Star Trek: Enterprise

[helen]

Any comments about the season finale episode of Star Trek: Enterprise that was aired on Saturday May 29?

[Albert]

Just that NPR played Jerry Goldsmith's wonderful title music to the first ST movie this afternoon.

Goldsmith died last week, leaving behind him some wonderful film scores, of which the ST one was probably the best. Even Richard Strauss might have been a bit envious.

[helen]

I didn't know that Jerry Goldsmith passed away.

[pzarquon]

Yep. I've heard half a dozen tributes and segments about him on the radio already. He was really a "working composer" (versus a "prestige composer" like John Williams), and thus had more on the quantity side (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000025/) of the quantity-versus-quality equation. But, while paying the bills, he did have his moments of genius, and some of his sounds and melodies are nearly as widely recognizable as other "great themes."

His "Star Trek" theme was so good, it was used for more than one of the movies and the first TV revival, after all.

Back to Enterprise, though, I'd completely lost track of the show. I watched a few early episodes and really thought it had promise. But they took a leap and decided to go with a long story arc (i.e. a plot that continues for a whole season, rather than short stories that begin and end in an hour), and while I'm sure it won some new fans, it made it impossible for me to keep up.

I know Enterprisefell into the "time travel" theme prematurely (usually time travel plots means they're running out of ideas), and Captain Archer was central to some big future event involving the Xindi. The Xindi, who also time traveled, knew that humans were going to kick their asses, so they went back in time to attack Earth. But, only a practice run or something, giving Captain Archer - fortified with some military grunts - a chance to go and get 'em first. Of course, they all got lost in The Expanse, and met crazy Vulcans, or something, and... well, not surprisingly, it all goes off the rails around here.

So... spoiler tags optional... what the heck happened in the finale?

[helen]

The Xindi didn't time travel to attack Earth, they were told by someone else that in the future Earth would destory the Xindi.

That someone else was responsible for creating the Expanse and causing all sorts of problems that in future the Federation with Xindi being part of the Federation defeats that someone else.

While some of the episodes dealt with time travel, in the end the Enterprise manages to convince some parts of the Xindi that they too were duped, but one Xindi who was promised that he would rule the Xindi empire attempted to launch the built superweapon on Earth.

The evil Xindi was defeated and the superweapon destroyed but some strange reason Enterprise ends up in 1940's San Fransisco and Captain Archer in Nazi Germany which happens to have an alien as a Nazi officer.

[helen]

New episode will air this Saturday (October 9) on KGMB at 11pm HST. For those outside the State of Hawaii, check your local UPN station for airtimes.

[helen]

Saturday night's episode mentioned that the distance between Earth and Vulcan is 16 light years. Didn't say which star system it was in through.

[Vanguard]

That latest episode was incredibly lame.

Trip let's T'Pol go without a word or even a wimper. I wouldn't mind if he died in the next episode.

[mel]

UPN Going to KIKU TV (http://starbulletin.com/2004/10/27/business/engle.html)

It is quite possible that "Enterprise" fans will probably have to adjust their Tivos and VCRs to accomodate the work hour/commute prime time.

[helen]

According to Thursday's Advertiser Enterprise will be aired on Fridays at 4pm and Sundays at 11pm on KIKU.

[helen]

Last night's epsiode had vocal audio problems (background sound level was okay but you can't hear the actors speak at times).

[pzarquon]

I wonder how "Enterprise" is doing, ratings wise? After the last season, I lost interest entirely, even though I thought the show had promise at first. The whole long-form Xindi story arc leaves me cold. I have to expect people are watching, though, since they're still making episodes!

I hope the UPN/KIKU arrangement means more reliable scheduling for "Enterprise" and all UPN shows. I wonder if they lose some audience locally because of the "rabbit ears" effect, though? KGMB has a strong broadcast signal, so it reaches plenty of folks who don't have cable. KIKU, I'm pretty sure, has a pretty weak signal.

[helen]

Due to the time it was shown, I tape Enterprise and just watched it today. The presentation for the first 15 minutes including the commericals had static hiss in the background but it was okay in the remaining part. At least the vocal audio didn't drop out like it did last week or for parts of the 2nd season.

As far as the episode itself, last week episode's made Dr. Soong a Lex Luthor type of villian (from the comic series before 1986), smart and dangerous. This week's episode he is less dangerous. Not a mass murderer, and I don't think he was jailed for that. But rather if could obtain his goal without hurting anyone he would do it.

[helen]

Interesting episode for yesterday (11/12). At least there attempts in overall series continuty trying to reference the Star Trek II and Star Trek IX movies in that episode as well as Star Trek: The Next Generation.

[Quark]

I haven't graduated to a digital recording device for my tele so I end up watching when it's on. Consequently I stopped watching ever since it went to 11pm on KGMB. Now that Enterprise is on at 4pm on KIKU I get to watch. So as you can guess I got a lot of catching up to do. This Dr. Soong mini-series was interesting how it tied in Khan. I never realized there was a link.

I also never realized there was some sort of romance between Trip(sp.) and the vulcan first officer. Pardon my lack of names. I hate to destroy names with gross mispellings. That must have been another series onto itself.

Admittedly I did start to lose interest in the show since the characters weren't as strong as in DS9 or Next Generation. Even Voyager was more captivating. I am willing to give Enterprise another chance now that it is more accessible.

[helen]

Today's epsiode was the end of a 3 part episode dealing with the Vulcans. The ending was kind of from the left field in a logical kind of way.
At this point in time I have no idea why the Romulans need to forment trouble on Vulcan and piss off the Andorians and Earth at the same time.

[pzarquon]

He's dead, Jim.

Star Trek: Enterprise Cancelled (http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/news/article/9469.html)
UPN and Paramount Network Television have jointly announced that this will be the final season of Star Trek: Enterprise on UPN. [Production will continue until the end of this season, which will finish shooting in March.] The series finale will air on Friday, May 13, 2005.

[kimo55]

Today's epsiode was the end of a 3 part episode dealing with the Vulcans. The ending was kind of from the left field in a logical kind of way.





waidamminute! You are saying a storyline, of a science fiction show....

is..... :

"kind of from the left field in a logical kind of way"

wow.

[helen]

I saw the cancellation notice on the Star Trek web site. I didn't think UPN would do that but at least they will finish out the season.

[helen]

Today's episode explained the reason why the Klingons in the original series looked different from the Klingons in the movies and the other series.

[pzarquon]

Well, the series finale, and basically the final episode marking the end of 18 straight years of having some flavor of Star Trek on TV, airs tonight. (Well, in the rest of the U.S., I don't know when it airs here in Hawaii anymore.) The big finale episode, "These Are The Voyages..." will come after one last new regular episode, "Terra Prime."

Spoilers behind the links to follow!

The series finale, "These Are The Voyages..." has upset quite a few fans (http://www.trektoday.com/news/160405_02.shtml). Even Jolene Blalock has blasted it (http://www.trektoday.com/news/070305_02.shtml). And the early reviews aren't good (http://www.trektoday.com/news/070305_02.shtml).

I actually liked what I saw, but I saw very little. It had its excess of cheese, but so did every other series. A pity it has to end this way.

[helen]

It airs today (Friday 5/13) at 4pm and 5pm on KIKU. There is a repeat episode that normally airs on Sunday at 10pm.