Somebody called it "reinventing Star Trek" - I haven't watched the old series in years, so comparisons are unfair. This is definitely the most "real" Star Trek yet, which may be one reason why some hard-core "fans" hate it so much: Star Trek used to be great escapism. "The Next Generation" was so successful because it teleported us even further into that glorious future, where all of humanity's great flaws had (almost) been eradicated or, at least, brought under control. This new series takes us right back even before Captain Kirk, to the days of the first Warp flight that will (maybe) see our race emerging from the crib of the solar system, and there's still plenty human in humanity.
The first episode I happened to see was, of all, "In a Mirror, Darkly". That really got my attention. It's a Nazi version of Star Trek - incredibly brave on the part of the producers, and still my favorite. If you don't know "Enterprise" yet, try this: It completely blows your mind about everything Star Trek supposedly stands for, and opens you up to a new experience.
The whole series encompasses basically one story: A genetically enhanced super-race threatens to shake the balance of the universe and destroy fledgling humanity along the way, with help from the future. This background menace reveals itself a little more with each episode, although there may be different riddles and new sub-plots in every one. It's very easy to miss out on the progression of events, especially during seasons 3 and 4. In order to understand everything, they have to be watched roughly in sequence. I'd start with season 3 because it's simply the best.
Human drama is the overall fabric. It's all driven by more adrenaline than brains, but so was Captain Kirk (Hey, that's why he needed Mr. Spock!). As opposed to TNG's mostly humorous or "clash of cultures" approach, this means dirty, petty "real" drama - drug abuse, mental illness, plain xenophobia and a good deal more sex and violence than we're used to. More special effects, too. But last, not least, good acting, especially by Jolene Blalock (T'Pol) and Scott Bakula (Jonathan Archer), who each have a journey to go through. Because "Vulcanism" has already been so clearly defined, T'Pol has much greater freedom to behave differently. Dr. Phlox is the first member of a new alien race, the Denobulans, who have a very different take on monogamy from that of George W. Bush. The rest is pretty standard fare, you'll be right at home, except that it feels almost like home - they even have a DOG on board, how sub-light-speed! And I'll never use a transporter without second thoughts again.
In me, it provoked a lot more thoughts and dreams than TNG. We may actually fly to distant moons to mine ore, and colonize the moon within this century, in ships that look very much like the freighter "Fortunate" (from the episode "Fortunate son"), and then - who knows? If we come that far before blowing each other up, that's something.
The best thing about this experiment is its ambivalence - you're not entirely sure the "Enterprise" will survive, or even if they really deserve to. They struggle, they fall, and yet they get up again - that's why, like another commentator has put it, I came to "like those guys".
The first episode I happened to see was, of all, "In a Mirror, Darkly". That really got my attention. It's a Nazi version of Star Trek - incredibly brave on the part of the producers, and still my favorite. If you don't know "Enterprise" yet, try this: It completely blows your mind about everything Star Trek supposedly stands for, and opens you up to a new experience.
The whole series encompasses basically one story: A genetically enhanced super-race threatens to shake the balance of the universe and destroy fledgling humanity along the way, with help from the future. This background menace reveals itself a little more with each episode, although there may be different riddles and new sub-plots in every one. It's very easy to miss out on the progression of events, especially during seasons 3 and 4. In order to understand everything, they have to be watched roughly in sequence. I'd start with season 3 because it's simply the best.
Human drama is the overall fabric. It's all driven by more adrenaline than brains, but so was Captain Kirk (Hey, that's why he needed Mr. Spock!). As opposed to TNG's mostly humorous or "clash of cultures" approach, this means dirty, petty "real" drama - drug abuse, mental illness, plain xenophobia and a good deal more sex and violence than we're used to. More special effects, too. But last, not least, good acting, especially by Jolene Blalock (T'Pol) and Scott Bakula (Jonathan Archer), who each have a journey to go through. Because "Vulcanism" has already been so clearly defined, T'Pol has much greater freedom to behave differently. Dr. Phlox is the first member of a new alien race, the Denobulans, who have a very different take on monogamy from that of George W. Bush. The rest is pretty standard fare, you'll be right at home, except that it feels almost like home - they even have a DOG on board, how sub-light-speed! And I'll never use a transporter without second thoughts again.
In me, it provoked a lot more thoughts and dreams than TNG. We may actually fly to distant moons to mine ore, and colonize the moon within this century, in ships that look very much like the freighter "Fortunate" (from the episode "Fortunate son"), and then - who knows? If we come that far before blowing each other up, that's something.
The best thing about this experiment is its ambivalence - you're not entirely sure the "Enterprise" will survive, or even if they really deserve to. They struggle, they fall, and yet they get up again - that's why, like another commentator has put it, I came to "like those guys".