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Captain Archer and Commander Tucker take in the beauty
of a newly discovered world. |
Star Trek:
Enterprise was the fifth and most recent series within the
Star Trek franchise. Unlike most of its predecessors, Enterprise
only aired for four seasons, from 2001-2005. The series was
expected to reinvent the dying franchise, and said to be the
first series to attract "non Trekkies" to the franchise. The
series was known simply as "Enterprise" for the first two
seasons, and officially added "Star Trek" to its title beginning
with the Third Season.
Enterprise is a
prequel to all the other Star Trek series, taking place in the
middle of the 22nd century, nearly ninety years following
Zefham Conchrane's successful attempt to break the light
barrier. The series tells the story of the first Earth ship to
enter deep space, the NX-class Enterprise, commanded by
Captain
Jonathon Archer, son of famed warp engineer Henry Archer, who
helped further develop warp technology.
The first two
seasons of Enterprise mostly tell the story of the inexperienced
and untested Enterprise crew, experiencing things no human has
ever imagined. Technology that further generations would take
for granted has either not been invented, or is in its earliest
stages.
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Captain Jonathon Archer in command on the bridge of the
Enterprise NX-01. |
Enterprise
premiered in September 2001 with the most spectacular series
premier in Star Trek history,
"Broken Bow". Enterprise's premier episode help
establish the series tone and character, without much reliance
on past series. It not only introduces the Enterprise crew, but
also the Sulliban, a previously unheard of alien race, who is
deeply involved in a Temporal Cold War. The Sulliban would
become a recurring theme throughout most of the series,
especially its first two seasons.
By the end of the
second season, declining Enterprise ratings forced a major
change in direction to keep the show alive. Bold and exciting
episodes from the middle of the second season, such as
"Stigma",
"Cease Fire", and
"Future Tense" helped
temporarily boost its ratings. We also see an unexpected visit
from the Borg in "Regeneration"
and a trip to the recent past in
"First Flight". However,
the second season's finale episode,
"The Expanse" helped propel the series into season-long
Xindi story arc of Season Three.
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Enterprise is driven into a bold new direction during
its third season, with the season-long Xindi arc. |
Bent on destroying
Earth and all of humanity, the Xindi were first introduced in
the Season Two finale episode, and would become the central
theme for all of Season Three, a season that would complete
reinvent Star Trek: Enterprise. T'Pol's look and personality
changes dramatically throughout the season, partially as a
result of exposure to Trellium-D. The seasons tests the crew in
a manner that has never before explored, with deep emotional
consequences for each and every member.
From the
beginning, Season Three was plagued with rumors of cancellation.
Without knowing if the series would return for a fourth season,
the producers scripted a season finale that would have no
resolution, a cliffhanger that would have to be resolved.
Season Four would
be seen by many as the best for Enterprise, and a sign of hope
for the future of the franchise. This hope, however, would not
live for long, as the fourth season would be the end of the Star
Trek franchise for years.
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Season Four ties up loose ends, such as the Klingon arc
that finally explains the distinct physical differences
of Klingons from the original series. |
The fourth season
began with two-part resolution from the Season Three finale
"Zero Hour", and quickly wrap
up the Temporal Cold War. Most of the fourth season contained
arc-style storylines, the first of which would bring the return
of Brent Spiner to the Star Trek franchise, as the
great-grandfather of Noonien Soong, the famed cyberneticist that
created Data (TNG). The season follows by jumping right into the
Vulcan story arc, a pivotal episode that dives deeply into
Vulcan history and mythology, and helps the development of the
Vulcan culture we'll see in future Star Trek incarnations. After
a couple stand-alone episodes, the season jumps again into
another three-season arc involving the Andorians, Romulans,
Tellarites, and the first interspecies alliance that would pave
the way for the United Federation of Planets.
By this point in
the fourth season, the producers knew it would the last for
Enterprise, and wanted to tie up loose ends. The two-part
Klingon arc finally explains the distinct physical differences
of Klingons from the original series. For the first time since
the Deep Space Nine episode "The Emperor's New Cloak" we return
to the mirror universe in the two-part "In a Mirror, Darkly" -
where we see the events that lead to the mirror universe we'll
see in future episodes, and take a nostalgic visit to a
Constellation-class starship. Following the mirror universe
story, we jump into yet another two-episode story arc, this time
telling the story of a xenophobic group that intends to force
all non-humans from Earth by any means necessary.
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| "In
a Mirror, Darkly" is a prequel to future mirror universe
episodes seen on TOS and DS9. |
The series finale,
"These Are The
Voyages..." takes Enterprise on one last adventure,
telling the story of the days that lead up to the creation of
the United Federation of Planets, through the eyes of Commander
Riker and Counselor Troi from
"Star Trek: The Next Generation". |
