4.22: These are the Voyages

[Dave]

4.22: ??? (season finale)

There is a rumour that this is being written, not by Manny Coto, but by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, and that it will feature guest appearances by Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis. The rumour is that they will reprise the roles of Riker and Troi. The news was first reported on the long-running official web site of Sirtis.

It seems like another way to boost flagging ratings by shoehorning in some popular characters. Obviously, this annoys those people who want to keep continuity, me included, since Betazoids are unknown in Enterprise's time, though there are several ways they could involve Troi and Riker without more 'Temporal War'/ Time Travel/ Q stories.

They could be ancestors of Troi and Riker (it would need to be a human ancestor of Troi.) This has been done before.

They could just be visiting a museum together, see a relic from Archer's time, and have Riker tell the story... "You see this was very important to the formation of the United Federation of Planets" much the same way as T'Pol told the story of her grandmother.

Anyway, the folks over at http://www.bureau42.com/about/ have a much better idea on the plot:

Riker and Troy will be involved in a very exciting action sequence. The crew of the Enterprise is being chased by genetically enhanced Suliban warriors. The only way to escape is for Riker and Troy to jump over a chasm filled with man eating sharks. Riker and Troy will tie a rope to a nearby speedboat and use it to pull themselves over a ramp and jump over the sharks. Riker will be wearing a speedo and his Federation-spec combat boots at the time. Troy will follow Betazoid fashion and be naked.
If they all survive, there will be a celebratory gathering afterwards at Arnold's Burger place.

I'm beginning to feel that episode happened a while ago...

 

[ray gower]

Think I would modify that a little, perhaps Just as Riker and Diana make their leap, Enterprise crashes into the pool and Thunderbird 2 appears to rescue.. the sharks?

 

[Dave]

Since I wrote that, we now know that this episode really will be the end! (And that they really did 'jump the shark' quite some time ago.)

I would hope that the final episode of the series would be something a little better than a historical flashback along the lines of '11:59' VOY or 'Carbon Creek' ENT. I would at least expect some kind of closure on the series.

Also, it was reported that at a Convention appearance, Marina Sirtis denied she was going to appear in this.

So, maybe this episode will be totally different.

 

[Dave]

It Does Not Involve Time Travel

Manny Coto, speaking to Startrek.com:

I'd rather hold off on the finale. Rick Berman and Brannon Braga are writing it and if they want to spoil it I'd rather have them spoil it themselves! But I will say that it does not involve time travel. That's as much as I will say. And, it's a very cool story.

 

[Dave]

Frakes says they are in it!

from Trek Today
Jonathan Frakes confirmed this weekend that he and Marina Sirtis will be performing as Riker and Troi in the finale of Star Trek: Enterprise.

During an appearance at the Eleventh Annual SF Ball in Bournemouth, UK, Frakes told the crowd that he and "his Imzadi Marina Sirtis" would both be in the final episode of Enterprise, according to fan reports sent in to the Trek Nation.

 

[Dave]

Blalock "Appalling"

The Toronto Star has an interview with Jolene Blalock

There is an awkward silence when the subject of the final episode is broached. "I don't know where to begin with that one," she finally stammers. "The final episode is ... appalling."

 

[ray gower]

Must say Ms Blalock is awfully blunt about the show. Makes you wonder why she stuck it out for three years and the internal back biting that must be happening.

But hopefully apalling = They all die rather than a downright awfull episode?

Possibly a dream sequence in the decontamination chamber, just in case Enterprise gets a twelfth hour reprieve.

 

[Dave]

Actually, I'm not sure if this is good or bad...

Spoiler

Rumours persist that we will learn in the finale that the whole four seasons of "Enterprise" were nothing more than a holonovel being viewed as a bedtime story by Will Riker and Deanna Troi to their young son on the Enterprise-D.

It's Bobby Ewing in "Dallas" again.

In a way, that will make a lot of people happy, in another way it sums up everything about 'Enterprise'. :dead:

The rest of the cast seem more cheerful:

from trek today
"In retrospect, seven years of squawking probably wouldn't have been so much fun," the [John Billingsgly] conceded. In compensation, he noted of Phlox, "I have a giant smile, my head blows up like a puffer fish, I've got a tongue that goes down to my ankles, and I have three wives...which leads me to believe that I have three ******* but that was never explored." In fact, protested Billingsley, "I was the only character on the show who never got laid in four years. All the Mrs. Phloxes are back on Denobula...at one point they brought a wife of mine on, but she spent the whole episode hitting on Trip." Billingsley blamed the producers for this unfairness, saying that he could complain now "because what are they going to do, fire me?"

 

[Dave]

Okay, hereis another different rumour (read them if you like because most likely none of them are correct!)

Spoiler

from SyFy portal
The episode, reported called "These Are the Voyages," will actually mostly take place as a holographic simulation. While "Star Trek: Nemesis" ended with Riker and Troi leaving the Enterprise-E to take over command of another ship, this episode will apparently have Riker still a commander on the Enterprise-D, which was destroyed in 1994's "Star Trek Generations." The hologram apparently is a historical representation of what helped lead to the formation of the United Federation of Planets.

What's more, Connor Trinneer's character of Trip Tucker apparently will reportedly die in the episode as well.

TrekWeb reported that they could not corroborate the rumor that was posted, but their sources said that this report "may accurately describe some of the episode's plot."

The source reported that Frakes and Sirtis only appear in about a third of the finale.

"It's how they appear among other things that make this episode a loser in my book," the source said. "I'm royally ****ed at (executive producers Rick Berman and Brannon Braga) for the job they did on the last episode, so I'm spilling the beans on it."

 

[ray gower]

Working on the theory of no smoke without fire, and that I have an unfortunate habit of being at least partially right. Then it looks horribly as if we are bound for a dream story.

If anything it is worse!-
Another B@##$Y Holodeck story. Time-hopping by another name!

Something that brings a whole new definition to 'Jumping the Shark'!

It would not only nail the lid on Enterprise, but will destroy anything Coto might have achieved with the rest of the series and does not even offer closure for the series.


If the B3's are so enthusiastic about time-hopping, why don't they apply to the BBC to write a Doctor Who script, where it works?
Or would the Beebs standard be too high?

 

[Dave]

I've changed the thread title to 'These are the Voyages'.

StarTrek.com confirmed this in a final production report and all the Star Trek boards are going with this now as well as Dark Horizons.

They confirm Riker and Troi will be appearing, and the lack of any Time Travel.

...the most we'll tell you here is that it does involve the Holodeck.

Another guest star in this episode is Jeffrey Combs, getting blue one last time as the Andorian "Shran."

No confirmation on:

Spoiler

the death of Trip Tucker

that has caused some serious upset among Enterprise fans.

Originally posted by ray gower
it does not even offer closure for the series.

That is the worst part of it, or the possibility that they will retcon them completely out of existence, including all the neat things in this fourth season.

Though Rick Berman says this in 'Star Trek Magazine':

It is a work in progress. But the script was conceived with the knowledge that this [cancellation] was very likely going to be the scenario anyway.

It's not like we're destroying the ship or the crew. It's a very special and unique episode, a kind of episode we've never really done before.

How does that square up with the death of a major character, or having them only exist in a fictional story ~ I can't see that it does. So, either Berman is being economical with the truth or the rumours are wrong.

 

[Dave]

I have another rumour that tends to confirm the holodeck theory; it is a quote from the set -- "Throughout the eight days of shooting, Frakes was at various points dressed in a TNG-era uniform; as an NX-01 crewman; as a MACO; and ... as one other person who perhaps should remain a surprise."

More here: http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/news/article/9996.html

The other person who perhaps should not be named... I've read a rumour that Riker turns out to be 'Future Guy' who talked to Silik (we never did discover who he was!)

Another is that he simply turns up as 'Chef'!

These rumours are great fun, and probably much more creative than the final product ever will be

 

[ray gower]

Originally posted by Dave
I have another rumour that tends to confirm the holodeck theory; it is a quote from the set -- "Throughout the eight days of shooting, Frakes was at various points dressed in a TNG-era uniform; as an NX-01 crewman; as a MACO; and ... as one other person who perhaps should remain a surprise."

Perhaps he goes through a regeneration and turns into Daniels?

 

[Dave]

Originally posted by ray gower
Perhaps he goes through a regeneration and turns into Daniels?

And shave off the beard again?

from scifi wire

UPN released details of the upcoming back-to-back series-ending episodes of its canceled Star Trek: Enterprise, which will air in May.

The first episode, "Terra Prime," will air at 8 p.m. ET/PT on May 13.

The second episode, "These Are the Voyages," will air at 9 p.m. the same night. It takes place six years in the future, when an emotional Capt. Archer and the crew return to Earth to face the decommission of the Enterprise and the signing of the Federation charter, ratifying the newly-formed alliance of planets. As previously reported, Star Trek: The Next Generation cast members Jonathan Frakes (Riker) and Marina Sirtis (Troi) guest star.

 

[ray gower]

The beard could be a problem- There has been a significant lack of fungus adorned bodies during the rest of Enterprise

 

[Dave]

TrekToday are reporting that Brent Spiner is to have a minor, off camera, speaking part in this. Spiner broke the news during the Vulkon Orlando science fiction convention, which was also attended by several Stargate SG-1 and X-Files actors. According to TrekToday reader Dale, Spiner said he will be speaking four lines in the finale, which were written by himself.

The Enterprise series finale has been rumored to take place partially during a specific Next Generation episode. I've read that it might be 'The Pegasus' and that Riker goes to the Holodeck to ask Archer's advice about whether to tell Picard about Admiral Pressman's illegal activities. Presumably, Spiner's speaking role means Data will be heard over a communicator in one or more scenes.

Of course, all of this remains rumour and speculation.

 

[Dave]

Features the founding of the Federation

Brannon Braga speaking at the Stark County branch of Kent State University:

from Trek Today
Of the Enterprise finale, "These Are the Voyages...", which Braga co-wrote with Rick Berman, he said that the episode looked at "the most important day in the life of this ship, which is its last day, the day the Federation is founded." He added that he felt such a storyline ended an era of Star Trek by bridging this series will the ones that went before, calling it, in words Berman has used in interviews, a valentine for the fans. He also admitted that some of the Enterprise cast members were not happy with the finale and its use of characters from The Next Generation.

 

[Dave]

It seems that Paramount have released pictures from this. (probably in order to dispel all the discouraging rumours)

from Trek Today

Photos from the final episode of Star Trek: Enterprise, "These Are the Voyages...", depict Captain Archer and the crew of the NX-01 six years in the future of current series time.

The images, posted at StarTrekUK.com, show the events being witnessed in retrospet by Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) and Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes), who are on the holodeck of Captain Picard's Enterprise even further in the future.

StarTrek.com indicates that during the episode, Archer and his crew return to Earth to see their ship decommissioned and the Federation charter signed. Previous stories have indicated that the events of the episode take place around the time period of the Next Generation episode "The Pegasus", in which Riker is torn between two commanding officers and his responsibilities.

The photos also confirm that a subplot of "These Are the Voyages..." deals with the Andorian commander Shran (Jeffrey Combs) and his search for his missing daughter.

Some of the photos show Riker in uniform as a MACO, firing a weapon and traveling in a shuttlepod along with Mayweather, as well as T'Pol confronting Archer and assisting Shran.

At least there is actually closure, the events did really happen, even if we only see a holodeck reconstruction of them. At least they aren't reconning 'Enterprise' away as was rumoured!!

But I can understand why the appearance of TNG characters in the final episode of 'Enterprise' might upset 'Enterprise' fans. Picard never came back to TNG in 'What You Leave Behind' or met Janeway in 'Endgame'. Kirk didn't need to appear as a ghost in 'All Good Things'.

It would fine if the appearance was in a standalone episode, but the finale should be an 'Enterprise' finale. It is the admission of failure by B+B.

 

[Dave]

The fact that the need to defend themselves says it all:

from Scifi Wire

Producers Defend Enterprise End

Star Trek: Enterprise producers Brannon Braga and Rick Berman told SCI FI Wire that they understood the recent disparaging comments made by cast members about the final episode, but stood by their execution of the series finale. "You have to remember, under normal circumstances, most people probably would have thought this was a very cool episode, because it has a great concept driving it," Braga said in a conference call with reporters. "But when it's the final episode of a series, emotions are running very high."

The most vocal objection came from cast member Jolene Blalock, who plays T'Pol on the show. "I don't know where to begin with that one," she recently said of the finale. "The final episode is ... appalling."

The episode, titled "These Are the Voyages," features Star Trek: The Next Generation stars Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis, who reprise their roles as Commander Riker and Deanna Troi. The pair will view the episode's historic events through a holodeck recreation. Berman said he thought that the opinions expressed by Blalock had to do with the episode's references to the previous Trek series. "The feeling was that if this was going to be the finale of Enterprise, then why bring characters in from another series?" he said. "But I think when people see the episode and realize that to be able to truly pay the respect to our characters that we have, we've couched it in a unique fashion of being able to look back on them, and I think it's going to be a very positive response towards the Enterprise crew."

Braga said that he was aware that the Enterprise cast had some minor issues with the storyline, but there were no serious objections during the production. "There were a couple of people who were slightly uncomfortable with the fact that we have Next Generation characters in the show, and it is a different kind of episode," he said. "But there were no serious complaints. And none of the actors have seen the episode, so they can't be dissatisfied with how it turned out."

I think he says it all himself here: "Under normal circumstances, most people probably would have thought this was a very cool episode". But, it is a series finale, the end of a series that many people love. Hey, after watching this Season, I count myself among them. It is not a normal episode. On the other hand, Voyager set a precedent, using Barclay and Troi in the final Seasons. And I grant them the fact that they didn't get much warning, and Sirtis and Frakes were probably already booked. Also, the final episode of 'Star Trek' TOS wasn't all that special either. I still think it's not right, but I'll wait until I've seen it.

 

[ray gower]

In fairness:-

There is some excuse for Barclay and Troi in Voyager, perhaps not a good one, but it is workable. TNG and Voyager were set in similar time spans, B & T had merely progressed up the promotion ladder and into new jobs, same as La'Forge in his brief appearance.

As for TOS, I don't think they had as much notice of cancellation. The Season ended and they never started again.

Still think the only truly fitting end to this series would be the sight of Enterprise blowing up, perhaps in some heroic last stand that creates the Federation?