Enterprise to be cancelled? Speculation stregthens (1 Viewer)

[Jason Seaver]

For all I know, that's what B&B are thinking.

 

[Jason Seaver]

A common explanation (almost as common as whining about its timeslot); I'm not sure what more they could have done, though. They pushed it hard on Fox from May to October, and during the baseball playoffs (and if it couldn't get some of the large general audience that watches that, it wasn't going to survive). It was on the side of buses here, pushed in print, etc. As good as it was, it was a pretty tough sell.

 

[Joseph Bolus]

Well ... as has been well documented, Fox decided not to air the Firefly pilot episode until after the series had been canceled; and the episodes that they did air were presented out of sequence. Like DS9, this series was more linear than episodic in nature. By not initially airing the pilot Fox really never gave the series a chance.

In any event, my intention in mentioning Firefly was not to "hijack" this thread into a discussion of that stellar series, but rather to offer up the opinion that the creators of that series could probably handle Star Trek better than the current "B&B" duo have been doing lately.

 

[Mikel_Cooperman]

Exactly why I always mention Farscape and B5. Both great shows that demonstrate how Sci Fi can be tipped on it's head and reinvent things.

 

[Yee-Ming]

Perhaps Enterprise should do a "Law & Order" and start knocking off characters and replacing them. After all, save maybe for Archer, none of the characters is really integral to the whole premise, is it?

 

[Will_B]

Yee, T'Pol representing the Vulcans coming to respect the humans is the main theme to this saga, this part of Trek history, the birth of the Federation and all that. Rather than telling the literal history of the birth of the Federation it seems they're more generally just showing how humanity and Vulcans became allies. Maybe they'll get into the details in later seasons if they're given a chance.

On a related note, the idea that the show could have shown in detail the actual birth of the Federation... I don't know. I'm sure they'd have geeks galore correcting them at every turn if they hadn't done what they did. It was IMO darn clever of them to create a storyline taking place in the "anomalie filled region of space" (the "Expanse" which ceases to exist by the time Kirk is born, thus avoiding the geek patrols).

 

[Bryan Tuck]

*ponders for a moment the thought of Joss Whedon and Co. doing Star Trek :alien:

Wow. That would certainly be interesting.

At any rate, I have to admit that the only Season 3 episode of Enterprise that I've seen so far was "The Xindi." I really meant to keep watching it, because I wanted to give it another chance. I've heard that it actually is getting better, and I want to believe that. It's just that I can't seem to get myself excited enough about it to watch it for a complete hour each week, and being the lifelong Trek fan that I am, I believe that to be about the harshest criticism I can give it.

I never thought I would have a hard time staying interested in a Star Trek series, but it's happened twice now. Voyager I gave a little more time, but eventually it lost me. The episodes of Enterprise that I have seen are not so much bad as just spectacularly average. Many of them have started with an interesting idea and completely diluted it with standard Star Trek conventions, which were, at one time, ground-breaking, but are now old-hat. It's not a bad show; just a mediocre one, and for Star Trek, that's very frustrating.

I think I'm going to start watching it again tonight. Even though I'm behind on the whole Xindi storyline, I'll see if I can catch up. However, if the show is cancelled, maybe the franchise will get this much-needed break, something I firmly believe it needs.

 

[Mikel_Cooperman]

I was the same way but I watched all seven seasons of Voyager and I wont make that mistake again.
I think a lot of people share our opinion hense the ratings.

 

[Nelson Au]

Interesting comments here. I must not be in the target market for Fox as I never saw Firefly, or really knew what it was about and that it was even on TV. I don't have cable. I did see a few minutes of Stargate a few times on late night TV while trying to go to sleep.

I have no point of reference for what you're comparing to Enterprise. I come from the older group that grew up on Kirk and Spock and view that as the only true Star Trek. TNG was remarkable and came at the right time as Jason explained that led to the brilliant DS9.

So for me, I view the franchise as a long running thing that struggled once on the air, then fandom grew and you now enjoy all these new genre shows as a result of Trek fans growing up and making their own shows.

If the rumours in the article are true, it would be a shame to see the one thing that helped put UPN on the map be cut short. Star Trek has become a luxury brand in a way. The way Cadillac was once, it may be now seen as a stodgy show for your old man. The youth now want WRX's and such. Cadillac has made a remarkable turn around and has a more youthful BMW like appeal, while it is likely still not of interest to younger buyers, it has made a turn around..stay with me here....

One thing I noticed last week was the buzz for that America's Top Model show. They had a repeat on after Enterprise. Which I didn't stay to watch. However as some one above already commented, one way to reach an audience is to move the show's time slot when drama's typically inhabit and place that America's Top Model show in front as a lead in. If that show is attracting a younger hip audience, it might help as a lead-in for Enterprise. A little youthful appeal may rub off onto Enterprise as it did for Cadillac. So put Enterprise where Jake used to be and America's Top Model where Enterprise is now.

Then keep Berman and Braga as the producers, but let the creative staff do what it does best as Ira Behr got to do on DS9 and hopefully focus on the founding of the Federation and conflicts with other races we know, such as the Romulans.

Again, I'd hate to see such a wonderful rich history of Star Trek go down in flames. That's my 2 cents.

Nelson

 

[Mikel_Cooperman]

As long as Berman is in charge, the stories will still go the way he wants them to.
If you haven't read the Ron Moore interview a few weeks back that was online, try to find it, it prooves that even with DS9 and TNG that he didnt want to try anything new and wanted to play it safe. It wasnt until he got busy with the development of Voyager that he stopped leaving Behr and Moore alone to do what they wanted to.

 

[Nelson Au]

Mikel-

I should have said that I have no great love for Berman and Braga. I'll give them some credit for the highs of some of the modern Star Trek series. And as such, they likely still have some clout within the organization of Paramount. They likely can still serve a role as advisory or liasion between managment and the creative people.

 

[todd s]

I find it amazing that Paramount still has this much faith in Berman & Braga. I often wonder if B&B have some incriminating photos of the Paramount Execs.

 

[Jason Seaver]

I don't know... Where else in Hollywood do people still have clout ten years after their best/most successful work? It seems like everywhere but Star Trek, the question "what have you done for me lately" would come up and these goobers would be replaced.

Which basically strengthens the "Sherry Lansing, a goat, and a hidden camera" theory.

 

[Mikel_Cooperman]

Have you ever noticed that the discussion threads on how Enterprise needs help are longer than those actually discussing the episodes???!!!


Most people, even in the movie business done last long if their product isnt being watched so how have B&B survived?
I am beginning to wonder about some photos too.

 

[Gary Seven]

I won't... but with a post like that...

Actually, it's this post and other's like it that tell me it is time for Trek to go. It has morphed and twisted over the years to be nothing more than a lame space opera and veered away from what Gene was trying to convey.

The cow is dry. I will stick to the original and TNG.

 

[Will_B]

They could do CSI: Starfleet, but chances are in every episode they'd find that the alien did it.

Or how about Risa Island, where each week a few pairs of squabbling lovers would have a one week vacation on the planet of Risa, where all their dreams (or nightmares) come true...
"Boss! Da spaceship! Da spaceship!"

I don't know. Somehow all the other space shows manage to make interesting episodes each week, even the new dumbed down version of Andromeda. If you can't tell an interesting story with a human, a Vulcan, a spaceship, and a universe full of alien worlds, then maybe storytelling isn't the best career choice.

 

[Brent Hutto]

My thoughts exactly. Although to be fair you could have said "If you can't tell 100+ interesting stories over several years..." since in reality no one can expect every episode of a weekly series to be fascinating. Heck, at this point I'd settle for one interesting story I've never seen on Trek before every month or so. That would be sufficient for me to keep watching Enterprise.

 

[Mikel_Cooperman]

If they did a cross between Law and Order and CSI they might have a hit.