Well, thats the last (spoilers)...

[Endangered Specie]

Demons part II and These are the Voyages.

I suppose that was a decent way to end the series, but they could have spent a good year or two on the finer points and politics of the formation of the UFP (not to mention a year on the romulan war in between). However, I did like the tie in to the TNG "Pegasus" episode and whatnot, it adds a whole nother element to the episode. :)

your thoughts?...

[rogue emissary]

1. It's hard to defend These are the Voyages.

I really loved Demons/Terra Prime and those episodes are the series finally to me. Voyages was fine, but it wasn't really a series finally. They should have change the order and aired it last week, putting Demons/Terra Prime on tonight.

Watching the series from the beginning there's been a recurring theme. They constantly hinted that Archer was important to the founding of the Federation. In Terra Prime it's clear that without Archer the Federation wouldn't have existed. Finding out it was humanity's bigotry that stood in the way, made it classic Trek.

[Endangered Specie]

2. Very true, the Demons/TP was very good...

TATV wasnt great, but I dont think it was as bad as some (on the other trek boards) are saying... i have a soft spot for tie ins to previous canon (and I happened to like Pegasus alot more than most apparently, that episode said alot about conflicting duty and loyalty, and when they have to be broken over principle, that is also classic Trek). Plus, the whole "you may check me for water" line was a keeper :). I suppose enterprise fans will feel violated that TNG had to intervene in their final episode. and I REALLY wanted to hear the final speech, enterprise clearly didnt deal with its subject matter adequetly, although that seems to be a recurring theme this season.

[coloradodem2005]

3. As someone who is more a Next Gen fan than an Enterprise fan...

...the series finale was appalling. While it was good to see the Enterprise D, Riker and Troi, they screwed up some details of the D. But they also had no part in the end of Enterprise. If Enterprise doesn't deal with it's subject matter very well, that is the writers' faults. Enterprise was improving this season and then UPN cancelled it. Then they were not even the focus of their own series finale. How insulting is that?

[rogue emissary]

4. We're definitely on the same page,

. . . as I enjoyed the Pegasus episode for the same reasons as you wrote.

These are the Voyages, was certainly one of the more interesting crossover episodes between Trek series. Troi and Riker commenting on the Enterprise NX-01 firmly established the series in the history of the Federation. Which might explain why some weren't too happy with this episode.

[Endangered Specie]

5. Exactly!...

"Troi and Riker commenting on the Enterprise NX-01 firmly established the series in the history of the Federation. Which might explain why some weren't too happy with this episode."

Up to now there was absolutely nothing in the TOS, TNG, DS9, or VOY or movies that referenced ENT (while all those shows have referenced each other numerous times). Thats sort of the fundamental problem with prequels (they are not mentioned in the preestablished canon of a series and thus are hard to integrate into the accepted canon). I would like to see TATV integrated into the Pegasus into a two hour long episode, and I think thats kinda how its meant to be viewed, and should really be listed in the TNG episode column, and let Demons/TP be ENT's series finale.

Your right, this last episode fimly integrates ENT into accepted trek history and cant be denied now. I find it ironic that alot of ENT fans hate the episode, because with out it, ENT is far harder to believe as being REAL trek, it was a necesary episode to make ENT part "of the record".

In time, people will come to accept it, Trek isnt known for great series finales (Endgame, Turnabout Intruder, (arguably All good things).

[rogue emissary]

6. I hadn't thought about it like that.

This episode in a way was needed more than a traditional series finally. I also hope Enterprise fans will realize without TATV. Enterprise could be considered non-canon.

That's a great idea, editing a special Pegasus/These are the Voyages for a DVD edition. I wonder if Paramount would release it?

[Ready4Change]

7. Part of the problem with most series final episodes...

Is that the writers haven't had time to properly prepare for it. They usually are told about the series being cancelled near the end of the current (and last) season. As a result, they often only have a single episode with which to wrap it all up.

While this is true for all TV shows, it is especially problematic for special effects laden shows, like Treks have always been.

[Orsino]

8. The episode skipped ahead six years...

...and yet here were all the familiar faces in all the familiar places, still never having gotten promoted despite their legendary status. Or transferred, or dead. With no reminiscing over anything that's happened in the ensuing time. Guess nothing important happened. Then, out of the blue, Shran returns from the dead and Tucker is killed off.

Sirtis and Frakes are too old to be playing their younger selves. I don't think they added much of anything to the show. At least they weren't saved for a lame "surprise" ending. The producers had the courage, at least, to present a holonovel episode that wasn't ashamed of itself, or too sold on its own cleverness.

In between, there were a lot of fine, quiet goodbye moments.