My Opinions on the Trek universe and Fandom

A related topic is that I am NOT a Star Wars fan at all. I will even come out and say that I HATE it. It gives me the creeps and I think it's evil. If that makes me "un-American", as one Joe-Schmoe claimed, then I will gladly move away. And that's all I will say here on that matter.

In the documentary/film Trekkies, they ask the difference between Trekkie and Trekker and this is what was said:

****TREKKIE== If you started watching Star Trek with TOS, whether during its original run or thru repeats, this is you!

Kate Mulgrew's definition was= Trekkies are more neutral, it's benign--they prefer to watch the shows only--they just sit back and watch without being insane about the minute details. *Helen's note--I think she meant Trekkies are the "Normal" type of fans, but Trekkers are the fanatical, insane ones. LOL

Some Fan they asked said= Trekkies live life according to the Star Trek universe's laws.

****TREKKER== If you didn't start watching Star Trek until TNG or later, this is you. Also comes across as the snobbish of the fans--"I'm not a Trekkie *distasteful expression*, I'm a TREKKER!"

Kate= Trekkers are the ones who "walk" with us--they're motivated/in motion. They see us on the screen and want to literally go with us.

That Fan=they enjoy Star Trek, maybe have a small collection at home, and dress up to go to cons.

Someone also suggested that using the term "Star Trek fan" was a way of avoiding the stereotypical responses and insults...

Personally, I think that fan had the definitions mixed up...LOL But other than that, what do I believe? Here's MY take on things:

Someone who is an EmployEE, works for an EmployER, right? And an Employer is one that employs...if you're still reading, good for you! LOL It also can be said that an Employee is one who does what the Employer says. SO, it stands to reason that a Trekker is one who treks, and the Trekkie is one who does what the Trekker says.

Conclusion: A Trekker, for example, would be Leonard Nimoy. And a Trekkie would be myself, a fan, who "does what he says". Now, this isn't meant to be taken literally. I don't go out and do anything that Leonard says. Rather, I look up to Leonard as a fine example of what it is to Trek.

I hope that made sense!! LOL

I think Leonard Nimoy KICKS BUTT. How's that for an opinion?

I think Robert Beltran is HOT. I also think that he has a lot more potential for great acting than people give him credit for. And I respect him for standing up to the Hollywood big-shots.

In and of itself, Enterprise was actually a pretty good show. However, if you put in the whole context and universe of the established Star Trek realm, it was wrong in many ways.

For example,

1. naming the ship Enterprise. I'm sure you've read what others have said about the first Enterprise's earliest captain was Robert April (this is in the Encyclopedia). Well, I figured out pretty quick how they're getting away with it---they named it the NX-01 Enterprise...it's NOT the USS Enterprise...sooooo, it is a technicality, but come on!!! LOL
2. they had a Klingon in it, throughout a lot of it. And he looked JUST LIKE the ones portrayed since TNG's days!! Now, I know that in the Original Series, they simply didn't have the ability or materials (including financial) to make the Klingons look much more than swarthy humans with mustaches and goaties and shiny clothes....However, I recall that they have upheld at least MUTED cranial ridges for showing Klingons in the past...there are many theories, by the way, that say that the smoother-foreheads were of a different ethnic race (like cacausions verses African Americans) and were in power during TOS, but by the time of TNG the bumpy-heads were in charge and more prominent...
3. It supposedly took only 4 days to get from Earth to Kronos (the Klingon Homeworld) going only warp 4.5!!! Since WHEN?!?!?! Unless I don't understand ANYTHING about warp drive...I have NEVER heard of 4.5 getting you that far that fast...
4. T'Pol...the Vulcan first officer...she was flat out obnoxious at first, and showed a little too much voice inflections...BUT my real gripe if that I think she's way fake!! LOL...her boobs look fake, and her lips!! AAAWK her lips are so annoying...I could hardly watch her talk!! LOL...they're huge and pouty like she's just had her collegen implanted a mere 5 minutes prior!!! LOL

I think that's about all that bother me off the top of my head. However, unlike others who are boycotting the show, I plan to keep watching, because, Hey any Star Trek I can get is good in SOME way...LOL...and I can nitpick with the best of them (obviously) but I prefer to allow my "suspension of disbelief" to take over and just enjoy it...

I just watched the Series Finale of Enterprise; "These are the Voyages...". I’m going to rant and rave about it tonight.

As I watched the episode, I thought to myself "Gee, this is a good episode!" Notice that I did not say that it was a good series finale. That’s because it wasn’t. Maybe it connected it to the other series (TOS and TNG only) and I do admit that I loved the ending with the different voice-overs going backwards…but as a series finale it left much to be desired.

Why? Well, for one thing (and I said this long before watching it), they only gave them a 1-hour finale. From TNG to VOY, they all had 2 hours...of course, THEY also had 7 years. For another thing, they crammed the grand finale behind a part 2 of the episode from last week. What the CRAP? Not only don’t they warrant a 2 hour finale to wrap things up (especially since this wasn’t looooong planned on for 7 years and they had to try to cram it all in), but they don’t even put it on it’s own night?

Fowl play, I say.

There was another thing that rather irked me. For a long while now, they were presenting Riker and Troi from TNG as making guest appearances for the finale. This led to all kinds of speculations-especially involving the holo-deck. I myself joked that Enterprise was all a program designed to keep Porthos occupied-and that this dog belonged to Troi and Riker.

Of all the scenarios that there could have been, we were given the holo-deck where Riker was trying to make a big decision. Now, as a TNG episode, this would have been fascinating. Riker uses the events surrounding the return of the Enterprise NX-01 to Earth for decommissioning as a way to explore the argument within him. Great stuff. But not for an Enterprise episode. And certainly not the series Finale.

Why? Well, because there’s going to be an uproar from fans who are not familiar with the TNG episode that explains what Riker’s problem pertains to. I knew immediately when he mentioned Pressman and the Pegasus-that was from the TNG episode called "The Pegasus". What about the fans that started with DS9, or VOY? Or even just started with Enterprise?! They may not have ANY clue about that story! Okay, so they gave bits of information, and referred to things from the episode in order to give clues to the unknowing.

I’m not satisfied with Trip’s death either. Not just because he was my favorite character, I assure you. I’m barely heartened by the fact that he gave his life to save the crew, Archer, Shran and Shran’s daughter. That’s noble and everything, sure. And oh, how I loved (sarcasm) how they announced early on that Trip would die, then had the fake-out scene during the shooting on Rigel. And oh, how touching it was the way Archer mentioned that Trip was dead (yes, that’s how he said it) near the end. It was as if they wanted to make SURE we all knew he was dead, and so mentioned it flatly. My only consolation was that they showed Trip talking to Chef/Riker after that.

The Shran storyline seemed like an excuse to lead up to Trip’s death. Okay, I get it. Shran is now married, with a daughter, and he’s on the run from some bad guys he was once associated with. Yeah, yeah. Everyone thought he had been dead for 3 years, so him showing up was a big shock to them. Right, got it. That doesn’t change the fact that it was as if they said "Okay, we want to kill Trip. How? Let’s see. We’ll have some aliens board Enterprise. Why? Well, they were after someone/something. What or who? Hey, I know. Let’s say that someone double-crossed them. But who would do that? Shran! Oh, and they say he has something, but he doesn’t! OH, they took his daughter! Oh Oh!!" As a writer, I know I’ve worked backwards from scenes that I wanted to be in there, in order to make it happen. And I know that sometimes, in order to get the scene in there, you have to sacrifice some credibility...but in MOST cases, you can do it without making it come across as rushed and half-assed.

In all reality, I enjoyed the 2 part episode "Terra Prime" more than I enjoyed the Finale. When I saw the names Judith Reeves-Stevens & Garfield Reeves-Stevens and Manny Coto; I felt I was in good hands. Familiar and trusted. I’m really NOT shocked to find out that the finale was written by Brannon and Braga.

I’m disappointed even more now that Enterprise is cancelled. After they finally picked up steam and had great stories (even if I HATED the whole Trip/T’Pol thing), they end on this sour note. It’s sad, really it is.

Now, just so you don’t think I totally hated the episode, I’ll list some things I did like.

• Archer’s dress uniform at the end. That should have been their usual uniform, humina!
• As I said, when they showed Trip’s missing Chef scene after he’d died, that was nice.
• Trip and T’Pol weren’t married, or had kids, or were even together at all. Hehe, I’m evil.
• We got to see Shran!! Yum
• Shran’s daughter was SOOO cute!!
• When Archer explained to T’Pol that "Time heals all wounds" AND "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" were both valid, and could be true at the same time. That was more poignant than his callous mention of "Trip’s dead and I gotta make a speech! Waaah!"