The season "to be jolly" has not passed, only now the jollity is directed into bemoaning the future of the franchise. "Nemesis" sank like a bad penny tossed into NCC-1701-E's bottomless pit and I hear, now halfway through its second season, that in its timeslot Enterprise finishes fifth (against what, four competitors?). What are the unavoidable critics to do but rue that perhaps the message is over and it's time to hang up the phone?

Well that's not very helpful yet for sure the enterprise needs help. My own mid-term review will point out one thing being done right, and that's the increased importance of the NX-01 group. Those titles delivered to date show a smaller fraction devoted largely to one character or another. Don't take me wrong - I love the minor characters, especially the minorest of them all, Mayweather, who by my reckoning featured only in last year's "Fortunate Son." (This season seems a little light on Phlox shows so far, which may or may not be a problem.)

Here's the thought: This crew was assembled as a group on a mission to accomplish something serious. As such it's an ensemble show, writers, actors, and fans like it or not. I believe in TOS alot, a belief reinforced by the warmth with which Trek has been sustained at the human bosom. If one doesn't understand just why it works so well, one just hasn't watched it enough. (Yes that is a hint.)

Consider there's no such thing as an "Uhura" or "Chekov episode." They appear prominently in a handful of shows but largely their "character(s)" emerged over the complete course of adventures. In this context there's no need to over-focus, and with competent actors we'll come to appreciate this crew. The consequence of not doing so for the series is losing focus. The talented and capable Captain Bakula is being sinfully underused, wasting the windfall of his casting. His experience should act as the keel in every episode, as every episode dramatizes his actions during the "crise du semaine."

Picard's crew used to function profitably as a team also until weddings and "trials of honor" stuck us into their interesting but distracting problems. It's better to go beyond what each individual brings to the problem and emphasize the holistic accomplishment in every solution. It's not my cash cow, and I'm sure I'll find something to write about if it doesn't go the distance - but that would suck, and I'd much rather crow about rebirth than rue a premature death.