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This is a different Sarah, from the one below, btw. For an intro and the latest review my lazy rear end has gotten posted, follow this link
My Random Rantings from Last February, with a followup
Some thoughts from Sara, Co-Executive Producer/Editor/Writer -- The Pretender Virtual Series
Well, it's official. I'm a spoiled little Trekker.
So far, I've watched every Trek sequel that has come along -- Next Gen with enthusiasm, DS9 with interest, Voyager irregularly. And, of course, I have an enduring affection for the original series, which started it all. I've never been into the fandom in a big way, but I've always known the names of the characters and been able to follow the continuing storylines. For me, that was usually enough.
Now we have Enterprise, which I'll admit comes along just as I was considering whether to give up on the franchise permanently. The big draw, of course, is Scott Bakula, who still looks incredibly good post-post-Quantum Leap. Even listening to his voice still gives me more pleasure than I thought it would. So, I decided to give the new series a chance, if for no other reason than to watch Captain Archer walk around in that nifty uniform, and perhaps have a reason to remove it every now and again. <g>
There are those who will tell you that making a prequel is tricky at best. The Phantom Menace may have done good business, but it fell prey to many "past tense, future technology" pitfalls along the way. (For instance, how the robot army we saw would eventually became living Stormtroopers, instead of the other way around.) It would be incredibly easy for Berman, Braga, et al to make the same mistakes.
So far they haven't, but therein lies my problem. You see, I discovered that I'd gotten quite used to some of the familiar conventions that the Trek universe employs. There's the transporter system -- which was originally invented because Roddenberry decided that showing such a large ship landing every week would have been cost-prohibitive. Then there are the streamlined shuttlecraft, which in later series came equipped with transporters of their own. Phasers and photon torpedoes could always be deployed if self-defense became necessary. And, of course, there was an understanding of some of the major races involved: Vulcans were unemotional, but generally good guys; Klingons went from being enemies, to allies, and back to enemies again; Romulans were offshoots of the Vulcans, but much more devious; Cardassians were *really* bad guys. Even the new races introduced by DS9 and Voyager were easier to understand, because the principles for first contact were long-established.
Enterprise is unable to make use of any of this lore. It lies mired somewhere between our time and Captain Kirk's, using steps the creators have decided we must have taken to reach the now-familiar future. Transporters are unreliable, used only for cargo (and dire emergencies); trips planetside require bulky spacesuits and use of a pod, which needs a futuristic grappling hook to retrieve it; weaponry consists of a couple of torpedo tubes and crewmen doing their own version of The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight.
That, perhaps, is my biggest complaint about this show. Because of the lack of familiar technology, everything takes so darn L-O-N-G. The pilot wasn't too bad, because we had an inside joke going with the Klingon -- unfamiliar to them, familiar to us. Wednesday's episode, however, was unbelievably boring. When you have no shortcuts -- which is really all Trek's technology is, storytelling shortcuts --then everything must be shown. As an example, I had trouble feeling any real sense of menace about the pod being fired on because I kept expecting them to just beam out of there, and had to remind myself that they couldn't.
Archer, with all his prejudices and preconceived notions, is an interesting character; having a dog also humanizes him (though I think I liked Data's cat better). Given time, I could probably get attached to several other crewmembers as well. But I have a feeling that Wednesdays are about to become a battleground, between my desire to listen to Bakula's melodious tones and my fervent dislike of the slow-moving stories. Enterprise could always surprise me, and I sincerely hope it does… but I'm not holding my breath.
*sigh* Where's Sam Beckett when you need him?
-- Sara
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This is a totally fan-originated, -owned, and -operated site, and is not official, or associated with Scott Bakula or Bakula Productions in any way. It is maintained because I want to share any information I may have access to, with all Scott fans everywhere, all in one place, and as quickly as possible. This site was originally the idea of Sue, in the fall of 1995 |
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