I'm enjoying exploring Netflix and seeing what they have available. They don't have as many shows as I would have guessed, but they do have a few hidden nuggets. One of those nuggets is "Star Trek: Enterprise".
I've enjoyed most of the previous Star Trek series, "Enterprise" is the 5th Star Trek series. I loved the original series of the late 60s. The series that starred Leonard Nimoy as Spock and William Shatner as Captain Kirk was always good for a few laughs. The bickering between Dr. McCoy and Spock was usually humorous although Spock didn't realize or care they were bickering most of the time. I always enjoy Sci Fi shows that don't take themselves seriously. The original series lasted 3 episodes.
The next series was "Star Trek: The Next Generation", this might be the best of the bunch. It featured an outstanding cast. Who's cooler: Patrrick Stewart or the Starship captain he plays, Jean-Luc Picard? A rare instance where the actor and role fit perfectly. There's also Jonathan Frakes as Commander William Riker. Or as Captain Picard called him so many times, No. 1. Other great cast members: Michael Dorn as Worf, Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi, Brent Spiner as Data and LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge. Of course La Forge was helped by technology to be able to see. This show lasted 7 seasons.
Then somehow "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" lasted 7 seasons and I have no clue why. This was probably the most disappointing of all the "Trek"series. In a word, boring. The only character that I remember very well is Armin Shimerman as Quark. According to Wikipedia, Worf showed up for Seasons 4 to 7. However I had stopped watching the show by then. Having most of the action happening in the same location didn't work out very well for entertainment value.
The fourth "Trek" series bounced back somewhat in quality. This series is titled "Star Trek: Voyager" and it also lasted 7 seasons. Off the top of my head I remember two characters. First up is the very strong and capable first woman captain Kathyrn Janeway. She's played by Kate Mulgrew, who now is doing the cooking on "Orange Is The New Black".
And of course who can forget Seven of Nine:
Seven of Nine is probably the most gorgeous "Star Trek" female crewman ever:
The fifth and final "Star Trek" series so far is "Enterprise", which was on the air from 2001-2005. I can't remember the exact circumstances, but I didn't see this series when it was originally on the air. The show is set around 2150, roughly 100 years before the original series.
I've seen the first 6 episodes of the first season so far. It's much better than "Deep Space Nine", but most things are. It shares the self mocking humor of the original series along with the era of mankind's first long distance space exploration. In other words it's trying to plow new ground, this is their first real experience with the Klingons.
Through six episodes the character that stands out the most is Captain Archer, played by Scott Bakula. Again a captain that isn't so deadly serious, he also is very friendly to all that the crew meets. I'm glad the Klingons are integrated early into this series. The warrior race is one of the most interesting groups in the entire "Star Trek" canon.
Also vying for the most gorgeous female crewman is Jolene Blalock, as T'Pol. For obvious reasons she's cast in as many skin tight outfits as possible:
My apologies ladies for only posting pictures of beautiful women, I'd just rather look at them over men.
Anyway besides those two characters, the third and last stand out character is John Billingsley as Dr. Phlox. Phlox is a Denobulan and the crew's doctor. His medical skills are called on many times during the first six episodes of this show, including when Trip Tucker gets pregnant. Speaking of Tucker, he's suppose to be a very important character in this show. But the actor, Connor Trinneer, that plays him is very bland. I'm not surprised I haven't seen Trinneer in any other TV shows. To me he seems like a very poor imitation of Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy of the original series.
This fifth "Trek" series did something interesting with the theme song. Instead of an instrumental theme, they went with "Where My Heart Will Take Me". A song written by Dianne Warren and sung by Russell Watson (who?). A decent song, although it would have been much more appropriate for an 80's or 80's themed show. This slice of cheese would fit right in with Heart and Kenny Loggins back in the day.
Overall "Star Trek: Enterprise" is a perfectly decent show. It's one of those shows to watch when you want some entertainment, but don't want to think too much.
themusicaddict
No comments:
Post a Comment