Enterprise These Are The Voyages
original airdate: 05-13-2005
Star
Trek: The Next Generation was the first show in history
of television to be sold directly into syndication. Paramount
was concerned that the spin off series would bomb. So instead
of selling it to a network, they made deals directly with
TV stations airing the original Star Trek series.
A brilliant safety net. If the show did bomb then they would
simply tack on the additional 13 TNG episodes to
the original series package.
Of course
The Next Generation went on to become tremendously
successful. It even gave birth to a spin off of its own,
Deep Space Nine. And then, seven years later “they”
cancelled it.
“They”
gave a number of reasons. Some creative. Some dealing with
the actors desires to move on. However valid those reasons
were the biggest push to get TNG off the air was
so “they” could move Star Trek out
of syndication and into the flagship position of the newly
created UPN.
Ironic
that on Friday the 13th of May in 2005, UPN would kill the
very franchise that was its cornerstone for 11 years. And
the final episode of a UPN Star Trek has a double
layer of irony since it prominently features characters
from The Next Generation.
The
last episode of Enterprise takes place during an
easily forgotten seventh season episode of TNG:
“The Pegasus.” Commander Riker is dealing with
a loyalty issue and loads up a key moment in NX-01’s
history on the holodeck, to see how Trip dealt the same
problem.
In case
you’re holding back the last episode in your TIVO,
pretending the series isn’t over yet, we’ll
throw up the ***SPOILERS*** alert.
Early in the
episode Councilor Troi hints that Trip will “never
return to engineering.” Then it’s a game of
“You Killed Kenny!!!” Trip nearly falls of a
scaffolding and Archer reaches down to save him. They comment
about the close call and nearly wink at the camera. “Gotcha.”
But
you could go blind with all the winking from inside jokes
in this episode. Archer toasts to “The Next Generation.”
Malcolm reminds Mayweather “All good things…”
the title for the TNG finale. Troi finds T’Pols
personal view screen and Riker explains “it was on
Kirk’s ship.” And of course they have the same
old conversation about there being another ship named Enterprise.
However, having
Riker walk around a holodeck recreation of Enterprise we
gain two fun details. First, we get a better idea of how
a holodeck works. On the past three Trek shows the holodeck
was nothing more then a room on the ship, mystically governed
by the computer. “These are the Voyages…”
depicts a holodeck with actual computer controls.
Leading
to the second “cool” detail. Since the pilot
we’ve heard the Chef’s name tossed around. But
he’s never appeared on camera. Riker steps into the
role in the holodeck recreation. And who could be a better
Chef then Riker?
In all
its sophistication, it's amazing how poorly the holodeck
replicated the crew of the Enterprise. With this episode
happening six years after the one just before it, only T’Pol
appears any older. However, Riker and Troi seem to be, oh
… eleven years older.
Sure
it's nitpicky, but it's fair game. “They” are
killing the show before its time. Six years of unwritten
history all crammed into 42 minutes and strung together
by a poorly constructed back story from a boring forgotten
episode of TNG.
Granted,
the writers didn’t have much time. And they’d
been gearing up for a season cliff hanger – not a
series finale. However, we fans deserved something more
then a botched backward excuse for a series finale. But
we ain’t gonna get it.
Instead we can
all chant…
These
were the voyages of the Starship Enterprise
Its four year mission…
To seek out worlds already discovered
To waste an entire season on a ridiculous plot line
To lamely get cancelled three years before it was expected,
just as it was finally getting good…
To destroy the Star Trek legacy.
