Manny Coto’s “Enterprise”

by Sean "TheOrange" Corse, filed in TV on Jan.31, 2007

Enterprise Crew

If you haven’t seen it, it’s probably is as bad as you’ve heard. If you’ve watched it, you probably didn’t see much or any of the fourth season. That’s a shame, because that’s when the show actually got good.

Both Star Treks Voyager and Enterprise are the brainchild of Brannon Braga, a scriptwriter-turned-producer from the days of Next Generation. His signature trademark consists of stories based on strange temporal/spatial anomolies, hence their preponderance in Voyager (and indeed the premise of the entire show), and the ill-advised Temporal Cold War that consumed Star Trek: Enterprise from the inside out.

The beginning of the fourth season saw Braga replaced by Manny Coto, who put an end to this horrible storyline. What followed were several three-episode arcs dealing with Trek history. From Kahn-like genetically-enhanced humans, to the history of Surak and Vulcan, and an explanation for the Frito-Lay (i.e. “ridgeless”) Klingons of Kirk’s era, this season fulfilled the inherent promise and potential of the series after three grueling years.

Too little too late. Aside from most likely being too insular for the casual viewer, the show had been assigned the “slot of death” on Friday in prime time. Despite the precedent of all Trek shows since Next Generation lasting for seven seasons (regardless of quality), Enterprise was canceled after its fourth. Brannon Braga returned to defile the franchise once more by writing the finale, setting the entire episode literally between two scenes in the Next Generation episode “The Pegasus“.

As I watch my Season 4 DVD boxed set, I find myself constantly thinking what a shame it was that the show could not continue for another year, or how it should have been like this from the beginning. Manny Coto did an admirable job with a damaged product. If nothing else, this season demonstrates what the show could have been like if handled by someone who cared about Trek as much as Coto apparently does. One of his moves was to bring on dynamite Trek novel writing duo Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens. If anyone has any good feelings at all about this show, I’m sure it’s their doing.

Enterprise is currently airing on the Sci Fi Channel, four episodes every Monday. I recommend at least the first part of the first season, but if you just want to skip to the good stuff, go ahead and buy your own copy of the Season 4 DVD boxed set and enjoy the stories at your leisure.

Tags: DVD, Star Trek

http://powet.tv/ aDam

While there was some enjoyability to some of the later episodes I still wasn’t too crazy about it. I guess like you said it was too little too late. 3 years of retardation is too much. When the show was canceled I couldn’t believe it had been on for 4 years. Maybe 4 years of that could have made a more palateable show but we didn’t get that so it’s hard to say.

Can we all agree that the series finale was retarded?
http://powet.tv/ aDam

While there was some enjoyability to some of the later episodes I still wasn’t too crazy about it. I guess like you said it was too little too late. 3 years of retardation is too much. When the show was canceled I couldn’t believe it had been on for 4 years. Maybe 4 years of that could have made a more palateable show but we didn’t get that so it’s hard to say.

Can we all agree that the series finale was retarded?
http://www.thatsorange.com/ TheOrange

Yes, yes we can. Like I said, Brannon Braga’s entire premise for the episode was like one final “up yours!” to Star Trek in general. I can kinda see why they did it — the show was supposed to end in the signing of the Federation charter, which I’m sure they would have built to in a more logical fashion.

The other part too might have been to appease fans who complained that Archer and his Enterprise were never mentioned in Treks that took place chronologically after the show, so 15 years after the fact he retconned an episode of TNG like a bad fanfic (redundant, I know) to show “No, look, see? Riker used Archer as an inspiration to do the right thing! What do you mean no explanation for his motivation was necessary…?” Deplorable. I’m glad he’s “done with Trek”.
http://www.thatsorange.com TheOrange

Yes, yes we can. Like I said, Brannon Braga’s entire premise for the episode was like one final “up yours!” to Star Trek in general. I can kinda see why they did it — the show was supposed to end in the signing of the Federation charter, which I’m sure they would have built to in a more logical fashion.

The other part too might have been to appease fans who complained that Archer and his Enterprise were never mentioned in Treks that took place chronologically after the show, so 15 years after the fact he retconned an episode of TNG like a bad fanfic (redundant, I know) to show “No, look, see? Riker used Archer as an inspiration to do the right thing! What do you mean no explanation for his motivation was necessary…?” Deplorable. I’m glad he’s “done with Trek”.
Matt

I hated every time travel episode.

I called them episodes that didn’t exist.

but I really liked what they were doing in the last season.

especially the Mirror Universe eps. I’d like to see an entire series that takes place in the MU.
Matt

I hated every time travel episode.

I called them episodes that didn’t exist.

but I really liked what they were doing in the last season.

especially the Mirror Universe eps. I’d like to see an entire series that takes place in the MU.
http://www.thatsorange.com/ TheOrange

I hated them too. I hated most of all that the Voyager finale was exactly one of those episodes — I was already well sick of them by that time. Sigh…
http://www.thatsorange.com TheOrange

I hated them too. I hated most of all that the Voyager finale was exactly one of those episodes — I was already well sick of them by that time. Sigh…

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