Rather than post endlessly onto "Zero Hour", thought I would suggest a topic for general reflections on the season and hopes for the next.

My own thoughts -- I don't think the writers are doing enough with the "prequel" opportunities and discussing the greater universe (no pun intended) in which ENT takes place. I've always been more interested in the whole environment rather than yet another Data/T'Pol/Doctor/Odo personal-discovery episode.

ENT started badly on this by jumping right into the hero-worship of Archer, etc. and also threw away the tech fun by starting with all the toys of the later series. Would it have killed the writers to show transporters that only function from one big room to another (rather than working in any locale offsite)? Or to throw some space-trusses onto Enterprise's geometry to look a little more contemporary? The third season has had a consistent story arc, for better or worse, but they need to show more about the world in which this all happens. Less character focus, more sci-fi goodness.

Hope Season 4 wraps up ugly loose ends like the Suliban and gets back to proper prequel storytelling.

I hope that at one point, someone "grab[s] hold of this man [Daniels] by the collar and throw him out an airlock."

It wouldn't help, he would just blip out to another timeline.

Maybe we'd get Mirror-Daniels in exchange?

All I'm saying is that Hoshi had better get a chance to kick some ass in season four.

All I'm saying is that if they're going to make T'Pol a CRACK WHORE she better put some of those emotions to good use and finally kick some serious ass herself!

At the top of my wishlist is T'Pol in Starfleet uniform. And getting to see Soval's face.

More personality for the rest of the crew. At the moment I only feel I "know" T'Pol, Trip, Malcolm and Phlox. Archer is just 'the driven captain who likes water polo', Hoshi used to be nervous, presumably isn't now, but I don't know what she's become. Maywhatever is ... a boomer. That's about all I knew about him three whole seasons ago. We knew Degra better.

I want the Suliban thing dealt with as soon as possible, they can carry it on if they like, but don't leave it hanging.

I'd also like Scott Bakula to remember how to act, but that's probably not going to happen.

And I'm still holding out for a 'Porthos visits the planet of dogz' episode.

Speaking of which....we used to have a book of the Federation planets(species), and I remember a intellegent feline biped species. ( Or else I hallucinated it.) I bet they would get along best with T'Pol, since I've always thought cats had Vulcan charecteristics( with occasional erratic episodes.) Planet of the SuperKitties!

Or, Trip and Malcolm make out. I'd be happy with either.

I have so many hopes for the fourth season, especially since it might be the last.

I'd like to see the beginnings of negotiations with the Andorians, which hopefully translates into more Shran. Not to mention it would certainly cause some unease between Vulcans and humans too, which would interesting, to me at least.

I'd like to see more Travis. Promote him. Do something.

I'd like to see Hoshi debate whether she wants to rejoin Starfleet. Or the opposite, have her really be excited about being a part of the Andorian negotiations now that she got her feet wet with the Xindi.

More scenes of the crew acting like people. Small talk over lunch, discussing a movie or book; something other than work. Make them people, not just members of the crew.

Dress uniforms. Yes, I am shallow, but the thought of Malcolm in a dress uniform makes me drool. Not to mention, if you're talking to diplomats etc get out of those mechanics overalls, make an effort.

I don't want to see a reset button. I want the crew to struggle to acclimate themselves to mundane life again and live with the consequences of their actions during the past season. Now that the pressure is off, what do they do?

And have Archer treat Porthos better. And no more furrowing.

A Violet-Velvet-Veloured-Vengeance-Vulcan? That would be awesome.

…or Trip…Or Archer…or Mayweather...toast, I’ll join you in the shallow end of the pool.

On the other hand I don’t really like the idea of negotiation. I just don’t think that the writers are capable of transforming a negotiation into interesting television.

The reset button better stay hidden. For once Bermaga actually allowed some character growth and I’ll be seething for a year if that simply disappears. Archer had better answer for his actions.

I’d like to see Enterprise continue with mini-arches and not go back to stand-alone episodes. The drama is simply better if the stories are allowed a little more time to develop.

Isn't what Forrest wears a dress uniform?

Wish: If this is really the last season, they should know early, so they can plan. Better wish: That it not be the last season.

While I wouldn't mind references to the pre-TOS post-ENT era, I really don't want to see any more Enterprise-J-type references anymore. There's a hundred years of empty Trek time free for the taking. Use it. Please!

(Besides - with the spheres destroyed in Archer's time, there won't be a big Ent-J battle, anyway.)

Then I amend my wish that the crew wear those uniforms when necessary. Obviously, not working on the ship, but should it become necessary, it would make me very, very happy.

Though, in the grand scheme of things, it's about last on my list. No reset button is top of my list. But, if they did come home, the reset button having not been used, and were treated to a celebration of sorts, well, then, a perfect opportunity for a dress uniform!

And rather than showing the actual ceremony, it would be nice to see Trip complaining about having to get dressed up to sit through a boring speech. Then show them getting together afterwards.

You see why I am not a writer, right?

Also, I want T'Pol to receive treatment so she's not a CRACK WHORE anymore. And the repercussions on her relationship with Trip. (I'd really like them to become really good friends, but I've never been Trip/T'Pol shipper)

I agree. Definitely more regular character growth. It doesn't have to be so-and-so-explores-their-issues episodes. Please no! Like frenchtoast said, just make them people.

That said, I would love, love, love a Shran episode. I mean something like A Matter of Honor where we're on Shran's ship the whole time for whatever reason.

Number one on my list would be no reset button as well. We've come so far this year, I don't want all evidence of it erased. As others have said, there's so much I'd like to see them work through. And they've all grown so much closer this year, I'd hate to have the crew suddenly back where they were before the events of The Expanse.

frenchtoast, I have been longing for dress uniforms for our beloved crew myself for several months. They'd look so good!

I don't much want "X explores their issues" shows either, but I want the trend of lots of character interaction to continue. I love seeing these people relate to each other.

Also, I too want T'Pol to be a Real Vulcan again. There's no reason she can't behave like (and be healthy like) an ordinary Vulcan and still relate better to the crew than she did before. This reminds me, I want them to address the Pa'Nar Syndrome.

I don't. It's not that I love the direction they're taking the character in. But that way lies the Reset Button, which is not a good thing. I want them to follow up on this. It's done, so let's explore it.

All I know about what I want is that I don't want to go back to episodes-of-the-week like we had in seasons 1 and 2.

Also, I'm with nelamm. Let's decide early whether this will be the last year and give the show a real ending if it is. But better yet, let's not make it the last year.

Let me chime in on the "no reset button please" request. I've begun to think of this series as the Star Trek series in which the characters (and writers) have to live with the consequences of their actions.

That said, I'd like at least a mention of the loose ends of season 3 such as the old west human colony in the expanse and the poor ship without a warp coil (and a cargo hold full of useless Trellium for nonexistent anomolies).

And please PLEASE let us get to know the rest of the main characters. No more Hoshi-gets-one-episode and Mayweather-gets-one-episode per season. Lets see them as real people and for God's sake -- give them some lines!

And as a Trip/T'Pol shipper since season one before she became a CRACK WHORE, they have such great scenes together, and I finally really like where they're going with their relationship, so I'd like to request the nice slow pace they've been going at for the last few episodes, but not a "We're just friends" ending. They're not just friends.

And my last request -- Would the UPN promo monkeys kindly promote the show so that we might actually get a season 5? Would it kill them to get Conner Trineer and Jolene Blalock on Regis and Kelly or David Letterman?

Well, Damar's ship was studying the anomalies, right? Poor guys- not only are they stranded, they have nothing left to study.

Poor bored and stranded Damar, with his cargo hold filled with useless rocks.

Now that you've all pointed that out, I agree that we need to see that follow-up. I'd like Quantum a lot more if he goes looking for Damar, rather than waiting for Damar to find him.

As in, once they've sorted out all the Nazi mess, he loads up a spare warp coil and flies out to them with it and six billion apologies?

I'd like to see that. Wasn't the original mission to make contact with people. It also might assuage some of the guilt that Archer is so overloaded with.

The Old West planet would be harder to work into an episode, but a brief exchange between Quantum and Evil Admiral Forrest would be appreciated.


They are most assuredly not friends, but, I don't see a romantic relationship surviving very long. A deep, close bond they will always have because of what they shared, just not romance. However, the writers have been handling it so well, as have the actors. Either way, I'd be happy.

If T'Pol is able to be treated (and her Pa'nar Syndrome worsened?), she would still have to live with the consequences of what happened. Further, she would have a better understanding of humans and be able to act as an interpreter of sorts. And then she could quite logically nerve-pinch Quantum when he pompouses and asses.

who do you gals and guys want the Blue-Nazi to be. How would you reslove the cliff-hanger? Do you think they'll explain how Archer (or NX-01 for that matter) was never mentioned in any of the other series'?

I spelled out in another thread what I want the Alienazi to be. Like I said, though, I don't think Bermaga can be that original. :(

As for Archer and NX-01 never being mentioned, the only time I can think of when it would have been necessary was in the TNG episode "Relics", when Scotty asked the holodeck computer to reproduce the bridge of the Enterprise, and it requested more specifics, as there had been five starships by that name. That only gives us the NCC-1701 series ships, not the NX-01 Enterprise... However, how many times in the course of a day's work does, for instance, a US Naval captain refer to John Paul Jones? Or even Chester Nimitz? (For that matter, can anyone remember the name of the ship Jones commanded during the Revolutionary War - or even whether he commanded one?)

It was the Bonhomme Richard, and no, I'm not a Naval geek, I'm a trivia geek :)

I'm sort of in the middle. I don't want a reset button, exactly. I wouldn't mind what I've seen suggested in some posts: everything resets except Enterprise and crew, who return to their present with a beat-up ship and hoping for a celebration, only to be met with a, "Where the hell have you been for the last 3 months and what have you done to our starship?" Don't know how that's workable; it probably isn't, but I'm not a screenwriter.

I agree that T'Pol needs to stay a CRACK WHORE (deal with your actions) but I also think we still need a "real" Vulcan, so... T'Pol joins Starfleet and gets a nifty uniform with the rank of Lieutenant (Yes, a demotion. That's what usually happens when you switch branches of service for the SAME nation, let alone switching countries. Not a punishment, just no cutting to the head of the line just because she served in the Vulcan fleet. She's young, she'll adjust.). However, Ambassador Sykes... er, Soval... insists on (and gets) a replacement, and we get a new, cranky, crusty Vulcan military man forced on us. Someone Archer can really hate...

As for the Alienazis? Hrm. I hope Bermaga haven't got any vacation plans, because they'd better be writing themselves a damn masterpiece for Season 4 Episode 1.

In other 24th Century "Trek" the flag officers' clothing are more elaborate and they did resemble the dress-uniforms we sometimes saw on the regulars.

I've never seen this crew wearing dress-uniforms, but if they resemble the outfit that Forrest wears I wouldn't mind. He looks better than they do.

There's little enough broadcast sci-fi and they're all at the same juvenile-level with this one. I wish for cancellation, Bermaga being fired, the ship and crew wiping themselves from history, and or...taut writing that makes frequent reference to continuity established in "TNG" and "DS9," and tries to facilitate those events. They should have the freedom to create things that lend the show its own identity as well, but not at the expense of everything else. Especially not this "identity" that is purposefully 2-dimensional and populated with cardboard-bigots. As long as Bermaga is banned from writing. But-I'll be content with cancellation. That seems easiest.

That's because he's evil.

That would be the season finale to end all season finales: the end of season four, we see a figure in shadow having a conversation with either the Temporal Shower Guy or a Romulan (not on screen, of course)--and the big reveal shows it's...

...Evil Admiral Forrest!

Cause all Starfleet admirals are a few tweaks short of a warp core.

That Blue Man Nazi had frickin' better have something to do with the Romulan War.

I've been saying in my recaps he's evil since like, forever now. Because, really, no one can be that boring and not be evil.

Except ER's CleoBot.

Man, I stopped watching that show when Clooney left.

CaptainSnarky, or Forrest could be Shower Guy. And a Romulan.

Archer is mentioned indirectly in Nemesis- there's a starship named after him. Another issue- similar to Relics, but even more problematic (Relics doesn't list all the ships)- is the beginning of Trials and Tribble-ations, when one of the investigators says there've been "five Enterprises" and the other corrects, "six." Now, either E hadn't been commissioned yet (very unlikely), or it just had (hence the mistake) and they neglected NX-01. The answer can come down to what's been assumed here- that Cochrane named the ship after E, which had helped him in First Contact- which hadn't happened yet at that point.

Forrest is a Golden Girl in disguise? Not a wish per se.

Rrrreally? Ensign Kim traveled the Delta Quadrant for 7 years without a promotion.

There's always the possibility that this ship was named for Quantum's father who was instrumental in the development of the Warp 5 engine.

A promotion isn't necessary, but maybe a few scenes of him working more with security. After the extra training he received during the recent mission, maybe it sparked an interest?

It's a wish list, it probably won't happen, but I can dream, can't I?

First and foremost I'd like for there to be no Reset Button. If everything from season 3 is undone, I will not be a happy Trekkie. I'd also like to see the Xindi some more. Instead of being a one season wonder they could be an ongoing storyline for the rest of the series. That may not fit in well with the original mission of exploring, but oh well. I'm probably in the minority here but I was never the biggest fan of the "exploration" storyline.

Like others have said, I'd like to see T'Pol in a Starfleet uniform. And her being a CRACK WHORE should be continued as well. A mention on how this affects the Panar Syndrome wouldn't exactly be frowned upon either.

The last thing I want to see is at least the beginnings of the Romulan War. I've always loved the Romulans, so seeing them at war with Earth would definitely be the highpoint of the series for me.

Correct me if I'm wrong, please, but isn't the foundation of the Federation in 2160 and the Romulan War 2161-2166? The problem with a strict 'foundation of the Federation' plot is that it will inevitably lead to a lot of negotiations and that rarely make for good TV. Giving us the Romulan War now, while entertaining, would really screw with canon and we all know the sort of mayhem that leads to.

I don't know what the dates are, but I always thought the Romulan War was before the Federation was founded. I think it's because whoever mentioned it said that it was between the Romulans and Earth. If the Federation was already in existance I'd think the other member planets would've been involved.

As far as continuity goes, I don't think it would be that major of a breach. ENT has already mucked up it's own continuity, not to mention the other series. And if we're to believe that the Temporal Cold War has made it so all bets are off in terms of the established Trek timeline, then there isn't a problem at all.

The problem with not caring about continuity is that what happens effects what WILL happen. I think the TNG ep called "Tapestry" best illustrates how one change in one person's life can reshape the outcome.

I just wonder what til happen when Ent. is done, will it make sense when held up to the years of trek that preceeded/follow it?

I would like to have them encounter a Bajoran solar ship sailor lost in space. He or she could have gotten caught in a different wave than the one that took Sisko into Cardassian space. It would make a great B story plotline. Since multiple short arcs are likely next season, we could have one in which this visitor is hanging out on Enterprise for a while. I think it would be fun to have the Bajoran just be chilling in the mess hall rather than an integral part of the action. And then when it's time to move on, they continue on their zen wandering.

Another species that is yet to be discovered... actually, this is not a bad idea. I mean, the records could easily be hidden deep in Federation Archives, so there's not much of a threat to continunity... but no Cardassians!

The Federation is founded in 2161 (as per Troi telling us in TNG's "The Outcast"). No solid dates were ever given for the Romulan War, but spec has usually placed it right before that, ending in 2160.

Personally, I haven't felt there were any major breaches or things that don't allow Enterprise to line up with the other Treks.

I'd really like to get rid of Archer/Bakula. But alas, I doubt it'll happen.

I see absolutely nothing redeeming in continuing with the CRACK WHORE plot. It's stupid, easy, and a desperate attempt to make the Vulcan emotional so she can have a relationship. I HATE it.

As her CRACK WHORE behavior began soon after the neuroporn (TM someone more clever than me) started up, keckler, I think you hit it on the head. Believe it or not, I never put that particular 2 + 2 together until you said that. But the doubly stupid thing about it is, if they wanted her to take up with Trip, they didn't have to trot out the crack pipe at all. The two actors have a natural chemistry, and I would have believed them growing closer anyway, and Sarek, a Real Vulcan, married himself two humans. We know it's entirely possible for a full-blooded Vulcan to want to get involved with a human, and it would have been more interesting to see it happen naturally.

So, yeah, wish list; T'Pol with a brain returned to normal well before the end of the season; Archer dealing with his transgressions over the last year (including that stolen warp coil) and actively trying to be a better person, especially to his poor crew; some more fun Vulcan/Andorian stuff, maybe involving Shran moving up through the ranks. He can start replacing the deceptive practices with his brand of bluntness, making it easier for Vulcans/humans to trust at least him.

And poor Anthony Montgomery -- he deserves more work than he's getting.

One last wish (for now) -- like others have said, I'd like a fifth season, please.

keckler said:


and I concur. That being said, however, I do believe it must return for Season 4, only because it happened. I don't like the direction they pointed it (I'd prefer a simple CRACK HEAD to a CRACK WHORE, if you get what I mean) but at least from that standpoint, I'd rather it be resolved onscreen, and quickly. How about like this:

Act 1: Trip stages an intervention. T'Pol departs for rehab. Trip is sad, he knows his CRACK WHORE probably won't be so lovey-dovey when she returns.
Acts 2-end: something else happens.
Next week: No T'Pol (she's at rehab, right?) Other things happen. Jolene Blalock takes a cruise, uses instant tanning cream, goes in the pool, and gets a green tan. Bermaga give her a bonus. Ok, not so much.
Next week: T'Pol returns, reVulcanized. Kind of like Spock when he boards the Enterprise at the start of TMP. Trip is stoic ("All that matters is that she's healthy," he lies to himself), T'Pol is distant.
Next week: Other things happen.
Eventually: T'Pol thanks Trip for intervening. (See, she CAN grow beyond her Vulcan superiority). A new respect develops between them. NOW if we need a T'Rip'ship, we can have a real one. A mature one, even. Maybe even one that doesn't start until Season 5 (which means, of course, that we need to have a Season 5...)

Ah, so sorry.

I agree re T'Pol. While the T'Trip thing is ok to watch because the actors have such great chemistry I'd rather have a true vulcan with the complex relationship that would cause.

ETA: And season 5 is also at the top of my wish list. We'll see far into season 4 that wish lasts.

I think i want them to de-crackify T'Pol, give the minority actors some lies. (Is this Star Trek or Gone With the Wind? Hello!) and then I want them to wrap of the series with a Sisko waking up in the Wormhole sayin' "That was the most *&$%ed up dream ever."

Then he can go back and talk to the prophets.

fin