You know, I missed out on all the hype prior to Enterprise. Voyager had ended not so long ago, and I was pretty much disgusted with what Trek had become. I had serious problems with Voyager from season 3 onwards, and it only seemed to get worse. Thus, I was not excited about the new Trek series. I had a vague notion that it was a prequel, set in a time before Kirk, and that Brannon Braga had a lot to do with it. As someone who'd become disappointed with Voyager, you can imagine I wasn't too thrilled about the latter. I'd read that Scott Bakula was to be the new captain, and I was indifferent. I'd seen the last part of a Quantum Leap episode years and years ago, and all I could remember about it was that I didn't like it. So when I sat down to watch "Broken Bow," my expectations were not high at all. I felt only slightly excited about a whole new Star Trek...afterall, I'd learned from Voyager that Trek can be disappointing as well as gratifying.
So I was pleasantly surprised when I saw what a good pilot "Broken Bow" was. From what little I'd seen, I was already forming an interest in two of the characters (Reed and Sato), and I found myself looking forward to the next episode. That's something that hasn't happened for a long time--maybe even since DS9 went off the air. "Fight or Flight" delighted me by focusing on my one of my two favorite characters, and even giving significant action to the second. I was hooked.
"Strange New World" came next, and I was less than impressed. Weeks later, I watched it again and realized how much it improved on second viewing. Connor Trinneer's Trip Tucker had been a character that I was wary of: would he just be another Tom Paris-like clown? It turns out that Trip is much more likeable than Paris ever was. Connor's performance as a paranoid Trip elevated this episode to very good.
My viewing pleasure continued with "Unexpected," which (although I seem to be in the minority with this opinion) I found to be hilarious. "Terra Nova" followed that, and believe it or not, I enjoyed that one as well...at first. However, this was to become the first stinker of Enterprise, as it does not stand up well at all to repeat viewings.
The next episode, "The Andorian Incident," cemented my love for and commitment to this show. It was the first classic of the season, and in my humble opinion, it turned out to be the first season's best episode. It began one of Enterprise's major plot arcs: the Vulcan/Andorian conflict. Jeffrey Comb's powerful performance as Shran stole the show, and I was happy to see him on Enterprise in what turned out to be a recurring role. The ending of this episode will be remembered for years, because it is the revelation of the Vulcans' not-so-perfect role in the conflict. This episode also contains a scene that I'm sure will become classic on it's own: the transporter room. Reed's line, "Then energize, before we change our minds," was perfectly done.
"Breaking the Ice" followed, with more troublesome Vulcans and a comet to boot. Looking back on it, this episode is very underrated; it had some great character moments, plus some nice humor, courtesy of Reed and Mayweather. Like many others, I like to gripe about the normal gravity on a comet that's only supposed to be 80 km in diameter, but I am able to ignore things like that as long as the story is good. "Civilization" followed, and I remember being disappointed in it the first time around. On subsequent viewings, it's not bad, just not quite as good as its two predecessors. "Fortunate Son" was next, and I was very disappointed at first. It does improve with more viewings, but it's still not as good as most of the others. Mayweather, who finally got more than a few lines, was just so-so. His character, who gradually became the joke of the cast (the inevitable character who gets less lines/action/development than the others), did not really shine in this outing. For some reason, all of the other cast members also seemed to drop a notch on the acting scale...perhaps it was the director's fault, but I don't really know.
The next episode was "Cold Front," and it was an instant hit. The return of the Suliban villain Silik and the smoke and mirrors approach to plot got a lot of people excited. This was the continuation of the Temporal Cold War (from now on I'll refer to it as the TCW) arc from "Broken Bow," an arc that I have mixed feelings about. It smells just a bit too much like Voyager for my taste--Braga in particular seems to be obsessed with convoluted time travel stories. In the end, I rank "Cold Front" relatively highly, but mainly because I enjoyed John Fleck's performance as Silik. The rest doesn't stand up particularly well to subsequent viewings.
Then Enterprise went into reruns for what seemed like forever. I busied myself with finishing my college degree, then relaxing for the holidays and going to see The Fellowship of the Ring a bunch of times. Enterprise was always, always in my mind (like Heathcliff was in Catherine's, I guess), but it was not the only thing I had to think about. I joined the Trek BBS in December, and for the first time I was exposed to rabid criticism of Enterprise. Before this, I had talked to people who really liked the show and thought it was a big step up from Voyager. On one occasion, I'd bought the first Enterprise issue of Star Trek: The Magazine, and the cashier smiled and said he really liked the show. Therefore, it was just a slight shock to see so much bashing of the new series on the Trek BBS. The emotional Vulcans, T'Pol's catsuit, Blalock's lack of acting ability, and Bakula's weak lead were among the harshest of criticisms. Things have actually toned down quite a bit since then, but Enterprise is still one of the most, if not the most harshly cricized series of Trek. But it has garnered some loyal fans, and will hopefully continue to do so as it progresses.
Another thing the Trek BBS did for me was to get me back into discussions about the other four series. The DS9 forum in particular was a lot of fun, since DS9 remains my favorite series by far. This prompted me to dig out my old DS9 tapes and start rewatching them, and I had a grand old time with my favorite series. I'd forgotten how good DS9 was, even back in the third and fourth season, which were the first ones I had on tape.
So it's only natural to want to compare Enterprise with the other series, especially your favorite. When I compared it to DS9, I found Enterprise's writing to be simplistic, without the depth of plot or character that was DS9's trademark. Scott Bakula made a relatively lousy captain, and could not compare with Avery Brooks. In fact, Archer and Mayweather were fast emerging as my least favorite characters. Yet, I also realized that Enterprise was a completely different concept from DS9, and was still darned good for a first season. At that point, I actually ranked the new series as second only to DS9; it has since dropped back to third, right behind TNG, but there's every chance that it'll regain its second spot before its seven years are up. As for overtaking DS9...not likely, but I'd sure like it to do just that!
Then, just like that, the break was over, and "Silent Enemy" hoved into view. It was an episode I had been anticipating for a long time, since it was the first episode to heavily feature Reed, and was reputed to contain a 'special moment' (Dominic Keating's wording) between him and Sato. I might as well come out of the closet now: I'm a hopeless Reed/Sato shipper, and frankly I have been since "Fight or Flight," if not before. Thus, I enjoyed this episode a lot, not only for finally giving screentime to my favorite character, but also for that delightful little mess hall scene where the misunderstanding occurs. The ending was perfect, with the famous pineapple cake scene. Many have complained about the B-plot of this story (Hoshi trying to find out Malcolm's favorite food during an obvious life-threatening crisis), but I didn't have a problem with it. Many Trek episodes have had similar problems, but still turned out to be enjoyable. "Silent Enemy" still ranks in my top five of the season.
Then, just like that, all hell broke loose. "Dear Doctor" aired, and immediately there was a fierce debate. The elevation of the Menk vs. the survival of the Valakians was debated for weeks, with neither side coming even close to convincing the other. I tended to sit on the fence at first, but have since come to the conclusion that "Dear Doctor" was a good episode, bordering on excellant if it had not been for the last 10 minutes. I wouldn't have minded if Phlox alone had opposed giving out the cure, but when Archer agreed with him, I was less certain. There should have been more conflict--the episode would have been a lot better. At the very least, it caused people to think.
"Sleeping Dogs" was one of those episodes where you know exactly what's going to happen, but the interest lies with the characters. The trio of Reed, Sato, and T'Pol were featured prominently here, and I enjoyed their interactions. This is one of those that goes down with subsequent viewings, but it was still a good episode. The decon scene at the end showed lots of good comraderie.
Next up was the sequel to "The Andorian Incident," "Shadows of P'Jem." I took it as that sequel, and it was very successful. Much has been made of the scene where Archer and T'Pol are tied up together (and she falls on top of him at one point, with her, um, most prominent features in his face). The scene was slapstick, and to me it was mildly funny. Some use it as an excuse to hate the episode, but I tend to look more to the show's strengths. The continuity was great, with the consequences of Archer's actions showing through. Once again, Combs as Shran stole the show once he came on, and the final phaser fight between the Andorians, Vulcans, and Coridon terrorists was great. Combs had some of the best lines in the show, including my personal favorite: "You should be the one dying, not her." I hope to see lots more of Shran in the future. There's even been speculation of him joining the cast, but I'm not holding my breath.
Following "Shadows of P'Jem" was an even more worthy episode, which turned out to be my second favorite of the season. "Shuttlepod One" was the biggest character development episode yet, and it focused on Reed and Trip. This was one of those episodes where, if you don't like the characters in question, you're in serious trouble. Fortunately, I love both of them, and this episode showcased the acting abilities of both Keating and Trinneer. It was one of the best bottle episodes I've ever come across (no, that's not meant as a pun on the drunk scenes).
"Fusion" followed, and I couldn't help but see it as resembling a bad Voyager episode. The concept was interesting (Vulcan mind-rape), but the execution was poor. I've never been much of a fan of shows that include murky dream sequences and jazz nightclubs. Another thing that outraged a lot of fans was the assertion that the Vulcan mind meld had been lost for a thousand years, and that T'Pol had no knowledge of it. I have to admit, I was shaking my head at this too, but I'm willing to forgive it. It's the mediocrity of the episode itself that I take issue with. Following this was "Rogue Planet," an episode which, for the first 20 minutes, I thought was really cool. The concept of the rogue planet could have been made very interesting, but instead it degenerated into a mixture of bad science and slow storytelling. I rate this as the second worst episode of the season--the first real stinker since "Terra Nova."
What Enterprise needed badly after those two depressing bombs was a good romp of comedy, and "Acquisition" delivered. I've always been a fan of Ferengi comedy, even though I sometimes think I'm in the minority. This one was almost on par with DS9's classics, and of the three 'comedy' episodes of the season ("Unexpected," "Acquisition," and "Two Days and Two Nights"), I rate this one the highest. We were treated to three familiar faces, as Clint Howard, Ethan Phillips, and Jeffrey Combs showed their Ferengi stuff. Phillips and Combs have now joined the '2 Ferengis club,' since Phillips played Dr. Farek on TNG's "Menage a Troi," and Combs played Liquidator Brunt on DS9. A lot of fuss was made about the Ferengi showing up in Archer's time, when first contact was supposed to be in "The Last Outpost." I don't have a problem with this, however, since the crew never found out their name. Some have called this sloppy, but I find it acceptable, given that we were treated to a good comedy episode.
The next episode, "Oasis," was okay, but not spectacular. It was great seeing Rene Auberjonois again, but he wasn't the only thing reminiscent of DS9 in this episode. The plot was almost an exact copy of the second season DS9 episode "Shadowplay." The worst part is, "Shadowplay" wasn't even that good of an episode...if you're going to rip off an episode, you should at least rip off one of the good ones!
Then Enterprise took another long break, after the last few episodes having been spaced out. Meanwhile, I had learned that I needed surgery, and so the next few weeks of my life were disrupted. As it turned out, I had to fly 300 miles to Anchorage to have the surgery done, and this time period just happened to coincide with the last sweep of Enterprise episodes. As it turned out, the only one I missed was "Detained," although my grandmother very kindly recorded it for me. "Vox Sola" is an episode I will always remember with a smile, since I saw it for the first time in a hospital bed, only 5 hours after my surgery! I took most of it in, but I was still recovering from the anesthetic, so you can imagine I had some problems following it. I was out of the hospital within a week, and after recuperating for a couple more days in Anchorage, I got home just two hours before "Fallen Hero" started!
"Detained" had received much hype because of the guest star Dean Stockwell, who had apparently been on Quantum Leap. Supposedly, he and Scott would bring out the best in each other's performances. Frankly, I couldn't see it. What impressed me about "Detained" were the performances of the actors who portrayed the two Suliban--Dennis Christopher and Christopher Shea. Both of these Suliban had been Vorta in another life, and counting Jeff Combs, that makes three former Vorta who have now guest starred on Enterprise (perhaps this puts a new spin on who's behind the whole TCW, eh?). Shea's character of Keevan in "Rocks and Shoals" and "The Magnificent Ferengi" had been one of my favorites, and his blue alien at the beginning of Voyager's "Think Tank" was one of the only good things about that episode. So you can imagine I looked forward to Shea's return. He didn't disappoint, running circles around Bakula and Montgomery (who I see as the two least capable Enterprise actors at this point). Then there was the last 15 minutes of the episode, which featured Suliban Reed rampaging around. With every episode I grow more certain that Dominic Keating is the breakout star of Enterprise. The original Big Three of Bakula, Blalock, and Trinneer have all gotten plenty of screentime, but Reed has clearly become more important than he was intended to be. The best part is when Reed gets one of his classic facial expressions when he is about to blow up a wall...I get the feeling this guy enjoys his job!
As I mentioned above, I first saw "Vox Sola" from a hospital bed. I was flipping through the channels and suddenly there it was, right at the beginning. I got lucky. Anyway, after having seen it a few more times since, I've concluded that it's slightly on the strange side, but interesting science fiction. I enjoyed the banter between the characters--Archer and Trip watching water polo, and Malcolm and Travis getting ready to watch a movie. The character conflict between Reed and Phlox was first rate, and the creature itself was well done. Placing "Vox Sola" with the other episodes is difficult, since it's quite different, but I guess I have to say it's not among the best...but not among the worst either.
The next week was the double billing of "Fallen Hero" and "Desert Crossing." While I wasn't terribly impressed with either of these the first time around, they have both improved on repeat viewing. "Two Days and Two Nights" was up the next week, and it was a fairly enjoyable episode. The best part was probably the revelation of the Tandarin spy at the end,, linking this episode with "Detained." Along with the near-trilogy feel of these three episodes, this makes me think that Berman and Braga at least have some feel of continuity and plot arcs. Especially given that this is only the first season, when even DS9 didn't dare tread this ground, I have a lot of hope for the future of this series.
The season finale, "Shockwave," blew me away the first time I watched it. Even after having seen it three times, I can safely say that this is one of the best of the season. At this point, I'm ranking it third, behind "The Andorian Incident" and "Shuttlepod One," but this may change after I've seen the second half, four months from now. I'm still wary of the TCW, but "Shockwave" was miles ahead of "Cold Front," and it had, hands down, the best teaser of the whole season. This cliffhanger was right up there with the best; I only place it behind DS9's "Call to Arms" and TNG's "The Best of Both Worlds."
So there you have it. Enteprise's first season is in the can, so how did it do compared to the other four series? Well, first of all, let me take my hat off to TOS, and then gently kick it out of consideration. I really have a hard time comparing TOS to any of the other series, just because the style of acting, writing, etc. is so radically different. Having said that, some of TOS's best episodes were in the first season, which is why I'm taking my hat off. Wait a second, I don't even wear hats....
Anyway, let's get back to the comparisons with the remaining three series. I find that Enterprise's first season is far stronger than TNG's. TNG had some good episodes ("Datalore," "The Big Goodbye," "Conspiracy," "The Neutral Zone"), but overall it was pretty goofy. Everyone but Riker, LaForge, and Crusher was completely out of character compared to later seasons, and things like the music, effects, and directing added to the strangeness.
DS9's first season was also weak compared to the rest of the show. Apart from the pilot ("Emissary") and two episodes from near the end of the season ("Duet" and "In the Hands of the Prophets"), most of the stories were pretty weak and/or silly. They were more together than TNG's first season was, but still not as good as Enterprise. Finally, there's Voyager, which had a relatively strong first season, but simply didn't get any better from there. In fact, after the second season they began to slide, big time. So Voyager's first season was good, maybe slightly better than DS9's, but overall not as strong as Enterprise's.
I feel that Enterprise has the best first season of all the Treks (keeping in mind that I'm not comparing it or any of the others with TOS). Its actors have settled into their roles very quickly (with the single exception of Anthony Montgomery, who hasn't been given much of a chance). Even Archer is starting to grow on me. I've been quite impressed that they are already setting up several interesting story arcs at this point in the game, and I find myself eagerly anticipating the second season. True, I'm still not completely sold on the TCW, but there's plenty of other stuff to occupy my mind. Besides, whenever there's a TCW episode, Silik and Future Guy show up...and I happen to like them. Well...I certainly like Silik. To be fair, I'm not sure if I like FG or not...it depends on whether he turns out to be Daniels, in which case I wouldn't really care for him as much. On the other hand, if he's a Romulan, or better yet, a Vorta....
Okay, I digress. The point is that Enteprise rocks. The challenge will be to keep improving it for the rest of the series. I have high hopes that, like TNG and DS9, and unlike Voyager, this will happen.
Illani
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