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Feel free to contribute.
As always, review submissions are
accepted!
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Related articles:
"A
Dozen Ways to Improve Enterprise" (A second-season
commentary)
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Sidebar
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"Better
than...?" The big
question on many people's minds is probably, how does this series compare to
the other four (yes, FOUR) Star Trek series? Well, let's put it bluntly; I'm
a Trek fan from the old school, and therefore, the original series was a
classic and that's that. As for The Next Generation, it was pretty good at
times, though admittedly I never find myself rushing to watch the re-runs
unless they involve the Borg; most other plots rambled too much over some
boring "holodeck malfunction." As for Deep Space Nice, its plots were often as directionless as the space station
itself. As for Voyager, it gets top marks for giving its
remaining fans the finale they wanted, though admittedly, if it wasn't for
Jeri "Seven" Ryan, the show wouldn't have lasted half as long.
Let's just say that Enterprise has a LOT of potential. We'll just
have to see how further episodes pan out...
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Enterprise
Okay, so the opening theme needs a little
work. Aside from that, the latest Star Trek series, Enterprise,
has proven to be a pleasant surprise. The first three episodes were filled with
far less technobabble, and far more character development; a trait not
seen in Trek spin offs for years. True, some modern Trek clichés are
present, though compared to pilot episodes for every Trek series attempted
in the last 20 years --yes, even the pilot to Star Trek: The Next
Generation was dull-- this series' pilot episode, in comparison, was a
welcome breath of fresh air. The later episodes, so far, just seem to be
getting better and better.
 So, where did Paramount Studios go right
this time? By going as far backward as they went forward. Enterprise
is not yet another leap into the future, though rather a trip back
to Star Trek's roots. This series chronicles the very first deep-space
exploration spaceship, even before the voyages of Captain James T. Kirk
himself. The timeline is 100 years after Earth first discovered warp speed
travel, at the dawn of Starfleet Command's first trips out of our solar
system. This is long before the Federation of Planets, since Earth doesn't
know enough planets to suggest a "Federation" yet. The small
vessel named Enterprise is only interested in exploration of new
worlds, seeking out new civilizations, and to boldly go...well, you know.
Of course, no series is good without a fine
cast, and the actors & characters chosen here all have a lot of
potential. Captain John Archer is played excellently by sci-fi TV
veteran Scott Bacula, who performs the role with the perfect blend of
emotion and strength. Jolene Blalock is perfect as Subcommander T'Pol,
whose portrayal of an "unemotional Vulcan" is well done, without
simply reading her lines in monotone. Admittedly, Linda Park may be
currently overacting her role a little, as ship interpreter Ensign Sato,
yet if you look at the first season of Star Trek TNG, Marina Sirtis
overacted her Deanna Troi role almost as much. It's all a matter of
growing more familiar with the role. Other cast members --Connor
Trinneer, John Billingsley, Dominic Keating, Anthony Montgomery, and John
Fleck-- are equally well cast, and I look forward to seeing upcoming
episodes centering on each character.
Their acting will be more important than
usual in recent Trek spin-offs, given how much character development the
series has had, in just three episodes alone. Without giving too many
spoilers, here's a small prologue of the stage-setting, in the series
pilot. The
"logical" Vulcans have kept us from excessive exploration for
over 100 years, ever since the first warp drive flight by Cochran (as
shown in the movie, Star Trek: First Contact). John Archer's father
invented a new warp 5 engine --which would allow for us to travel
deep-space-- yet he never lived to see it fly, thanks to the Vulcan
advisers always coming up with excuses for him to wait. Captain Archer,
therefore, has his fair share of apprehension with the Vulcans,
particularly T'Pol. The resulting conflicts between these two lead
characters may prove
interesting; the verbal bouts between Spock and McCoy were often
hilarious, and it would be amusing to see such banter in Trek once again.
Timing is also well chosen in this series. In the pilot episode, we learn there
are many mainstays of Trek sci-fi, that the Enterprise crew are
only beginning to tinker with. This includes warp travel itself, as well
as transporters (which, up to "now", have only been used for
inanimate supplies), phasers (the idea of stun/kill settings
are " introduced" here), and much more. It was also nice to
see a return to some classic Trek tools of the trade, including the hand-held
communicator. While some "Next Generation" fans may like the
novel concept of Starfleet Captains slapping their chest's insignia to
call their ship, I prefer the old-fashioned approach.
In the end, as a Trek-fan, I have to say
I'm very pleased. the only people who wouldn't be are the techno-nerds who
have attempted to drag Trek into the mud the past few years, with too much
techno-babble, and too little story to each episode. It got to the point
where a "tense moment" was suddenly solved with experimental
"decyon field emissions" or the like, leaving the viewer
scratching their head at best and passed out from boredom at worst. This
series is filled with the more classic, enjoyable Trek dream, of
exploration being less about technology, and more about just having FUN.
Count me on board!
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