What Star Trek Ep/Movie Did you Watch Today?

[Alan Wake]

You forgot Cuba.
Well, most time travel stories go either that a single butterfly can change the future OR that history has ways of re-aligning itself along a particular point even when drastically altered. Look at the new Trek movie, for example. I prefer to think that those 7 million people did nothing 'important' and didn't have any 'important' descendants... much like most of humanity today.

I agree... but I just find it hard to believe that out of all those people, not one of them might be a descendant of one of the characters we know and love. A few hundred years down the line.

[nx01a]

There're at least 7 million dead people in Africa or Asia or Europe or the Americas who weren't your ancestors.

[Cold Fuzz]

Later tonight, I'm watching TNG's Too Short a Season. It'll be the first time I've watched it in many years.

[DigiFluid]

One thing I'm a little confused at, and it might just be my stupid self.

The whole Xindi arc thing spawned from the future right? We've got some unknown figure communicating to the past, giving them order's on what to do.

So was that weapon that attacked earth even supposed to happen? Doesn't that dramatically alter the future?

Was this whole mission they're on, intended to happen?

Which is why I'm watching it under the assumption that it's an alt. timeline

[DigiFluid]

ENT 3.02 "Anomaly"
Hooray! Some exploration of the whole 'Expanse is strange Bermuda Triangle-esque space'! Okay, so the VFX seemed to vary between stellar and sloppy, but I'm glad they followed through on it after Soval's warnings in the season 2 finale. And the fact that they already learned from it and how to reinforce the hull against it is a good development.

I also really like how this continues to paint the Expanse and indeed the entire direction of the show as something totally different from what came before. Enterprise finding itself the victim of piracy was a nice touch, particularly since it would be forced to engage in piracy of its own a little later on.

Terrific musical scoring too. The music playing during the pirate raid was, simply, awesome.

I don't like how dramatically Archer is changed in this season though. It's just too sudden to be believable. Two episodes into the season and all of a sudden he's a hardass jerk who looks like he's been to hell and back. Even Trip hasn't gone that far off the deep end, and he's the one who lost a sister in the Xindi attack on Earth--AND hasn't been sleeping well! I'd love to have seen Archer descend into this mindset rather than just suddenly BEING a grump who cba to zip up his uniform anymore.

Loved the introduction on the Sphere though. Really cool way of doing a sort of...sidelong introduction to a major season story arc concept.


ENT 3.03 "Extinction"
I'll admit it....I laughed really hard at the beginning of the episode. Not because of the poor sap who was getting torched mind you. But rather, because the tease went from some poor sucker getting torched alive STRAIGHT into the cheery new mix of the show's theme song

The main story of this episode though....is just downright goofy and a waste of time. De-evolving/mutating-into-aliens stories have really been done to death and I just don't find that this brought anything interesting up. Add to that the fact that this is only the THIRD episode of the Xindi arc and it's already being wasted on what's largely a throwaway episode and I find myself thoroughly unimpressed.

In its defense though, the episode has stunning CGI, both of the alien ships and of the massive city that Mutant Archer dreams about (and its ruined reality counterpart).

[Alan Wake]

Flying through the series are you?

You're almost done already!

[DigiFluid]

Trying to. Been a bit distracted the last few days by WC, Simpsons, and discovering Gravity

[JadedWraith]

ENT 3.02 "Anomaly"

I don't like how dramatically Archer is changed in this season though. It's just too sudden to be believable. Two episodes into the season and all of a sudden he's a hardass jerk who looks like he's been to hell and back. Even Trip hasn't gone that far off the deep end, and he's the one who lost a sister in the Xindi attack on Earth--AND hasn't been sleeping well! I'd love to have seen Archer descend into this mindset rather than just suddenly BEING a grump who cba to zip up his uniform anymore.

I like the arc Archer goes through, although I concede he may have changed a little too suddenly.

ENT 3.03 "Extinction"
I'll admit it....I laughed really hard at the beginning of the episode. Not because of the poor sap who was getting torched mind you. But rather, because the tease went from some poor sucker getting torched alive STRAIGHT into the cheery new mix of the show's theme song

Honestly, the theme song, especially in its hyped version of season 3 and 4 .....Oi! Seriously, couldn't they have found a better song? Any song?
So, right next to dramatic scenes, it's quite ridiculous.


As for ENT as an whole: I started to watch at season 4 and never got to watch the Finale until this year. I only had the chance to see the previous series very recently. Season 3 is my favourite, (I love the diptych Azati Prime/ Damages) although I admit the Xindi arc may not be for everyone. With all its hits and misses, it is a series I do like and I bought the DVDs.

[nx01a]

ENT 3.02 "Anomaly"I don't like how dramatically Archer is changed in this season though. It's just too sudden to be believable. Two episodes into the season and all of a sudden he's a hardass jerk who looks like he's been to hell and back. Even Trip hasn't gone that far off the deep end, and he's the one who lost a sister in the Xindi attack on Earth--AND hasn't been sleeping well! I'd love to have seen Archer descend into this mindset rather than just suddenly BEING a grump who cba to zip up his uniform anymore.

Remember that the NX was in the Expanse for 3 months between 'The Expanse' and 'The Xindi'. Archer had plenty of time to get grizzled, even before the mining camp incident and being robbed by space pirates. You could see his anger and frustration even at the beginning of the season, as well as his willingness to do anything to find info on the Xindi.

[DigiFluid]

Remember that the NX was in the Expanse for 3 months between 'The Expanse' and 'The Xindi'. Archer had plenty of time to get grizzled, even before the mining camp incident and being robbed by space pirates. You could see his anger and frustration even at the beginning of the season, as well as his willingness to do anything to find info on the Xindi.

The 3 months elapsed during The Expanse, The Xindi was just 6 weeks into the region and hadn't encountered anything interesting besides spatial anomalies till that point. He didn't even lose a crew member till the following episode.

Don't misunderstand--I like the idea of characters evolving in my Trek. I just find that what they did with Archer for season 3 is just too sudden to be believable.

[nx01a]

Right you are, though he only killed people in kinda cold blood in 'Azati Prime' with the photon torpedo vs. Xindi listening post incident. He had to work up to that.
And those 6 weeks were only said to have contained no real info on the Xindi, not that they were uneventful. The crew had encountered minor anomalies. Maybe they had other experiences that were less than stellar.

Gods... I'm an Enterprise apologist, aren't I?

[DigiFluid]

Hey now....I'm watching it again, after spewing all that vitriol against it. But that doesn't mean it's completely incapable of doing wrong

[DigiFluid]

ENT 3.04 "Rajiin"
*sigh* Here we go again. Not that we (or Star Trek) should be condoning slavery or the selling of people as goods, but AGAIN with Archer thinking he knows best for other people. He just strolls out of the bazaar, blatantly stealing someone else's "merchandise" in complete disregard for the social customs in this area of space. And of course it bites them in the ass. Deservedly.

Also: what the hell was the point of firing a giant laser at Florida if they were just designing a biological weapon? *facepalms*

I also had to a bit at the Xindi incursion onto the ship. Apparently their cunning boarding strategy was to...walk slowly forward and fire their guns. And the big-deal MACOs' big defense strategy was to...walk slowly backward and fire their guns. *double facepalms* And just how is it that the Xindi were able to use explosives to blow the inner airlock, but there wasn't a scorch mark to be seen on the outer airlock wall? *triple facepalms*

Lovely CGI of Enterprise over the planet, though. And I did quite like the sub-plot of attempting to manufacture the Trellium-D. Good continuity.


ENT 3.05 "Impulse"
Okay so it's not the most original story ever told. And it doesn't have much of anything to do with the overriding Xindi arc and we're still only 5 episodes into the season.

But I still love it. Following up on plot threads mentioned in the season 2 finale? Check. Darkened, ruined alien ship? Check. Mutant Vulcan zombies? Frakkin' awesome!


ENT 3.06 "Exile"
Alright....a flat, boring, and totally uninteresting Hoshi A-plot dominates the episode. Meanwhile, an absolutely compelling and fascinating B-plot about the spheres goes to the backburner. D'oh.

ENT 3.07 "The Shipment"
Excellent! An episode that's pretty much exclusively dedicated to overriding Xindi story arc! And wonderful CGI all-around, a series compliment that I've (deservedly) been giving out like crazy since this season started.

Lots of Xindi goodness here; Xindi Arboreals, Primates, and Reptilians, kemocite manufacturing facility (complete with impurity problems), Xindi planet, and the heroes finally getting a big chunk of the story. Excellent, though I do question why a facility manufacturing an integral part of their superweapon would be completely unguarded--even though the Council knows that the Enterprise is in their territory!

And I'm getting more than a little tired of the 'bushes at night in the Los Angeles area' on-location shoots. I don't know if it's a budget restraint as a result of the terrific new CGI this season or what, but the quality of on-location filming has dropped like a rock.

Fortunately the rest of the episode was quite good, and more than made up for that little complaint.

[JadedWraith]

ENT 3.04 "Rajiin"
*sigh* Here we go again. Not that we (or Star Trek) should be condoning slavery or the selling of people as goods, but AGAIN with Archer thinking he knows best for other people. He just strolls out of the bazaar, blatantly stealing someone else's "merchandise" in complete disregard for the social customs in this area of space. And of course it bites them in the ass. Deservedly.

You're mean

ENT 3.04 "Rajiin"
Also: what the hell was the point of firing a giant laser at Florida if they were just designing a biological weapon? *facepalms*

They call it Plan B. Degra's weapon might not do the trick.

[DigiFluid]

ENT 3.08 "Twilight"
My initial reaction was that this episode seems in no small part to be lifted from Future Imperfect. Fortunately, that isn't how it ended up going. The alternate future shown here is appropriately very bleak, and quite entertainingly done. I like basically every future eventuality they've envisioned here, from the desperation of humanity to the 'rag tag fleet', to the character development and everything between.

Lovely VFX too. The blasting out of the Enterprise nacelle, the colony planet, and the terrific battle between the Xindi ships and the surviving Earth ships. Beautiful shot of the Enterprise bridge being sheared off by phaser fire and the destruction of the ship too. Plus, fun references to Ceti Alpha V and General Shran


ENT 3.09 "North Star"
I guess doing a Western-themed 'aliens abducted humans long ago' episode is some kind of a Star Trek rite of passage. While North Star is largely boring, it does do some interesting things.

Sometimes they'd use some interesting, very Western-film scene wipes. And there's a few occasions where they seem to be using some kind of filter that exaggerates the bleak colours of the setting. Those are nice.