Is UPN abandoning "Enterprise"?

pure vanity | 12/20/02 | self

[pabianice]

Good SCIFI is always an endangered species on TV. With the exceptions of shows like "Stargate SG-1" and "The Dead Zone," quality TV scifi is rare.

For anyone who has become a fan of the TV show "Enterprise," the drop in its quality during this, only its second season, is a real puzzler. "Enterprise" started last year in a rush of good casting, state of the art CGI, great writing, and top production. But this year it has suffered a considerable drop in story quality. And its ratings reflect it.

As a network, UPN clearly has a vested interest in making the show succeed. So, what's the story? Has the show relied so heavily upon the two main writers that, when someone else writes an episode, the quality suffers? Has UPN decided for some unknown reason to let the show die on the vine? Is there some other issue of which the public is unaware?

[pabianice]

How about a topic besides politics for a change?

[Frank_Discussion]

I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about. With all due respect, I think that the writing standards for the show have remained consistently excellent.

I don't think that one bobbled ratings cycle or two is any reason to think UPN is dropping the show. ALL the previous series went through the same thing.

As a matter of opinion, if UPN kept Voyager going as long as it did, Enterprise will do fine. The last few seasons of Voyager felt like someone didn't have the guts implement its 'Living Will', if you get my drift.

I grok Enterprise!

[Nephi]

Is Enterprise the show starring Scott Bakula(sp)? If it is, he's the reason I don't watch.

[HeadOn]

Well - I'm not sure Wednesday night is a good spot. It was on a different night last season, and I watched.

[ambrose]

Agree 100% I've actually stopped watching it got so bad. The first season was right up there with the original series in terms of script quality.

[HamiltonJay]

I haven't seen the quality any better or any worse. Enterprise looks like its going to have a reasonable run and will go down in history as not the worst, or the best of the ST series's.

I do wish they would stop the high horse diatribes by the Captain, but pretty much all the shows since TNG have done that.

[shadowman99]

Paramount's cash cow is dying. ST:Nemesis ended it's opening weekend in second place after a JLo movie. The last two (or three in some opinions) TV series have been lackluster.

Many people have said what Star Trek needs is fresh blood, but I don't think that's even the problem. We've seen the 'trek' formula recycled in other TV stows (Andromeda, B5 Crusade, Farscape, Stargate SG1) and frankly, it's getting stale. A ship (or crew) goes to a new planet each week and solves a morality problem. Or gets in a brainless fight. Farscape rises above the pack, but unfortunately it's axed.

Time to stop beating a dead horse, Rick Berman.

[Publius6961]

Is there some other issue of which the public is unaware?

Ummmmmmmmmm. No.
Au contraine, mon frere. The public is very much aware. And staying away in droves, evidently.

If I remember right, the first (and last) episode I watched involved a private freighter whose crew resisted space pirates by shooting the suckers.

The "Captain" went on a rampage and had a canniption fit moralizing and chastising the victims for their resorting to violence.

I have not even thought about giving such a pathetic excuse for entertainment a second chance.

[boris]

Ditto.

[cdefreese]

I have enjoyed every episode so far. Yes, some were better than others, and yes, the old lone starship in the middle of nowhere solving problems every week does get a bit old. I was a little cautious with Bakula in the captian's seat, but I think he has done a fine job.

Some fresh ST ideas I would like see would be a series onboard a Klingon ship, or a series about a war vessel (possible post-Voyager Borg plots). I just get bored of the shows about peaceful exploration on a 95% human ran ship.

[JustAnAmerican]

I stopped watching it after about six episodes, more for lack of a good story plot then anything else. I still think TNG was the best series period, even though I have fond memories of the original Star Trek. In fact when TNG first came out I refused to watch it for almost a year because I felt nothing could be as good as the original. Little did I know. The Enterprize series just does not have as much action and as many enemies to get angry with.Ahh for want of a Borg the series was lost.

My three favorite episodes,
(1) "The Best Of Both Worlds"(cussed up a blue streak when they did the "To be continued next season" on the screen).
(2) "Enterprise C"(show had me freaked out for a good 20 minutes trying to figure out what the heck was going on).
(3)"The Inner Light".(sappy as all get out but very, very good)

There are many more but these three come to mind. Now if the New series had types like "The Borg" and "Q" it might be worth watching. Even though Roddenbury was a flaming liberal he made the best series. And I never, Ever watched Voyager after the first episode, too d*mmed PC and the Captain was far from believable, well err umm I did watch a few clips of 7 of 9 but thats another story, after all i am Male and Straight :)

[Wolfstar]

One thing I don't like about 'Enterprise' is that it is colorless — both visually and as regards the characters. It's gray palette of colors makes for dull, uninteresting visuals. And none of the characters, including Bakula's, have any real spark or interest. They just seem to go through the motions of acting, but without any vibrancy or life. Perhaps the one thing that all the spin-offs from the original series lack, that the original did so well, is a sense of fun. There was always a kind of tongue-in-cheek quality to the interplay between Kirk, Spock, Bones, Scotty and the supporting characters. But all of the succeeding spin-offs take themselves far, far too seriously. Can anyone really see a 'The Trouble With Tribbles' type of episode done successfully by any of the spin-off casts, for example?

[fishtank]

"Darmok" was a favorite, too.

[ThinkDifferent]

Farscape rises above the pack, but unfortunately it's axed.

Farscape is back for another season.

[SandfleaCSC]

I might have been spoiled by the last 3 years of Deep Space Nine which IMHO was the greatest run of any sci-fi show to date. Any ST series that revolves around a Klingon with anger management issues and a captain who wasn't afraid to b*tch slap a Cardassian or two was bound to be good.

I did like Babylon 5 also. I always thought that the writing was always first class, but the graphics left me scratching my head more often than not.

[1redshirt]

IMHO Star Trek Voyeur was the worst of ALL the Star Treks.
It was nauseatingly PC. Jerkway was an obvious product of affirmative action taken to it's logical peter principle conclusion. And the second officer Jerkody was a prime example of a subserviant emasculated wuss. The only good part in the whole show was when the former Borg lady 6 of 9 joined the crew.

[Frank_Discussion]

Speaking of Jerkody, have you ever see him at a convention or otherwise read anything about him outside of his role on the show. He's a complete A-Hole, leftist twit. Probably the most left-bent of all the actors on all the shows.

[Frank_Discussion]

"The Best Of Both Worlds"(cussed up a blue streak when they did the "To be continued next season" on the screen).

LOL! Me too!

[1redshirt]

He was probably type casted. I heard that Painway is also a flaming liberal.

[Willie Green]

In my area, it's repeated Sunday night at 8:00. slot.
Convenient if I happen to miss the Wednesday show.
And nice if I want to watch an especially good episode a second time.
(I'm in love with the Vulcan babe. I think she's HOT!)