Star Trek Enterprise...

[fajrdrako]

When I was at Sandi and Pat's place this evening, they showed me the latest episode of Star Trek Enterprise.

Now, I haven't watched this show since the first few episodes of first season. Once upon a time I was a fan of Star Trek and of K/S too, but that was long ago and sometimes I think the wench I was is dead. I loved Jean-Luc Picard and that kept me going for a long time with ST:TNG; I had a crush on Kira on DS9 and quite liked Bashir too, but got fed up with Bajoran religion and gave up on the show. The last gasp was a passing fondness for Commander Chakotay, the anarchist rebel, which died a quick death when he turned out to be boring enough to settle into Starfleet like a good little soldier.

But Sandi and Pat, who like Enterprise, remembered that I really like Mirror Universe stories and lured me into watching this one, "Through a Glass Darkly". All the better that it featured Tholians, since "The Tholian Web" was one of my favourite episodes of Old Trek. (In the top ten, anyway. The others - ? Um. "A Piece of the Action", "Amok Time", "City on the Edge of Forever", "Journey to Babel", "Mirror, Mirror", "Elaan of Troyius" - okay, maybe there aren't nine others I remember fondly.

So what did I think of Enterprise? Not much. Maybe if I knew the characters there would have been more impact, but this just seemed a dark version of the characters without much oomph. The women's uniforms had oomph, though. I liked that. The torture scenes put me off. I certainly didn't enjoy it the way I enjoyed the mirror universe stories in DS9, with Sisko a smart-mouthed pirate - ah, if only he'd been that way all the time! - and Kira a dangerous woman.

Comments

[teaphile.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen the mirror universe Enterprise episode (the very idea makes me cringe; did they have to steal so many plots from the other series?) but I can imagine what might have gone wrong.

I think the reason the mirror episodes in the other series worked so well is because the original characters were all distinct; each had a unique way of looking at the universe and the morals and values to support that. The mirror characters took those viewpoints and values and broadened them to the very extremes of possibility.

The Enterprise characters, however, were never that distinct to begin with. Only Phlox really stood out as as unique. I stopped watching the show for that very reason: it never seemed to matter which character performed which action. They were indistiguishable from each other by the middle of season two. Except for Phlox, none really had the quirks that would make mirror universe characters fun.

[widget-alley.livejournal.com]

My mum used to love ST:TNG... with the result of which I saw every episode before I was twelve. I fear to think what result that had on me. I remember my favorite characters were always Picard and Data.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yes, Picard and Data were my favourites, too. And I remember some of the episodes as being quite clever and different - like "Darmok", for example, where the theme was language and communication. Sadly some, episodes were stinkers. But I forgave them anything because of Picard and Data.

There aren't any characters that appeal to me that way in

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Yes, Picard and Data were my favourites, too. And I remember some of the episodes as being quite clever and different - like "Darmok", for example, where the theme was language and communication. Sadly some, episodes were stinkers. But I forgave them anything because of Picard and Data.

There aren't any characters that appeal to me that way in <i.Enterprie</i>, though with this Mirror universe episode, I thought the Vulcan officer was beautiful - something I have not thought before. Hmm. But there was still no one I particularly liked, and as you may have noticed, I tend to watch TV where I like characters, rather than going for plots or themes. (Not that I don't like a good plot, but it doesnt' seem to be my primary concern.)

[widget-alley.livejournal.com]

Oh, man, plot and theme are good, but let's be realistic: it's the characters who make a story. As you might have worked out from previous conversations, I am the biggest sucker for characters EVER.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

it's the characters who make a story

I always think so. And the second most important item is still not plot or theme, but style. Including the style of the characters - all the more important when it's a visual medium.

I am the biggest sucker for characters EVER.

You and me both.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I don't (in theory) mind that one Star Trek series steals ideas from the others, though I wish they wouldn't do it so much!

I think you're quite right about how the other series played with the distinct personalities of the characters; they also gave us interesting counterpoint by having original-universe characters meet and interact with those of the other universe, which Enterprise didn't do.

None of the Enterprise characters caught my attention or my affection. I think the one I liked best was the dog, but he didn't have many lines. So the bottom line is: if the characters are dull in regular continuity, they are still dull in the Mirror universe!