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Chuck went over how the ending to Enterprise, as badly handled as it was, was meant to show the fans how much they cared, even though they really didn't show it elsewhere, but anyway... I had a musing. Is that perhaps why Berman and Braga shoved in the holodeck angle? After all, Chuck also goes on to add at the time, many fans were saying if they had their way, they'd end Enterprise with, "Computer, end program" to pretend it never happened. And so, that's what happens. Was it deliberate by B&B to try and give the fans what they want? They had to be aware what the fans were saying at the time. If so, it really does help one pretend Enterprise was something that never existed - or if it did exist, it wasn't anywhere nearly as bad as it was on screen. Hell, my Peruvian friend I recently got into Star Trek (he began DS9 in early 2018 and is just about to finish it) insists, just from what little of Chuck's reviews he's seen and my ranting about it, that it's "Riker's faulty holodeck program." LOL.

There were people hating on Enterprise back then already sure, but there were also people who liked it. There are lots of people who like it to this day, and don't let this relatively insular community make you think otherwise. As a writer, you ultimately can only write something as best you can and hope people enjoy it, and as far as this goes, they were probably trying their best to please Enterprise fans by giving them a conclusion of some kind, and trying to give a finale to nearly 20 years of uninterrupted Trek.

I think some people around here seem to take Chuck's jokes at Berman/Braga's expense characterizing them as either complete dipshits or people who hate the fans way too seriously. I have no reason to think there was any hate being put into Voyager or Enterprise. Well, at least with Braga, given some of things we've heard about Berman it's a little harder to tell there, but I still doubt he was actively trying to annoy audiences either.

To me, the holodeck angle makes some sense when you think about the basic idea- "we're ending nearly 20 years of Trek, let's try to work in as much of that as possible into one episode". Chuck himself gives an idea I like better though- set it way in the future, and Riker has to look up the Enterprise crew for some reason or another. Works better with Frakes being in the shape he was at that point, and setting it in that era also allows you to have cameos by other cast members, not just from TNG, but also DS9 and Voyager if you could get them.

I don't think they hate the fans, but I do think his remarks on their disconnect and egos and driving force to just make money is also true, not that they didn't care about Trek, I don't believe. You can have those two mindsets. But this isn't about Chuck. I'm just wondering if they threw that in there to make the fans happy. Again, the whole "that's how I'd end it!" thing, so Berman and Braga might sincerely think, "The fans want this, so let's give it to them."

I mean, when people made that joke sarcastically they meant that Enterprise as a whole would just be a holodeck simulation, but since the episode didn't retcon the entire show out of existence you could say nobody got what they wanted.

I dunno, the interpretation is still there.

But that's my point, though. They tried to give the fans what they want. "They want the final episode to be a holodeck simulation? We can do that!" I'm just wondering how feasible it is that went into into their mindset. Then again, Berman was so burnt out on Trek, I don't know...

It was more meant to be a surprise to fans during that teaser. Suddenly, it’s a TNG episode! I think it would have been a lot more fun if they had just used the TNG credits right after, as if to say we already got our finale in “Terra Prime”, and now we’re getting this special one off to put a cap on the whole thing.

Yukaphile wrote: ↑Wed Mar 20, 2019 9:11 pm But that's my point, though. They tried to give the fans what they want. "They want the final episode to be a holodeck simulation? We can do that!" I'm just wondering how feasible it is that went into into their mindset. Then again, Berman was so burnt out on Trek, I don't know...

I think it's possible it's more that they were going for the "we're going to trick the haters into thinking we're giving them what they want, but then we subvert that". It's not like similar ideas haven't been done before, B5 definitely did that a few times for example (and in that case we can confirm it too since JMS openly admitted when he did it).

Actually speaking of B5, you could argue the season 4 finale was similar in idea to what the final episode of Enterprise did.

Oh, I haven't reached that far in B5 yet...

Well, I won't spoil it for you, but it does have a similar framing device of sorts, and I'd say it did the idea much better than Enterprise did. It also has one of the most hilariously awesome Garibaldi bits in the entire show.