MovieChat Forums > Enterprise (2001) Discussion > enjoying...but wondering about archer...

enjoying...but wondering about archer...

posted 9 years ago by longisland802506
12 replies | jump to latest

so i'm heading to vegas for the star trek convention this august. to prepare, i've been watching all of the shows starting with TOS, then TNG, then DS9 & VOY. Just started this one, so far enjoying it. I even like the opening theme, which makes it about the beginning of things as opposed to a continuing mission....

In trying to have an open mind though I'm not sure how I feel about Archer as captain (used to the other captains a little more commanding in the other series).

Although, since this is the first starship out i can understand, he's the very first so there really is no one way he's supposed to be, no training in the 'starfleet' mold.....

So, I'm curious, does anyone else feel the same way about archer?

thanks

[–] dan6pitcher 9 years ago

He grows over the course of the series, but I agree that he's weak. I feel this crew is by far, the weakest of any Star Trek series. The show isn't bad, but the crew is very forgettable.

[–] Tyler-A-Arse 9 years ago

The show isn't bad, but the crew is very forgettable.

Very forgettable. The series spent more time on trying to save itself with a on-going story, than having stories that developed it's characters. But they weren't worth it. None of them seemed very interesting. But I did like Phlox. He was great.

[–] Nexus71 9 years ago

His character grows a lot during the series and I kind of like that he has his bad moments and that he has issues with certain things.It was kind of refreshing having a captain not lecturing the viewers from a position of moral superiority.I thinks the fact that he stumbles and has faults make him more relatable and far more interesting.Season 3 is where we see Archer grow the most where he learns to throw overboard any misconceptions of human morality or superiority.

[–] roger-395 9 years ago

I just started watching Enterprise for the first time. Been on a Star Trek roll since January watching Voyager and Deep Space 9--all 14 seasons. I'm on season 2 of Enterprise.

It took me a while to warm up to Archer but initially detested Ms 'hands on het hips'Janeway. It wasn't long before I came to appreciate her acerbic anachronisms. Took an immediate liking to Ben Sisko. Archer was a very different sort. Not a marionette and ran a loose command a common comment by Malcolm Reed.

Archer was the first. He had no manual and made rules up as needed. I came to like Archer a great deal for his decency and his humanity. The rest of the crew: T'Pol was always interesting. The friendship and friction between Archer and T'Pol could have been more intense at times. T'Pol was a master of the pregnant pause. The friendship between Reed and Trip reminded me of the relationship between O'Brien and Bashir. It took a while but it worked. Dr. Phlox was perfect from day one. Ensign Mayweather and Hoshi Soto were underdeveloped, which was too bad.

The mark of good tv story telling is getting the audience to care and synthesize with the character. By season 2 I certainly cared about the entire ensemble. Favorite characters? T'Pol for sure and Archer and Phlox. Trip and Malcolm were coming on strong. I liked Hoshi but never felt that I got to know Mayweather.

It would have been nice if there was regular interaction between senior staff and the remaining 76 crewman.

[–] Nexus71 9 years ago

Hoshi's character becomes more interesting during seasons 3 and 4 where she also grows a lot from the frightened little girl she plays in seasons 1 and 2 plus she has these little subtleties that make her interesting for me and certainly check out the Mirror Darkly episodes those are great Hoshi episodes too.

[–] kimasabe90035-1 9 years ago

I totally agree with you. Enterprise is a fine Trek series. It's different because it takes place MUCH earlier than Star Trek, The Original Series (1966-1969/TOS) Viewers should be more open minded and appreciative, something new was attempted. Most of RODDENBERRY's core beliefs are still present, so ... exploring those is still fascinating.
Lighten up people!

[–] nfxstudios 9 years ago

Archer develops from being a Boy Scout in over his head in the first season, to becoming almost amoral in Season 3 when faced with decisions impacting the fate of the Earth, to being a more experienced, commanding presence in the 4th season. If you watch any of the early first season episodes, followed by one from late in the 4th season, you'll see an immediate contrast in Archer's level of confidence.

Whoever said that Enterprise has the weakest crew of the franchise must be watching a different show. Almost every character in Enterprise had some level of personal development from seasons 1 through 4, most notably Archer and T'Pol, but also Trip and Hoshi and even Phlox. Reed and Mayweather may be the most underdeveloped characters on the show, but even they grew perceptibly between seasons.

T'Pol in particular, as far as I'm concerned, is in the running for the most well developed and well performed character in the entire franchise, the others being Kirk, Spock, and Dukat.

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[–] smoke13 9 years ago

Bakula gives surprisingly weak performance especially with his time spent on quantum leap. You'd think he'd have a better grasp of what sci-fi junkies wanted in a star trek captain. I hated Hoshi and I was a bit concerned about Tucker and Reed. I thought those characters could've been hashed out a little better. I did enjoy when they would get in the occasional arguments. It was always comical. Regardless, the two best characters of the show with the absolute best performances were T'Pol and Phlox. It's such a shame what happened to Jolene Blalock's appearance and her career after the show.

[–] mrar118 9 years ago

This is my favorite Star Trek series. I thought Archer was the most human of all the captains. He was an animal lover and he was very protective of his ship and his crew. Unfortunately they cast the Vulcan T'Pol poorly. Jolene Blalock is pretty but she is a poor actress - I don't mean to be unkind. I would have also liked for the Communications Officer to have possibly been Uhura's mother or another relative - great for continuity. Tripp, Reed and Mayweather were absolutely terrific in their roles as was Dr. Phlox.

[–] morn1960 9 years ago

Blalock has the acting ability of a squashed tick

[–] morn1960 9 years ago

Enterprise is my favorite of the Trek series, I don't see Archer as weak he was simply trying to explore without getting his crew killed the first 2 seasons. The 4th season is probably the best of any Trek series, they explained much and added more to the Trek universe. Too bad buttwipe did his best to destroy 50 years of Trek with the 09 movie. My only complaint was casting, especially Blalock. Why couldn't they find someone who could actually act instead of one whose fake bosum seemed to be her only qualification.

[–] AtomheartBlack 8 years ago

I find Archer rude and condescending to his crew at times, especially towards T'Pol and Hoshi on occasions. Don't mind him being a bit out of place, considering all. What bothers me about this series is that most of the characters are forgettable. I have no emotional investment in them, except for Dr.Phlox.

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