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Re: ENT S4: Terra Prime

So the baby dies.

Why is this neccesary?

Star Trek Enterprise is about an optimistic future. The baby should have lived. The could have written it any way they want.

The last, absolute last thing I wanted to see after four years of finally getting used to (and liking) T'Pol was to watch her hold her own daughter in her arms and then have the baby die. Wow, what optimistic symbolism.

Idiots.

Re: ENT S4: These Are the Voyages...

I'll be honest.

The thing that bothered me most was that Trip and T'Pol didn't live happily ever after, with a baby. Everything else I can accept - the disrespect of the last episode, the dumb focus on Riker finding his inner child, even the appalingly low quality of the first two seasons.

But Trip should have lived. And he and T'Pol should have raised the baby.

Terribly unsatisfying.

Re: ENT S3: Harbinger

Sorry, I liked this episode.

T'Pol's soft new look and vulnerability has grown on me. The idea that she is jealous is kind of appealing. But it is distracting that not too long ago she spent 12 straight years as Archer's wife and nursemaid. Whatever happened to vulcan loyalty?

Re: ENT S3: Stratagem

Why didn't Archer and Degra discuss why Earth was a threat? Why not clear up a misunderstanding?

Good episode. In fact, the last ten or so have been mostly good, sometimes really good.

Re: ENT S3: Chosen Realm

I like your reviews, but sometimes I think you are too hard on the show.

Yes,the message was one-dimensional and the plot was predicatable. But the major flaw for me was actually the mediocre acting. In TOS, the corresponding show (half white/half black face) had superb, over-the-top acting and it made the show. The hum-drum made-for-tv performances here weren't convincing. Where was the passion?

Still, this was classic trek in the spirit of TOS. The answer is peace. Silly to some, maybe not realistic, and maybe too flat for non-TOS fans. But remember, most people don't do a lot of reflecting about 'extremism' or religion at all.

This episode had a positive purpose, and I hope people got something from it.

Re: ENT S3: Similitude

Another truly great episode.

I am rarely overwhelmed by a TV show. But the plight of SIM did it for me. As a parent of small children, maybe I was particularly vulnerable to the scenes of babies and the young boy.

Archer's dialog was superb. Telling SIM he would kill him to save Trip (to save Enterprise, to save Earth) reflected how complicated real-life situations really are. What would you do? Personally I problably couldn't kill Sim, while at the same time knowing full well that I probably should.

For me, end-justify-the-means arguments almost never hold up. But what if the whole world were at stake? What if not just your humanity but all humans faced imminent destruction? In that scenario all bets are off.

Great Trek.

Re: ENT S3: Twilight

I loved this episode.

I disagree on the anguish. Earth being destroyed and Archer's reaction was gripping. T'Pol's loyalty and affection was convincing. Her season 3 look is softer and her acting is better.

I loved the theme of loyalty, the dedication to something greater than yourself.

Best episode so far.

Re: ENT S2: The Seventh

I found T'Pol's guilt implausible.

Guilt like her comes from executing innocent people in the heat or war, or gunning down children in Vietnam. And even then it's only some people who feel it. The reality is that most just move on. Most are just glad to be alive.

T'Pol would not feel guilt for firing on a man who was potentially drawing a weapon. For goodness sake, she was a trained elite security agent. Does the Vulcan CIA pick people who can't follow orders or are vulnerable to inner doubts?

But I guess they wanted to develop the Archer-T'Pol bond.

Re: ENT S2: Cogenitor

Really good episode.

Makes up for some (but not all) of the garbage so far. Not the genocide though. And not the execution of the non-corporeals just trying to survive.

Still, Trip's actions were implausible. Like there wouldn't be established guidlelines for this type of thing on a starship? They're out there to meet aliens. You'd think someone would have thought about potential pitfalls beforehand, based on historical problems between cultures on earth.

Another anoying thing for me is that the Vissians were basically Americans in space. The way they expressed themsleves ("Thank you for the invitation, Captain. We would be honored"), their willingness to talk about intimate things, their desire to become close friends after just five minutes, all of this made the encounter basically like meeting people from Milwaukee.

What could be easier than meeting some dude from Milwaukee? The fact is, these Vissians had more in common with Americans than Candians do. Compared to the Vissians, Swedes might as well be the rock people from TOS. Nobody, I mean nobody talks the way Vissians do except us.

And if the Enterprise can't even meet Americans in space wthout screwing it up, maybe their mission should be recalled.

Re: ENT S2: Regeneration

Holy smokes! Two very good episodes in a row. Almost makes up for Archer's genocide and general wreaking of havoc otherwise.

Just when I though I would have to accept Enterprise as a low-key, low quality show. On the other hand, as a TOS and I-IV fan I never watched NG or any other trek. Comments suggest continuity problems. But for me, big whoop.

The Borg are scary. The idea a coming invasion in a few hundred years is super scary. Great trek. Almost makes me want to watch som NG.

This series is actually worth watching!

Regarding DS9 (which I havn't seen) can somebody tell me how a space station sitting motionless in the middle of nowhere constitutes a good settting for trek?

Re: ENT S1: Shockwave, Part I

The Vulcans were right.

Regardless of fault, Archers presence led to the incineration of 3600 people. That and all the other havoc they've wreaked so far justifies ending the mission.

This childish 'it might not be our fault' mentality was implausible. Like Starfleet would care who is at fault. Like Archer would be consumed by guilt. Come on.

Then again, maybe they are trying to appeal to audience of 13-year-olds.

Re: ENT S2: The Crossing

So the enterprise blows up another ship full of life forms. Great. Makes me proud to be human.

The non-corporeal aliens were trying to save themselves, nothing more. It is below the morality of the Enterprise to destroy a ship fuoll of people who are just trying to live. They weren't evil.

A better story would have showed how Archer helped them survive.

Re: ENT S2: Dead Stop

I like this episode. It had an original idea that was plausible.

But the Enterprise sure is reaking havoc.

For an exploration mission they sure blow up a lot of things.

Re: ENT S1: Rogue Planet

I had a hard time accepting a sunless planet with a full-on leafy jungle.

Picking hairs, maybe. And I am usually good at suspending disbelief. But it was an unnecessary, implausible setting. Why not just a regular planet? The again, TOS had countless shows like this. I just kind of expect more nowadays.

But the lady was hot. And interplanetary hunters are cool. I found the anti-hunting morality play mildly offensive. I'm not one, but I'm aware that hunters are largely conservationsists (anyone notice the turkey is not extinct?). It's dumb liberal hollywood morality stuff like this that causes so many real riffs in our country.

Re: ENT S1: Dear Doctor

One more thing.

This episode is not 'contraversial.' It is offensive. This issue is not debatable. There are not two sides. You either understand it or need to see it.

You are human. Yes, you can go through life thinking all morality is relative, but since it isn't you will never act that way. You will just be unware of your motives. And corrupted over and over again, like Archer was here.

You don't even need to believe in some 'God' to see this.

Re: ENT S1: Dear Doctor

Good show.

But the theme misrepresents 'evolution' and its moral implications. Evolution describes how changes take place over time. It is not a thing to be 'helped' or 'let alone.' It contains no moral guidance for us. It is merely a decscription.

Letting the people die of a disease is as much an interference in fate as helping them live. The doctor and Archer misunderstand the nature of fate. They were already involved. They had a cure. The prime directive does not allow humans to behave cruelly.

Besides, Archer seems to have little problem 'interfering' with cultures in other episodes. Every planetary visit, every contact with a ship, every subspace transmission inadvertently picked up - it's all interference to some degree.

It's not even an issue with room for opinion. Humans are moral creatures. Our morality, whatever that is, guides our behavior. Either it is right to help people or it is right to let them die. One or the other. Hiding behind a 'prime directive' doesn't avoid the choice. it just clouds your mind.

Besides, if the Prime Directive were so prime it wouldn't even allow for space exploration at all. In fact, it would demand that we blow up Earth for fear that some distant world world look at us through a telescope and have their culture affected.

Were it real, this is the kind of thing that would come to haunt the doctor and Archer later in life.

Re: ENT S2: Carbon Creek

I liked this show.

It linked vulcans, humans, and the audience. We all know what I Love Lucy was. To me this episode echoed the TOS 'City on the Edge of Forever.'

Star trek was never about the future. It is about our present, how we got here, and where we could potentially go.

Re: ENT S2: A Night in Sickbay

Mostly I agree.

But to be fair, the show can be an allegory on how to deal with sexual attraction issues at the workplace. It has some value.

As far as vulcans go, I kind of like the way they are portrayed. It's new. The dog is stupid.

A lifelong TOS fan, I never watched any other series except this. At least its about exploration. And I like Trip. But I wish it wasn't so dumb-down and TV-ish, and Tpols lips arre horrific. On the other hand, I'm hungry for anything Trek. But we all have different expectations, and we can't expect that a TV series will thread the needle every time like JJ Abrahms did.

I wonder if a new TV series will be done.