Orson Scott Card recently heaped some abuse on “Star Trek” in the LA Times, vigorously trashing everything about original “Star Trek,” although generously conceding:
“The later spinoffs were much better performed, but the content continued to be stuck in Roddenberry’s rut. So why did the Trekkies throw themselves into this poorly imagined, weakly written, badly acted television series with such commitment and dedication? Why did it last so long?”
Well, I can answer that: They, and I, did NOT see it as poorly imagined, weakly written, or badly acted. Opinions are merely opinions, and not absolutes. That, and the growth of “Trek” conventions made it more than a canceled TV show, but instead a solid socialization experience for many people–including me–who had no social life to speak of.
“Here’s what I think: Most people weren’t reading all that brilliant science fiction. Most people weren’t reading at all. So when they saw “Star Trek,” primitive as it was, it was their first glimpse of science fiction. It was grade school for those who had let the whole science fiction revolution pass them by.”
I wouldn’t disagree. But that’s not the point. Rather than gleefully heaping dirt on Trek’s ostensible grave, as Card does, he might stop to consider that a considerable number of those “grade school” fans went on to high school and college. The first time I saw the name “Harlan Ellison” was on the credits of “City.” Granted, the aired version didn’t represent his vision. Didn’t matter. It led me like an arrow to other works of his that most certainly DID represent his vision. Nor was I alone in that respect. I was already reading SF when “Trek” came along, but others weren’t, and “Trek” created a new wave of SF fans whose interest spread from “Trek” to Ellison, Asimov, Clarke, Bradbury, Gerrold, and even some guy named Card.
To say nothing of the fact that “Trek” fandom had a huge female population (no, not a population of huge females, although yeah, there was a bit of that.). Maggie Thompson recounted how she was at a WorldCon where a roomful of fans were bìŧçhìņg about this influx of *yuckickypoo* Trek fans to their beloved WorldCon. And Maggie pointed out, “Guys? You’ve been crabbing for years how there’s hardly any women attending these conventions. Look around the room; I’m the only female here. Have ANY of you noticed that the vast majority of the Trek fans are female?” The guys looked at each other; they hadn’t noticed, because they’d been so busy excoriating the TV show that brought them there.
“Trek” got me into conventions, and I met both my wives at conventions (at different times). Four kids were the cumulative result, all of whom have attended conventions. “Star Trek,” if NOTHING else, may well be the single greatest contributor to the perpetuation of SF fandom in general.
So, Mr. Card…how about a little gøddámņ respect, okay?
PAD
• 
How on earth did Voyager get a full seven seasons anyway? There’s no way Seven of Nine’s bra was big enough to support the show.
I think that was the only thing that did support the show.
Seven of Nine, the two best reasons to watch Voyager.
-Rex Hondo-
For those fellow Long Islanders, the full Orson Scott Card article appears in today’s 95/9/2005) NEWSDAY editorial page.
Y’know, before I saw this thread, I didn’t even *know* that Erik Larsen also wrote novels under the name Orson Scott Card….
(And why do I picture Card laying on the couch like Homer in the episode where he decided to stop going to church and thinking the thought, “Everyone’s an idiot but me”….?)
Seven of Nine, the two best reasons to watch Voyager.
There were other reasons?
“Forever is quite a strong word, especially considering that both have a strong ongoing expanded universe in the realm of novels and comics, some of which is admittedly mediocre, but some of which is quite good, certainly better than some of the most recent “official canon” offerings.”
I’ve heard that Walter Jon Williams wrote some Star Wars novel. To any Star Wars fans around here, is it any good?
I have a dislike for Star Wars in particular and tie-ins in general, but I’m a big fan of Walter Jon Williasms. So I feel kinda tempted to again break my rule about tie-ins.
I’ll warn you now that I have extremely low taste in popcorn fiction. I enjoy ST, but not SW (much). I don’t like fantasy at all (big fan of C.S. Lewis, not a fan of Tolkien). I like stories about “just folks”. Star Trek was about people, set in a futuristic setting. The “good stuff” leaves me cold. I want to be able to relate to the characters (LotR did nothing for me… Hobbits in danger? I don’t CARE!) Stranger in a Strange Land – boring. I wander the SF shelves looking for light fair. I don’t want the impact of aliens on the universe, I want the impact of aliens on the next door neighbor. (Anybody got some suggestions? I’m looking for something “low” to read…)
The piece is now on Nesday’s web site:
http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-opcar094251509may09,0,7591770.story?coll=ny-viewpoints-headlines
I’ve been reading this with a chuckle; it might interest you to know that the “pure” SF fans have discovered a form of fandom that is even lower than the media fen: the anime fans.
I attend a midwest convention every year, and it’s kind of sad to see the increase in canes, walkers, wheelchairs, gray hairs, etc. Not to mention the fewer numbers. And yet I went to Anime Central a few years ago, and there were all these energetic, young fans running around all over creation. And more importantly, THEY HAD MONEY TO SPEND.
I’ve been fighting the SF convention committee since then, begging, pleading, arguing for them to see the light and get some anime guests in. The dealers would love it. It’d bring new blood in, blood that is desperately needed.
Why, you’d think I’d pìššëd on Isaac Asimov’s grave, to hear them tell it.
And because I’m an attention whørë, I give you one of my better (IMHO) filks: “Fandom Brotherhood Week”:
Oh the lit fans hate the media fans
And the media fans hate the lit fans
To hate all but the right fans
Is an old First Fandom rule
But during Fandom Brotherhood Week
Fandom Brotherhood Week
Doctor Who and Louis Wu are dancing cheek-to-cheek
It’s fun to eulogize
A fanboy you despise
As long as you don’t let them in your con
Oh the comics fans hate the gamers
And the gamers hate the comic fans
All of my fen hate all of your fen
It’s the I.D.I.C. way!
But during Fandom Brotherhood Week
Fandom Brotherhood Week
Trekkies all read Heinlein ‘cause it’s very chic
Step up and shake the hand
Of some fanboy you can’t stand
You can tolerate him if he’s bathed
Oh the lit fans hate the costumers
And the Trekkies hate the furries
And the gamers hate otaku
And everybody hates Mundanes
But during Fandom Brotherhood Week
Fandom Brotherhood Week
‘We’re all fans here so let’s be nice’-hood Week
Be kind to morons who
Are inferior to you
It’s only for a week so have no fear
Be grateful that it doesn’t last all year!
JSM
People are entitled to an opinion, but to just slam something simply because it isn’t your particular cup of tea smacks more of malicious intent than of honest criticism.
I’ll admit that of late I just haven’t felt the itch I did for Star Trek. Everything post-First Contact has just been kind of ‘eh’ for me. Still, there have been some elements of the franchise I’ve enjoyed, Mr. David’s New Frontier novels for instance. I like ideas that expand upon the core concepts of the original Trek, that respect what’s come before but aren’t afraid to do their own thing.
Unfortunately, of late that hasn’t been the case with contemporary Trek. Voyager wasn’t all it could be, and while Enterprise started off strong, it just never found it’s footing after the first season, going from a potentially cool series about the beginnings of Starfleet and the buildup to the founding of the Federation to some kind of odd mix of time travel and 9/11. It’s the catch-22 of a franchise; you can tell good stories within the framework, but you can’t take chances with it anymore, because it’s tied up in the moneymaking of a vast corporation and we need it to sell t-shirts and commemorative plates, etc.
I like classic Trek, it was a part of my childhood and I’ll always have fondness for it. But maybe we do need a break from it for a time. Star Trek seems to be showing some wear and tear, maybe it’s time to take five and come at it again from a fresh angle, or move on to explore and create other venues. It’s an intriguing time regardless.
Stacy
“Well, Im surprised he said that (Card). Thats 2 bad i really liked his Ultimate Iron Man. oh well, off the list he goes….”
Well, you do what you want, of course. Me, I never consider that the appropriate response. If you like his work, then personally I think dropping it hurts you (because you don’t get to keep reading material you enjoyed) and it hurts the retailer who’s not going to make money off it. Card will neither know nor feel it. Plus I’m not a big fan of punitive response over someone who’s merely exercising his free speech.
PAD
Like PAD said above… I’m not a big fan of Card personally, but I’ll keep reading him. He writes good stuff, when he’s not waxing maudlin about whatever pet peeve he’s got stuck in his craw week-to-week. (Honestly, does he not realize he’s talking down to at least half of his fan base?)
So I’ll keep reading him. And the Trek spinoffs, and the Star Wars tie-ins, and whatever else I want to read. Sorry, Orson; I’m always open to positive suggestion, but I don’t ever let anybody tell me what I shouldn’t read.
I’m not surprised at the sheer number of responses so far. The Star Trek fans I’ve met over the years are some of the most intellegent and articulate (at least in writing, if not in person) people I’ve met.
I will show my age by saying that my grandmother raised me on TOS reruns in the 80s until TNG came on when I was in first grade. I had a huge crush on Captain Kirk when I was in preschool–when I found out he had become older and fatter, I decided I would marry Indiana Jones instead. I watched most of DS9, but couldn’t get into Voyager until late in the series and never got into Enterprise. But, I spent many of my late childhood and early teenage years reading the books. I can attribute most of my vocabulary acquisition in these years to Star Trek, in fact.
Throughout junior high and high school, I was, of course, a nerd (though not an unpopular nerd, if that’s possible). However, when I arrived at Stanford my freshman year, I was surprised that as many as half the people were talking about Star Trek in one incarnation or another in the dining hall. I’m not just saying that smart people like Star Trek. The beauty of it is that all sorts of people like Star Trek. It tackled their issues before other shows and dared to be optimistic about the future for once. It is for the same reason that new generations of SciFi television writers throw Trek references into their writing (e.g. Buffy). I say if Trek inspires people to be into SciFi, so much the better.
That said, Mr. Card has a right to his opinions. I’ve never read any of his material and probably never will, simply because I’m genre surfing right now (from poetry to Jane Austen to the novels of Haruki Murakami). Anyway, I guess I’m just agreeing with you all. (^.^x)
Incidentally, for those of you with a bend for “harder”, idea-driven SF, may I recommend the ‘Manifold’ books by Stephen Baxter, and Baxter’s collaboration with Arthur C. Clarke, ‘Time’s Eye’? It looks to me as if we’ve left Baxter off the list of relevant SF authors of today, at least in terms of this thread.
I kind of choked when I read that Trek was “a solid socialization experience for many people–including me–who had no social life to speak of.”
Mr. David, I’ve seen you at almost every convention where you and I happen to be. You are perhaps the most friendly, gregarious, and delightful writer I’ve ever met. You’ve even stooped to singing your community theatre parts before con audiences. You’ve married twice, and not to disparage your first wife, but your current lady is someone who could have blessed the life of any man on Earth – but she chose you.
Don’t tell me you were ever a stammering, foot-shuffling, intimidated geek like most of us! And if you were, could you describe some of your most embarassing moments as such a person with us to make us feel better?
By the way, for those complaining about Orson Scott Card, I suggest you hunt up his audio tape lecture, “The Secular Humanist Revival.” He may be conservative, but he’s the kind that firmly believes that church and state should be separate. It’s probably time for him to give this sermon again at a major con. I can’t say his writing is my favorite, but I can’t insult his politics the way people here have done.
I think Smallville has gained fame not so much for its sci-fi/fantasy elements but for it’s soap opera elements. I know a lot of fangirls are particularly interested in seeing Clark’s and Lex’s “relationship” develop. As an action show, however, I don’t find it very exciting.
I did appreciate it when Card mentioned Charlie Kaufman’s flicks as science fiction. I’m especially fond of Eternal Sunshine. But I like the Truman Show too. Ever notice that some of the best science fiction out there somehow avoids the sci-fi label?
All I can say is: Star Trek and Star Wars are both ending forever within 5 days of each other.
Call off the suicide watch. The Star Wars TV series is slated to begin airing in 2007. 😉
Was there ever a SW suicide watch? The merchandising along would be enough to provide life support for at least a decade. I’ve not read most of the published fiction, but enough to know that you could add another 10 years on top of that.
And that puts us 20 years out (I’ll be in my fifties) and looking forward to the fully immersive 3D, all new re-telling of the Star Wars saga…this time starting with Ep I.
Yeah, I realize Star Wars has the TV series, and Trek is friggin Trek and will never die. I’m just in denial that thier most recent incarnations are calling it quits (both of which I actually like). Its just the one-two punch of both franchies “ending” in such a short period of time and moving onto different things (which are years away at this point) that’s got me in such a tizzy.
Also, while I’m excited for the SW TV series, I think penny arcade nailed it when they said it could turn out to be really, really bad. Check out this possiblity, and shudder in horror: http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php3?date=2005-04-27
Thing is, I actually kinda like New Found Glory.
At this point, I consider cancelling Entercrap a mercy killing. On the bright side, this will allow Berman and Braga to move onto other projects. Maybe in few years, someone who actually knows what they’re doing will revive Trek and create something worth watching again.
Manny Coto was the show runner for “Enterprise” for the last two years I believe. Paramount should have shown Berman and Braga the door and given the show to him. Coto created a terrific SF show for Showtime called “Odyssey 5” that was canceled after one season.
For years I have given Berman the benefit of the doubt because I believed that you really do need one person to lead the show even if I didn’t agree with the direction. But if what I hear about the “Enterprise” finale and the character of Trip turns out to be true, then forget all that. Screw your Berman.
As for hard SF, well I made it through Benford’s “Galactic Center” series. I liked the first two and then found myself really struggling through the remainder but I’m glad I read them.
I don’t know if I want to get involved in any more series (are you listening to me, David Gerrold?) butI’ve always wanted to give the Ender novels a shot. His politics repel me but then I’m Jewish and have raptly gone through 4 separate cycles of “Der Ring des Nibelungen,” 3 “Parsifals”, 3 “Der Meistersingers,” 2 Tristan und Isoldes”, 2 “Tannhausers”, and a “Lohengrin” and “Der Fligelinde Hollander.” No one was more repulsive than Richard Wagner but, against my will, I have become passionate about his music.
“I’ve heard that Walter Jon Williams wrote some Star Wars novel. To any Star Wars fans around here, is it any good?”
He wrote one of the New Jedi Order hardcovers, I don’t recall which one at the moment. I generally enjoyed the series, and certainly all the hardcovers, but it is one of the books around the middle, so you may feel lost coming in blind. I think he’s got more in the pipeline, so check Amazon.
Uh, make that screw YOU Berman.
Mr. Card is certainly welcome to his opinion, the overwhelming success, not to mention the influence on popular culture, of Trek is indsputable.
“Not just for the Yangs, but the Coms, as well”
A few weeks ago, Anthony Martorano and Steve Gargano, the afternoon hosts on WIP 610 Sports Radio in Philadelphia were discussing just who are the bigger geeks- Trekkies? or Sports Geeks
( the folks who dress up in their team outfits for the NFL Draft, play in Rotisserie baseball leagues, etc) The consensus was that Trekkies are
not so far gone because one does have a chance at meeting a woman at a Star Trek Convention and no shot at all to meet a woman at the NFL Draft.
Hmmmm… Food for thought….
Don’t know if anyone has already posted this (and someone probably already has), but here is an interesting link about Star Trek vs Star Wars: http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050508/ART09/505070336
There’s always http://www.newvoyages.com for Trek…and Walter Koening is in Episode 3!
About if what someone said should make any difference if you buy his books or not: I can only speak for myself but to me the answer is not so clear cut. If I have read something written by that author and loved it – and then I read something he said that might not only be annoying but offensive – I would most probably continue reading his books nevertheless.
On the other hand, it is a different matter when it is about to not only try out a different author but also one who writes books of a genre I rarely buy – namely non-media. The more I read about Mr. Card in this thread, the more it puts me off. As I said, I have more than enough to read and unless a good friend whose taste I know well tells me that I should try him nevertheless because I would probably love what he is writing, my opinion won`t change.
The person who mentioned that I can get information about all kinds of books on the Internet and by reading reviews is right. Yes, some of my attitude has to do with “laziness” but I would classify that as lack of motivation. It is not that I NEED more to read, I have more than enough.
Backpage descriptions don`t give me enough information to make such a choice, often they are also misleading, sometimes even wrong.
Manny Coto got to helm Enterprise for this season only. He promptly hired Judith and Garfield Reese-Stevens to write for the show. Sadly, Berman and Braga (or, as we like to call them over at Television Without Pity, Bermaga) have insisted on writing several episodes, including the series finale. You know, the one that the actors on the show are calling “disappointing for the fans” (John Billingsley) and “appalling” (Jolene Blalock).
BTW, don’t go on suicide watch – the second season of the new Battlestar Galactica starts July 15, and it’s actually good! (Of course, with Edward James Olmos as a star, it could hardly help it…)
Jonathan (the other one)–
Can we compromise and make that a season-and-a-half (grin). IIRC, O5 was given the boot in late summer or early fall of 2003. I can recall seeing Coto’s name on “Enterprise” sometime later that season and being cheered by his presence but didn’t know if this was a fill-in or what. I looked for his name during this season opener and was reassured to see it, thinking he would give “Enterprise” the shot in the arm needed to keep it going. Now I’m an original Trekkie/er, age 51, so my mind may be getting confused.
And let me put in a good word for poor, maligned “Voyager.” It’s my favorite of the sequels/prequel because for me it comes the closest to mirroring the original but with more sophisticated costumes, sets and effects. When I need a “Trek” fix I usually turn to “Voyager” because as much as I love the TOS, it looks shabby next to it’s children.
Voyager wasn’t complete crap, there were a few nuggets of gold in there. “One Small Step” (co-written by Brannon Braga!) was actually the best pro-space exploration episode of any of the Trek series, ever. No joke.
It’s probably been said before, but the worst thing to ever happen to Trek is UPN. Once any new Trek series was guaranteed a sure time slot, there was no incentive to actually create good TV any more. Voyager may have had potential and been closer in theme to TOS than DS9, but it also had some of the worst failings of TOS, a near complete lack of lasting character development and repeated “planet/ship/spatial-anomaly-of-death” scenarios which were resolved by some contrived means in the last 5 minutes or so. Also, it managed to do what I never thought thought possible, it made the Borg into just another recyclable enemy of the week, like the Klingons or Kazon.
Enterprise over the last couple of seasons has finally started to live up to its potential, but, sadly, too many people had already completely lost faith in it.
Oh well, I guess it’s a good thing I love to read.
-Rex Hondo-
Star Trek? I’m still devastated over the loss of Babylon 5
It’s probably been said before, but the worst thing to ever happen to Trek is UPN. Once any new Trek series was guaranteed a sure time slot, there was no incentive to actually create good TV any more.
Maybe. But I think the worst thing to happen to Trek was the myth of Trek. So many of the people in charge semed to point out what Trek was or wasn’t in interviews while seeming to wear blinders about Trek. Trek seemed to have been locked into a set design by people who didn’t understand it and each version that followed NG felt more and more like the photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy of the idea of the first.
Trek took SF Ideas and played with them in the Trek setting. STNG (after a really bad first season) did the same for a while. After that it seemed like the idea in most the heads in charge was how to write “Trek” (and a far more PC version then the first ever was) rather then how to write good SF in the Trek universe.
The second worse thing that happened to Trek was the rabid fans. I know a whole lot of Trek fans who complained about the poor writing and lack of new ideas on the Trek shows for years who continued to tune in week after week for no reason other then because it was Trek. These same fans would sometimes give a new series (Farscape, B5, Battlestar, etc) no more then a one or two ep chance before dropping it. The problem with that was the ratings were always telling the money guys, “we’re doing Trek right.”
It was only until the last two series that even many of the hardcore fans were throwing their hands up and giving up.
There may well have been fewer versions of Trek had more hardcore fans tuned out when good Trek became just Trek but the versions that did exist would have been better and stronger in the long run.
Of course, looking at some stuff on TV that’s huge….. I could be really wrong about that last bit.
Trek seemed to have been locked into a set design by people who didn’t understand it and each version that followed NG felt more and more like the photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy of the idea of the first.
And yet, DS9 ends up being the “red headed stepchild” because it did not follow in the exact footsteps of TNG, that it went off on its own and explored things that, from what has been said, would have Roddenberry turning in his grave.
DS9 tried to find its own strong voice in the Trekverse after its second season or so and, I’ll put more then a few $$$ on this, it will be remembered and looked at after 15 or so years of Trek repeats as a better series then the ones that came after it. Why? Because when you have TOS, a good reboot/copy (STNG), two not so good copies and a pretty good show that worked to expand the myth a bit (all my POV I know) and do its own thing then you have a show that will stick out and seem the better spin off over time.
what I think is sad, is I know people who watched trek religiously and quit during the first season of enterprise. Why? Didn’t like the characters? no. Didn’t like the effects? no. They quit because the opening theme music had lyrics. That still blows me away.
JAC
No, friend Jeff, it wasn’t that the theme song had lyrics – it’s that the theme song had lyrics that would have Barry Manilow thinking, “You know, this is really wimpy.”
Some of us stuck with it anyway – my remote has a Mute button, after all – only to be “rewarded” with bad acting, bad writing, and highly mutable characterizations, including the militaristic Vulcans, a First Contact with the Romulans that >i>didn’t lead to a hundred-year-long conflict, and Klingons that actually seemed to like humans.
I missed most of the second season, and won’t willingly watch most of the third season again if, somehow, this thing ever winds up in reruns. (And I even watch some of the syndicated episodes of Voyager!)
it will be remembered and looked at after 15 or so years of Trek repeats as a better series then the ones that came after it.
Oh, I wholeheartedly agree. I used Netflix to rent all the discs for all seasons so I could finally watch everything.
Besides the fact that I dropped my Netflix account, I don’t think I’d do that for any other series of Trek.
Heck, it won’t take 15 years or so, I know a lot of people (myself included) who believe wholeheartedly that DS9 was far and away the best Trek series. It did everything right which I mentioned before as being done wrong by Voyager.
It wasn’t just good Trek, it was good TV, period.
-Rex Hondo-
There’s more imagination in one minute of the original Star Trek than 100 hours of today’s “reality” TV programs, with its whining, self-absorbed contestants. How many “Survivor” or “Apprentice” conventions will be going on four decades from now?
Well, after seeing the finale, maybe Card wasn’t too far off the mark….
You know, it’s an interesting bit of symmetry. There was an 18 year gap between the end of first-run episodes of_Star Trek_ and the debut of _Star Trek_ the Next Generation_; and then we had an 18-year run of first-run episodes from four series. Back in 1987, who’d have thought first-run _Star Trek_ episodes would be on the air for such a long time?
Some might argue that the franchise ran on too long, and thus ran itself into the ground. Maybe. Or maybe Rick Berman stayed too long, and bringing in someone new, years ago, would have given the franchise a shot in the arm. As it is, I gave up on the franchise years ago, save for the occasional episode here or there.
Yes, I did watch the _Enterprise_ finale. Strange that the episode was essentially about Riker, a character from a different show. Everything that Archer and his crew dealt with seemed to reflect back on Riker’s delimma about his decision.
I’m going to assume that the holographic representations of private conversations and of the rescue mission were extrapolated from subsequent log entries, and thus reflected an “educated guess” by the computer as to who said and did what; who stood where, etc. Otherwise, it would disrupt my willing suspension of disbelief.
O.K., I liked that the Riker/Troi scenes were set during a specific _Next Generation_ episode (“The Pegasus”, which I watched immediately after _Enterprise_), and it was kind of cool to see some Enterprise D sets dragged out of mothballs (or rebuilt, as the case may be); but I can’t help but wonder if Scott Bakula and company wouldn’t have liked to have had their _own_ swan song- one not overshadowed by appearances by two stars (three, if you count Brent Spiner’s voice) from _Enterprise’s_ more successful big bother series.
Speaking of Spiner, does anyone know if his dialogue was lifted from a _Next Generation_ episode, or if he recorded those lines specifically for _Enterprise_?
I thought it was nice that Kirk got a mention, and that _Enterprise_ (and perhaps the franchise itself) ended with the “Space, the final frontier…” narration, by Stewart, Shatner and Bakula, respectively. I know that some fans, including a friend of mine, believed that Berman and Braga wanted to retroactively dismiss the original series, which is why _Enterprise_ more closely resembled the later series in both look and tone. Whether this was true or not, it was nice to see the original series get an acknowledgement.
By the way, in a preview for one of the last episodes, I saw Archer modeling a Kirk-era yellow shirt, but didn’t see that scene in the last episode, where you’d think it would have appeared. Anyone know when the scene did appear, and in what context?
I feel I should finish this with some sort of coda that sums up the fact that the _Star Trek_ phenomena, which have had an ongoing influence on popular culture for decades, is coming to an end; but all I can think of is a quote from an iconic character from another genre that has left it’s mark on society:
“That’s all, folks(?)”
Rick
That should be phenomena… _are_ coming to an end; and left _its_ mark on society.
Rick
“By the way, in a preview for one of the last episodes, I saw Archer modeling a Kirk-era yellow shirt, but didn’t see that scene in the last episode, where you’d think it would have appeared. Anyone know when the scene did appear, and in what context?”
It was worn by the dark “Commander” Archer in the second part of the two part episode “Into a Mirror, Darkly.” It was a connecting ep of sorts in that the TOS-era starship Defiant, that was lost in “The Tholian Web,” ended up in the same parallel universe as “Mirror, Mirror” and the DS9 episodes that featured dark counterparts of that universe, but nearly a century earlier, giving Archer and his renegade crew a major technological advantage over any human or alien ships in their sector along with a new wardrobe.
Pity we didn’t get to see more of T’Pol in her “skort” outfit!;)
To clarify, it was the first of two “two-parters” that were broadcast before “These Are The Voyages…” ended it all…for now.
I still maintain that “Terra Prime” was the final episode of Enterprise, and the drek that filled the TV screen for the ensuing hour was nothing more than a horrid hallucination brought on by drinking too much pumpkin ale with keckler (of Television Without Pity fame).
I’m pro-Enterprise. I’ll admit to buying the odd bit of merchandise(including certain novels that shall remain nameless at the moment) for the various Trek series quite happily, although I’ve never done the costume stuff. Give me a good reason, and I suppose I’ll try it the once.
Back to ENT, though. I still want to see what happens after “Terra Prime”…and I hope some day sooner than later to start doing so.
And yes, I believe that the other Trek series also still have their charms. Or I wouldn’t watch their re-runs at all. So.
While I don’t entirely agree with Orson Scott Card about Star Trek, I think it is a little funny that so many who disagree with express their opinions rather intolerantly: “He is obviously wrong and should just shut up. After all, we are right, and he has no right to express another opinion. Besides, he stinks as a writer!” I have enjoyed some of his works and been unimpressed by others, but opinions vary. If having vocal critics who disagreed with one’s positions were enough to silence people, Peter David would not have this forum, after all! (My own prejudice is that he should not be silenced – but some would disagree.)
PAD: If my first awareness of Harlan Ellison’s name were from a Star Trek script, I think I would keep that information to myself. Rather than demonstrating the cultural significance of Star Trek, this fact only demonstrates your nonfamiliarity (at that time) with his work for at least a decade prior to the writing of that script.
I’m with the other Jonathan. With a slight shuffling of scenes in editing and a couple minutes of additional climactic footage, “Terra Prime” would have been a tremendous finale. Every cast member had a strong role to play in the story, it was well written and acted, and it leaves off on exactly the note that they wanted when the series began, hope for the future. I found myself actually getting choked up over Trip and T’Pol’s child. STRONG kudos to John Billingsly for the sickbay scenes towards the end.
“These are the Voyages…” on the other hand, was pretty much an hour of Berman and Braga pìššìņg on Enterprise’s grave. No, it was more like pìššìņg in its coffin during the viewing in front of all of the mourners. I now understand why the cast has been so outspokenly upset about it.
To say that it was weakly written would be understatement of the year. Instead of the epic sendoff every series has gotten since Next Gen, we get some piddly story about Shran nested within an episode about Riker, of all people, which kills off a main character for no good reason. Now, I don’t have a problem with characters dying if the actor leaves (Tasha Yar) or it’s actually dramatically appropriate (Pa’u Zotoh Zhaan of Farscape among others) but to kill somebody off in the last episode for no REAL discernable reason is beyond me.
And when all was said and done, we didn’t even get to hear Archer’s speech, watch the signing, or even see the crew together one last time. We get “Computer, end program” and a too-little-too-late montage of the Trek opening speech, amounting to a great big upraised middle finger to everyone who actually supported the show over the last four years.
Feh, the more I think about it, the more disgusted I get. And I think I’ve started to ramble, as is my wont, so I’ll just stop now and try to find something happier to think about, like Disney orgies.
-Rex Hondo-