Star Trek: Enterprise is considered the bastard child in the Trek universe and perhaps dead last compared with others like The Next Generation, Voyager and Deep Space 9. And while certainly there were some bad episodes, I did find as the seasons went on, I found them to be mostly entertaining.
Star Trek: Enterprise
— The Complete Series —
(2001-05)
Genre(s): Science Fiction, Adventure, Drama
Paramount | NR – 4296 min. – $89.99 | February 14, 2017
Date Published: 02/25/2017 | Author: The Movieman
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THE SERIES — 4.0/5 |
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Note: Portions were culled from my seasons 1, 3 and 4 sets. I’ve never been a big Star Trek fan but have enjoyed the various shows and movies over the years, appreciating the entertainment value more than continuity in the “Trek” universe or getting deep into the nuances of the ship, species, characters, etc. So going in, I was open-minded about Enterprise, a series which follows the journeys of the famed Starship in her infancy. Captained by Jonathan Archer (SCOTT BAKULA), he and his ragtag team – which includes Commander Charles “Trip” Tucker (CONNOR TRINNEER), Sub-Commander T’Pol (JOLENE BLALOCK), Lieutenant Malcolm Reed (DOMINIC KEATING), Ensigns Hoshi Sato (LINDA PARK) and Travis Mayweather (ANTHONY MONTGOMERY) and Dr. Phlox (JOHN BILLINGSLEY) – explore the universe encounter various species and planets, collecting data for their records, stepping in to help the weak and often getting into trouble being in the wrong place at the wrong time. One of the complaints about Enterprise was that it rarely broke new ground, going over many of the same subjects or encounters from “The Original Series” and “The Next Generation” (which is the gold standard as far as “Star Trek goes it seems). For me, as a novice, I enjoyed this first season. No, it’s hardly perfect as the performances are relatively average (save perhaps for Jolene Blalock and John Billingsley) and, especially early on, the stories tend to be a tad boring. Although the various “Star Trek” series had some comedy, even comedic-centric episodes, I found Enterprise seemed to have an above average number of those including Reed becoming pregnant while aboard a foreign alien vessel (attempting to repair their warp system). The season, and series, isn’t without its flaws and even though it doesn’t exactly break new ground from other Star Trek series, other than being a prequel of sorts, I kind of enjoyed a majority of the episodes. The plots are generally well written and each episode helped pass 45-minutes by quite nicely, although there’s not one episode that stood out from the next. Here were my thoughts on the fourth season (just to note the difference): Star Trek: Enterprise probably the black sheep amongst the “Trek” shows and although the series, which ended its run after only four seasons, certainly had more than a few mediocre episodes, there were moments of brilliance that came in season three and continued in this fourth season. However, season four might’ve started off with a bang but it ended with what most considered, me included, a major bust. The season begins with the conclusion to the third season cliffhanger with a two-part season premiere as on Earth, during the 1940s, finds the Nazis invasion further than they had historically, taking over the eastern part of the United States even with the aid of an alien species helping the Germans, who have captured Captain Archer (BAKULA), build a time portal back which would spell all sorts of doom if the Enterprise and her crew hope to get back to their own time unaltered. It’s a great hook and start of the season purporting what’s to be expected with strong storytelling and even stronger character development, in particular the growing relationship between T’Pol (BLALOCK) and Tucker (TRINNEER) which gets explored, and tested, in ‘Home’ where Tucker visits Vulcan and meets T’Pol’s mother and also is forced into an arranged marriage a Vulcan hierarch d-bag. The fourth season, perhaps because they knew it was on the chopping block, seemed pretty liberated in its storytelling, expanding on the universe and even delving into the development of the Federation; I also enjoyed the multi-part episodes that, from my reading and watching the bonus material, was done for budgetary reasons when building multi-used sets. The best of the season in my non-Trekkie book was ‘In the Mirror, Darkly’ which allowed not only for compelling drama but for the cast to change personas. Another highlight was the Augment storyline featuring guest starring role from Brent Spiner who is absolutely incredible in the villainous role. One reason, outside of fearing it being cancelled, was the change show runners with Brannon Braga stepping aside, maybe out of fatigue, and handing the reins over to Manny Coto who had many new and innovative ideas of where to take the season; Coto certainly opened things up to the point if one wonders if any one of these storylines were implemented in the second season, if not the first, whether the series would’ve gone forward. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 5.0/5 |
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Like the Star Trek: The Next Generation before it, Enterprise is housed in a bulky, extra-thick keep case that is taller than a Blu-ray case. The episodes and features are listed on the inside cover while the 24-discs are contained in a giant spindle. SEASON 1:
Text Commentaries with Mike & Denis Okuda:
Featurettes:
Archival Mission Logs (SD):
SEASON 2:
Text Commentaries with Mike & Denis Okuda:
Featurettes (HD):
Archival Mission Logs (SD):
Deleted Scenes (HD):
Also included is the Season 2 Promo (0:24; SD), a Photo Gallery and some Outtakes (11:12; SD). SEASON 3:
Text Commentaries with Mike & Denis Okuda:
Featurettes:
Archival Mission Logs:
Deleted Scenes:
Outtakes (6:14; SD) consists of line flubs and other on-set missteps. SEASON 4:
Text Commentaries with Mike & Denis Okuda:
Featurettes:
Archival Mission Logs (all SD):
Deleted/Extended Scenes:
Rounding things out, we get a set of Outtakes (2:17; SD), a Photo Gallery, a Script Gallery on the episode ‘Home’. |
VIDEO – 4.0/5 |
| Star Trek: Enterprise arrives at light speed onto Blu-ray presented in its original 1.78 broadcast aspect ratio and in impressive 1080p high-definition. The transfer might not look perfect, but considering the source and the work done, the detail levels are good and colors appear to be well balanced. There are some minor bouts of grain but it never is overpowering. Obviously the main downside is the visual effects and some of the lower end set designs doesn’t quite look right yet it’s only minor in the grander scheme of things. |
AUDIO – 4.0/5 |
| While The Next Generation got an upgrade to 7.1 channels, the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track may not pack the same punch yet it’s certainly good enough presenting clear dialogue from the center channel, good ambient noises (such as ship sounds) for the rear speakers though when we get into action-heavy scenes, that’s where this lossless track isn’t quite complete. |
OVERALL – 4.0/5 |
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Overall, Star Trek: Enterprise is considered the bastard child in the Trek universe and perhaps dead last compared with others like The Next Generation, Voyager and Deep Space 9. And while certainly there were some bad episodes, I did find as the seasons went on, I found them to be mostly entertaining and the chemistry with the cast gel along with the compelling stories. This massive 24-disc Complete Series set from Paramount is great especially for those who don’t already own the individual sets, though I find those easier to handle compared to this one. In any case, the picture and audio are both well done and there is a ton of features to go through, namely the new-ish featurettes highlighted by a cast reunion. |