[Damocles]

The writers totally ignored Anthony Montgomery and the Travis Mayweather character. He often disappeared for episodes at a time without any explaination. He should have been a valuable resource:

I wonder why?

Character Sketch for Travis Meriweather;
Lieutenant Travis Mayweather is the mid-20s African-American helmsman aboard the Enterprise. Mayweather was raised on cargo ships, and as a result is more "interstellar" than even the Captain. He’s traveled to dozens of planets and met many different alien species. Mayweather has an “instinct” for space-travel that few humans possess.

His closest friend is ’Trip’ Tucker and they spend their off-duty hours finding new ways to enjoy life in space.

The greatest crime in writing for a TV series is the creation of a slot filler. Follow on writers don't know what to do with him-especially if the character sketch makes him sound like an appendage to another character.

Ensign Hoshi Sato had more screen time than Mayweather but still was under utilized. Linda Park remains a favorite of many fans. Hoshi should have bonded with T'Pol like Troi and Dr Crusher, Dax and Kira Nerys, or Janeway and 7 of 9 did.

Hoshi was badly misused.

Character Sketch of Hoshi Sato
Ensign Hoshi Sato is "striking and intelligent," as well as an expert in exo-linguistics. As Communications Officer, she's not only in charge of all communications aboard the Enterprise, but also serves as ship's Translator. An expert in exo-linguistics, she learned to manipulate her vocal chords to emit a range of alien sounds no human has ever produced. She has a natural affinity for picking up languages. Her skills were highlighted in Episode 3.

She’s mid to late 20s and Japanese. She has a feisty spirit that often tests the patience of the crew. She doesn’t like the idea of being trapped in a “tin can” hurtling at impossible speeds. Every time the ship jumps to warp, she grips her console and closes her eyes - a “white knuckle” space farer. She is also nervous about being too close to the warp core and doesn’t like any little shakes the ship makes.

Hoshi means “star” in Japanese

If there was a Max Eilerson character(Crusade) for Star Trek-this was it! Hoshi's character sketch though badly outlined as the others(no parameters) at least shows the promise of some originality. Hoshi however is a switchboard operator with "angst".

I'm sorry liberal arts majors, but senior starship staff assigned to a flagship of Starfleet won't be carrying that psychological baggage. If we screen submariners for it, what do you think we do to astronauts? McCoy clowned abouit the transporter but he wasn't afraid of it in the original series and Roddenberry with his aerospace experience knew that ands wrote it into the character treatment. Mistrust is not angst. Subtlety matters.

Doctor Phlox seemed to be Neelix in Sick Bay. Given the material he had to work with, John Billingsley did an excellent job. Perhaps he should have been Archer.

I wondered how Dr. Phlox would be mishandled.

Character Sketch for Dr. Phlox;
Doctor Phlox is a Denobulan who appears to be in his mid-40s, but we aren’t certain of his real age. Phlox speaks with an alien accent, has an eccentric sense of humor that no one quite understands, and thinks that humanity is “fascinating”. He has filled Sickbay with all sorts of bizarre medical instruments for his own particular brand of "Intergalactic Medicine," making even the most routine visit to Sickbay an unexpected adventure.

As I remember it; the only memorable episode with Phlox, was the one when he opposed himself to Archer on the question of evolution in the case of the Menk/Valakian situation. The rest of the time I wondered why he was aboard the Enterprise .

As you can see, very few of the character descriptions were actually met or expanded on. Without character development and backstory, the casual viewers had nothing to hold on to or care for. Add in the recycled plots and unbelievable solutions and it becomes quite clear ENT needed to be developed more and an overall story arc laid out. ST should have rested for at least 2 years after Voyager ended. Considering it takes about 2-3 years to develop a new series, it would have been better for the ST franchise than to suffer the low ratings and complaints from viewers, fans, and reviewers for 4 years.

Or give a new team(Not Berman or Bragga: who as writers are exhausted and need replacement.) a crack at the FRANCHISE, as I hope will happen now.