The Letters to the Editor department is intended to be a forum for our readers to express their own opinions and ideas. While we appreciate the many complimentary letters we receive each day, you won't find them on this page. Instead, you will find letters that go beyond or even contradict what we have written, letters that offer a different perspective and provide a different view of science fiction.
— Scott Edelman, Editor-in-Chief
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Roswell's Robbery Steals Interest
oswell moved? Give me a break! If the first episode is any indication, it didn't move, it bombed! What is this? Law & Order—Roswell? As if
there weren't already far too many courtroom scenes on TV.
And what a dumb plot! The aliens can get in anywhere by using their various talents. So what on Earth—or off it—possessed someone to have Max and Liz hold up a convenience store to get access to something underneath?
The whole idea of drama is to get the main characters in jeopardy and then get them out. But having someone like Max and Liz commit armed robbery to create the jeopardy? I don't think so.
Whatever happened to the old days when the show was about more than Max and Liz? In those days, suppose there's a spaceship hidden under a convenience store in Utah. Well, you get the three alien kids together. One "clouds men's minds," another one opens the lock and there they are—staring at
the spaceship, with Liz and Maria standing by for moral support or whatever.
And then there's color. Remember that? Color! Can UPN not afford color for a whole hour? Tabasco sauce has been done. Maybe we should send UPN boxes of Crayolas.
Rex Anderson
Rex99@worldnet.att.net
Superman Needs to Soul Search
umors have been swirling about yet another Hollywood version of Superman. The four Christopher Reeve films of descending quality followed a black and white serial in the '30s and a George Reeves black and whiter in the '50s. On TV, there's been Adventures of Superman, Superboy, Lois and Clark with Smallville set to debut. Throw in the countless cartoons and comic-book stories and you've got the most imagined and reimagined character in the science fiction universe.
Now what? Where can Superman go that he hasn't gone before?
Moreover, after the mind-numbing success of The Mummy and Matrix franchises and Spider-Man waiting in the wings with Daredevil and The Hulk to follow, Warner had better launch its DC flagship to a theater near you before the Man of Steel is forever regulated to the small screen and the failing comic book industry.
But which Superman will it be? A new actor in a new suit flying in a new direction? Sounds promising, but will he still be Superman? "Hello, Warner! Knock! Knock! Anybody home?" If you're thinking about revamping Superman for the new millennium, you're going to blow millions in addition to the millions you've already spent on discarded screenplays. Wake up and confront Superman with the BIG questions.
"Do I really belong here? Am I a true human hero or a Kryptonian too long away from home? Who am I?"
Nearly a half century ago, Brainiac shrunk Metropolis to the size of a basketball and displayed the city under glass like a trophy in his spaceship. The tiny Superman breaks out and finds that the super-villain has also shrunken a Kryptonian city, Kandor. It's when Kal-El enters the city of his homeworld that the Man of Steel begins to discover who he is and whom he might have been.
Take it from there, Warner, and you just might have a Superman movie for the ages. And please, leave Lex Luthor on the cutting room floor!
Kevin Ahearn
KEVTOMA@aol.com
WTC Shouldn't Be Digitally Deleted
hy the mad dash to remove the World Trade Center? First, let me say that my heart-felt condolences go out to the families and victims of this tragedy. I in no way mean to be insensitive or trivialize—and apologize if this seems that way. But in the days that have followed the attacks we have been deluged with photos of the twin towers ablaze or about to be rammed by the terrorists. If not that, there is the equally horrifying sight of the debris left after the buildings collapsed. I for one would like to remember the towers in their former glory and not simply have them erased
from our memory by taking shots of them from upcoming films (MIB 2) and video. Not to say that films that deal with attacks on the buildings shouldn't be revised, but I have noticed that even casual shots of the buildings once broadcast in some spots are being removed as if they didn't exist!
I feel this is wrong and we should remember them as they were just as we should remember those lost as they were. At risk of sounding insane I would make it a point to put the towers as they were into shots of New York just to let the world know we won't forget them and we will not remember them just as
smoldering rubble but as the shining beacons of America's prosperity they were.
Earl Sanders
unkhantus@yahoo.com
Galactica Must Rest in Peace
hy on Earth would we want to sit through a season of Battlestar Galactica ("Battlestar Boys Should Come Back")? It was horrible in both series and none of the characters are interesting enough to bring back. Have any of those who are claiming to want to see a new series seen the old episodes? What's next? Land of the Lost II: Marshal, Will & Holly and the New Cave? Logans Run: A New Beginning? Bermuda Triangle 2: Something Happens?
Some series should not be brought back. Battlestar Galactica was terrible on so many levels: recycled Star Trek episodes; laughable villains; one dimensional heroes; unbelievable premise; and hokey FX. It got so bad for me that I began rooting for the Cylons (one of the most inept race of robots ever made) to destroy the ragtag fleet and cheered when the same viper (same one up at the top just as they are about to do the barrel roll) was destroyed in battle.
Let it rest in peace as bad sci-fi and move on to other series.
Bruce Douglass
b_douglass1999@yahoo.com
Old Galactica Cast is Gone
hile I would like to see the original cast members in any Battlestar Galactica project ("Battlestar Boys Should Come Back"), unfortunately, it is easier said than done. Lorne Greene, who played Commander Adama, passed away several years ago. In Galactica 1980, they make a reference to Apollo, who is obviously dead; they also did an episode which explained what happened to Starbuck, which would make it difficult to bring him back. It would be easier to go with new cast members.
Stephen Kisala
GMurch@stevens.edu
Tribune's Sci-Fi is Sinking
ere's one former fan who is going to enjoy seeing the syndication ratings drop next season.
Tribune Entertainment, perhaps the worst perpetrator of fan alienation on TV today, is now touting their Mutant X TV show, their completely revamped Earth: Final Conflict, and the "successful" second season of Andromeda.
Never mind that Andromeda's ratings are sickly for a primetime show with Gene Roddenberry's name and Kevin Sorbo, and likely to get sicklier with every lost regular (ditching regulars is a staple of Tribune's). Never mind that the so-called fifth season of EFC dumps the storyline and spits in the fans' faces, by carefully extracting every element that they loved (and still love, when SCI FI resumes reruns). Never mind that a lot of people are already laughing at Mutant X and predicting its demise.
Perhaps the fatal flaw of Tribune Entertainment is that they treat the fans like extraneous matter. Our concerns go unheard and uncared-about; our favorite characters are obliterated; our upset questions are replied to with lies and half-truths. They seem to be as capable of honesty and integrity as the average politician, but less willing to pretend to care. Somewhere along the way, they seemed to get the idea that they are owed the ratings that we grant them, and that we'll watch no matter how they abuse us. They are wrong ...
Well, in many areas the so-called Season 5 of EFC has been reshuffled to a pathetic, late-night slot. If/when Andromeda loses some regulars, it will probably join E:FC.
As a spearheader of the campaign to try to save E:FC from sinking into the mire forever, I've had to deal with deceptive sources and snobby webmasters from Tribune. I've found the SCI FI Channel's attitude towards us to be a breath of fresh air, frankly; actually communicating with a person who treats us as equals is so ... unusual. I hope that they live up to our hopes, and to surpass the sinking ship that is Tribune in every way.
LA Solinas
jsolinas@erols.com
Awards and Fans Are Always Fickle
fter reading his comments ("Harry Potter is Formula Fiction"), I have to ask David Taylor, "Have you read the rest of the Harry Potter series?" He was complaining that Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was formulaic and I also have to ask "What were you expecting?"
While the Potter series is rather benign, it is also quite enjoyable. I was shocked when it began to garner such an array of awards as it has, but such awards are fickle. This year they go to Potter next year they may got to a Frank Herbert or Robert A. Heinlein protege. Like the Academy
Awards and Emmy Awards, it is difficult, if not impossible, to predict what projects will win awards and it seems to me there are always those who deserve accolades that never receive them.
I also noted with some amusement your reading your children the Narnia and Alice in Wonderland series. Don't get me wrong! These are wonderful series and I applaud your reading to your children, period. So many parents don't do this. I find it amusing, however, that you dread them
asking for Potter. Well, there are those who might say that Potter is actually more suited to children than Narnia and Alice and there are those who will say there is absolutely no difference between the series! I will suggest, however; to bear in mind when picking fantasy stories for children to avoid the original, uncut Brothers Grimm fairy tales. Those stories were never truly meant for children.
I find myself straying from the point. My apologies. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire can't help but be formulaic. It is wonderful fantasy, well written and presented, but every bit as formulated as any other series on the bookshelves today, including nearly every series written by Piers Anthony, the Honor Harrington series, each and every Star Trek book ... need I go on?
It's unfortunate, but complaining that a book or series is formulaic is rather like complaining that the print on the paper is black and the paper itself is white. Yes, there are books out there that are not formula and Yes! I know the difference between Format and Formula. Still, most series, including the Potter series are formulaic.
The difference is in how the series is presented and the Potter series is extremely well presented, both in J.K. Rowling's writing ability and especially in how the series has been promoted.
I've read each book and find the series wonderful. Rowling deserves all the awards she gets. I find myself looking forward to reading the next book.
As I said earlier, awards are fickle and Potter will likely be left in the dust next year. Still in all, while controversy surrounds it now, a century from now (and it's a pity I will likely not be here to see if I'm right) the Potter series could very well be given its highest possible
accolade: Being placed on the same level as the Alice and Narnia series as one of the all time great print series, formula or not.
Keith M. Kitchen
BoyoKlaatu@aol.com
Potter Is Theme-less Drivel
or all those adamant defenders ("Adults Also Enjoy Potter") of Harry Potter, what can I say? Trying to compare these books to stuff like Lord of the Rings is a futile comparison. Someone obviously has a lot of time on their hands. There is no underlying theme that I can see, and to tell the truth, it is pretty much just a bunch of drivel for eight year olds. Just wanted to let some people know how clueless they are.
Oh, and P.S. Some of you might want to read a book called Witch Week that was written a few years back. And take a look at the cover ... see any similarities to your beloved Furry Planter?
Anna Dockery
pbrcrazy788@hotmail.com
Harry Potter Is Rich and Rewarding
eid Babbett ("Potter Is For Children, Not Hugo"), how dare you ridicule something you haven't even read? Harry Potter may have been originally written for younger people, but the media can not force adults to read it and continue to read it if it weren't good. I read it because my daughter read it and would not put it down. I could not put it down either. The story is a good one. Media had nothing to do with it.
As for the other writer ("Harry Potter is Formula Fiction") who would deprive their four year old of the chance to experience the rich world created in this series, I can only feel pity for you that you would be so selfish as to impose your rigid ideas on her young, forming mind. We're not talking about giving her drugs here. If you value your daughter as a person, you should allow her to experience a wide range of ideas. Harry Potter is just one of them and you shouldn't ban it outright just because you don't like the hype around it. You, too, should read it before condemning it.
Put your matches away people. We don't burn books anymore. Or stifle ideas we don't believe in, including those we won't even listen to.
Marianne Roberts
marianne.roberts@lmco.com
Race Extends from Writer
hy Is The Future Monochrome?" There is the old saying, write what you know. When a white guy sits down and envisions the main character, which is usually a large part of themselves, by no means is it some conspiracy, they simply envision a white guy.
When you write a story the characters you create are an extension of yourself. They are people you have met, your father, your sister, an unusual character you have met on the street. Race is really insignificant, it is personality which is the foundation of a character. That is what counts. When it is a good character it does not matter what their race is, a good character can just as easily be written in as Asian, or Hispanic, as opposed to white.
Though young, I am not naive. Entertainment is a business. If a publisher or studio executive thinks making a character a certain race will alienate or cause him to lose an audience he will prevent this. This in itself is a main reason why characters have remained predominantly a certain color.
Jim Mann
sol463@hotmail.com
The Future is Colorblind
hy Is The Future Monochrome?" I don't know; why don't you ask Capt. Sisko, Commander Chakotay, or any
of the various Asian, Hispanic and Black Admirals that have guest-starred in all of the incarnations of Star Trek? Ask Nyota Uhura and Capt. Sulu. Ask the doctor on Babylon 5. Ask Billy D. Williams, Samuel L. Jackson or Lou Gossett, Jr. Ask any of the actors of color who have ever auditioned for any of those parts. More importantly, read your books carefully. I can think of any number of books and stories where the "race" of the protagonist was never mentioned one way or the other. Do you assume then, that means they all are white? I don't. The future isn't monochrome. It's color-blind.
Diane Catanzaro
catanz@mail.com
Not All SF is White
o Glen Brown's comments ("Why Is The Future Monochrome?"). I don't think it is entirely fair to say SF is all white. Many modern SF/F/H writers are either not white or only part white, Octavia E. Butler, William Sanders, Ted Chiang, Delany, Tanarive Due, Steven Barnes, Owl Goingback, etc. Also many white authors do try to
make their characters of various races. Even old Andre Norton and Asimov novels from the '50s would sometimes have important African or Malaysian characters. Cordwainer Smith's works were often of Asian inspiration. Granted these were sometimes poorly done, but usually no ill will was intended.
Sadly, I also have seen instances where authors who do this are labeled "PC" and fans who say "if a character does not need to be non-white s/he should not be." Granted, these are the minority of readers. Even in SF media we have had black presidents, heads of space stations, etc. Hispanics and Arabs tend to fare much poorer, but in fairness they do in mainstream media too. Still, there are several Hispanic SF writers, including an early one—Del Rey.
However, I don't think your comment is entirely unjustified. For reasons not entirely clear to me, we did not have a revolution in ethnic SF the way we had a revolution in women's SF in the 1970s. If you read pre-1970s SF minorities may be invisible, but when they were there they usually were not
depicted in a racist manner. Unless you are referring to pre-VJ Day SF. Women on the other hand were usually seen as stupid and inferior in a way mainstream literature of the time often did not do. Don't misunderstand, I greatly enjoy the work of that age, but I recognize its flaws. These flaws were by
no means even universal, with some breaking the pattern. So perhaps that combined with the fact minorities often had less access to SF made women feel a more urgent need to get involved in SF first. Now that we have a growing Black and Hispanic middle class this issue may change. However, the fairly strong tolerance of SF toward racial matters combined with a somewhat existing integration I mentioned may not lead to a sense of urgency. Time will tell.
Thomas Rabin
Trabin@ethnologue.com
Race Reflects Core Audience
n reply to Glen Brown ("Why Is The Future Monochrome?") I would like to say that basically on TV and film the people putting up the money want the largest return, they believe the audience they are aiming for is middle
class and white, so the values of the product are middle class and the color of the actors is predominantly white. The biggest entertainment industry in the world is American and that industry is predominantly run by white people for a white audience. To have a hit in America foreign TV and film companies think they have to put in an American into their products, for example Notting Hill, Three Weddings and a Funeral or even Space 1999.
The Fifth Element has a French director on a very European looking film, (if you don't believe me, take a look at The Incal by Moebius), but it is set in a future NY with Bruce Willis in the lead. There are also a large number of Japanese sci-fi films in which a B-list American actor is gratuitously thrown in. If TV programs or films are made for a home audience they reflect that countries prejudices and make up. French comics (La Bande Dessinee), many of which have sci-fi
themes, have mainly white French characters. British sci-fi is the same (Dr. Who, Blake Seven). Japanese manga and anime (those not with one eye on the American market) have Japanese faces.
In books up until recently Sci-fi stories were predominantly read by males, white males. Things have changed and are changing but go to places were sci-fi fans meet and most of the faces will be white and male. So there are still few female or black writers of sci-fi (I recommend Octavia Butler, female and black, and one great sci-fi writer). I don't know of any Arab or African sci-fi (although the Lebanese author Amin Maalouf wrote a novel set in the future, the excellent, "The first century after Beatrice") but I bet if there are any, the characters will be Arab or African.
Things may change. Hollywood is starting to realize that it is getting more money from sales outside of the USA, and I believe this will have an influence over the composition of future TV shows and films.
I personally have no problem with the color of any character in TV and film. It is the acting which is important. In books it is the how well they are written, and in both it is the story. It's only the prejudices the producers think we, the audience, have that keeps things the way they are.
Terry Mckay
balbus@geocities.com
Good SF Sells Regardless of Race
bout Glen Brown's monochrome future ("Why Is The Future Monochrome?"), while it may be correct about most stories, movies and TV series that leading characters are white, we seem to have forgotten a few good exceptions. In Star Trek, numerous senior officers in the original series, The Next Generation, and Deep Space Nine were of other than the Caucasian race and/or women. Uhura, admirals, captains (Sisko), Romulan commanders, United Federation presidents and many more were portrayed by non-whites. Many of Andre Norton's fictional characters were non-white. Many other science fiction writers have main characters that are "American"-Indian, Black, Japanese, Chinese and
Arabic to name a few.
Authors such as David Drake, James White (oops), Charles De Lint, Peter S. Beagle and many others feature non-white leading characters.
The basic overall problem though is that the writers are mostly white and tend to write as if they themselves were the main character.
My advice: write good science fiction and your stories will sell, no matter what color the main character is.
Joe Castleberry
castleberry.joe@ssd.loral.com
Renew Invisible Man, SCI FI
am wondering why it is taking the SCI FI Channel so long to announce whether The Invisible Man will be renewed for a 3rd season.
The ratings have been good on SCI FI and in syndication, and they have a very active, vocal fanbase. After a rough start at the beginning of Season 2, the stories have gotten better, and the cast has definitely gelled.
This is the best buddy show on TV today, and the chemistry between Vincent Ventresca and Paul Ben-Victor is just wonderful to watch.
They have taken the characters of Darien Fawkes and Bobby Hobbes from two men who couldn't stand the sight of each other, to co-workers, to partners, to friends, to showing that they would die for each other. There isn't another show on television today anything like it.
In addition to the character development of this show, add the humor, ad-libbing, plot twists, relationships, and outstanding dialogue and you have a winner.
This is the only show that my family won't miss. We go out of our way to arrange our personal schedules so we can be home on Friday nights to watch "our show." Yes, we have a VCR. Yes, we will tape it to watch later if we absolutely have no choice. But not if we can avoid it. We already have to
wait a week to see the next episode. Why wait longer?
I hope SCI FI realizes what a gem they have, and announce its renewal soon.
Joyce Harrell
Invisible_Mom@yahoo.com
Long Live the Invisible Man
agree with Heather Marsh ("Invisible Man Fans Aren't Invisible") in her letter about the visible fans of the Invisible Man. Although I've just come to love and obsess over this show at
the start of second season, it is now my favorite thing to watch on TV (since Highlander: the Series got take off the air *poke*). Let's not make the Invisible Man like Forever Knight. Let's not have it fight from season to season. The fans are strong, and the fans will be very angry if they aren't listened to. I will go "quicksilver mad" if it is taken away from
me. Please don't do that.
For starters, the cast is great. No better actors could have been chosen for those roles. The chemistry (even without a "love connection") is awesome. The plot line has been building with much room to grow. We have yet to find out more about the characters' pasts (not just Darien), and have many
areas that have been left to be explored.
Please fans, watch the reruns, keep the ratings up. New people, watch the show, even for a bit. This concept may not be ALL original, but it very entertaining. Long live the Invisible Man!
Miranda Polsean
LinaCandle@hotmail.com
Don't Cancel I-Man
woke this morning to find the news about the possible cancellation of The Invisible Man. This was, to say the least, distressing to learn.
As a dedicated viewer, I ask the SCI FI Channel to please reconsider this decision and give the show another chance. There are so many wonderful facets to this program, my favorite being the relationships between the characters. As a writer, this appeals to me.
I am a 34-year-old woman, self-employed, and this series is the sole reason I subscribe to the SCI FI Channel. Without The Invisible Man, I have no reason to keep the network. I-Man does not deserve to be canceled. It's a great show, with a talented ensemble cast, good writing, fantastic music and well-executed special effects. I am in constant amazement over how well this show is made, and I would not like to see it go the route of other highly underrated programs.
T.M. Alexander
SeeThroughDude@cs.com
Newest Trek Should Not Be Nitpicked
am sorry to call myself a Star Trek fan when I come and read these letters ("Enterprise Excitement Wanes, Berman and Braga Saved Trek, Enterprise Isn't Worth Taping and Enterprise Almost Worthy of Trek"). Doesn't anyone remember what it means to just enjoy the show and not nitpick at all the little details? Personally, I like the fifth installment of the Star Trek saga. Enterprise is a breath of fresh air from the previous episodes and it is so full of hope and wonder. If you people cannot see that and can only gripe and complain about the theme music, the ship, the crew, etc. I have one question for you: Why are you watching the show?
If Enterprise bothers you, don't watch it and don't complain about it. There are people out there (myself included) who truly enjoy the Star Trek universe and don't pull it apart and whine about how they should have done something different to the story.
As an aspiring sci-fi/fantasy writer, I hate to see this kind of blatant criticism to something that holds so much more in the hearts of almost everyone who's seen it. It is a story, a tale about a group of people beating impossible odds. Who cares if they solved the transporter issue in the beginning episode. Have you all noticed how they don't like using the transporter? And have you all watched the third installment yet? The transporter issue is far from solved and there is a great deal of room for expansion on it.
I think that you people need the hiatus from Star Trek. Until you can all stop complaining about it, I suggest you don't watch it and ruin the series for those of us who do like it.
Pam Thesen
seriana_algannon@yahoo.com
Enterprise Breaks the Mold
read that fans are already petitioning Enterprise producers to drop the new opening. This just reinforces the stereotype that Trek fans are stodgy and narrow-minded. The motivation behind this campaign is that the song somehow violates Gene Roddenberry's vision.
I don't think his vision centered on the theme music. I'll be the first to admit how I love the bombast original theme, and how I miss the dramatic score of The Next Generation ... but a great weakness of Trek in the Voyager era was its cookie-cutter approach. Originality will fuel this new series—even if the music comes across as something out of an old Alan Parsons album (which isn't a bad thing anyway!)
Let's see where this new series goes. I'm quite interested after seeing the pilot ... and I happen to like the new opening, too.
Greg Hignight
denversaur@aol.com
Enterprise Has Potential
s someone who stayed in the dorm in the 1960s and refused to go out on dates on Friday nights when Capt. Kirk flirted with The Neutral Zone, I have been Trek-ing for over half my life. Old Baldy and Riker were magical, and even DS9 had its moments—especially the thought-provoking episode where the wooden Sisko transformed himself into the passionate Gabriel Bell.
I sporadically tuned into the really silly Voyager when I knew the always-interesting hologram of a doctor would be on, and I watched the last episode to make sure they were all gone.
Enterprise was fair for a pilot episode. I am glad to see that Paramount respected its audience demographics and at least the captain has a wrinkle or two. (I have a hunch they are trying to draw in the under 30 crowd by flirting with soft-porn scenes.) What was that sonic-shower thing all about? It must have been mighty cold in there from the looks of one of the participants. And were we, the audience, supposed to wonder how long it would take someone to get aroused while applying soap to a Vulcan's belly-button? I realize that Britney Spears navels are fashionable, but that scene was obviously so contrived it was ridiculous.
And enough with the flashbacks on the father-son bonding between the captain and his father! Get on with the show.
My last comment would be to say that Paramount could have created a show or two that explained why the Klingons have been retro-fitted with head protuberances in this time period. A small nit-pick, but an important one. After all, they surely must be aware of the whole mythos that has sprung up after the famous "We don't like to talk about it" comment from Worf. I'll give it another few shows, but if we have more "anime-like shower scenes," I'm out of here.
Mary K. Singer
dsinger@cet.com
Enterprise Theme Has Got to Go
'm beginning to like the new Star Trek show, Enterprise, but that theme music is dreadful. It does not inspire the hopes and dreams of a planet to go into space. I know that they didn't want to use the majestic type music from past Trek shows because they wanted to give the show more of a working-man-trying-to-get-into-deep-space kind of feel. But, if there has to be a rock theme to demonstrate that the show is a prequel, that song most certainly is not the one. I hope they are considering changing it. I will be very disappointed if I have to hear that every time I watch Enterprise for the next seven years (if they even make it that far).
I encourage every Trek fan that dislikes the new music to be as vocal as possible about it. I'm sure Paramount paid lots of money for that theme and will probably only change it if thousands upon thousands of Trekkers complain.
I also hope that in future episodes the actors will click better and sound more like they are actually talking to each other instead of delivering lines. Jolene Blalock seems to show quite a bit of emotive expression for a Vulcan who is not supposed to display that kind of thing. Other Trek Vulcans use their eyebrows for almost all of their expression. She seems to primarily use her bottom lip. I don't mind Enterprise trying to be sexy, but as Gene always said the stories have to be about the people. So it goes without saying that those people need to be believable. I really want to like this show. It is a great idea and parts of it are working better than the last few Treks. The whole "first time out there" and "nervous communications officer" ideas are great. I hope they pull it together and re-work a few things to make the whole "ship" run smoother.
Justin Harvey
timares@hotmail.com
Enterprise Is Too Predictable
nterprise is a big disappointment. Don't get me wrong, the acting is superb (especially Scott Bakula) and the characters are believable and interesting. Once again, Trek has set a new standard for special effects from what I've seen so far in Enterprise. I've even grown attached to the modern-pop theme song, which is surprising since the orchestral suites were one of my favorite things about previous Treks. But there is one thing that makes this show lose everything that's interesting. It's too predictable.
Though I could make an exhaustive list, I'll just leave my favorite example. After much dialogue about the uncertainty behind being able to transport humans, when they finally do beam Bakula up, it works without a charm. (Even more smoothly than in the original Trek, which takes place in
the future.) That was a prime opportunity for some sort of interesting and bizarre event to occur, and it was just thrown away.
Enterprise's writers need to get their act together, or this series isn't going to last the year, much less seven.
Eric Vogel
seyon@mediaone.net
Bigger Problems Than Trek Details
re there so few problems we face in this world that these Trekkies can go making a petition over a theme song? This impossible-to-please group is the last bunch of loonies who should get to decide how [Enterprise] should be handled. I admit that the current producers have been firing misses in some areas (big ones in Voyager's case), but to tell the truth, I'm glad they went in a different direction in style than previous Treks. Who the hell wants to see the same damn thing over and over ad nauseam? Voyager was repetitive enough! Let's have something new already! The music is pleasant and very much in tune with the feel of the show. I'd hate to see Paramount cave in on something that people will be used to, and may even grow to like, in a couple of months.
These people are complaining about the dog. Why? The dog never did anything to anybody. It sits there and acts like a dog and is a companion to the captain. Did any of these living repellents of females complain this much over Data's cat, Spot? When the dog does something really contrived like saving the ship and its crew then I'll say it's getting out of hand (personally, I'd like to see where the captain takes it for its walkies).
Also, I now hear about how "the scene" was so horrible and inappropriate. Again, the revisionist power displayed here could power a warp field. In the first season of Next Generation, sex and sexual topics were very openly handled compared to the way it is now. Roddenberry knew that physical intimacy was a very real part of human life, and while I don't think he'd have done that per se, I doubt he'd complain anywhere near as loudly as some of the "supposed" fans.
I like the idea that the Vulcans are a little stuck up and condescending. The second episode was full of contrivances, but it was very good in the sense that it pointed how human curiosity can be just as powerful a strength for humans as a potential weakness.
As for Scott Bakula's Capt. Archer. He's more laid back. He lends what I can only describe as a childlike curiosity to his character that I think is very appropriate for an explorer in that day and age. No, he's not as commanding as Kirk or Picard, nor is he as big a badass as Sisko (if you lay an omnipotent being on his behind in a boxing ring, you are, by default, a badass). He is his own man, and will make his own mark as a captain as each captain in Trek has before him.
So in the words of the great Shatner himself ... "Get a life, it's only a show!" People are so busy analyzing the new series that they are forgetting why TV and sci-fi are there in the first place. To be entertaining. If these people are so in love with complaining, then why not complain about something worthwhile? Like the fact that Fred Dekker (whose greatest contribution to the world of sci-fi was writing and directing RoboCop 3) is listed as a co-writer?
Oliver Zuchowski
capzman@aol.com
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