Enterprise Canceled

Yup, they canceled Enterprise. Just as it was getting good, too. Well, even UPN has to get ratings.

Blogger John Hawkins from Right Wing News has list of his favorite Star Trek characters: (of course, I will comment in between his stuff!)

1) James T. Kirk (Star Trek): If America had a national "fictional character," it would be James Tiberius Kirk. An adventurous captain who was ready to fight at the drop of a hat if he had to and spent his nights "teaching alien women how to love" as Frye from Futurama would say!

Actually, if America had a national fictional character, it would be either Superman or Homer Simpson. But I like where he placed Kirk. Right at the top. Although, this was bound to get into the "Kirk v Picard" fight in the comments, which it almost did (actually, it got more into "Kirk v Sisco," as conservatives don't like Picard because he was a diplomatic pansy ;) ).

2) Spock (Star Trek): Brilliant, tough, and always logical, Spock was the perfect #2 for Kirk and such a great character that he'd have been captain on any other series.

Gene Rodenbery, at least, knew what he was doing.

3) Jean-Luc Picard (Star Trek: Next Generation): Picard is no Kirk, but who is? It's like comparing an American President to George Washington, it's not really fair. Picard is a great captain, but he's just a little too old to be "whooping people" in hand to hand combat.

See above.

4) Data (Star Trek: Next Generation): If any captain had ever had Spock & his mechanical doppleganger Data both on his crew, he could feel good going into the holodeck even if a rogue Klingon war cruiser was approaching at Warp 5.

But unfortunately, no one ever did. Voyager tried with its Vulcan and artificial life form, and that wasn't so good.

I don't know if I would put Data so high up on this list, but Brent Spiner is a good actor for these kind of roles.

5) Johnathan Archer (Star Trek: Enterprise): STE never really hit its stride and since it has been canceled now, it never will. But Archer was still a great character, it's just too bad the writers couldn't do more with him.

Archer most definitely wouldn't be on my list. Had potential to be better than Kirk, in my opionion, but it is that "the writers couldn't do more with him" that he wasn't that good of a character. In fiction, it is the writers that make the character. The idea could have grown into something good, but the writers crapped up that possibility.

6) Worf (Star Trek: Next Generation): Who can dislike a character who tosses off quotes like "Today is a good day to die" & "Humans damage so easily?" If they could distill a marine down into a Star Trek character, it would be Warf...

Agreed. Good character. Came off originally as the cliche tough guy, but by DS9 had evolved as a character.

7) 7 of 9 (Star Trek: Voyager): It's as if a character right out of Ayn Rand's novels were reborn in the Star Trek world. Love her!

I think I know where he is trying to get to, but never actually read a Rand novel, I can't say for certain. Nor did I see enough of Voyager after she came on the show to really say. But one of the best of Trek? No.

8) T'Pol (Star Trek: Enterprise): Soo hot, so Vulcan...she's totally irresistible even though she's the grouchiest Vulcan character ever on the show.

I don't really think that sex appeal makes someone a good character. She wasn't even a good Vulcan. Spock, the half-human, was able to hide his emotions better than her. And it really hard to take a character seriously when they are in a "uniform" like that (same for the above).

9) Odo (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine): A great character wasted on a weak show. Odo would have been a real asset as a crusty head of security at a better Trek show.

It was the Odo-Quark interaction that made it NOT a weak show. That is, until DS9 became Star Trek: Babylon 5 in the later seasons. Then it was good.

10) Deanna Troi (Star Trek: Next Generation): A bit too touchy feely (and coming from a psychology major, that's saying something), but still a compelling character who could read your mind well enough to tell if she's making you happy or unhappy, but not well enough to know if you're actually thinking about 7 of 9 while Troi is giving you her special "Betazoid backrub".

Seems like Hawkins has a thing for the pretty ladies. That's good and all, but they weren't the best characters.

But wait! There is more!

Bonus: The Three Best Star Trek Enemies!
1) The Borg (Star Trek: Next Generation): Relentless, merciless, nearly unstoppable foes...who somehow seemed to always get stopped!
2) Kahn (Star Trek): The genetically engineered, 20th century superman was Kirk's legendary nemesis.
3) Q (Various): The Norse God Loki + Leprechaun 4: In Space w/ much better writers = Q

I agree with the list; just in a different order. Just switch Kahn and the Borg. Kahn was one of the best villians, ever, in any show.

And there is still yet more:

Bonus: The Three Most Annoying Star Trek Characters!
1) Wesley Crusher (Star Trek: Next Generation): Only Jar-Jar blinks tops him on the Sci-Fi "Most Annoying List".
2) Janeway (Star Trek: Voyager): Worst. Captain. Ever. EVER!
3) Guinan (Star Trek: Next Generation): Oh look, it's Whoopi Goldberg -- the "wise" bartender who always has to get her folksy two cents in on every subject.

I would have replaced Janeway with Chachotay, but otherwise, yah. Except with Guinan in the movie. She was good there.

Want to know my list?

...

Well, too bad. You get to know anyways.

1) Kirk
2) Kahn (didn't say they had to be good guys)
3) Spock
4) McCoy
5) Data
6) Sisko (like a mix of Picard and Kirk)
7) Worf
8) Picard
9) Gul Dukat (I think that is what his name is - villian to good guy; good stuff)
10) EMH (doctor in Voyager-funny guy)

And there it is. I wonder if Star Trek has a future in TV. I hope so.

Although I think it is sad that the good sci-fi shows get canceled, or is only a mini-series, while the mediocre get props, the more mediocrity the more famous and the more money (and movies) it gets (read: Star Wars: Jar-Jar). The bad stuff gets canceled too. Good riddance to that. Only exception is Stargate: SG-1, which is the best sci-fi show without spaceships, and it has spaceships!

But more on that subject at a later date...