Singularity

Enterprise: Did anyone catch it last night?
Diane -- 21 Nov 2002, 13:12 EST

I didn't because of RL schedule and taping dificulities. I have read on other boards that the episode was "Old Trek" and extremely well executed. In fact, several posters claimed it was the first Enterprise they wanted to see a second time

So did anyone catch it or was it that bad that no one wants to discuss it?

I need my fix of trek discussion!

Di

Re: Enterprise: Did anyone catch it last night?
Vickie -- 21 Nov 2002, 14:03 EST

It's at home waiting for me on video tape. Assuming, of course, that I programmed the VCR to the correct time. I missed Tuesday night Buffy because I didn't set the program correctly.

I usually set the VCR to start recording one minute before the show starts: 10:59 pm, and end one minute after the show ends: 12:01 am. However, if I get in a hurry or am distracted by something while I'm doing it, I invariably program Start: 10:59 pm End: 11:01 pm.

Vickie

It was a colossal bore IMNSHO.
Terry -- 21 Nov 2002, 14:42 EST

I wasn't even able to pay full attention for most of the hour. Reed was a little funny but that was about it. Oh, and some special effects for the YAMs. Yawn. Lame story about crew acting crazy (aka "The Naked Time/Now") due to the space anomaly of the week. No explanation (that I saw) of how T'Pol managed to revive Archer when everyone else was completely out of it.

Archer acted like a Dilbert pointy-headed boss again, even before the space madness kicked in. He tells the chief engineer to personally fix his chair and to put off all other tasks like ship maintenance until it's done. And his chair isn't broken, mind you, just uncomfortable. Archer also asks T'Pol to do his homework.

Does anyone else think that Trip has gone downhill as a character this season? He was interesting last season but now only his foibles remain. Frankly, he's a moron. And Hoshi has been invisible most of the year. Reed is sometimes interesting but he's predictable.

Ironically for a Braga show, Enterprise is only fit for Trek junkies. Fans who can gush about the creation of the Starfleet "red alert" protocol.

I happened to have the TV on...
D'Alaire -- 21 Nov 2002, 15:51 EST

...and didn't feel like sitting through anything else, so I caught most of it in the corner of my eye.

Terry's synopsis pretty much nails it for me. Rehash of eps I liked better the first time around, nothing bad, but also nothing that could attract me away from my reading. If I had watched more ENT this season, I could probably analyze Trip, but this episode, it was hard even just to listen to. "Reed Alert"...groan.

Hoshi's uber-cook could have been funnier, but something about that (timing, directing or writing--or all three) just didn't play right--as if they didn't know whether to go for disturbing or humorous. The energy was there, but went nowhere, you know? Same goes for the rest of it, really. More, T'Pol being the "straight guy" throughout was well-done, but straight enough that I didn't consider the ep a "comedy." At the same time, it wasn't nearly tense enough to swing the other way. Ah well.

I did smirk when Phlox prepared to lobotomize whatshisname Mayweather, however.

I've made a small vow not to complain about Archer too much anymore. Broken record.

I liked TWW after that, though. But that's another thread.

I did that to "Firefly" last Friday, Vickie.
Nina -- 21 Nov 2002, 16:54 EST

Luckily I was able to watch it at telecast time, without interruptions, though. After all. Whew.

I think we were supposed to believe...
Nina -- 21 Nov 2002, 17:00 EST

...that Archer cared for his crew so deeply, that even the effects of the radiation couldn't keep him from coming to his senses once he had the emergency explained to him. You know, like James T. Kirk in "This Side of Paradise"?

Which is poppycock, of course, because in that TOS classic (which I still love) we eventually learned that powerful negative emotions could destroy the alien spores' effect. With Archer, though, I guess we're supposed to believe it was the sheer force of his character/purity of his heart/whatever.

Every time I try to type "Archer," my fingers want to type "Archives." Bother!!!

Re: Last night's Enterprise - :TV: "Singularity"
D -- 21 Nov 2002, 19:21 EST

Again not a bad episode, but not great either. I agree there have been better meeing with the crew's minds episodes in the other series, though its not exactly my favorite theme in any show. A bit too convenient that the radiation didn't effect Vulcans at all; it would have worked better if T'Pol was being effected more gradually than the others and working on a solution before it incapacitated her too.

At least for once it wasn't obvious that their minds were being messed with right away. I liked the fact that the crew became obsessed with whatever they were working on when the radiation started to effect them, so Archer, Hoshi and to Trip weren't focused on their usual duties.

Guess we know where "red alert" will came from, though I'm surprised they went through all that trouble about finding something to call it. We already have "red" threat levels and I think a lot of sci fi uses the term, not just Trek. I'd expected Enterprise to show the development of the Prime Directive & the beginning of the Federation; never thought about it but it makes sense a lot of Starfleet's security protocols would have originated with this voyage too. I do think the writers goofed having Reed talk about "battle stations" though; doesn't the British Navy use "action stations"?

I may not be overly impressed with the episodes this season, but they have been good at continuity - the device removed from Mayweather's brain, Reed's mentioning several hostile encounters, Archer's father's place in Warp technology development.

Re: I need my fix of trek discussion!
Deb47 -- 21 Nov 2002, 20:39 EST

Good lord how I miss doing that!

I saw last night's show, and it was just "okay".

It was another example of "Why I want T'Pol to be Captain".

The obsessions were hugely annoying, and I no longer find ( did I EVER find it so???) cute to have the CHIEF engineer portrayed as an idiot. (I am specifically referring to his waking up as soon as they cleared he radiation field and asking Archer if they got some "Good pictures" of the black hole. Why couldn't he just get up off the plating and ask... "Why the HECK am I lying face down on the deck, and WHERE the heck is the rest of the crew?!)

I miss Trek.

I am so looking forward to "Nemesis"... and pray I won't be disappointed!

And I hope Firefly flies for a while longer.

D47

I know the feeling, Deb.
D'Alaire -- 21 Nov 2002, 22:12 EST

I also miss the heavy-duty discussions that followed an ep, even the ones I knew would get negative press (like FH, SF, HE...those were fun ). Some of those debates still ring clearly in my head.

But I suppose you need a personal investment in what's going on with the ship/characters before such inspiration strikes--and the ep that drives such inspiration likewise has to be there, IMO. Saying "it didn't suck, but it didn't excite me, either" week after week (for the good eps) gets a little tiring to say the least. Critiqueing the same issues over and over wears out its welcome very quickly, too.

But yeah, I miss the Trek I loved, too.

Perhaps this show will "come in its own" at some point. Honestly, I hope it will, for the franchise's sake as much as the fans'. But as it stands right now, they'll have to do a lot to swing my opinion at this point--instead of resigning to my quibbles, I find I'm pickier than ever. I might actually enjoy a random ep here and there, and keep my eyes opn for RD-directed eps, but I can't call myself a fan of the show, or guarantee I'll be watching week-to-week.

That said, count me among those, too, who'd like to see Trip written better (for a start), and for all the reasons stated by you and others. Trinner's an able and charismatic actor--too able for the writing, IMHO, though a good deal of potential is there.

Not to mention, I truly miss the tradition of quirky brilliance in the engine room.

Me, too, D47. Firefly really rocks my world.
G'Inny -- 22 Nov 2002, 12:34 EST

Well, actually, Mal really rocks my world. But I like the show, too.

Re. Fix of Trek discussion. Anyone want to do "Nemesis"? (A bit spoilery).
Anna -- 23 Nov 2002, 07:35 EST

I saw the Nemesis trailer on the big screen this week... (It's on before Die Another Day).

WOW!! Roll on, next year!

Of course, my reaction could be Trek withdrawal symptoms. (No, Enterprise does *not* count).

So, some quick first impressions:

Couldn't really tell much about the plot from the trailer, and have purposely avoided script websites, feeling that it's not really worth seeing the film if I already know what's going to happen. It spoils the second time of watching if I do that!

There are going to be some deeply cool action scenes. Another Enterprise biting the dust? Yikes. Great effects, too. I hope they are sensible and limit CGI to inanimate objects. Although Bond managed to brass me off even doing that, but that's another thread.

And Patrick Stewart, long an object of lust (That's not to say that he isn't still): Hasn't it been a long time since the start of TNG? I think he is getting a bit old even to be my sugar daddy. It's definitely time for an admiraldom for J-L P, and a new Captain to make movies. Any suggestions?!

Also, I have heard about The Wedding, of course. But one really quick flash from the trailer with Young Baldie (presumably the eponymous Nemesis) and Dr. Crusher made me wonder if another long-awaited romance will blossom in this film? Having not seen all the TNGs, someone may want to fill me in on anything I've missed already.

Finally watched "Singularity"
AC -- 23 Nov 2002, 23:02 EST

and I think that Hubs & I enjoyed it a bit more than some of you seem to have done.

Upon first seeing all the crew members unconcious, Elbe proclaimed, "Wow, T'Pol went into Pon Farr and she went through the entire crew!"

The build-up was a bit more subtle than I've seen in similar episodes such as "The Naked Now." When folks began to go round the bend, the plot was pretty easy to figure out, but it was still much better than many other episodes this season.

Hands down, my favorite moment. Hoshi shouting, "CARROTS!" to her hapless assistant. Elbe (who is an engineer) enjoyed Tripp's quest for the perfect captain's chair, especially the cup holder.

I wonder if Porthos was affected? Or, at the very least, if Archer remembered to feed him while writing his Great American Preface?

AC

Well, I didn't think it was a TOTAL bore....
Mindy -- 23 Nov 2002, 23:23 EST

...as Terry did, but--

*Sigh* Even I, long-time Bakula fan and defender of Archer, am getting tired of the lack of real depth the character is showing...for that matter, I am tired of all the characters's lack of real depth showing...oh, okay, we have had episodes and moments of T'Pol, Reed, Tripp, Hoshi, and Pholox (poor Mayweather just doesn't get it at all, imho), but there hasn't been any consistency or growth or intriguing "ah's"...

But I don't blame it on the actors, guys. I blame it on the writers. Last night John and I were with a bunch of old friends from DC (Comics), and a couple of us started talking about TV, and of course STAR TREK came up, which led to ENTERPRISE. One of the guys mentioned TNG's "DARMOK" as an example of what brilliant writing STAR TREK and TNG in particular could be capable of ("DARMOK" recently replayed on TNN)...it's true. "DARMOK" is a brilliant idea really encapsulated and played out to a wonderful and a not entirely happy ending...what if a Federation ship met aliens that they truly could not communicate with, even though both parties wanted to? The idea of a culture speaking only in analogies was really original--well, maybe not original in other science fiction media, but I'm pretty sure it hasn't been seen in other TV science fiction shows and certainly not within the ST mythology. And the teleplay was great in visualizing in both word and picture the frustration felt by the characters, both Picard and the alien captain on the planet and the shipboard crewmembers....it was just great.

I really do believe that the ENTERPRISE actors are capable of such fine work...but they need the scripts to do it.

As for the show itself...anybody else feel/believe/think that this could have been, or maybe even was, a Jeri Ryan/Seven of Nine piece? Only instead of Jeri roaming the ship, it was Jolene. Again, it is not Jolene's fault. As far as I'm concerned, she has proven to be more than just a great body and face in a catsuit (again, like Jeri Ryan.) But it was been there/done that, y'know?

And I don't understand the whole climax with Archer...why was she able to "snap him out of it?" It made no sense. It was just a silly plot idea for the captain to be heroic and save his ship. It would have worked better if T'Pol had to do it herself, or even with another character...it could have been Ensign Fuller (wish we could see more of her!) or poor Mayweather!!! In fact, it would have given the guy a chance to be the hero for a change!!!!!

As wonderful as "THE NAKED TIME" was, and as chintzy as "THE NAKED NOW" was, this "NAKED HOUR" was just plain D-U-L-L.

Mindy.

P.S.: Was anybody else holding their breath and thinking: "Oh, no, they're going to find out it's water, changed by the gravity of the black hole into a substance very much like alcohol in its lessening of inhibitions effect." I was waiting for T'Pol to calculate a sling around the black hole!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

M