Enterprise 3x03 Extinction *SPOILERS*
Posted: 2003-09-24 07:33pm
I never really make a judgement on an episode until i've had some discussion on it, but there were some thoughts i had while watching this one:
1. Another disease threatens the crew, we only have so much time until they are irreversible blah blah blah. TOS did it better in "The Naked Time". TNG did it better in "Identity Crisis." I am really becoming tired of these "homages" or whatever the fuck B&B wanna call them...
2. Some of the stuff in this episode is blatantly retarded. I half expected Archer to start humping T'Pol's leg after his transformation.
3. Every so often in TOS a redshirt died. This signaled to the audience that there was a serious threat. This helped the drama of the show and pull the audience in. So far in almost a third of modern Trek's 7 year run, there has been what one maybe two crewmen dead?. And they just glanced over it. How much better would this episode have been if one of Archer's redshirts got roasted alive in front of him. In TOS Kirk almost always said something as he stood over the cannon fodder. Hoshi having to deal with the horror of watching it. Archer feeling guilty he couldn't save him. Phlox knowing there was nothing he could do.
4. What the hell is the point of adding on these MACO's? They barely give the MAIN cast any screen time(Ensign Token Mayweather, Ensign Hoshi "I am the hotter chick" Sato), so why the hell did they make a big fuss about some of these actors? [start random pissed off ENT moment]One thing that seriously pisses me off is the wasting of the talent of Tucker Smallwood. They guy over at First TV Drama made this same point when he reviewed 3x01. Could you imagine how much better the show would be if Captain Beckett had Commodore Ross as the Maco leader? Especially if they actually gave him some real screen time? Archer with the touchy feely modern Trek crap and Smallwood as the Shoot first ask questions later bad mofo? Instead they try to rewrite Archer's still basically unwritten character and try to make him both sensitive and ass kicker, and to me at least are failing miserably.[/random ENT pissed off moment]
5. These Trek Alien of the Week⢠dudes sucked. They are tying to protect this planet so that this virus would never again leave the plt. Ummmmmm ever heard of a blockade? Or maybe even just a beacon? Even in this early Trek the universal translator works in EVERY first encounter (dare we keep something to make the plots a bit interesting.) So a beacon saying "HEY STAY THE FUCK AWAY!" was too much trouble? And then when there is a breach, it is so important to their planets security that they send 2, thats right 2 ships to deal with it? If this virus was as serious as they wanted us to think wouldn't you send a fucking armada? BTW was that the guy from First Wave?
6. Once again they missed a choice moment for some added drama. The Transporter. Its bad enough we have to have a transporter on ENT, but it works perfectly. How much better would this ep have been if a redshirt materialized in a solid environment? Trip having to decide whether risking the life of crewman outweighed that of the captain. Trip dealing with the guilt of ordering a man to what might have been/was his death. Captain Beckett talking to Trip and telling him that sometimes command decisions are difficult? Come on B&B is it really that tough? So far the only problem we have had with this BRAND SPANKING NEW piece of technology is that some redshirt materialized with some rocks in his skin.
Anyway, just my thoughts.
[Edit for spelling and added a spoiler warning.]
1. Another disease threatens the crew, we only have so much time until they are irreversible blah blah blah. TOS did it better in "The Naked Time". TNG did it better in "Identity Crisis." I am really becoming tired of these "homages" or whatever the fuck B&B wanna call them...
2. Some of the stuff in this episode is blatantly retarded. I half expected Archer to start humping T'Pol's leg after his transformation.
3. Every so often in TOS a redshirt died. This signaled to the audience that there was a serious threat. This helped the drama of the show and pull the audience in. So far in almost a third of modern Trek's 7 year run, there has been what one maybe two crewmen dead?. And they just glanced over it. How much better would this episode have been if one of Archer's redshirts got roasted alive in front of him. In TOS Kirk almost always said something as he stood over the cannon fodder. Hoshi having to deal with the horror of watching it. Archer feeling guilty he couldn't save him. Phlox knowing there was nothing he could do.
4. What the hell is the point of adding on these MACO's? They barely give the MAIN cast any screen time(Ensign Token Mayweather, Ensign Hoshi "I am the hotter chick" Sato), so why the hell did they make a big fuss about some of these actors? [start random pissed off ENT moment]One thing that seriously pisses me off is the wasting of the talent of Tucker Smallwood. They guy over at First TV Drama made this same point when he reviewed 3x01. Could you imagine how much better the show would be if Captain Beckett had Commodore Ross as the Maco leader? Especially if they actually gave him some real screen time? Archer with the touchy feely modern Trek crap and Smallwood as the Shoot first ask questions later bad mofo? Instead they try to rewrite Archer's still basically unwritten character and try to make him both sensitive and ass kicker, and to me at least are failing miserably.[/random ENT pissed off moment]
5. These Trek Alien of the Week⢠dudes sucked. They are tying to protect this planet so that this virus would never again leave the plt. Ummmmmm ever heard of a blockade? Or maybe even just a beacon? Even in this early Trek the universal translator works in EVERY first encounter (dare we keep something to make the plots a bit interesting.) So a beacon saying "HEY STAY THE FUCK AWAY!" was too much trouble? And then when there is a breach, it is so important to their planets security that they send 2, thats right 2 ships to deal with it? If this virus was as serious as they wanted us to think wouldn't you send a fucking armada? BTW was that the guy from First Wave?
6. Once again they missed a choice moment for some added drama. The Transporter. Its bad enough we have to have a transporter on ENT, but it works perfectly. How much better would this ep have been if a redshirt materialized in a solid environment? Trip having to decide whether risking the life of crewman outweighed that of the captain. Trip dealing with the guilt of ordering a man to what might have been/was his death. Captain Beckett talking to Trip and telling him that sometimes command decisions are difficult? Come on B&B is it really that tough? So far the only problem we have had with this BRAND SPANKING NEW piece of technology is that some redshirt materialized with some rocks in his skin.
Anyway, just my thoughts.
[Edit for spelling and added a spoiler warning.]