[Potential SPOILERS] Enterprise - Course Correction?

[Ranger REG]

Two problems:

First: DS9 deviated very strongly from the episodic formula.

Second: The networks tend to impose the episodic formula. Strong story arcs carry a problem - an inability to expand their audience over time. They make the shows "inaccessible" to new viewers, and so are frowned upon by networks. There's the occasional exception, of course, but the tendency is pretty darned strong.

Why not just do a 1- or 2-minute review scene before you open the episode's new story, like they did with Buffy: The Vampire Slayer?

You know them, it start with "Previously on [show title]..."

They only use that when it's a multi-part episode, but they should do it regularly.

 

[Viking Bastard]

Ron Moore (I think) talked about this in one of his VOY/Braga rants.

As it seems, B&B thought it was "unclassy".

 

[Umbran]

Why not just do a 1- or 2-minute review scene before you open the episode's new story, like they did with Buffy: The Vampire Slayer?

Don't ask me. I'm not a TV producer

Personally, I think such things are of limited usefulness. They make a better reminder for folks who did watch the previous episodes than they do a primer for those who missed them. They might work for a fairly short arc, when most of your audience can be counted on to watch regularly.

The thing the networks seem to want is as little barrier as possible to the "casual" viewer. Andromeda stands as a pretty good example - the show was building up quite a plot arc. You'd generally not go an episode without events depending strongly on previous episodes, such that you really did start losing track of what was going on and why if you missed a week. Tribune didn't like it, and the writer associated with it has been let go...

 

[myrdden]

From a business point of view, I can understand the episode formula as being the way to go. As a fan, I would much rather see a more serial (or story arc, however you want to call it) type of format.

To keep this thread going and on topic - what changes would you like to see to the show in the "course correction"?

Personally there are a couple major things that have bugged me about the show:

1st - I never get the feeling that the ship is truely on the edge of human exploration. It never feels remote and isolated from Earth. Subspace communcation should be in its infancy, not fully realized. Simple text messages or delayed video/audio messages would seem more reasonable to me at this stage of the technology timeline.

2nd - The show has had some good ideas, but then failed to execute the idea properly. Sometimes a good story needs more that 1 hour to fully develop. This of course enters the debate between the episodic formula vs. stort arcs, but I think it is something they need to consider.

3rd - I don't know how to explain this, but the show has more of a TNG/VOY feel than what I was looking for. I can't put my finger on it exactly but I think it has to do with the crew. Personally I think Trip is the most realistic of the crew. His reactions seem very natural to me for a person on the edge of human exploration and encounter alien races for the first time. I like Phlox so far too - but he's not human, so doesn't count in this discussion. Maybe they just better stories so that the characters click more with me.

4th - Better stories. There's nothing wrong is using a well-worn concept or motiff, but they have to make it interesting to watch. I don't mind watching a fairly predictable plot (not every episode can be ground-breaking or universe-shattering) but at least give it some spark! The last few episodes have not been bad, but they have been boring. This is the biggest thing they need to do.

OK, so that is more than couple of things. I think the show has good potential but has been lacking in execution. I think fans want to see a show that fits in well with the established series and that is entertaining to watch. I hope the "course correction" can do that because for me, the show is quickly losing my interest.

Myrdden