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ENTERPRISE 05/21/'03: "The Expanse" (1 Viewer)

Rex Bachmann

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title: "The Expanse"
episode: #52
original airdate: May 21, 2003
writers: Rick Berman & Brannon Braga
director: Allan Kroeker
synopsis: "An alien race known as the Xindi launch an attack on Earth, causing great casualties and massive damage. As Enterprise heads back home, an unlikely source informs Archer about the Xindi and that their next attack will destroy Earth."
notes: Crusade redux?
cliffhanger questions: Will T'Pol and Archer have a mat---I mean "meeting" of the minds and find true happiness? How much skimpier will T'Pol's skivvies get? (And, for that matter, Tripp's?) Will Tripp get off his "jollies" in the warp core? Will Mayweather ever be found at all? Will this series ever find its stride and some decently "original" stories? Will there be a UPN for an entire new season? If so, how will Enterprise fare on the new/old "men's channel"? Does anybody give a flying f****** any longer?
 

Everlasting Gobstopper

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I actually thought it was a great episode. The plot moved really quickly from one point to another, cramming so much exposition into a single episode that I thought I was watching an episode of Farscape (which is never a bad thing). Anyway, if this is a signal of things to come, I hope they keep it up. If it leads to a let-down (more than likely) I'd be very upset. And just to hear where I'm coming from, I thought the season started pretty well, then became CRAP for most of the remainder, with a slight increase in quality toward the end.
 

Jack Briggs

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Well, coming from Mark, this is encouraging news. I reserve judgment until tonight, though (or possibly after Sunday's "encore presentation"). I'll feel more in the mood for the bold, new direction in which this show is headed then. But, first, I must do some bold, new lunch. And tonight, I might have a bold, new evening with a much-anticipated guest (an ex). Maybe she might want to watch Enterprise. I've already told her the show is headed into a bold, new direction.
 

Jack Briggs

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Well, you never know what wild and unexpected surprises await us in this bold, new direction Enterprise is headed. My first thought upon reading the plot synopsis was of the Sept. 11 attacks. Apparently B&B were thusly motivated and inspired. This sort of bold, new originality is bold and new.
 

DeathStar1

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Neil
I liked it, and like the previous poster, I liked the start of the season as well. Then it got boring, and picked up toward the end.

I have a feeling this next seeason might be the make it or breakt it one for Enterprise. If ratings get even worse, there may not be a season 4.
 

David Ely

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I thought the episode was decent. If nothing else

It showed us where the Event Horizon was :)
 

Eric F

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My 1st Enterprise in about 6mos. Not bad.

Seems to me it started out as First Contact and ended as Khan.
 

Mike Broadman

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This was a second pilot. It's as if they're saying, "Folks, forget about the past two years, from now on it's gonna be different."

Which is fine, but I don't think it's different in a good way.

The main thing that bugged me was how contrived everything was.

- They send this weapon to hurt earth in order to "test it." Why risk having them be aware of them- couldn't they just test it on some asteroid or uninhabited planet? What's the point of killing some of the people if you already plan on killing all of the people?

- Of course, the Enterprise had to be the ship taking T'Pol back, giving her the opportunity to defect and stay with the crew.

- Am I the only one that saw that loop trick to get the Klingon ship at the end a mile away? Why?- because it's the most common cliche in any dog fight on TV or film. I can't believe they resorted to it.


On the bright side, at least there will be some sort of story in the show, which the writers can dream up an outline for between seasons. Maybe it'll actually make some sort of sense. Still, I can't help but pine away for the series that could have been.

Imagine a series that had the same energy and feel of TOS, that of a starship exploring strange new beings and worlds. But this time, instead of dealing with the complex world of TNG and DS9, we have a more intimate and personal setting.

In my Enterprise, episodes like the one with the "cogenitor" would be the norm, not the exception. Maybe not everything would involve danger and action, but it would have wonder. A truly "bold, new direction" might have to involve not sticking to standard TV conventions- like TOS. To me, that's what Star Trek is really about. Take that away and we're left with Andromeda (I've never actually seen Andromeda, but I still take the liberty of bashing it ).
 

John Swarce

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Overall, I thought the episode was well-done. Looks like they saved up enough money to have some extra special effects. I too could see the Enterprise "loop trick" coming a mile away (maybe two). Good thing they upgraded the hull plating, so all of that Klingon wreckage they flew through didn't affect the ship!:D

It seems to me that the Star Trek series (at least TNG and DS9) hit their stride in Season 3. Maybe this is a good thing for Enterprise, and the direction the show takes will make me want to not miss it on Wednesdays...
 

CaptDS9E

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You know what as a trek fan i am looking forward to season 3. . A lot of enterprise in the first two seasons was not great. We had seen the same stuff before, and ill admit there were a bunch of episodes i skipped because i knew they would be the same old rehash. But if they can pull off this new direction, the first two seasons will have paid off afterall. Seeing these people who for two years went out there to explore and were wet behind the ears, now are on a mission to save there entire civilization. People may say "What did they do in Trek IV or on DS9, or FC and so forth" Well FC the enterprise knew there enemy. They knew how to stop the borg. In DS9 it was a galactic war. Even if it was lost humans would still be spread across the alpha quadrent living. In Trek IV starfleet was more then just earth. For NX-01 earth is pretty much it except for a few colonies. It really is the battle to save all of earth. Do we know how it ends? of course otherwise there wouldnt be any other trek shows. Its how it got there that is the new story. It will be very intresting. Finally for a change im looking forward to the next enterprise
 

Rex Bachmann

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David Ely wrote (post #7):

So, the recipe ingredients are:

---a pinch of Crusade (Earth attacked and under threat of destruction from an hitherto unknown space race)
---a dash of Event Horizon (Delphic expanse = other dimension, where people go mad and kill each other)
---two parts Wrath of Khan (spaceship loop manuevers (holy 2-dimensional thinking!) and enemy ship captain carrying out vendetta against hero captain at all costs to self and crew)

add

---foreshwadowings of the reasons for the Earth(?)-Klingon war (Tripp: "None of that nonintervention crap she [T'Pol]'s always trying to shove down our throats."; Archer: "No, we'll do whatever it takes.")

Shake, stir, and cook till half-baked, and---voi-là---there you have it.

Not bad. But hardly bold-&-original, either.

Addenda:

Phlox to T'Pol: "You and I are the only aliens aboard this vessel." Why do Hollywood "aliens" always think of themselves as aliens, even when they're on a strange ship???

And, must all Klingon bad guys from now on be named "Duras"?
 

Rollie

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Speaking of the dogfight, when Duros got his, did anyone else expect to see the recycled Bird of Prey explosion from Star Trek VI. ;)

And exactly HOW old is the Bird of Prey? Since they're still using them in the 24th century, the design would have to be well over 200 years old. Can anyone think of a piece of military equipment from 1803 that is still being used practically today?
 

David Ely

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did anyone else expect to see the recycled Bird of Prey explosion from Star Trek VI


:laugh:

Star Trek's never going to live that down, are they?

:laugh:
 

doug zdanivsky

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All I know is this is giving off a bad ST: Voyager vibe.

Hopefully they don't spend all of next season getting to this planet, having wacky adventures along the way..

I want more arc concerning the birth of the Federation, Dammit!! :)
 

Greg_S_H

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If it lives up to its potential, it's going to alienate even more of the remaining Trek fans by dropping the diplomacy stuff for more proactivity. There wasn't the normal hesitation/moralizing over the Klingon ship. They just ripped it apart and flew through the wreckage. Adding military muscle to the ship is another sign of this. I think this is a good thing and could set it apart from the others Trek shows.

I do hope they have the Expanse mapped out a bit (doubtful). I bet they just said, "Make it sound extremely dangerous. We'll make up the rest as we go along."
 

Ivan Lindenfeld

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Apr 23, 2000
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I only saw this middle 10 minutes of the show then decided to watch it all later (on my PVR.)

I do have a good sense of the plot and the changes in direction for the series and I think they will NOT be doing Voyager:Rehash at all. I think this threat is a great excuse to have Earth recruit other planetary systems into an Alliance, a....Federation if you will. Of course, I thought the Federation was formed to defend against threats like the Klingons and Romulans. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

A little ass kicking never hurt a Trek series. I swear if Berman hadn't been so lazy with Voyager and made the Borg the big save-the-series villian and came up with something else that stuck (unlike Species 8675309-ee-eyen) it would have reached more Trekkers.

Some real emotion in the last 3 eps of the season. I look forward to season 3.
 

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