It's Been A Long Road...

[q264]

Seriously guys, what is with this theme song? I remember when I was 16 and being so pumped for this show after Insurrection and the last couple seasons of Voyager sort of let me down. From the first notes of the intro I had a difficult time making it through "Broken Bow" when it first aired. I couldn't aurally scrub the song, the lyrics, from my memory. Years later I watched all of Enterprise and now appreciate it for what it is and especially for what it could have been. The question however still stands: why on Earth did they choose to go with this wretched song instead of the perfectly good Archer's Theme (minus the guitar solo)? I can't stress enough what a bad taste it left in my mouth the first time I heard it. They chose a cover of a Rod Stewart song of all things - which is exactly what it sounds like - and truthfully, it caused me to give up and not watch the show while it was on the air. It was as if I could tell it wasn't made for people like me. Even now amongst certain company it elicits laughter when someone says "it's been a long road" after a road trip, and then follows up with "getting from here to there". So, have there ever been any official explanations from TPTB why they went this route? Why they chose a sappy Rod Stewart song instead of an epic and bombastic orchestral score for a Star Trek show?

 

[M.A.C.O.]

Skip ahead to 2:26:05 to here Berman talk about the theme song.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9HcSB9WDTQ[/yt]

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

You just have to have faith in the heartiverse!

And then the song will make you happy. Like it makes me happy.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Like the theme and the visuals of the opening.

 

[Melakon]

My biggest problem with the title theme (besides not being traditional orchestral) is it's recycled from a film. It felt to me like they were too friggin cheap to commission an original theme.

 

[Lt. LaForge]

I loved it. It annoyed me when they changed it in season 3.

 

[Mutai Sho-Rin]

The differences of opinion are stunning. My wife and I both loved it from the opening bars on the Broken Bow premier. We liked it well enough that we played it as our personal anthem at our 25th anniversary party. She still sings along (in her stunning harmonies) whenever we watch an ENT episode and has chosen it to be played at her memorial service if I should outlive her.

 

[ChristopherPike]

Liked the theme to begin with. Although it maybe ought to have become an instrumental or orchestrated version, after it became clear having lyrics sung divided opinion. Instead tinkering with it for Season 3 onwards, somehow made that worse. By making it even more upbeat and like the pop song it started life as, it jarred even more badly with the deadly grim situations that preceded the title sequence each week.

In "Impulse" was T'Pol screaming sickbay down because she was becoming a hyper violent zombie? No, she just knew the happy clappy song was less than 30 seconds away.

 

[Melakon]

I guess the title song is wearing me down, because I'm not skipping past it as much anymore. But I still don't like it.

 

[dub]

I think it's perfect for a wedding anniversary. But I didn't care for it in the opening credits. I tried to let it grow on me. It's not a deal breaker though. I love the series. I agree Archer's theme would work much better. I did a fan edit of the credits with Archer's theme and to me it would have worked nicely with the visuals (not my edit, but a version of the theme specifically recorded with the title sequence in mind).

 

[allstar77]

I liked it, but thought it was something better as a stand alone -- maybe as an introduction like its presented with the montage "getting from there to here." I liked the instrumental version, too, and thin it would have worked just fine. Better Enterprise than TOS and Roddenberry's lyrics.

 

[Tombfyre]

Visuals were great, music was wrong. Even more wrong starting in the 3rd season.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Wrong in what way?

 

[Goji]

I used to hate it. I wouldn't say I like it now, but I don't have a problem with it anymore. And it's more memorable than most of the other opening themes, for better or worse, so it has that going for it. I actually like the remix version in seasons 3 and 4 a little better I think, if only because it brings to mind the comment my friend made the first time we heard it. "Apparently, it's 'island' week on Enterprise".

 

[Last Redshirt]

I think it's a lovely song with great lyrics that really capture the optimistic side of Trek, it being a long road to where they are, and how we're all stronger, better, and more well off because of it, but there's still more to do. I just don't think it was good for Trek. It didn't help that the visuals were kind of...meh. I would've liked it better if it was less 'American' if that makes sense. There was Amelia Earhart but not Gagarin? Silly stuff like that turned me off. Also, it wasn't like the other introductions.

This video, even if it is a fan one, probably captures what I would've liked from an Enterprise intro.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpwv1ZipTL4

 

[Yanks]

I hated it for years, but it has grown on me.

 

[suarezguy]

I really liked the song (and credits) when the show started (probably in part from being tired of the Voyager credits), now on rewatches it's OK; it makes sense to do something different than the other series and try to make the tone feel more contemporary.

 

[Shazam!]

It's rubbish. It's almost depressing. It needed a big boombastic Star Wars type theme to fill you with a sense of adventure and fun. Instead we got a mum-rock power ballad : /

 

[allstar77]

I think Enterprise was meant to be different from the other shows. It's different, but I don't think its as bad as some make it out to be. What grates on my nerves is the "I've got, I've got" reverb. Sounds like a record scratch.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

The only reason people think it's bad is because of everything that preceded it. Which is what ENT was trying to break away from.