Wednesday, February 16, 2005

OK, I admit; it grew on me

When the latest iteration of the Star Trek universe hit the airwaves, I like many others was not overly impressed. Hell, let's be honest, shall we? Bill Buckner was more welcome in Boston than the idiot that wrote the theme song to the show. No matter how long or how loud all the viewers protested against it, Paramount stuck their ground and kept the theme.

Well, I am sure it was not only the song that did it in but some of the early, suspect (read REALLY BAD) writing and some of the "artistic" liberties that they took with the Star Trek history as we knew and/or envisioned it. And let there be no mistake, a fan's imagination is almost always more detailed and elaborate than what the TV producers could come up with.

So, if I had issues with the show, why do I want it saved? Simple. Enterprise is the fourth series spawned from the Original three year run of Kirk, Spock, McCoy and crew. Every time a new series spawned, we fans bitched and moaned about it until changes were installed that made the shows either watchable or really, really good. Let's take a quick look at this process.

The Next Generation - Goofy colours, weird talking, characters that were stiff and hokey enemy conflicts (except for Q, and even he/it was over the top in Farpoint). The writing got better and they played on the moral and ethical questions of the current time, placed in a future context (old trick but executed superbly). And the two-part ending, which I watched on the big screen in Skydome (YES, Skydome and not Rogers whatever), is arguably the best Star Trek ending and episode ever! Well, some may argue the multiple times that young Wesley Crusher nearly died should be in the top ten. Ever meet someone that could kill a tribble? He would be that person.

Deep Space Nine - You had to applaud the writers for trying s new twist. They don't go anywhere to create hostilities, the hostilities come to their doorstep. Well, as we all know, the premise crew stale quick because fans were used to space battles, seeking out new life and new civilizations, to boldly....ok ok, I'll stop. You get the idea though. Stagnant travel bred stagnant stories. In came the Dominion. Not as insidious as the Borg, but also much cooler to write in because unlike the Borg, the Founders could assimilate any form and topple civilizations from within. Also, unlike the Borg, they were not predatory in the same manner; they simply wanted to ensure their own survival by ruling or extinguishing others. The Par'Wraiths and The Prophets added an interesting turn. Everyone knows that Dax and Quark were the stars of the show though. Also, the wormhole added the gateway needed to bring the stagnant station and story lines to other worlds.

Voyager - Oh man were there issues with this in the beginning. The stupidest one was that people were not believing that the captain was a woman. I was surprised that they did so but not pissed off about it. There were calls to boycott and all manner of foolishness. So besides the female captain issue, what was the issue here? Unfamiliarity. In the three previous seasons, we all grew up with and enjoyed kicking the crap out of Klingons (because they never learn), Romulans, Ferengi, Andorians and the Borg; with a little Q on the side. Now, we had all knew aliens that had similarities to the others but we had no investment in them. This was a very hard situation for Voyager writers and fans. So, what could possibly shake things up to make you want to watch? Well, the same tried and true formula that helps most long running shows in trouble; return to the familiar with a twist. At the end of Season Three, we see the Borg ships approach an unseen ship. The usual message about assimilation goes out and the answer is a super-charged energy suppository that immediately and completely destroys both ships. Yes, this has been done before but not so easily. What the hell could have destroyed the Borg like that? Well, we get to learn that it is Species 8472. The Borg found out about them, tried to assimilate them, and the hunted became the hunters. Anyhow, this two part episode also introduced one of the most memorable characters in the Star Trek universe; Seven of Nine, Borg Goddess. Yes, there is Data, the most popular character ever, acted by Brent Spiner who also did Lore (his brother) and Dr. Noonian Soong (his father/creator). However, Brent NEVER looked that good in a body suit. Besides the physical attributes though, Jeri Ryan brought a great talent to the role that could best be described as Data gone S&M. She did not long for her humanity but ran from it. She was not eager to please and childlike, she was dangerous, powerful and not willing to rejoin the human race all too quickly. The show ultimately ended the way all fans hoped; they finally made it home and kicked Borg butt doing it.

So, we made it to another quadrant 70 light YEARS away and kicked butt. We kicked butt in our own quadrant and basically ruled the galaxy. We popped through time and space and kicked butt. What could the future possibly hold? The past. Enter Enterprise.

Enterprise - literally going back to the beginning now seems to be the end of the most formidable franchise in TV AND Movie history. No other product has been as lucrative for anyone like this has been for Paramount (oh, if you only knew, Desilu). Again, the premise was an interesting one to see how they would pull off a series that talks about the beginning of the first series more than 30 years old. You had more modern equipment and TV production so the look could not even be made to look like it used to without being laughed at. Artistic liberties would HAVE to be taken. Familiarity would work for and against you as you cannot pollute the timeline of what has already transpired. A daunting task indeed on all fronts and basically launched on a good foot... until that *^%$*^&%(*& song played! OH-MI-GAWD! Are they serious? THAT'S the song? It must be some kind of joke. I refused to listen to it and have yet to hear it in its entirety. Posts, letters, emails, threats; all of them were sent to Paramount from the fans and they stood fast that this was the song. On second thought, that is EXACTLY why this series tanked. Paramount is just too stupid and too pig headed to understand their own cash cow. Even William had to concede that "Get A Life!" was the stupidest thing he could have uttered to a fan. Paramount, too late, acknowledged (sort of) that "screw you and the horse you rode in on" was the wrong thing to say to such vocal opposition to that damn song. Sigh, the song changed somewhat to almost tolerable (good for CHUM at midnight) and the complete season to save the Earth from an enemy never mentioned in the four previous series was daring. That said, they screwed up and unless something is done, it will be the first new series to finish before its predestined seven year voyage. And that would be a sad thing, song and all.

Go to the site if you like the show and help try to save it. Otherwise, you will be contributing to the continuation of new Reality TV hell.

Editor's Note: After, er, it was identified (bitched and moaned about) that I was remiss in identifying the gracious (PITA) soul that provided me with the link in this post. So, without further delay (is that Jerry Springer on), I thank Spaceman Spiff for that excellent link. Save Enterrise!

STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE - WWW.SAVEENTERPRISE.COM

1 comment:

Mossy Stone said...

Remember to thank the dude who gave you the link, dingus ;-)