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Posted: |
Oct 13, 2012 - 8:30 PM
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By: |
johnjohnson
(Member)
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Last week we passed along word from TrekCore.com that work is progressing on future high-def Blu-ray Disc releases of Star Trek: The Next Generation...including brand-new bonus materials uncovered during the researching-and-remastering process. There was also talk about the possibility of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine coming to Blu-ray in the future. Now, in a new interview, TrekCore speaks about both DS9 and also Star Trek: Enterprise. First, the most recent series of the franchise was discussed both in that interview, and in a separate article which brought up some Twitter posts by Trek writer/producer Mike Sussman:
TrekCore: Is there a chance that Star Trek: Enterprise might be released on blu-ray some day soon? Mike Sussman tweeted the other day that he knew of another Trek series coming to blu-ray soon, is that by any chance Enterprise?
David Grant: Well we'll keep that... I'm not going to... Let's just say there's talk.
Ryan Adams: There are discussions happening as we speak. Discussions about other Star Trek entities, properties.
TrekCore: Last time we heard from you guys at Comic Con, DS9 was officially "on your radar" for remastering. Ryan gave a beautifully cryptic quote that CBS were "considering it." How are plans moving along? We have a constant stream of emails, with hundreds of fans asking about it.
Ryan Adams: See, well that's wonderful! Here's the thing, David and I would love nothing more than to segue from TNG into DS9 and all of them to be honest with you. We're having a blast doing this. And when I see that we engage with the fans, I love the fact that they're writing in. In order for us to go to John Nogawski, Scott Koondel - the decision makers, let's call them - and get an approval for this, we need that kind of stuff behind us. We need to be able to say "The fans are screaming for this. This is what they want next." And like we said at Comic Con too, it would really depend on - because let's be honest, it's financial as well for the studio - on how well TNG does. And since it's doing well thus far, David and I are still very hopeful that [DS9] will be one of the next big projects that we do. So our hope is "yes," but we still have to get the decision makers to say yes.
TrekCore: So there's been no official green light yet?
Ryan Adams: No, there's no official green light on DS9 yet.
TrekCore: Fans need to keep writing then, that's good to know!
Ryan Adams: Keep writing, and keep buying TNG.
David Grant: The more you buy TNG, the more you get DS9! Put it that way! Laughter
Then, afterward (as the separate article mentions), Sussman followed up with another tweet confirming that Star Trek: Enterprise is coming to Blu-ray Disc in 2013:
Trippin' down memory lane: just wrapped up an interview for the @StarTrek Enterprise season 1 Blu-Ray set coming next year. #itsabouttime
Enterprise was shot with high-def media from the start, and has always been ready to transfer to Blu-ray at the drop of a hat, without the need for remastering. Mr. Sussman's latest Twitter post on the topic says that the hat has finally dropped. Even if CBS/Paramount execs are still beating around the bush, it truly can't get any clearer than that. Stay tuned, of course, and we'll bring you additional info as further developments occur. Our thanks again to reader Adam Walker for tipping us off about this info. It's been a long road, but fans with faith of the heart will find that their time is finally here in 2013!
http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Star-Trek-Enterprise-Blu-ray-Plans/17595
https://twitter.com/Mike_Sussman/status/254345914280456192
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I'm glad to hear this. While I only somewhat enjoyed Seasons 1-3 of Enterprise during my first viewing back when it premiered, I have to admit that I really got into it when I re-watched it on DVD for the first time a couple years ago. Maybe it was partially because the last time I'd watched it prior to starting from the beginning again on DVD was Season 4 during its original broadcast, and I still hold that S4 of Enterprise is the most interesting single season of Star Trek episodes I've ever seen, even more so than TNG. Not best, mind you (although most S4 episodes were exceptionally good, IMO), but definitely the most fascinating with a lot of worldbuilding.
So perhaps, having grown to really enjoy the series with Season 4, I was finally able to go back and watch the first three seasons with new eyes. And I have to admit, those seasons had quite a few good character moments and actually made me laugh quite often. One of the advantages of setting a Trek series so much closer to our own time period is that they ended up with characters who are a little more relatable to us in a few respects. They still watch and create films, for instance, whereas in the 24th century film seems to be an esoteric interest, at best. You can also see Archer trying to aspire to the ideals of the yet-to-be-born Federation, but humanity isn't quite there yet, and there's more than a little hard-headed "20th century" in his makeup. Watching Archer try to deal with the Vulcan Captain during dinner (hosted aboard Enterprise) in 'Breaking the Ice' was probably one of the most hilarious scenes in all of Star Trek.
Although it did stumble here and there, and the "temporal cold war" plot was a bit half-baked, even that subplot gave us a few decent episodes (and Star Trek's first TARDIS, lol). And there were things it did right, like reintroducing species like the Andorians and Tellarites who, despite supposedly being founding Federation members, didn't seem to exist in the 24th century; not even on the cosmopolitan Deep Space Nine. As well as the Tholians, who I've always been fascinated by and wished we could see more of.
And unlike TNG/DS9/VOY, which all tended to start out pretty rough and required a good 1-1.5 seasons for everyone to "settle in" to their characters and start looking comfortable together, that wasn't true for Enterprise. Enterprise managed to give a consistent tone throughout its entire run, whereas the first couple seasons of TNG look more like the 1980s in space with the spandex uniforms, and featured inconsistent terminology and uses of canon, whereas the latter half of the series felt a lot more polished. But I guess Enterprise had a lot more canon to work with by the time it began, so there's some justification for that. The production values on ENT were also incredibly high for a Star Trek television series, and it shows with the effects shots and build quality of the sets. The TNG cast had to wait for a film to go out for a spacewalk on their Enterprise's hull; but by the time ENT rolled around it was doable on the small screen. Considering how expensive each episode was, I was surprised they kept the show going even for the 4 years we got, given the mixed reactions it had during the original airing.
Since Enterprise requires very little work to make ready for Blu-Ray, I've always thought they should release it in between some of the ongoing TNG releases in order to tide fans over. And hopefully make a few new fans in the process, with people willing to give the show a second chance. I think if people go into it watching with an open mind, they'll actually come out realising that it can be a pretty fun ride.
My biggest complaint about the series was the theme song, although the lyrics did kind of set the tone for the series quite well, I would've preferred something a little more traditionally "Trekkian".
Sweet! I like designs 1 and 3. Would probably choose 1, but I'd be happy with either.
I really like #3 as well. The unique "mission patch" insignias for every ship was one of the little details I loved about Enterprise, since TOS did in fact feature unique ship insignias, with the traditional Starfleet Delta only being adopted fleetwide later on.
If the designers go with option #3, think Season 4 should use the Mirror Universe NX-01 mission patch, however. Just for fun. Evil fun. 
... and maybe with NX-02 Columbia's patch on the reverse side.
Perhaps Season 3 could use the MACO uniform patch, given the shift in focus for that entire season.
Much as I dislike JJ Abrahms' take on Trek I do at least think he got the costumes spot on and Enterprise didn't even do that.
Enterprise is set nearly 100 years before TOS, though (so really, it's the only "old" iteration of Star Trek that's still canon with the new timeline Abrahms' created for his movie... hence the reference to Admiral Archer's beagle being the victim of Scotty's transporter experimentation). In many ways, they're closer to our space age than what Starfleet becomes in the 23rd century. Their jumpsuits really aren't that unrealistic, IMO. The NX-01 was Earth's very first "Starship", in pretty much every sense of the word. Every preceeding class was a lot more along the lines of a spaceship, so Starfleet still operated accordingly. Enterprise uniforms looked more comfortable, better for doing actual work, offered better protection, etc. Ships in the 22nd century weren't the comfort cruisers they'd become.
But you may like the episodes "In A Mirror, Darkly Parts I & II", in which the crew actually dons TOS-era uniforms, lol. One of my favourite 2 parters, and it ties in brilliantly to an old TOS episode.
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Posted: |
Jan 8, 2013 - 12:21 PM
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By: |
Michael24
(Member)
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Not crazy about the cover, but oh well.
I never thought that this would see a Blu-ray release, since the fans don't have fond memories of it and many of the actors (such as Jolene Blalock) hated working on it.
It's not that they hated working on it. If they did, they could have left at any time. A couple of them (Blalock, John Billingsley more than others) just voiced their disappointment with how certain things were being done. I've never heard them speak ill of the show as a whole, just certain aspects that they felt could be improved.
As for the fans, I know plenty who enjoyed it (it's the only series since TNG that I stayed with to the end). And in recent years, I've begun to notice an increase of fans coming around to it, who hated it originally but are now starting to get into it and realize it's actually pretty good. Which is what my dad and I predicted years ago when so many people kept going on and on about how (supposedly) bad it was. I said, "Watch, several years after it's over, I'm going to start seeing people online going, 'You know what, I'm watching it again, and it's actually better than I originally thought.'" And I'm starting to see that nowadays.
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And in recent years, I've begun to notice an increase of fans coming around to it, who hated it originally but are now starting to get into it and realize it's actually pretty good.
I tried to get into this show when it first started, but for whatever reason just couldn't. (I wouldn't say that I "hated" it, but with DS9 as my far and away favorite TREK, this was just a tough sell for me--even with Sam Beckett leaping into the captain's chair!) For me, the only TREK series that I truly love are DS9, TOS, and TNG (in that order). (I could never get into VOYAGER, either.)
Anyways, back to what made me reply in the first place.... With all of the series on Netflix, I have been eyeing VOYAGER and ENTERPRISE to give them a second try. However, I think that it has more to do with me just wanting some "new" (old) TREK that has nothing to do with JJ Abrams or his writers. (Let's just say I detest what they've done with STAR TREK and leave it at that.) So, while VOYAGER and ENTERPRISE didn't hit the mark for me years ago, I haven't seen any new TREK in so long that at this point I'm willing to revisit them with the benefit of veiwing them on their own merits, so-to-speak, without DS9 and TNG breathing down their necks....
(And on a sort-of related sidenote.... The TNG Blu-ray release is nothing short of amazing. My jaw drops every time I watch an episode. The quality is top-notch. The show looks brand new. Bring on DS9!)
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It's not that they hated working on it. If they did, they could have left at any time. A couple of them (Blalock, John Billingsley more than others) just voiced their disappointment with how certain things were being done. I've never heard them speak ill of the show as a whole, just certain aspects that they felt could be improved.
I know Blalock and others were universal in their criticism of the final episode. What a piece of crap.
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Posted: |
Jan 9, 2013 - 3:27 AM
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By: |
Joe E.
(Member)
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I missed the show entirely during its run, and didn't see any of it until finally watching the pilot online a year or two ago. Several months ago I started watching on Netflix and I've now gone through the entire show.
"Dear Doctor" bothered me a lot, too; I almost quit watching after that one, and I have to make certain mental allowances and accommodations to overlook it and let myself enjoy the overall series, but I was eventually able to do so.
Like many fans, I enjoyed it more and more as the series progressed, and by the end I wanted a bit more, but oh well. I then went on to start rewatching the entirety of the original series; I've decided to go ahead and watch the entirety of Star Trek more or less in chronological order, all the way up through Voyager and then the last couple TNG-era movies, and then back into the J.J.verse quasi-reboot.
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Posted: |
Jan 9, 2013 - 8:54 AM
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By: |
Joe E.
(Member)
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Even so, yeah. I wasn't really crazy about Archer in general at first, actually; he kept reminding me of a certain former US president, about which I probably shouldn't say any more if the thread is to remain open. But I still wound up enjoying the show a great deal, and finding my passion for Star Trek in general rekindled.
I admit I got reeled in by all the fanservice in the last season, what with all the stuff tying in to things we see in the earlier, later-set series (Orions, the mirror universe, Gorns, Tholians, Soong, augments, etc.). It might have been pandering, but I guess I can be pandered to.  Anyway, I had a lot of fun.
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Posted: |
Jan 9, 2013 - 12:19 PM
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By: |
Michael24
(Member)
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I know characters do stupid things every once in a while, but "Dear Doctor" did something I can never forgive. I don't think I've ever seen a show where the ship's DOCTOR actually suggests letting an entire race die out because nature is allowing it to happen. He actually had a cure to help this species (who by the way were looking for help) and he changes his mind. Let's have nature take it's course. Doctors don't act that way, and neither should heroes.
*SKIP*
That was a great episode. It put Archer and Phlox into conflict over a moral dilemma, and while the decision might have been controversial, Phlox was right (evolution was occurring, and one species had to die out in order for the next to take over; it was wrong to interfere with nature) and am glad the episode didn't take the easy way out. Because if they did, then fans would have complained they took the easy way out instead of doing something more against the grain.
I didn't like the fourth season quite as much as the first three, as I felt at times it was a little too "fan fictiony." There were still some good episodes for sure, but the fan service and reduction in budget were very noticeable. Of the four seasons, I thought the third was the best. Even though I'm generally not a fan of season-long arcs, it had some fantastic episodes and really stretched the characters to their emotional and moral limits.
Even with the eventual "A Night in Sickbay", with our 'trained diplomat' Archer threatening to urinate on a foreign culture's sacred trees?
It sounds bad when you take it out of context the way you did. It was nothing more than a joke from Archer, who was just angry and frustrated over the current situation.
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