid grudge against Sisko and decides to settle it with a baseball game

yeah that sounds like incredibly Vulcan behaviour

[Malcy]

oh come on

a Vulcan holds a stupid grudge against Sisko and decides to settle it with a baseball game

yeah that sounds like incredibly Vulcan behaviour

Doesn't matter. It's a Vulcan trying to show superiority that would come with an an all Vulcan crew of restrained emotional high fiveing and it served as a welcome break for people going through the horrors of war. A distraction, a bit of fun when at that point it wasn't looking like it would end well for the Federation.

And apart from all that it has Odo absolutely RELISHING his role as umpire (referee?) which is worth the episodes existence alone. And Rom and his feeling like the most useless person in existence. Unaware of what is ahead of him.

A great episode. And something that DS9 did brilliantly. That little episode that took the crew away from the shite they were dealing with. (See Vic fucking Vontaine) . Excellent.

Vulcans have always thought themselves to be better than those around them. It absolutely makes sense to have a competitive Vulcan captain who wants to prove that an all Vulcan crew is superior, which is a huge point of the episode.

[crankshaft]

And Rom and his feeling like the most useless person in existence. Unaware of what is ahead of him.

Max Grodénchik had to pitch left handed because he was far too good at baseball - he'd had a shot at a professional career but chose acting instead. Hat fucked etc.

[Malcy]

Max Grodénchik had to pitch left handed because he was far too good at baseball - he'd had a shot at a professional career but chose acting instead. Hat fucked etc.

Wow, didn't know that! Grand Pitcher Rom!

[Wonderful Butternut]

Doesn't matter. It's a Vulcan trying to show superiority that would come with an an all Vulcan crew of restrained emotional high fiveing and it served as a welcome break for people going through the horrors of war. A distraction, a bit of fun when at that point it wasn't looking like it would end well for the Federation.

And apart from all that it has Odo absolutely RELISHING his role as umpire (referee?) which is worth the episodes existence alone. And Rom and his feeling like the most useless person in existence. Unaware of what is ahead of him.

A great episode. And something that DS9 did brilliantly. That little episode that took the crew away from the shite they were dealing with. (See Vic fucking Vontaine) . Excellent.

Vulcans have always thought themselves to be better than those around them. It absolutely makes sense to have a competitive Vulcan captain who wants to prove that an all Vulcan crew is superior, which is a huge point of the episode.

Nah, Poirot is right, that episode was absolutely crap.

Leaving aside the fact that if I wanted to watch a sports movie, I'd watch one instead of Star Trek, we're seriously expected to believe that two decorated Starfleet captains would act like a mean spirited cunt (Vulcan bloke) and an easily goaded child (Sisko) in the middle of a big fucking war? Yeah no. And the audience is supposed accept that Sisko & Co. have won some sort of moral victory by scoring once at the end, except they haven't.

Sisko's obsessiveness with wanting to win the match throughout the episode makes him no better than Solok or whatever his fucking name is. The fact that he failed miserably in his attempt to do so and took a single point as some sort of win doesn't make him right.

This is literally the ending of the episode:

Vulcans: "You suck."
DS9 crew: "No, you suck."

Remember when a central theme of Star Trek was people trying to improve themselves?

An actual moral victory would've been to tell the Vulcan captain to fuck off and stop being an insufferably arrogant racist jerk and to concentrate on commanding his ship instead of writing papers about a time he won a wrestling match.

Odo as umpire doesn't come anywhere close to making up for it.

[Malcy]

Christ, bet you two are fun at party's.

[Mobbd]

Don't worry Malcy, I like 'Take Me Out to the Holosuite' too!

(I think some of those criticisms are probably right to be honest and I do think it was the start of a 'snooty Vulcan' thing I don't approve of but I enjoy the episode on blanace and I don't care).

[purlieu]

Agreed, it's a bit daft if taken too seriously but as a fun episode of a TV show it's great.

Shuttlepod One. A nice, slow moving bottle episode. I'm glad the micro singularities thing was kept the bare minimum and the main plot was just a two-hander, as it could have distracted. It's the sort of story that would probably have been a classic in TNG, but still pretty solid here and finally a chance for two characters to spend time together who have otherwise been largely apart.

[Mr Trumpet]

Can't believe I missed some Take Me Out To The Holosuite chat. I come down firmly on the side of "it's rubbish".

[Malcy]

Can't believe I missed some Take Me Out To The Holosuite chat. I come down firmly on the side of "it's rubbish".

Leave.

[Mobbd]

Shuttlepod One. A nice, slow moving bottle episode. I'm glad the micro singularities thing was kept the bare minimum and the main plot was just a two-hander, as it could have distracted. It's the sort of story that would probably have been a classic in TNG, but still pretty solid here and finally a chance for two characters to spend time together who have otherwise been largely apart.

Shuttlepod 1 is probably in my Top 5 ENT episodes. I don't particularly like the two characters so a super-minimalist bottle show about them and nothing else shouldn't work for me but it really does. Extra points for trying (and achieving) something a bit different. A valiant effort that really pays off.

[purlieu]

Fusion. Well that's a comedown after the last episode. Ugh.

[purlieu]

Rogue Planet. Started intriguing but quickly veered into generic Trek territory.

Acquisition. Ah, first contact between Star Fleet and the Ferengi. That was fun, anyway. Nice to see Jeffrey Combs and Neelix as Ferengi, too.

[Mobbd]

Acquisition. Ah, first contact between Star Fleet and the Ferengi. That was fun, anyway. Nice to see Jeffrey Combs and Neelix as Ferengi, too.

I like that one. For Combs and Ethan Phillips but I just think it's well done. I like that the first 15 mins or so is almost like a silent film. Fab.

I've heard that a lot of people don't like this one but it's actually up there for me.

The fact that they're Ferengi is fun for fans but they might as well just be "aliens," which to the NX01 crew, of course, they are.

[Poobum]

Always found Rogue Planet a weird one. You have a shape shifter on a rogue planet being hunted, yet it's never related to the Founders who were shape shifters on a rogue planter with a history of being hunted/persecuted. It seems the allusion wasn't intentional at all.

[purlieu]

I like the fact that the word Ferengi isn't even used in Acquisition. Definitely makes them feel more genuinely alien, as does the lack of English.

And yes, I was really expecting Rogue Planet to have a DS9 link, instead of just being a second rate version.

[purlieu]

Bloody hell, has it been over three months since I lasted watched Enterprise? Good job I've come back with the corker of an episode that is Oasis, that promises a Star Trek ghost story and turns into It's Actually Some Aliens Whose Utopian Society Hides a Sinister Secret. René Auberjonois gives his character enough weight to make the episode worth following, but otherwise a real pile of generic tripe.