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Noooooo!!!!! 22nd Century confirmed for Series V.
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Peregrinus: [QB] I'm going to don my handy-dandy Terminator armour and drape a freshly-charged Rosarius around my neck (cookies to those in here who get the reference). For some reason, I don't think asbestos underwear will suffice if I get flamed on THIS subject... [IMG]http://flare.solareclipse.net/wink.gif[/IMG] First of all, within all the "Enterprise" threads, I've seen several people consistently repeating 'It's just a TV show' or 'It's a fictional universe' or some variation on reminding us that Trek ain't real life. These in response to other people bitching about bad writing and/or continuity gaffes. I would like to point out that the medium is utterly irrelevent. It's all about respect. That of the writers and producers for the universe they're playing in. Or lack of, in the case of Brannon Braga. Yes, he actually has been quoted in interviews as saying 'Continuity is for wussies' and variations on that. I have some of them. It is not in fact an act of rabid fannishness to demand internal consistency from a fictional universe. It is simply good storytelling. Respect for the story and respect for the audience is neither an extreme nor unreasonable expectation. Braga is a good writer, as evidenced by his work on TNG, when he has someone over him. When he's been seen in a position of power, he's been invariably lazy. Starting with the thing with Scotty re: Kirk in "Generations". It was pointed out to him that when Scotty was rescued 75 years later, he thought Kirk was still alive, Braga said 'So what? That was only one episode. Who's gonna remember something like that?'... It this lack of respect for the integrity of the universe he's being allowed to play in and the lack of respect for his audience's intelligence that irks me here. How easy would it have been to add ONE extra line for Scotty as he and the others are staring out of the hull breach along the lines of 'Despite this, I know he's not dead...'? Then he reprised his performance in writing "First Contact". Initially, he wanted to make Cochrane a woman to be Picard's romantic interest for the film. Again, it was pointed out that we met Cochrane in TOS and he was in fact a MAN. Again, his response was 'So? That was a single episode thirty years ago. Who's gonna remember that?', but fortunately he got vetoed by those above him. Lily was written in to be the romantic interest and Cochrane kept his testicles. All in all, I'm not too displeased with how "First Contact" came out -- writing-wise -- with one exception. We saw the epiphany that led Cochrane-as-introduced to later become the more introspective Cochrane we met in TOS, but that got thrown away utterly following the warp flight, as we saw him groovin' and boozin' wit' the Vulcans in the final scene. *sigh* So you see, it is Brannon Braga's lack of respect for a basic tenet of storytelling, of the universe that he didn't even create, and of the audience that he seems to be actively trying to alienate that is rubbing us the wrong way. We were wary when we found out he was going to be co-creating "Enterprise", but we were willing to give him a chance... And he flipped off all of us again. For references to First Contact with the Klingons, watch TOS' "Errand of Mercy", "Day of the Dove", and Star Trek VI. The "apologists" keep saying that we only know of the duration of hostilities -- not the actual date of First Contact. But they're not paying attention to the dialogue thrown up for evidence... Everything heard onscreen on the subject states we went from First Contact to cold war in next to no time. And so we end up here... In a television environment where I'd rather watch reruns of Babylon 5 (episodes that I've already seen at least half a dozen times and have on tape to boot) than the final episodes of Voyager. Where I am consistently enthralled by the stories spun on Farscape and The West Wing... and consistently bored by the formulas retreaded by the hacks at Paramount. Episodic television was an artifact of the 50s and 60s that was on the way out in the 70s (remember the miniseries like Shogun and Centennial? Or series like Battlestar Galactica?). For light fare (like Moonlighting), it still serves, but for something "cerebral" it doesn't stand up. Buffy has exhibited more character growth than Voyager. And with Babylon 5 and Farscape moving arc-format television to the next level, Star Trek can't keep treading water and expect to be able to hold the interest of its supposed target audience. TPTB are trying to make Trek more accessible to mainstream audiences, and the result is disasterous. Star Trek is too intellectual for mainstream audiences, and has become too mainstream for intellectual audiences. Look around the net. You will find next to no one eagerly awaiting "Enterprise", but lots of breathless anticipation for "Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers", "Buckaroo Banzai: Ancient Secrets and New Mysteries", and "Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming". All right. Let me have it... --Jonah P.S. Nimrod? Do you think you could PLEEEEASE not call me "Perry-Chops" any more...? [/QB][/QUOTE]
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