Rant here: The end of Enterprise! (spoilers...as if it matters anymore)

[Tricky]

Ok, so i watched it last night.

2nd half of Terra Prime: good. If the show had ended there, it would have been ok; it would have set the ground work for latter Fed development.

Now for what could be called "The Last Next Generation episode"

Ok, "The Pegasus" was a great TNG episode. And the behind the scenes stuff was neat; I imagined Riker trying to find a way to follow both sets of orders, and this was an interesting way to do it.

But last night....
Were to start.

Riker kept 'fast forwarding' to the 'action parts'; so if there was to be any closure in any interpersonal relationships....it was gone. For instance; what guy was Hoshi talking about? Merriwether? Reed? Phlox? Porthos? We'll never know! Yes, it's not part of the 'grand scheme' but neither was Uhura and Scotty in ST5, but it was interesting...disgusting, but interesting.

Trip Died! Because Archer decided to help Shran. And everyone seemed ok with that. TOO OK with that! I figured Archer would decide maybe there was no way all the different species could work together, or that he wasn't the 'great man' everyone said he was, but nope....he just wrote a speech...THAT WE NEVER GET TO HEAR!

Shran's little escapade; I don't even know what to say about it. I mean, it's plausible. And actually pretty 'realistic', but was kinda lackluster; would have been cooler to have Shran's x-partners after something else, like a prototype cloak, or some kind of item that would have farther reaching implications. Or maybe infer that his little girl would grow up to be someone important. But no, it's just jewel thieves and a little girl.

And, just day's before the ship is decommisioned, and Archer is about to be the main guy at treaty signing, the ship is OUT IN THE STYX? There would be interviews, debriefings, formal galas, parties. Leading up to the event. I have a hard time believing they'd let that ship outa orbit, let alone go on one last cruise.

This would have been a great NG episode, or a nice May sweeps event, showing how Archer's crew influences the future. But as a Series Finale, it is a sad note on an otherwise amazing season.

[Owen E Oulton]

I originally posted this over in the Ferengi Blue Room:

This would have been an OK mid-season episode, looking ahead of the continuity a bit, but as a series sender it was a disappointment. As others have indicated, it was a Next Generation story, with the Enterprise story a mere fragmentary B-arc.

I can see why Jolene Blaylock called it "appalling." It gave short shrift to a major plotline which had just reached a climactic point just minutes earlier in the episode Terra Prime. Trip and T'Pol finally get to a turning point in their relationship, then all of a sudden "That ended six years ago" in an episode that happens six years later.

I'm afraid this episode falls into canon right where I place TAS - it's a holodrama that may or may not be wildly inaccurate in its details. This is bolstered by all sorts of things. Travis and Hoshi still ensigns after 10 years on service? The changes to the uniforms (Starfleet badge on the right shoulder and nametapes on the left breast), while probably done in order to show six years of evolution, devolve to mere mistakes in the holodeck programme.

I really wish the episode had not been relegated to a mere subplot in someone else's story - the storyline could well have held its own as an episode, and could have been the crown to the series.

[Hirogen Alpha]

I guess I've got to be the voice of dissent here, because personally, I loved this episode. I thought it was great seeing the Enterprise-D again the same way it was great to see the original enterprise in the mirror universe two=parter earlier this season.

Yes, it does leave out some bits I would have liked to have seen, but then again, so did the finales of all the Star Trek shows and movies-- except, maybe, Star Trek VI-- I thought that was a perfect send off. But Star Trek VI had the luxary of two commercial free hours, excellent guest casting, and money that a TV series simply cannot afford.

But as for not concluding Enterprise, that wasn't really the point of this episode. A lot of people involved with the production of Enterprise said that Terra Prime was the finale of Enterprise and These Are The Voyages... was the finale of Star Trek, and after watching these two hours (which were wisely put back to back) I agree.

You don't have to hear Archer's speech for the federation-- we already got that at the end of Terra Prime. In many ways it reminds me of the end of Oliver Stone's excellent movie Born on the Fourth of July. Many people complained that Ron Kovic's speech wasn't in the end of the film when it first was released, but now you'll find a lot of people agree that NOT including it was the right choice, and its for the same reasons as not including it here is the right one. We don't need to hear another monologue that wouldn't have stood up to all the praise Troi and others gave it in this episode-- I have the feeling that if it was included, many fans would have bashed it for not being good enough.

And as for Trip's death, yes, it was sudden, but this was a one-hour episode (and not the two-hour it should have been). We can all wish that Dadelus and Bound were non-existent so that those two hours could be added here, but this is television, and sometimes things just happen. I guess, to me, having Trip die showed for the first time just how great his character was-- kind of like how I felt about Tasha Yar after her untimely demise.

I guess, if I could have one wish, it would be that Trip's death would have one that made me less angry, but I'm happy with what I got.

For those fans who wanted more closure, I point to the rest of the fourth season, which, really, wasn't deserved by the ratings. It helped tie up so many storylines and build a great foundation for Trek that no other series (except DS9) really managed to do.

Shockwave-- finished, somewhat, the temporal cold war arc (though I expect and demand this to be expanded on in the books)
Home-- tied up the Xindi arc and had so many great character moments
Augments Arc-- great three parter with excellent guest cast and writing
Vulcan Arc-- tied up Enterprise's Vulcan-Human Conflict quite nicely
United Arc-- Excellent founding of the federation trilogy
Mirror Universe Arc-- A great, guilty pleasure of original Star Trek lore
Terra Prime Arc-- an excellent conclusion to Enterprise
These are the Voyages...-- a fitting end to Star Trek (at least for the next several years, if not longer)

Bound & Dadelus-- the two hours you'll find in any television show that end up not working.

...

I may read this post tomorrow and hit myself on the head with the words "what was I thinking," but I think it sums of my feeling right now rather well.

[khyber]

The finale of Enterprise was terrible. It was not Enterprise it was TNG! Riker and Troi were the stars.

Besides, how can we be sure that's the way Archer's final mission aboard Enterprise really went. It was just a HOLOGRAPHIC recreation by Riker from 200 years ago. How accurate were the records.

I don't think Riker and Troi were necessary to the plot to make it interesting. They could have just kept it pure Enterprise and perhaps really showed what CHEF looked like as the crew confided in him.

I really enjoyed this season, except for the finale!

[Troy_Of_Borg]

I hated it .

The series ending should have been just Enterprise.

I love TNG but they didn't need to be there.

I hope B&B will be fired from doing anymore Trek.

[BouncyCaitian]

That was it?

Bah! I say to Thee, BAH!

What would have been better if they wanted to pull those two in would have been Riker just reviewing history logs out of sheer curiosity, not having an effect on anything in the TNG universe. More of learning Archers command style nad how the crew worked with each other, and perhaps picking upa few pointers as XO. This was appauling.

/end rant

[Sea Tyger]

This was a nice TNG episode. It had no business being the series finale.

Spoilers
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Dismissal of Trip-T'Pol relationship was appalling.

Trip's death wasn't necessary, but it was done well within the context of the episode. At least his death was more noble (saving his friend and stopping the intrusion).

As the Enterprise series finale, Riker and Troi had no business being there. This should've been done as a strictly-22nd-Century story, and it would've stood nicely on its own merits.

It would've been nice to see who Chef really was. (I would've even enjoyed seeing Bill Shatner take that role.)

I've been less vitriolic about Berman and Braga's steering of the Trek franchise that most here, but I really can't understand why they would take a great season and (IMO) good series and tank it in the end like that. "Turnabout Intruder" was better than this episode. Sheesh.

I certainly hope B&B are pushed away from the franchise, and TPTB at Paramount give the helm to someone more deserving. Trek fans should start a letter-writing campaign to get Manny installed as the next head of the franchise.

[Rayaru]

I guess I've got to be the voice of dissent here, because personally, I loved this episode. ...

I agree; I am actually very surprised to see everyone so upset about it.

*shrug*

[REG]

You're surprised? Are we watching the same thing?

You may see it as Enterprise final episode, I see it as TNG lost episode. The story on Enterprise is diminished by the story tie-in to TNG "Pegasus" episode.

Compared to past series finale episodes, this is not even a proper send-off. It's more like "Computer. End Hologram." Talk about a dis of galactic proportion.

[mactavish]

I have to agree with the detractors here. I have always maintained that Enterprise was a good-to-very good series, and this season has been pretty exceptional overall. To have the series end the way that it did wasn't just anti-climactic, it was downright derogatory to the actors that worked so hard to make it a show worth watching. Bringing back Frakes and Sirtis really got under my skin.

To echo other comments I've read here, I would have tweaked "Terra Prime" to include some more "founding the UFP" stuff and made that the last episode. I really enjoyed this episode. It even brought a tear to my eye when Trip and T'Pol's "daughter" died. That was a powerful episode and easily on par with the best of Trek.

I'm waiting for a Galaxy Quest-type resurrection of Enterprise in a few years.

mactavish out.

[Rayaru]

You're surprised? Are we watching the same thing?

Yes.

[prophetsteve]

I have to agree with the detractors here. I have always maintained that Enterprise was a good-to-very good series, and this season has been pretty exceptional overall. To have the series end the way that it did wasn't just anti-climactic, it was downright derogatory to the actors that worked so hard to make it a show worth watching. Bringing back Frakes and Sirtis really got under my skin.

I had problems with Enterprise but I was enjoying it for most of its run... and I thought Coto's run on the series was brilliant.

However the Finale was utter crap. I can't defend this episode no matter how much I try and believe me I was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt right up until I saw it.

If you were going for a Trek-reference episode, then use a TOS/Movie era. Perhaps have Sulu and the Excelsior again... no holodeck needed just the tried-and-true flashback techniques that have served other series well. But honestly, I would have rather had this Reference free, other than some forshadowing of the future.

In this episode they should have simply handled the founding of the Federation, have a final day in the sun, end with some touching farewells and there.... series over.

Sigh... its a bit depressing really. I wish that B&B could have swallowed their pride enough to allow Coto to have the final say in Enterprise... cause when it comes right down to it Manny made Enterprise a joy to watch and all the finale did was make me glad the whole thing is over...

[Dan Stack]

Just to give my prejudices... I liked the first season of Enterprise, was so-so on the 2nd, barely watched the 3rd, and for the most part really enjoyed the 4th. (And "The Pegasus" is one of my favorite TNG episodes.)

With that said... I was pretty disappointed by the finale, for several reasons. First of all, even if I liked the idea of the TNG crossover, I don't quite by the crossover they chose to do. So you've got Riker, making one of the biggest decisions of his life, one which chose him to face up to a horrible mistake he made in his past... Forced to choose between his first captain and his current one... forced to make a decision which could very well end his career. And he hangs out in the holodeck gawking at how small everything was in the 22nd century. It just didn't feel right. And I didn't see the connection between the 22nd and 24th century storylines. I didn't see what could have made him come to the decision he made. If he were to visit the holodeck to get "inspiration" from the past, then wouldn't it have made more sense to study a mission with some bearing on his situation? It would certainly be doable - for example studying Reed being forced to choose between the proto-Section 31 and Captain Archer. Seeing how Reed tried to serve both masters and couldn't. To be honest, it also weakened the storyline in "The Pegasus".

Also, the 22nd century portion felt wrong to me. It seemed to ignore a lot of stuff that should have made it into a finale. TNG's finale showed Worf and Deanna persuing a relationship, showed a possible future to the main characters - showing one way Data could advance in his quest for humanity for example. DS9 showed the characters moving on to the next stage of their lives. The Enterprise finale seemed like a glorification of the "reset button" which hadn't seemed as prevelent of late... It's been 10 years and no character has received a promotion. We'll just ignore a relationship which writers and actors have struggled to make believable. And the "computer end program" at the end just really seemed to rub the wrong way. It seemed to say "this story we just told wasn't really important to us".

[REG]

I had problems with Enterprise but I was enjoying it for most of its run... and I thought Coto's run on the series was brilliant.

Brilliant?

Not only this this season (sans the series finale) surpassed the previous 3 seasons of ENT combined, it also surpassed the last 4 seasons of VOY.

Pardon the language, but it was fuckin' impressive.

But then Berman had to ruin it with this TNG lost episode. It's fuckin' obvious, he wants to relive his glory days.

P.S. Sorry, I have exceeded my naughty quota this year.

[Captain Blake]

I had two problems with Terra Prime: I kept waiting for Archer to shoot the splintering window, it was way to obvious that something was going to happen with it and I didn't like that the problems with the baby were caused by Terra Prime's screw up. It would have had more emotional impact for me if the cloning had been done properly, but by studing the baby, the process could be improved and now Vulcan/Human Fusions could be created. As it was, I was pretty upset by the death. Good episode.

No, make that Great episode. Trip saves the day. T'pol and Trip start bonding again.

And then we get to the finale. Ick.

The words "if you can't say something good, don't say anything at all" comes to mind.

In that regard, "It wasn't anywhere near as bad as Endgame." That's good, right?

I wasn't fond of the idea of a framing story with TNG, Riker and Troi were the stars of the episode. Riker fast forwarding through the slow/talkie bits (that he wasn't a part of) to get to the action robbed us of much of the emotional impact.

Trip not making it through was given away, they then tried the fakeout with the railing, and then killed him a few minutes later, way too early. The first thing he tries is killing himself? Not stalling and waiting for backup, not taking them to Shran and shadowing them later. "I've got to save the captain" and BOOM! Just a quick sacrifice, a couple of minutes to let Jolene act to shut her up, and then off to the next scene with Riker and Troi.

I've got to admit the Frakes as Riker as Chef thing was cool. It gave some insight into the characters. Which I enjoy.

I guess that was the main problem I had. I wanted it to be about the characters on Enterprise, not the Characters from TNG watching the characters of Enterprise.

This was a wonderful season for what was turning into a wonderful show, and will be on my DVD purchase list (along with a couple of seasons of DS9).

I just wish that the producers of Trek had heard of Closure. And that they'd use it for their finales.

Alex