Xindi Story Arc-Did it hurt or help ENTERPRISE?
 

There are different opinions among ENTERPRISE fans on whether the Xindi story arc helped or hurt the show.
I believe it hurt the show and put ENTERPRISE on the road that led to its cancellation. I know from personal experience that it was the Xindi story arc that caused me to lose interest in the show. Why? Because ENTERPRISE was originally intended to be about the beginnings of intergalactic space exploration and the formation of the Federation. The Xindi story arc moved the show in a direction other than that. Also, i felt the Xindi premise was shaky at best, and executed poorly. I also thought the show was making an indirect political show of support for Bush's decision to invade Iraq in search of WMDs by having Archer enter the "expanse" in search of the weapon the Xindi were developing to attack Earth again with.
Other fans of ENTERPRISE, however, believe the Xindi story arc was in line with ENTERPRISE's mission of exploring the unknown, and the temporal cold war conflict. Also that it hightened the dramatic appeal of the show, that there were still plenty of stand-alone episodes, that the show wasn't simply trying to create political support for America's mission abroad, but was tapping into something that could increase viewership and make the show seem more relevant. What do u think?

It ended the Temporal Cold War and that is a big plus!

I thought the Xindi story arc HELPED. I really like that arc in Ent.

I hate it when people say it wasn't canon. I say "why not?" Just because the attack on Earth had never been mentioned in a previous episode or movie does NOT mean it could have never taken place. I say this in order to deflect any future posts making that complaint, which I have heard before.

That's my dad's qualm with the Xindi/Expanse arc. It's not often that he complains about things of that nature...after all he agrees with me about The Final Frontier and Sybok.

To me, the Xindi War was the point where I lost interest. It was just going back to what ruined Star Trek in the first place. As Guinan put it in "Yesterday's Enterprise", it's not a ship of war, it's a ship of peace. And Enterprise just HAD to go and pull a blatant Dominion War rip-off just when they were getting good on their own, didn't they? I'll say again, Star Trek is NOT about war, it has NEVER been about war. The only time war should be in Star Trek is if it is in an alternate dimension or if another species is at war, and the Federation is trying to make peace. Star Trek VI did a terrific job of portraying war in Trek. Enterprise just came off as depicting a bunch of redneck right-wing warmongers who "have to go get the terrorists." It was a poorly concealed metaphor for the September 11 attacks. In light of that event, Enterprise should have instead depicted the crew recollecting about how childish war is, instead of going to war themselves.

Sorry for the rant.:thumbup:

AA, I understand that you dislike the depiction of war in Trek. Concerning 9/11, the difference is that Archer and his crew talked to the reasonable Xindi and made peace with them.
I like the third season but I think that it might have been better if such a season-long story arc would have been done in the hypothetical sixth or seventh season and showed the Earth-Romulan War.

Did we watch the same show? I never saw a war on ENT. I did see the NX-01 seek out the species that attacked Earth in an attempt to stop another, but more deadly, attack. I then saw this "seek and destroy" mission turn into a successful first contact, at least with half the Xindi species.

I agree the attack on Earth was an obvious metaphor for the 9/11 attack, but how did the story arc end? You saw Archer actually TALK to and educate the "enemy". In the end those same "enemies" HELPED stop the attack. What war are you talking about?

The Temporal Cold War was a terrible idea to begin with. I hated it all the way. But the Xindi story was worse for simple rerasons:

First the whole story changed the impression Archer made on me. In the beginning he was merely the guy from Quantum Leap doing the Captain for me and I hoped his character would develop. But then came the Xindi and out of a sudden Archer talks about WMDs and how another 9/11 must be prevented and... well... now he was the guy from Quantum Leap doing George W. Bush. Stupid plus stupid often equals idiocy.

Second, I just got annoyed by all this Xindi Mafia Meetings. I allways expected one of them to raise his small finger to his mouth and laugh like moh ha ha ha ha!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hmz6DVpz0s&NR=1

I don't see how a peaceful ending (with the exception of the Reptilians) can be considered Bush-like. I mean, sure, it was about a species attacking Earth, but the arc concluded in a very optimistic and Trek way.

So no Trek actor should have had a previous leading role in another series. :001_rolleyes:
Concerning 9/11 and the difference between Bush and Archer: (no disrespect intended, BB, but did you actually watch the third season?)