(1x01 & 02) And so it begins: Broken Bow 1 & 2!

[Aquarius]

Regarding the discrepancies in characterizations--watch any show that's run for four or more years. You'll almost always notice that the characters don't become the people you "remember" until about Season 3. That's also the season where most shows start getting really good. (And yes, before anyone decides to clobber me with "what about this show?" and "what about that show?", yes, I know there are exceptions, I'm just speaking generally.) We talked about this in my intro to Electronic Media class last semester. It was something I kind of noticed over the years of watching (too much) television, and it was kind of interesting to learn that there was something to it. It usually takes the writers and producers a couple of years to really figure the show out themselves. They keep what they like, throw out what they don't (generally because they believe the audience doesn't like it that they could be losing advertising revenue over it) and invent some new stuff to replace it. They don't count on you noticing it when they change or do something inconsistent, and most times while the show's in production, they're right--it's harder to catch these things when you're only watching once a week over the course of several years. But as soon as you start seeing reruns, maybe shown daily in syndication on another channel, and start buying box sets of DVDs, and can start seeing these things a bazillion times in fairly rapid succession, that's when these things become glaring and sometimes annoying.

But generally, if you look back at any long-running show, Season 3 will generally be where its "peak" begins, and the characters' personalities will be established pretty consistently from that point on.

Hoshi is an interesting example. I remember when I watched the premiere way back when, I called my mom when it was over to ask her what she thought. I remember my mom saying she really liked Hoshi because she was the "regular person", not acclimated to space travel and all that stuff. Jumpy at the strange sounds and sensations...and later "the stars are going the wrong way", etc. But, you could see how after a few episodes that would get old. What was initially interesting and relatable about Hoshi had potential to become annoying and boring. You can't have her complaining about space travel and blowing her groceries into a space sick bag every week for however long you expect your show to last. So, she becomes a black belt, who should've been able to break that Suliban's arm in Episode 1.

[Kathy Rose]

I totally agree, Aquarius. I also agree with you mother, too, because it was nice to see a character that wasn't in this situation without doubts and fears. I thought that made it more realistic. Four years of that, however, would have been way too much, so it was good that we got to see Hoshi overcome some of that as the series progressed.

[Honeybee]

I think she would have definitely toughed up by Season 4. Just look at what she went through at the end of Season 3. She really had it rough there - the character would have had to have evolved from BB. She also chose to go into The Expanse, as we know from the deleted scene that I'm always forgetting was deleted.

[Kathy Rose]

There's a deleted scene from BB that my R/S shipper heart just goes pitter-patter over. They're back from the Rigel station, and Hoshi on the bridge is wondering if she has frostbite on her fingers. Malcolm looks at them, holding her hands in his, and says teasingly that Doctor Phlox might have to amputate. It's a cute moment. Maybe it was too cute for the premiere.

I also wonder if it was shot before T'Pol's haircut was decided, because you can see her in the background in the command chair, and it looks like her hair is much longer. That may have been the reason the scene got cut, if it wasn't due to time constraints.

[Glory1863]

I wish there had been a Trek forum like this when the show originally aired. I'm enjoying seeing all the comments.

I found that when I rewatched Broken Bow I was reminded why I wasn't a big fan to begin with even though I had wanted to be. There was no character on Enterprise that grabbed me from the get go the way Mr. Spock, Mr. Data, Odo/Gul Dukat and The Doctor did. Everybody seemed pretty "vanilla", nice but not really compelling to where I wanted to make sure I watched every week to learn more about them or see what happened to them. The exception to "vanilla" was the Vulcans (all of them) whom I just couldn't stand. Like Jinx, I really like Spock and Sarek and even Tuvok, and these Vulcans were nothing like them. Now you can argue that these were time-appropriate Vulcans who needed another 100 years of dealing with humans to get to Spock and Sarek. I can probably buy that, but that doesn't mean I want Soval and T'Pol (as portrayed in the first half, at least) in my house every week.

That being said, I'm kind of surprised that nobody has mentioned Trip calling T'Pol out on Vulcan's "no interference" doctrine. He made such a great point that not providing advanced technology is reasonable but not the same as actively restraining the use of technology once developed, and that humans, especially Henry Archer, have a right to try and a right to experience failure as well as success. That scene has got to be my favorite from both parts.

While I can take Klingons or leave them at this point, Jinx got me to thinking: What if the person Enterprise had to take home had been Shran instead? Now there's a character that would have gotten my attention immediately!

Trip and T'Pol fighting on the bridge in front of the crew? Not good - that's why the captain has a ready room. Did you notice how uncomfortable Reed and the others were?

I thought Archer and T'Pol getting along happened way too fast (like somebody flipped a switch between part 1 and part 2, in fact). Heart-stopping enjoyable moment, though: When Archer leaves to retrieve the Klingon and tells T'Pol, "The ship is yours." He's turning over the most important thing in his life to her with no qualms, no irony, no 'tude. Wow!

I'm looking forward to watching everything in order and seeing more comments.

[Honeybee]

Did you notice how uncomfortable Reed and the others were?

I actually liked this. At this point, the chain of command is not sorted out at all. I've seen epic battles on other forums as to whether or not T'Pol should have been placed in the chain of command, but whatever, she eventually was. Trip is sticking up for the crew, and he's doing it publicly. I think this is because he is inexperienced and protocol might not have been fully developed, as well as the fact that he's putting on a show of strength for the crew who might not be willing to answer to a Vulcan.

It's probably a good thing that he did that, so when he does cede authority to her, they all know he didn't roll over easily and that he chose to let it happen. Plus it adds a little drama and tension. I have no doubt that if Trip pressed the matter, Malcolm and his team would have put her in the brig without a thought and let him take command. Trip had to be won over, and that's an important plot point. I still would like to know what their conversation was when they were reconfiguring those sensors.

[Aquarius]

I think the thing we all need to remember, too--it's a TV show. Not everything that happens on it is meant to happen exactly the way it "really" does. Sometimes that's because of the time constraints of television. Sometimes it's because of the time constraints of television. Sometimes it's because the "real" way is boring to watch.

Teleplays are stories told in pictures. A TV writer's first and constant question is "How do I show this?" If you want to establish that there is some disagreement about the chain of command, do you show the characters running for the nearest computer terminal to go have a conversation with the boss? Wait for weeks of red tape to be sorted out? Especially when your captain's ass is grass and they could be mowing it down right now? How about conflict and dissention in the ranks about this? Do we have time for various crew members to approach Trip and tell him they don't like how the Vulcan is doing things and won't he please do something?

Or do you show a quick two-minute fight in front of everybody that establishes all the facts of the situation that the viewer needs to have, shot widely enough so you can see the reactions of other crew members to what's going on?

Time is precious when you're making a TV show or movie.

[EntAllat]

Just a quick thought on the Trip vs Travis issue. I got the strong impression that Jon wanted Travis piloting the Enterprise at that point, since the whole ship and crew was going to be in potential danger there. We never really see Trip piloting Enterprise, and I don't know who Travis' backup would have been, so Jon chose to leave him at his post there.

Yup. I understood that scene to be Archer concerned that a relief helmsman would not be able to get Enterprise out of the line of fire quickly enough, especially since Travis did end up dodging the proximity detecting charges in what essentially was pea soup.

[entkayjay]

I second your appreciation, Glory! When BB first aired, the only forums were on the official (and very few unofficial well-known) sites, and the majority of people weren't "fans" of Enterprise to begin with, whether they watched the show or not. Which tainted my enthusiasm. I was so isolated from fandom at that point that being able to (re)watch the show like this, with people who have a variety of opinions but share an overall love for the series and the characters is a total dream come true. I'm sure I'll expound on this a bit in later eps.

I wish I could remember how I came into contact with other fans... I probably searched out Yahoogroups and glommed onto them. I'll have to go look for groups and see if any of them ring a bell (other than the ones I'm already in). I do know that how others perceive the show, and express their perception, influences my enjoyment -- and I went through a real difficult period with that for a while.

I'm much better now.

I too like the "real person" aspect of not just Hoshi but most of the entire crew. I like the portrayal of these first steps into space exploration. We weren't always on top of our game and knowing how to respond to the unknown. We weren't all brave (Hoshi), knowledgeable (Jon), understanding of other cultures (Trip), as technologically ready as we needed to be (Malcolm and his constant improvement of weapons as-they-went). We were human, but that didn't stop us. That's my main takeaway from all of Star Trek. So What, We'll Do It Anyway(tm).

[Kathy Rose]

Just a quick thought on the Trip vs Travis issue. I got the strong impression that Jon wanted Travis piloting the Enterprise at that point, since the whole ship and crew was going to be in potential danger there. We never really see Trip piloting Enterprise, and I don't know who Travis' backup would have been, so Jon chose to leave him at his post there.

Yup. I understood that scene to be Archer concerned that a relief helmsman would not be able to get Enterprise out of the line of fire quickly enough, especially since Travis did end up dodging the proximity detecting charges in what essentially was pea soup.

I have to agree with this. Jon was leaving the best qualified person, Travis, to fly the ship to keep it safe.

In the same vein, I think that might be why he left T'Pol in charge of the bridge. He knew she was best suited to keep Enterprise safe, even while at the same time he's potentially sacrificing himself. As the commanding officer, he doesn't have to explain his decisions, either, so we'll never know (except through fan fiction) what his reason for that was.