What explains the free-fall in quality from Star Trek: TNG to Enterprise?

[Skip Intro]

I'm watching Next Generation on Spike, and I was just pulled away from the computer by this episode (Borg related - Riker declines captain post on a different ship, and is later challenged on the Enterprise by a visiting officer).

At one point, through several smart moves, the Enterprise breaks away from the grasp of a Borg cube, and heads out ("heading ###, mark ### - engage") at warp nine, with the cube in pursuit.

I just leaned back in my chair, and said out loud, "now that's Star Trek."

Picard is now talking to Whoopi's character about the Visigoths.

I may or may not be facing hurricane winds here (chas, sc) tomorrow, but all I want to know now is, how. How did Star Trek fall from such gripping Sci-Fi television heights to the lows of that which is "Enterprise?"

[flamingyouth]

1. I watched "The Way to Eden" from TOS last night

That shed some light on the whole subject on it for me. :D

Seeing Charles Napier as the the hippie musician never ceases to amuse me!

[Deja Q]

7. Oh, Charles was a hottie!

Silly hair color and style but he was a 30 year old hippie with nice go-go boots... :9

[flamingyouth]

8. Long time back, when the galaxy was new...

Man found out what he had to do...

And you gotta love Spock jamming with them on the Vulcan harp, which sounds eerily like a Hammond B3 organ! :D

[sally343434]

2. Roddenberry's death

After Roddenberry died, the creative engine associated with his "enterprise" came slowly to a stop.

[mom cat]

6. I was about to post the same thing, Live long and prosper.

[childslibrarian]

3. The guy that played Riker

said it was greed. They tried to juggle too many balls at one time and over saturated the market. He just directed Thunderbirds. It is a shame because I saw the overall vision to be one we as a country could try to immulate...

[Cerridwen]

4. This sounds weird, even to me, but I think

it's because they started focusing on story rather than science. I'm not sure if that makes sense. Maybe someone can take this thought and run with it.

I'd also note that TOS and TNG had more of that "cowboy" feel to them; if >that< makes any sense.

[Deja Q]

5. Rick Berman.

He fired composer Ron Jones in late season 4 because, let's face it, his scores were too good.

Seasons 5 and 6 are utter crap in one way or another; even the good stories were let down by crap music.

Season 7 is a reasonable and surprisingly good comeback, but I think it's a fluke.

DS9 and Voyager were never appealing though they cranked out a good ep once in a while when they weren't recycling TNG or each others' plots.

Enterprise is worse, partly because it's a prequel.

And the common denominator? Berman produced them ALL.

[BluePatriot]

13. Seconded.

It's all Berman's fault...Gene Roddenberry's death did not help either. RIP Gene! :cry:

[ContraBass Black]

9. I liked Voyager and DS9 too.

Enterprise attempts to rework the old story lines, but lacks the spirit, effort, artistry, and inventiveness.

Whereas the older series spoke to current events subtly and beautifully, Enterprise is clumsy and ham-fisted.

At least the crew is learning how to act.

[Monte Carlo]

10. Sci-fi has to be more than just action and drama.

It has to have a touch of science - some quirky plot device that drives the story. Seriously, the next Isaac Asimov is out there somewhere - the producers need to find him and hire him to write for the show. It seems as though Rick Berman and Brannon Braga have forgotten about that side; action and drama alone makes Star Trek just another show.

[soothsayer]

11. because of that horrible, unwatchable 'star' of the show, whatsisname

Guy who MUST have made a deal with the devil to be in showbiz...g

[edbermac]

12. Don't know, I very QUICKLY stopped watching Enterprise...

when they started playing that puky theme song; sounded like something for the NSYNC/Britney Spears crowd...Goodbye Enterprise!

Just keep running TNG on Spike...and MXC as well! A helluva lot more entertaining than Enterprise!

[Endangered Specie]

14. DS9 is still good!

in many ways in fact it was better than TNG!

[Ilsa]

15. And yet the show didn't make it on just good sci-fi

and good science; there has to be good drama and great acting as well. Interpersonal conflict, but not overwhelming the storyline, believeable dialogue, and believeable character development. (I always thought Troi's character became too "executive" too quickly.) There has to be a fear or insecurity that speaks to most of us. And that ensemble had a great chemistry. I envied their ability to work and play together and cruise the galaxy.

My husband didn't like DS9 because they were mostly stuck on the space station. He didn't like voyager because the bridge was so dark (simply the stage lighting). I didn't like Voyager because it made me uneasy ALL the time. I didn't like feeling lost, not enough power to run replicators for good food, etc. I wanted more familiarity, and little more fun and a feeling that home was always just around the corner.

Picard always made me feel like everyone was important. He was always discussing lessons of history, so I felt like our time here was as important as their advanced lifestyle.

[ContraBass Black]

16. With the Defiant and various military operations, S9 really picked up.