The Five-Minute Forums  

Go Back   The Five-Minute Forums > FiveMinute.net > Science Fiction

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 05-10-2005, 12:11 AM
Zeke's Avatar
Zeke Zeke is offline
The lens that flares in the night
Administrator
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Ottawa, ON
Posts: 3,396
Send a message via ICQ to Zeke Send a message via AIM to Zeke Send a message via Yahoo to Zeke
Default ENT 4x20: "Demons"

It kills me that this season has only 22 episodes. Why were the series' two best seasons the ones to get shortened? I know 26 was a higher-than-normal number of episodes, but it's been standard for Trek shows since what, 1990?

I liked this one. Maybe it's not so bad that Travis is underexposed, because when he does get the spotlight in episodes like this one and "Horizon," they tend to turn out well. It's a shame that Anthony Montgomery has had so little to chew on, though. He's a good actor, but how would most viewers know?

The part I'm not sold on is that humans could make total peace among themselves and somehow still be capable of rabid xenophobia when it comes to aliens. Paxton and his group are probably supposed to remind us of militias from certain states, but those militias don't meet the norms of society at large (they tend to be white-supremacist), and it's hard to believe this group would. Paxton is basically a Babylon 5 human transplanted into Trek's universe, and he doesn't make sense here.

Delightful to see Harry Groener, though. Mayor jokes will abound in the fiver.
__________________
FiveMinute.net: because stuff is long and life is short

[03:17] FiveMinZeke: Galactica clearly needs the advanced technology of scissors, which get around the whole "yanking on your follicles" problem.
[03:17] IJD: cylons can hack any blades working in conjunction
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 05-10-2005, 12:19 AM
Opium's Avatar
Opium Opium is offline
Calvinist
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Can't sleep, clown will eat me...
Posts: 5,449
Send a message via AIM to Opium Send a message via MSN to Opium Send a message via Yahoo to Opium
Default

Quote:
Delightful to see Harry Groener, though. Mayor jokes will abound in the fiver.
That's all I could think of during the episode: When is Faith coming in? How about Snider/Quark?
__________________
George Orwell gives meaning to TopHatMan\'s life.
Opium, Princess Heroine of Laudanum...Part of The Morphine Party: The Party For Not... Crushing... Me? :shock:
Opium. Don\'t take drugs, just read them.
Please vote Morphine! (Thanks, Zeke!)
Needing more sleep since before 2003
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 05-10-2005, 12:20 AM
Kira's Avatar
Kira Kira is offline
Annoy, tiny blonde one! Annoy like the wind!
Former Staff
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Mars
Posts: 780
Send a message via ICQ to Kira Send a message via MSN to Kira Send a message via Yahoo to Kira
Default

Try seeing him on The West Wing as the guy who has to stay behind from the State of the Union in case something happens to the Capitol building during the speech... say, being swallowed by the Hellmouth? Hee.
__________________
\"It\'s all fun and games until one of you gets my foot up your ass.\"
--Veronica Mars
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 05-10-2005, 03:30 AM
Derek's Avatar
Derek Derek is offline
Dean of misderektion
Senior Staff
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Sector 001
Posts: 1,106
Default Re: ENT 4x20: "Terra Prime"

Quote:
Originally Posted by Zeke
It kills me that this season has only 22 episodes. Why were the series' two best seasons the ones to get shortened? I know 26 was a higher-than-normal number of episodes, but it's been standard for Trek shows since what, 1990?
I agree. And 1987, I think. Only S2 of TNG was less than 26, and that only due to the writer's strike. (Granted DS9 and VOY both had half-1st seasons.) But I agree that these last two seasons of Enterprise have been, well, stellar.

Quote:
The part I'm not sold on is that humans could make total peace among themselves and somehow still be capable of rabid xenophobia when it comes to aliens.
Well, is racism a factor because of skin color, or is it just because we as humans need to have an us-vs-them mentality? I can see humans uniting over things like race and gender, but then needing some new "them" to regard as alien. Who better than aliens to fill that void? Even when humanity unites to form the Federation with other races, they will still have an us-vs-them mentality regarding the Klingons and the Romulans. Heck, wasn't that the whole point of Star Trek 6? People couldn't deal with the Klingons and Federation not being enemies?

Quote:
Paxton is basically a Babylon 5 human transplanted into Trek's universe, and he doesn't make sense here.
Heh. I agree he is somewhat B5-ish, but the difference between Trek and B5 (in my mind) isn't really in the types of characters and their goals, so much as in the resolution.

Quote:
Delightful to see Harry Groener, though. Mayor jokes will abound in the fiver.
I just kept waiting for him to say "Swell" or "Golly gee" or something like that. It's hard to see past his role Mayor.
__________________
"Please, Aslan," said Lucy, "what do you call soon?"
"I call all times soon," said Aslan; and instantly he vanished away and Lucy was alone with the Magician.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 05-10-2005, 03:48 AM
Zeke's Avatar
Zeke Zeke is offline
The lens that flares in the night
Administrator
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Ottawa, ON
Posts: 3,396
Send a message via ICQ to Zeke Send a message via AIM to Zeke Send a message via Yahoo to Zeke
Default Re: ENT 4x20: "Terra Prime"

Quote:
Originally Posted by Derek
I agree. And 1987, I think. Only S2 of TNG was less than 26, and that only due to the writer's strike. (Granted DS9 and VOY both had half-1st seasons.)
Ah. I didn't want to generalize because I couldn't remember how many were in TNG S1, but I knew that from at least S4 all the full Trek seasons had been 26 episodes long. Of course, in a sense this is only fair -- I get the impression that most shows, certainly those that are expensive to make, have 24-episode seasons at most. Fans of B5, Farscape, Buffy, Angel, and (I think) Andromeda have all had to live with 22-episode seasons.

Tangent: Wouldn't it be a kick if FOX decided to save a few bucks by shortening the next season of 24?

Quote:
Heh. I agree he is somewhat B5-ish, but the difference between Trek and B5 (in my mind) isn't really in the types of characters and their goals, so much as in the resolution.
The way I think of the difference between Trek and B5 is this: Trek believes that humanity will have changed enormously by the 24th century, while B5 believes human evolution stops right here and now. (This even reaches the costume department. Starfleet officers parade around in anything from Spandex to pyjamas, and EarthForce's formal wear in 2258 is still your basic black business suit.) Both views are a little unrealistic, and both are absolutely at the heart of their series. That's why I can't really picture any Trek or B5 characters existing in each other's universes. And that's also why I think JMS writing Star Trek would be a disaster -- how could he write from a perspective so completely different from his own?
__________________
FiveMinute.net: because stuff is long and life is short

[03:17] FiveMinZeke: Galactica clearly needs the advanced technology of scissors, which get around the whole "yanking on your follicles" problem.
[03:17] IJD: cylons can hack any blades working in conjunction
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 05-10-2005, 03:50 AM
Nan Nan is offline
Gatekeeper
Exosite Head
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: The 'Ship-Free Zone.
Posts: 1,455
Send a message via ICQ to Nan Send a message via Yahoo to Nan
Default

I like that they were looking into issues like xenophobia. They didn't really get into it on a global level after the Xindi attack and the embassy bombing.

There were B5 elements, yeah... but B5 dealt more with the uglier social aspects of being a spacefaring society. Zealously, really. Plus it was part of the arc. "Evil President Clark manipulates Terran xenophobia to achieve REAL ULTIMATE POWER!"

Trek tended to keep to the nicer stuff, excepting DS9. Good ol' DS9.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 05-10-2005, 03:48 PM
Anonymous Anonymous is offline
...and not cowardly
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 1999
Posts: 327
Default

Also:

Q: what do you call a member of Terra Prime?

A: A Terraist.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 05-10-2005, 05:53 PM
Celeste's Avatar
Celeste Celeste is offline
Insert canine joke here
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: USS Crazy Horse
Posts: 775
Send a message via AIM to Celeste Send a message via MSN to Celeste Send a message via Yahoo to Celeste
Default

::groan::

Good Episode though. I purposly got the night off from work so that I could watch the Series Finale on Friday. I'm sad and excited all at the same time.
__________________
Dental Hygienists are X-Rayted.

*´¨)
¸.·´¸.·*´¨) ¸.·*¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·`Floss Naked!
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 05-10-2005, 07:42 PM
Opium's Avatar
Opium Opium is offline
Calvinist
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Can't sleep, clown will eat me...
Posts: 5,449
Send a message via AIM to Opium Send a message via MSN to Opium Send a message via Yahoo to Opium
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Celeste
::groan::

Good Episode though. I purposly got the night off from work so that I could watch the Series Finale on Friday. I'm sad and excited all at the same time.
Isn't that what VCR's are for? Then again...my mom watched last week's ep of "The Amazing Race" and I had to study (good ol' summer semester) so I ended up taping TAR and watching it the next...and the entire time my mom kept saying, "I could just tell you who wins right now" and "Oh, look how well Merideth/Gretchen are playing!" and of course, M/G where the ones to get the boot
__________________
George Orwell gives meaning to TopHatMan\'s life.
Opium, Princess Heroine of Laudanum...Part of The Morphine Party: The Party For Not... Crushing... Me? :shock:
Opium. Don\'t take drugs, just read them.
Please vote Morphine! (Thanks, Zeke!)
Needing more sleep since before 2003
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 05-11-2005, 03:14 AM
Celeste's Avatar
Celeste Celeste is offline
Insert canine joke here
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: USS Crazy Horse
Posts: 775
Send a message via AIM to Celeste Send a message via MSN to Celeste Send a message via Yahoo to Celeste
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Opium
Isn't that what VCR's are for?
Shh! 1, my VCR sucks, and plus my parents can't be trusted to tape anything. 2nd, I could download it no problem. But there's something about watching it live on tv (and not having to wait till 1am to watch after it downloads) that's so much better. I want the experiance of teh suspense and special promos that spoil cause UPN is so good at doing that.

I'm weird. I know.
__________________
Dental Hygienists are X-Rayted.

*´¨)
¸.·´¸.·*´¨) ¸.·*¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·`Floss Naked!
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 05-11-2005, 04:34 AM
Opium's Avatar
Opium Opium is offline
Calvinist
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Can't sleep, clown will eat me...
Posts: 5,449
Send a message via AIM to Opium Send a message via MSN to Opium Send a message via Yahoo to Opium
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Celeste
Quote:
Originally Posted by Opium
Isn't that what VCR's are for?
Shh! 1, my VCR sucks, and plus my parents can't be trusted to tape anything. 2nd, I could download it no problem. But there's something about watching it live on tv (and not having to wait till 1am to watch after it downloads) that's so much better. I want the experiance of teh suspense and special promos that spoil cause UPN is so good at doing that.

I'm weird. I know.
Nah, not too weird There IS something about watching a show live, and besides that way, no one can tell you the end. Also, my parent's can't be trusted with the VCR much at all either; my mom gets annoyed with all the tiny buttons on the remotes (because she doesn't want to admit she needs stronger glasses) and my dad, despite claiming to be totally technologically fluent (which is true if it was still 1985 or even 1995, sometimes) manages to either use either the last five minutes of a six-hour tape (the "rewind" button could erase important information on the tape!) or tapes a good 2 hours of static.

Hey, anyone else in BC catch the cityTV on-the-street segment with the passbys singing the Enterprise theme song?
__________________
George Orwell gives meaning to TopHatMan\'s life.
Opium, Princess Heroine of Laudanum...Part of The Morphine Party: The Party For Not... Crushing... Me? :shock:
Opium. Don\'t take drugs, just read them.
Please vote Morphine! (Thanks, Zeke!)
Needing more sleep since before 2003
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 05-12-2005, 02:02 AM
MaverickZer0's Avatar
MaverickZer0 MaverickZer0 is offline
Suuuuuper genius
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: On Beach Street, in a Dimensional Area
Posts: 745
Send a message via AIM to MaverickZer0 Send a message via MSN to MaverickZer0 Send a message via Yahoo to MaverickZer0
Default

Somehow I managed to miss that one. I haven't watched City much lately. I usually end up catching Enterprise on Space.
__________________
Sig v8.2.2

No, I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm going to go and do it anyway.

*pokes avatar* Made by a good LJ friend. Thanks Ani!

Dark Blues: I'm going to kill you!
Enzan: Not if I kill me first!
Dark Blues: You...are aware my goal is accomplished either way, right?
Enzan: ...Yeah...
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 08:52 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.2
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.