The intro song takes time but if you listen to it fully and don't just skip it you'll find that it grows in you. Trust me it isn't easy, but if you keep at it you'll enjoy it. I used to be where you were, firmly in the stance that it wasn't good, but now I'm of a different opinion.
That thing everyone hates isn't really horrible, at least not if you brainwash yourself into liking it. You've just gotta give your brain Stockholm syndrome and suddenly it'll actually be good.
I skipped that song as quickly as possible every time, but I absolutely hate that I can still hear it in my head clear as day just from your references.
I liked seeing Captain Archer learn the lessons that would lead to the Prime Directive. Trip was a fun character, and I liked his romance with T'Pol. There were lots of good individual episodes, like the one about T'Pol having Vulcan AIDS, and Shuttlepod One. Any episode Commander Shran was in is great, especially the episode that Archer duels him. Jeffery Colms is the best. Brent Spinner was also great in his little arc. And, I legitimately liked the Xindi.
That said, the timing of the Xindi arc, in the middle of all the real-world stuff going on, was bad, and it had a bad message. I also did not like all the sexual stuff, especially the episode in season 1 where T'Pol gets forced into Pon Farr by a virus, and tries to have sex with everyone. And then just, like, the whole last half of the last season. Mirror Universe, gross. Trip and T'Pol's baby dying, sad. Riker's Holodeck cameo finale, disappointing. Fuck Berman.
You magnificently put into words why I always disliked Enterprise. By failing to continue the original continuity, I think it was basically the end of Star Trek for a lot of us.
I actually really enjoyed the show. Theme song was on point. I liked that Archer had a dog. The Temporal Prime Directive shenanigans.
But the thing I hated was taking all the agency from the show by making the final episode a Next Gen episode. :( Even Voyager was treated better at the end.
It was cool because it showed a pre-federation starfleet. Humanity is the underdog scrappy little species trying to get its feet wet in a much larger galactic community. Because starfleet did not have technical parity with other races the stakes felt much higher for each encounter than in TNG or TOS era.
It was lame because it was ENTIRELY too horny. Also the Xindi subplot was painfully obvious as an allusion to the war on terror. It didn't land for me.
Overall it was a great show though. It explored lots of interesting technical details of the world of Star Trek and attempted to explain their genesis. Reed alert, the prime directive, the paradox of being a diplomatic vessel with MACOs aboard and the jurisdiction of force.
I laughed at the show at its premiere, but by the end I was a die hard fan. They really won me over.
It was lame because it was ENTIRELY too horny. Also the Xindi subplot was painfully obvious as an allusion to the war on terror. It didn’t land for me.
Obligatory Rick Berman is a piece of shit. The War on Terror arc is annoying, but in context I think ENT did a good job with it. For those who weren't alive or culturally aware at the time of initial airing, basically every piece of media got darker and more fascist-curious in the few years immediately following 9/11. ENT is a great case study in this because the first season had wrapped before 9/11 and the Xindi plot to a very dark turn starting in S2.
It didn't take enough risks until it was far too late to save itself.
I didn't hate the first couple of seasons; they had quite few good individual episodes. But even the goods ones were mostly just forgettable. Unlike most, I enjoyed the Xindi arc. I feel like Enterprise was ahead of the curve in the shift towards having season long arcs. I'm not necessarily a fan of such things, but Enterprise I feel did a really good job of sprinkling in "adventure of the week" episodes while in the larger Xindi arc.
Where they really got going was when they found that sweet spot in season four where they starting doing two or three episode almost mini-seasons, and finally not being afraid to make their mark on the canon of trek by saying "We caused the flat skinned klingons" for example.
While that is kind of a dull example, prior to that, Enterprise almost went out of it's way to be unobtrusive, so-to-speak, so as to disrupt established canon as little as possible. If they had said "screw that...we're here, and we're diving into canon come hell or high water. Why? Because fuck you, that's why." It would have been a far more entertaining first two seasons.
As others have noted, the final episode and random sexualisation were disappointing, but I really enjoyed the writing round how Star Fleet would (will) come to be. It filled in a good number of gaps in the lore.
The theme music? I laughed at it at first, then when they reversioned it in later seasons, I remember at the time thinking "how could they make it worse?". But now on rewatching, I've fallen in love with it and think it's the perfect tune for the show.
Plus the occasional nod to Quantum Leap were appreciated.
When it came out i was hyped, but my interrest quickly faded away, so i haven't watched it all.
Like: the doc.
Some episodes are very philosophycal.
Dislike: nearly all characters are bland average american a and b on a space ship.
The intro is awful.
The setting. Same problems as with discovery. I love to see the progression of the trek universe those shows add none and are just forced into the already existing history.
The time frame, the trek universe is too dense to fit a good prequel in it.
Suddenly there was a Archer before Pike and Kirk. Suddenly the Universe is a Fungus and warp drive isn't that impressive anymore.
While most Star Trek episodes stand for themself, I always loved big arcs of war and discoveries. Prequels can't give me that and mirror universes make it even worse for me.
I really liked the episodic concept of the first two seasons and how Starfleet started exploring space. Plus there were some great characters like Shran.
The intro song lol
The intro song takes time but if you listen to it fully and don't just skip it you'll find that it grows in you. Trust me it isn't easy, but if you keep at it you'll enjoy it. I used to be where you were, firmly in the stance that it wasn't good, but now I'm of a different opinion.
You could say that it's been a long road...
That thing everyone hates isn't really horrible, at least not if you brainwash yourself into liking it. You've just gotta give your brain Stockholm syndrome and suddenly it'll actually be good.
It's not brainwashing, it's faith (of the heart)
I skipped that song as quickly as possible every time, but I absolutely hate that I can still hear it in my head clear as day just from your references.
And no one's gonna bend or break me!!!
Right? It’s squarely in both columns for me.
I can’t explain it. It’s the magic of Star Trek.
It's so much better in the season that they ditch the hair metal ballad for the acoustic version.
Definitely the worst intro song of any TV show at that.
The decontamination gel was so cringe
I hated the decon gel. It was only there for eye candy, and really reduced how good any episode was if it was there.
Obviously, for me. I make no claim to how anyone else felt.
The decon room just reeks of Rick Berman
disliked: Worst last episode of any Star Trek series. Voyager was bad enough, but Enterprise ...
liked: Jeffrey Combs' Andorian.
Jeffery Combs enhances everything he’s added to.
I bet he’d be good on pizza.
I like that we got four seasons of it.
I dislike that we were robbed of a fifth, sixth, and seventh season.
The last two seasons were really promising!
Like: the theme song
Dislike: the theme song
I liked seeing Captain Archer learn the lessons that would lead to the Prime Directive. Trip was a fun character, and I liked his romance with T'Pol. There were lots of good individual episodes, like the one about T'Pol having Vulcan AIDS, and Shuttlepod One. Any episode Commander Shran was in is great, especially the episode that Archer duels him. Jeffery Colms is the best. Brent Spinner was also great in his little arc. And, I legitimately liked the Xindi.
That said, the timing of the Xindi arc, in the middle of all the real-world stuff going on, was bad, and it had a bad message. I also did not like all the sexual stuff, especially the episode in season 1 where T'Pol gets forced into Pon Farr by a virus, and tries to have sex with everyone. And then just, like, the whole last half of the last season. Mirror Universe, gross. Trip and T'Pol's baby dying, sad. Riker's Holodeck cameo finale, disappointing. Fuck Berman.
The momentum.
We had 90s Trek rolling, TNG, DS9, Voyager, each one moving the world forward. Each show ends with an exciting "What's next in the Federation".
Then Enterprise comes along and takes us back in time. It's an interesting time period to explore, but not what I was looking for.
We don't move forward again until Picard, and that was solidly whatever and far removed from the 90s Trek momentum.
You magnificently put into words why I always disliked Enterprise. By failing to continue the original continuity, I think it was basically the end of Star Trek for a lot of us.
I actually really enjoyed the show. Theme song was on point. I liked that Archer had a dog. The Temporal Prime Directive shenanigans.
But the thing I hated was taking all the agency from the show by making the final episode a Next Gen episode. :( Even Voyager was treated better at the end.
I deleted the last episode from my digital collection and view it as noncanon.
It was cool because it showed a pre-federation starfleet. Humanity is the underdog scrappy little species trying to get its feet wet in a much larger galactic community. Because starfleet did not have technical parity with other races the stakes felt much higher for each encounter than in TNG or TOS era.
It was lame because it was ENTIRELY too horny. Also the Xindi subplot was painfully obvious as an allusion to the war on terror. It didn't land for me.
Overall it was a great show though. It explored lots of interesting technical details of the world of Star Trek and attempted to explain their genesis. Reed alert, the prime directive, the paradox of being a diplomatic vessel with MACOs aboard and the jurisdiction of force.
I laughed at the show at its premiere, but by the end I was a die hard fan. They really won me over.
Obligatory Rick Berman is a piece of shit. The War on Terror arc is annoying, but in context I think ENT did a good job with it. For those who weren't alive or culturally aware at the time of initial airing, basically every piece of media got darker and more fascist-curious in the few years immediately following 9/11. ENT is a great case study in this because the first season had wrapped before 9/11 and the Xindi plot to a very dark turn starting in S2.
Like:
For whatever reason, this show will absolutely knock me out at night. If I need help sleeping, then on comes Enterprise.
Jolene Blalock’s jumpsuits. What’s not to like.
Dislike:
The Xindi crap made me abandon this series.
Loved any episode with Schran (Jeffrey Coombs). His chemistry with Archer was great.
Pink skin
Not enough Dean Stockwell
"The Vulcan Science Directorate has determined time travel is impossible."
Possibly the most annoying repeated line in TV history.
The version in this image: mostly all the time travel shenanigans. That's mostly what I can recall
That last episode Jesus Christ, so bad.
Like: the Asian woman
Dislike: it wasn't very good
It didn't take enough risks until it was far too late to save itself.
I didn't hate the first couple of seasons; they had quite few good individual episodes. But even the goods ones were mostly just forgettable. Unlike most, I enjoyed the Xindi arc. I feel like Enterprise was ahead of the curve in the shift towards having season long arcs. I'm not necessarily a fan of such things, but Enterprise I feel did a really good job of sprinkling in "adventure of the week" episodes while in the larger Xindi arc.
Where they really got going was when they found that sweet spot in season four where they starting doing two or three episode almost mini-seasons, and finally not being afraid to make their mark on the canon of trek by saying "We caused the flat skinned klingons" for example.
While that is kind of a dull example, prior to that, Enterprise almost went out of it's way to be unobtrusive, so-to-speak, so as to disrupt established canon as little as possible. If they had said "screw that...we're here, and we're diving into canon come hell or high water. Why? Because fuck you, that's why." It would have been a far more entertaining first two seasons.
As others have noted, the final episode and random sexualisation were disappointing, but I really enjoyed the writing round how Star Fleet would (will) come to be. It filled in a good number of gaps in the lore.
The theme music? I laughed at it at first, then when they reversioned it in later seasons, I remember at the time thinking "how could they make it worse?". But now on rewatching, I've fallen in love with it and think it's the perfect tune for the show.
Plus the occasional nod to Quantum Leap were appreciated.
When it came out i was hyped, but my interrest quickly faded away, so i haven't watched it all.
Like: the doc. Some episodes are very philosophycal.
Dislike: nearly all characters are bland average american a and b on a space ship. The intro is awful. The setting. Same problems as with discovery. I love to see the progression of the trek universe those shows add none and are just forced into the already existing history.
Can you elaborate on the same problems as Discovery? I have a lot of problems with both Enterprise and Discovery, but none of them overlap.
The time frame, the trek universe is too dense to fit a good prequel in it.
Suddenly there was a Archer before Pike and Kirk. Suddenly the Universe is a Fungus and warp drive isn't that impressive anymore.
While most Star Trek episodes stand for themself, I always loved big arcs of war and discoveries. Prequels can't give me that and mirror universes make it even worse for me.
Holodeck. Why?
I really liked the episodic concept of the first two seasons and how Starfleet started exploring space. Plus there were some great characters like Shran.
Shit show full of sexualisation, that couldn't have a single coherent character or scenario.
Not much to like.