| Author |
Message |
rag451
Member
|
# Posted: 13 Jan 2003 07:52
Reply
I believe that these forums have been a monumental success so far, and I think we've all shown a great civility towards one another is our various discussions and debates. Time to shake things up a bit! *winks at Babel*
This article was posted on Trek Today on the 12th of January. I knew that Rick Sternbach had left the franchise when 'Enterprise' began, but until now, the thought had not occurred to me how much of a vacuum his departure would leave.
In this article, also from Trek Today, Ron Jones, a former composer from 'The Next Generation', criticized the use of music in the most recent Star Trek outings, 'Voyager' and 'Enterprise'. While his language is stronger than what I'd use, I think his anger is justified. Look at each episode of 'Enterprise' -- the music is lousy. There isn't any strong presence of it anywhere, and in scenes that are supposed to be emotional and dramatic, no music is present to build that feeling up.
The following links are to the articles describing the ratings fall of 'Enterprise' from week to week.
'Carbon Creek'
'Dear Stop'
'A Night in Sickbay'
The above showed strong ratings, stronger in fact than many in the first season. What follows are recent episodes, ones in which the ratings are dipping lower and lower.
This article examines the ratings downfall of 'Enterprise' in depth. So, to sum it up, ratings for 'Enterprise' in the second season are off 42% from its opening season.
'Vanishing Point'
In this article, Rick Berman reacts to the faltering ratings for 'Enterprise' and says that the series might have come too soon.
'Precious Cargo' and 'Catwalk'
'Dawn'
I was a fan of 'Enterprise' when it first started. The promise of 'Broken Bow' seemed to revive my wavering interest in franchise television. Despite massive flaws in continuity, I thought that I would give the series a fair chance. Throughout season one, I was under whelmed by the originality of what had started off as a science fiction drama and become a meager offering of rehashed plots and character flaws. I was, however, encouraged by the final episode of the season, 'Shockwave', which I thought represented a very unique plot curve for the crew.
When season two debuted with the conclusion to 'Shockwave', I was left rather numb. On one hand, I thought that it was a great episode, but on the other, I could see that it was all brought to a close rather suddenly, and without much explanation offered to how the endgame was accomplished.
'Carbon Creek' turned me off, plain and simple. After seeing that despicable excuse for an episode, I was just flat turned off to 'Enterprise'. The sullying of a solid alien species just made me want to throw my boot at the television. Throughout every series, we've seen Vulcans as stoic creatures who do not show emotion. They are neither masculine nor feminine; they simply are what they are, a logical, methodical, and slightly arrogant species.
I kept watching, more out of an intense fear of not seeing some hour of Star Trek shown on television! I watched 'Vanishing Point' several weeks ago, and once again I just wanted to keel over. Is it me, or was that a carbon copy of a certain 'The Next Generation' episode in which Ro Laren and Geordi were "killed"?
A couple of weeks ago, I was in Ten Forward with a couple of people, needlessly debating 'Enterprise' and the franchise. At one point, someone, I can't remember who, remarked that, and I quote, "MR Berman and MR Braga are following Gene's orders to the letter!"
Are they?
CL4 Robert Griffith
|
tovey
Member
|
# Posted: 13 Jan 2003 13:09
Reply
In a way they are but i nothers ways ther enot in the reast of tng and all ds9 and voyager and the films including the great nemesis they folllowed him, but enterprise i htink they used non gene rules
|
rag451
Member
|
# Posted: 13 Jan 2003 14:53
Reply
<!--QuoteBegin--tovey+Jan. 13 2003,13:09--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> (tovey @ Jan. 13 2003,13:09)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><!--QuoteEBegin-->In a way they are but i nothers ways ther enot in the reast of tng and all ds9 and voyager and the films including the great nemesis they folllowed him, but enterprise i htink they used non gene rules<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--><br>Let me see if I can decipher this amazingly complex string of random words.<br><br>*takes out dissecting microscope* Ah, that's it.<br><br>They = Rick Berman & Brannon Braga<br><br>After Gene Roddenberry passed away more than a decade ago, (it's been that long...wow...) Rick Berman stepped up to the plate to take control. For the remaining seasons of 'The Next Generation' and for the first three or four seasons of 'Deep Space Nine', I do believe that there were some great visionary stories told. To me, they represent Star Trek at its core, a light-hearted science fiction drama intended to make us expand our horizons and think about who we are as a culture and how we will live in the future.<br><br>When the Dominion War began in earnest in seasons four and five, the mythos of a science fiction series changed over to a dark science fiction war drama, chronicling the harsh realities of battle and the toll it takes on the human spirit. For the most part, the changeover was handled well, and it was done tastefully. We never had Ezri Dax flaunting her looks, nor did we have Ben Sisko and Kira rubbing gel over their near-naked bodies.<br><br>'Voyager' started with a lot of promise. 'Caretaker' was an original science fiction story that brought seven diverse and interesting characters together in a unique setting. Through the first and second seasons, I do believe that there were some good, solid episodes. As Kes began to leave the series, we saw the focus shift from story-based episodes to character-driven maladies. While I certainly enjoyed seeing the characters develop, I did <b>not</b> appreciate how it was being done at the expense of good story telling. By the time 'Endgame' aired in May of 2001, I was deeply sickened by the turnout of the show.<br><br>Rick Berman and Brannon Braga are writers, and as such, are subject to the same ails that all writers feel at some point -- Writer's Block. Through five hundred hours of Trek, they have guided our ships and space stations to points unknown. Their talent was never in doubt until the series that had shown so much promise, 'Voyager', began to turn science fiction into sexual appeal. I believe that both Rick and Brannon are good people, but I don't think they know what they're doing anymore. They have no perspective to see the terrible job that I believe they are now doing.<br><br>Anyone who is a serious Star Trek fan who wishes to, in my opinion, understand the series behind the stories, needs to read Bob Justman and Herbert Solow's book <u>Inside Star Trek: The Real Story</u>.<br><br><a href="mailto:rag451@sbcglobal.net">CL4 Robert Griffith</a>
|
lzrman
Member
|
# Posted: 13 Jan 2003 15:10
Reply
Voyagers better then Enterprise 
|
rag451
Member
|
# Posted: 13 Jan 2003 19:03
Reply
<!--QuoteBegin--lzrman+Jan. 13 2003,15:10--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> (lzrman @ Jan. 13 2003,15:10)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><!--QuoteEBegin-->Voyagers better then Enterprise <!--emo&:)--><img src="http://www.outpost10f.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smi.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'><!--endemo--><!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--><br>Ah ha, but what is better than 'Voyager'?<br><br><a href="mailto:rag451@sbcglobal.net">CL4 Robert Griffith</a>
|
zisky
Member
|
# Posted: 15 Jan 2003 02:24
Reply
About the music...I completely agree.
Voyager had I believe one good suite, thaty being "Heroes and Demons," but the rest of the music was just remixes of the main theme and remixes of formerly mentioned suite.
Enterprise backround music is extremely boring (just like the rest of the show) and the main theme is a terrible piece of fluff that isn't even good enough to make the soft-rock radio stations.
What happpened to the days when important episodes had music to match? TNG even had an episode somewhat dedicated to a nice piece of music ("Inner Light"). I listen to the suite from DS9's "The Visitor" as if it were a normal piece of classical music, and TOS's "Trouble With Tribbles" has enough entertaining music to fill the remainder of Enterprise twice over.
Oh, and as for what's better than Voyager...there is no question that DS9 is the best.
So there  .
|
babel
Member
|
# Posted: 15 Jan 2003 02:30
Reply
If Berman and Braga are following Gene's orders to the letter then I am Elvis Presley.
Elvis has left the forum.
|
babel
Member
|
# Posted: 15 Jan 2003 02:49
Reply
Have a look at this Enterprise review site . .hilarious AND painfully, incisively accurate!
http://www.firsttvdrama.com/enterprise/index.php3
|
rag451
Member
|
# Posted: 15 Jan 2003 10:05
Reply
<!--QuoteBegin--zisky+Jan. 15 2003,02:24--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> (zisky @ Jan. 15 2003,02:24)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><!--QuoteEBegin-->About the music...I completely agree.<br><br>Voyager had I believe one good suite, thaty being "Heroes and Demons," but the rest of the music was just remixes of the main theme and remixes of formerly mentioned suite.<br><br>Enterprise backround music is extremely boring (just like the rest of the show) and the main theme is a terrible piece of fluff that isn't even good enough to make the soft-rock radio stations.<br><br>What happpened to the days when important episodes had music to match? TNG even had an episode somewhat dedicated to a nice piece of music ("Inner Light"). I listen to the suite from DS9's "The Visitor" as if it were a normal piece of classical music, and TOS's "Trouble With Tribbles" has enough entertaining music to fill the remainder of Enterprise twice over.<br><br>Oh, and as for what's better than Voyager...there is no question that DS9 is the best.<br><br>So there <!--emo&:P--><img src="http://www.outpost10f.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/ton.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':P'><!--endemo--> .<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--><br>Some time ago, I purchased the 30th Anniversary "The Best of Star Trek" music collection. In the track selection, it lists the main titles of each series, followed by a suite from a memorable episode. For TOS, there is "The Trouble with Tribbles"; for TNG, there is "Heart of Glory" and "The Inner Light"; for DS9 there is "The Visitor"; and for VGR there is "Heroes and Demons".<br><br>I know we're only two seasons into 'Enterprise', but at this stage, what music is there for a 40th Anniversary "The Best of Star Trek"? 'Silent Enemy' seems the only episode, so far, that has contained music that is different from any other episode. All the other episodes seem to harp on the same notes as previous series have, although it seems 'Enterprise' has lowered its octave by a few tones.<br><br><a href="mailto:rag451@sbcglobal.net">CL4 Robert Griffith</a>
|
babel
Member
|
# Posted: 16 Jan 2003 02:37
Reply
The best music was in TOS! All that's been mentioned here is 'Trouble with Tribbles', but what about:
Amok Time
The Doomsday Machine
Shore Leave
The Enemy Within
The Naked Time
The City on the Edge of Forever
to mention but a few! It was always exciting and often moving, unlike the whiny background crap that so often typifies later Trek music. Some episodes are marred by this annoying, whining rubbish wandering aimlessly along while characters are trying to speak.
The 'dramatic' moments are often anything BUT. In some scores I've heard more drama in the introduction to the Shipping Forecast. I've not even noticed the music in 'Enterprise', which probably tells its own story. In summary, I like TOS music, TNG had some good moments, but after that? Poor, increasingly so as time has gone on.
|
rag451
Member
|
# Posted: 13 Mar 2003 10:04
Reply
I originally started this thread as a way to look at the poor ratings and poor writing for 'Enterprise' and to examine why things are the way things are. In the last few weeks, though, I've been noticing that ratings for the show have leveled off and improved slightly.
In this article from Trek Today, John Billingsley (Phlox) describes the unfortunate number of action-driven episodes as opposed to allegorical episodes.
'Stigma', an 'Enterprise' episode which aired in early February, garnered positive reviews as chronicled in another article, also from Trek Today. But, in this article from Trek Today, it says that 'Stigma's ratings were tied for second-lowest in the series' two-year history.
UPN, carrier network for 'Enterprise', is said in this article to be suffering from disastrous ratings, with ratings for 'Enterprise' down 23% from its freshman season.
In this February 15th article from Trek Today, most reviewers said that 'Cease Fire' was an interesting episode and most gave it a thumbs-up.
This article, Trek Today examines a possible future for the Star Trek franchise given its awful ratings.
Reviews for 'Future Tense' were positive all around, and for the first time in months, ratings improved from the episode before. Later on though, when reviews from other sites came online, reviews became far more mixed, with more growing negative than positive. Though, once the final ratings were made public, 'Future Tense' scored far higher than originally projected.
In a rare interview, Rick Berman offered his thoughts on 'Enterprise's abysmal ratings, saying that he was unphased by it.
Another February Sweeps episode, 'Canamar' held onto the overnight ratings that had been brought up by 'Future Tense' the week before. Despite more solid ratings, ratings for 'Canamar' were hardly as welcome.
For the first time since the series began, 'The Communicator' marked the first time a re-run did better the second time it was aired.
This article confirms that the Borg will in fact appear in an episode of 'Enterprise'.
So, what does all of this mean? Ratings are going up, but reviews are still are cold-shoulder to the sophmore series. What do you think?
CL5 Robert Griffith
|
rag451
Member
|
# Posted: 14 Mar 2003 21:28
Reply
From Trek Today:
"In an article debating the state of the Star Trek franchise, cast and crew have commented about Enterprise and its contribution to the Trek tapestry.
"The re-imagining and re-creating and starting from a new point has been, I think, a great shot in the arm for [Star Trek]," Scott Bakula (Jonathan Archer) told Allan Johnson at the Chicago Tribune. "How we go from here in Year 2 and move through, hopefully, a few more years of this and take the franchise to kind of a new place, is really in the hands of Rick [Berman] and Brannon [Braga]."
Bakula hinted that Enterprise will be taking a different approach. "Our mission was a peaceful exploration," he said. "Well, that's great, but I don't know that you can build that kind of TV series in this day and age for a long period of time. So I think what you're going to see is a different kind of energy come into the show that's going to give it a little more weight."
Creator Rick Berman firmly believes that setting Enterprise in the Star Trek past was the right decision. "I think we're turning in wonderful programs," he said, "and I think we made the right choice doing a prequel, and going back to the beginning, to the kind of 'Right Stuff' time where people are truly going where no man has gone before."
UPN president of entertainment Dawn Ostroff is also firmly behind the move to a prequel premise. "[It's a] very fresh way of reinvigorating the franchise and looking at this series overall," she said, also indicating the show would be back for a third season.
The full article can be found here at Chicago Tribune."
I think that all problems currently faced in the Star Trek franchise can be traced back to the poor leadership Rick Berman and Brannon Braga have shown in how both 'Voyager' and 'Enterprise' have unfolded. The above article makes me wonder whether or not Scott Bakula has seen ratings figures for the series or heard the loud roar of disapproval from die-hard, loyal fans.
In a related story, though of an opposing view from Bakula's, William Shatner had the following to say:
""It needs something new," Shatner told Terry Morrow of the Scripps Howard News Service (via Naples News). "The people responsible for it have lost its way, and they need to find it again. They need a whole new group of talents to give everyone a fresh approach. By doing too many things, they have lost its way because of greed.""
Saying what could fix the franchise, Shatner had this to say:
"The solution, according to the actor, is simple. "They should hearken back to where it was before with good stories," Shatner said."
The full article can be found here at Trek Today.
CL5 Robert Griffith
|
neo3
Member
|
# Posted: 15 Mar 2003 11:41
Reply
Enterprise is a good show and trip and malcom are a great act it's funer then all the over series
|
