Star Trek Enterprise Retrospective/Review - Star Trek Retrospective, Part 15

Star Trek Retrospective, Part 15: As the new millennium dawned the Star Trek franchise was in a precarious position. Both Deep Space Nine and Voyager had ended and The Next Generation crew were struggling on the big screen. Despite a pervasive feeling of franchise fatigue, Paramount and UPN decided to push on with another Star Trek TV Show. The result was Star Trek Enterprise, an attempt at reinventing Star Trek for the small screen. However unfortunately for the show and its creators, Enterprise seemed to have been caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
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00:00 Intro
01:00 Development
04:48 Casting
11:49 Production
16:42 Broken Bow
20:38 Season 1
24:35 The Andorian Incident/Shran
27:20 Dear Doctor/Phlox
30:33 The Temporal Cold War
33:41 Season 2
36:00 Minefield/Dead Stop
37:55 Season Highlights
39:17 T'Pol's Objectification
41:32 The Xindi
43:41 Season 3
45:24 T'Pol
46:15 Hoshi Sato
47:01 Malcolm Reed/The MACOs
48:20 Star Trek and Militarism
49:35 Captain Archer
51:10 Xindi Story Arc
58:26 Season 4
01:04:12 The Forge/Awakening/Kir'Shara
01:05:55 Babel One/United/The Aenar
01:07:09 Demons/Terra Prime
01:08:29 Trip and T'Pol
01:10:05 Cancellation
01:13:15 These Are The Voyages
01:15:58 Legacy
01:18:26 Outro
#StarTrek #StarTrekEnterprise #StarTrekRetrospective #RowanJColeman

[@RowanJColeman]

HELP THE CHANNEL GROW: www.patreon.com/rowanjcoleman PS - I had to remove U2's Beautiful Day from the video due to a copyright claim. It's not an export issue as some are saying in the comments. PPS - I've got no time for "Real Star Trek ended in 2005" comments so just don't bother please.

[@grahamturner1290]

Quite right too. 🖖

[@jdawson9944]

I hope they do another series on the TNG voyager and DS9 format. Simple moral episodes with great acting and speeches. Great work here boss 👏 👍

[@davewolf6256]

I would've preferred "Beautiful Day" as the Opening Theme. Too bad U2 are greedy thugs.

[@RowanJColeman]

@Rough Collies Rock I've already done videos on both shows. I like them both. I think they're good :)

[@davewolf6256]

@Rough Collies Rock Dunno about Rowan, but I think Disco Picard slaps. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jmfShq1nq5Zqi9E

[@popkhorne5372]

I am convinced that if enterprise had 7 seasons, it would be remembered as fondly as the trio of TNG, DS9 and VOY. After all, the first two seasons being kind of janky are a reccuring theme here.

[@Knightfall182]

Probably not. Enterprise got better by S4, but it was too little too late by then. Audiences had abandoned it. In the landscape of 2000s era television, you can't really start off with two Poorly Received seasons, and bleed off most of your audience.

[@popkhorne5372]

@@Knightfall182 not my point.

[@michaelmurley4780]

I totally agree, it was a really cool era to set the show in, and it was terrible to have UPN executives cancel it before it could prove its worth, like TNG, DS9 and VOY. It was also a victim of crappy timeslots, something that has killed many good tv shows. In the words of Cmdr. Riker, "She went before her time."

[@Knightfall182]

@@michaelmurley4780 Don't blame UPN, blame the show for bleeding away most of it's audience based on how poor Season 1 and 2 were. You were lucky they agreed to S4 (on a lowered budget). Enterprise fumbled from the start, that's why it didn't last.

[@dominic.h.3363]

The show got gradually worse over time. Initially they used Hoshi exclusively, then they used a handheld universal translator when Hoshi wasn't around, then they dropped even that, and the crew casually started conversing with all random aliens in English. The show has failed to stick to its originally established premise and timeline-appropriate technological limitations and that was its undoing. More seasons would not have made this any better...

[@solutionless123]

Shoutout to Jeffrey Combs, one of the best ST actors ever

[@startrekfangirl]

I loved him as an andorian, better than I did as a vorta. I will always like him as a Farengi too though.

[@caberwikijack]

"Tell Archer, we're not even now! He owes ME!"

[@NextToToddliness]

He & his character were one of the reasons I stuck it out till the end.

[@willmfrank]

Jeffrey Combs is not one of the best ST actors ever! He's at least seven of the best ST actors ever. 😉😁

[@tituslafrombois1164]

Watching this retrospective series has made me realize how much he did for Star Trek! And I always just thought of him as the guy from Re-Aninator and The Frighteners!

[@GrimmFilmEnt]

"The Andorian mining consortium runs from no one..." The best line of the whole damn show.

[@xenomorphlover]

Watched the episode last week and also noticed that line... looked even funnier with those antennas moving around randomly 🤣

[@subraxas]

@@xenomorphlover I loved the film about yourself, Donnie! 🙂 ❤

[@fatarsemonkey]

Shran is an awesome character.

[@80s_guy42]

@@fatarsemonkeyl

[@bccooper2418]

One of favorite things about this show was how they fleshed out the Andorians. We finally got some good stuff in this series with them. Jeffery Combs was amazing!

[@fakecubed]

Shran is perhaps the best new addition to the Star Trek universe cast of characters. They were going to add him to the crew permanently in the eventual plan for the series, too. What a shame we never got to see that.

[@travisbaker8393]

I've always said - Season 3 of ENTERPRISE is what VOYAGER'S "Year of Hell" should have been like.

[@parmavee]

Yup. That season of Enterprise was easily Voyager's best season.

[@volodymyrbilyk555]

Meanwhile, STD year 4 sticks to serialization and does almost nothing with it

[@iriswaldenburger2315]

@@volodymyrbilyk555 STD is there to destroy the legacy of Star Trek, hence why it’s still “going”

[@travisbaker8393]

@@volodymyrbilyk555 I would actually say Year 4 has settled in to the kind of serialization 'BUFFY' pioneered on - having the big bad threat of the season be in the backdrop of stories of the week that flesh out stories of the week that end up fleshing out the characters IN ADDITION to the main storyline. It's the kind of serialization that works really well for Star Trek and it's a shame it's taken this long for the franchise to get it right. Even the Xindi storyline couldn't balance that well and hence there being a lot of filler and meandering in the first half that clashed with the ticking time clock element (remember the Old West episode?) only for the storyline to suddenly kick into gear in the second half.

[@richard77231]

@@parmavee I'd go season 4. I liked the idea of multiple multi-part story arcs rather than a single season-long arc.

[@gdparry2727]

Carbon Creek is one of my favourite episodes - the idea of a Vulcan wanting to get back in time for I Love Lucy is hilarious.

[@raymondhorvath2406]

Yes a great episode

[@gmosphere]

Also works as a nod to the original production company of star trek

[@fakecubed]

@@gmosphere I only just got that reference recently.

[@viktorfunk1819]

It sucked that Trip got such a raw deal He lost his sister, his daughter, the love of his life, and to top things off - the last episode outright kills him.

[@MsSissiePooh]

Agreed.

[@raymondhorvath2406]

Trip is not actually dead he is a member of section 31 and was beamed out before he died.

[@randomlyentertaining8287]

@@raymondhorvath2406 Nope, he's canonically dead.

[@ryanl2654]

Dont forget banged up so bad he needed clone spares, impregnated (hilariously) and killed in the future alternate timeline where the xindi weapon succeeded.

[@AWMJoeyjoejoe]

He is truly Enterprises O'Brien.

[@edh9999]

The Babel storyline with the Romulans showed me what the strength of the show could have been: a story about 4 flawed species eventually learning to respect and appreciate each other's differences. A story about the birth of the Federation. This could have been achieved with a stronger central premise right from the start and more support from the studio execs. It stands for me as a lost opportunity.

[@emperorofscelnar8443]

A starship lost in space should not look like it’s fresh out of space dock, it removes the fact that it is lost in space, a ship that is lost in space should look like it is covered with holes and patch work, looking racked and warn basically.

[@WaveForceful]

They spent too much time messing around in season 1 and 2 with that temporal cold war nonsense, why they could have got more screen time with the Andorians, tellerites and Vulcans clashing. The Xindi was good but that could have been written better, like the Romulans should have been involved instead.

[@michaellewis1545]

Personally Enterprise is everything I want in a Prequel series. It is set far enough back that is can tell its own story see the Zindi Arc. Also it doesn't have to pay off all the world building since you have other shows that pay that off.

[@noneya3635]

Except it did T start to deliver in that until that so do season and season four. Before that all it did was try to stoke the memory engine.

[@williamteskey528]

Good point, the only thing is that it’s spelled Xindi not zindi

[@mikewaite3746]

I'm wondering if we could say we have franchise fatigue with STD and all the terrible post JJ Abrams shows. Puckhard was an absolute disgrace

[@solutionless123]

I like that they were able to pull it off without resetting the entire universe, or crapping on it. Even for the people that didn't like Enterprise, they could just ignore it, it didn't wish beloved characters into the cornfield or otherwise ruin them

[@philosopherpresident4896]

That’s a fair point. We can also compare Enterprise with “Star Trek” that came after 2005. The new stuff just doesn’t seem to understand the core ideas of the Trek universe. It focuses way to much on cynicism and swearing to get people interested. That’s why people hate Alex Kurtzman. Enterprise at least understood that Star Trek is about learning and exploring, with some mixed results.

[@ohareport]

that xindi arc though, hot damn. the year of hell we all really wanted. the character development was great for so many, and archer really seemed like he had the weight of a planet on his shoulders.

[@Aurinkohirvi]

Hated that season. It was all about selling terrorists and justification of torture. White-washing U.S. politics of the time.

[@richardarriaga6271]

I would rather have skipped Xindi arc and done more Season 4 content. Terra Prime was the best episode of Enterprise and one of the best of Star Trek. Even the one-off Mirrorverse episode was great.

[@richardarriaga6271]

@@Aurinkohirvi I can't get over the need to kill the Tripp clone. You had an engineer with all the skill of Tripp and all the emotions of a person - I will argue the clone was a person, but he's just an incubator for brain tissue and everyone forgets what happened. About as cold as Janeway's treatment of Tuvix.

[@SimuLord]

@@Aurinkohirvi Agreed. Less Year of Hell and more 24 In Space.

[@WaveForceful]

I liked how that season changed Archer from the naïve explorer who didn't want any guns or military personal on his ship to the battle hardened solider who recommends every ship to have the best tactical systems possible, even holding on to the PTSD have leaving some innocent aliens stranded. It's a shame starfleet in the future ignored this, Archer said it back in the 22nd century, "we need guns, we need military on our ships".

[@rongarbutt6353]

Good review. My only regret is that ENT wasn’t allowed a few more seasons. The Romulan war and the founding of the Federation were important canon that will probably never be developed further. I was also surprised at your negative reaction to “Cogenitor” which was a strong prime directive episode like “Dear Doctor” which provoked strong views.

[@TheVeritas1]

Count me as another "Cogenitor" fan. Truly underrated episode.

[@mishapurser4439]

The thing I hated most about the finale is that the episode was promising a great speech from Archer at the foundation ceremony of the Federation, but that promise was broken.

[@MsSissiePooh]

I couldn’t understand why the speech was emphasized so heavily during the episode, but we never got to hear it. Also, a 44 minute finale didn’t do the Enterprise cast members justice, due to the episode’s rushed and sloppy storytelling. The ENT cast deserved a well written two-part finale, just like the casts of TNG, DS9 and VOY got.

[@obscureentertainment8303]

@@MsSissiePooh I just pretend that the two parter about Terra Prime is the actual finale to Enterprise.

[@MsSissiePooh]

@@obscureentertainment8303 - That’s what I’ve done. Demons and Terra Prime are the actual series finale, while These Are The Voyages is the conclusion to the Rick Berman era of Star Trek.

[@asraarradon4115]

I'm usually onboard with fans when they rage about their favorite thing being ruined-especially when it comes to Star Wars. But this is the one big exception were I feel like the fans really let down something that was becoming great. I would have loved to have seen this show continue.

[@Revkor]

it was improving.

[@avataz]

Yeah I wanted to see the romulan plot to reunify vulcan

[@mindyp51d]

Totally agree!

[@Its__Good]

I don't think the 'fans' ever really decide if something like this succeeds or fails. It's more how the causal viewer responds. It's why the networks were so reluctant to move to fill serialisation where people would just turn off if they watched a random episode and didn't know what was going on.

[@alfiourso4587]

We are also talking about a series written in a time where things has to deliver successfully and financially from the start, and where they were all arc driven. Example, JJ’s Lost. (Sorry for mentioning the destroyer of franchises) Some fanatical ST fans forget each trek series meddled with canon. So what. It ain’t a religion!!! But this was also the start of social media and the keyboard warriors arriving on the scene.

[@CaptainPikeachu]

This show is the reason I fell in love with Star Trek and I will always love it.

[@WaveForceful]

This and DS9 the best series and set of characters they have ever created.

[@MrRon-oe6fx]

I watched the entire Star Trek series when they originally aired on TV. Enterprise was by far my favorite. I loved Scott Bakula in Quantum Leep and he is my favorite captain. I liked all the characters on Enterprise and they made the show great. I do agree it was the worst ending show in Star Trek History. I just subscribed to your channel. Thank you.

[@kobold1538]

There were so many great episodes, and the low-tech setting was so so great.

[@toddnolastname4485]

I'm glad the final episode was a holodeck program being run by Riker. It meant you could completely ignore Trip's death. That was just something put in by the programmer to make it more exciting. Didn't even need to say it was faked to send him behind enemy lines as a Romulan.

[@michaelmurley4780]

Ever since I saw Star Trek: Retrospective Part 1, I've been waiting for this to come out, it's been quite the long road, getting from there to here! I know it wasn't too popular when it came out. but Enterprise is my favourite Trek show, and the first one I watched in its entirety! Love your videos RJC, they're always well made, detailed and entertaining. Looking forward to part 16!

[@bottombarrelbudgetfilms1854]

It's been a long time, but the time is finally here!

[@mikewaite3746]

At the time Enterprise came out I was a big Star Trek fan however I believe I was in the depths of franchise fatigue but I have come to appreciate Enterprise compared to the crap that is STD and Puckhard. One thing that pisses me off you have to pay for streaming services on those shows where Star Trek was on normal over-the-air TV.

[@mikewaite3746]

@@bottombarrelbudgetfilms1854 I will touch myself lol 🤣 that's what I think of every time the lyrics come up

[@Knightfall182]

Did you really have to quote that horrible song? 😬😄

[@bottombarrelbudgetfilms1854]

@@Knightfall182 that song is great after you hear it 50 times

[@burke9497]

These Star Trek Retrospectives/Reviews are absolutely top tier productions.

[@gimmeboobes]

I swear, Rowan, that opening strain of music in your intro never fails to stir. Enterprise is like the Star Wars prequels, redeemed in the eyes of many by what came after.

[@Thechezbailey]

Haha it's also like the prequels in the sense that many still consider it extremely bad regardless.

[@SimuLord]

"redeemed in the eyes of many by what came after." Damning with faint praise.

[@boat1280]

Other stuff being bad doesn’t make something good The Star Wars prequels are awful on a whole other level than the low points of ENT.

[@PINGWIN-EUC]

Shran is easily my favorite non human character in the show, what a gem he was!

[@gregcampwriter]

"Dear Doctor" was one of the few episodes in the entire canon in which the crew actually follows the Prime Directive.

[@wasneeplus]

Even before it existed, strangely enough.

[@Knightfall182]

They should have given them the cure on the condition that they would leave the planet, allowing the Mink to remain and evolve. Bam!

[@bradpederson4510]

Always thought this as the best episodes of all the startrek series. IMHO

[@wasneeplus]

The whole episode makes no sense to be honest. For all we know the Valakian's presence is exactly what's causing the Menk to evolve, and getting them to leave will take away an important selective pressure. The whole idea that Phlox can predict "evolutionary destiny" is absurd in itself.

[@BritneyLaZonga]

@@wasneeplus Exactly. I despise the episode for leaning so heavily on the "destiny" and "not playing god" / "let nature run it`s course" argument. It`s like saying: "Oh, agressive kid X has cancer... but maybe they will grow up to become a criminal that hurts or even kills others.. so hey, it`s probably better if they die."

[@archstanton9073]

I like Enterprise, warts and all. It's not perfect but I love the setting and the less-than-perfect crew. In fact, I like it even more than Voyager. T'Pol is my favorite character and is the best depiction of a Vulcan outside of Nimoy. It's a shame it didn't get a fifth season because it really had found it's footing by the time season 4 rolled around.

[@LyleMKarr]

I think a new season of ENTERPRISE will manifest!

[@MsSissiePooh]

@@LyleMKarr - While I’d love to see that happen (because of the possibility of the Earth/Romulan War finally being seen in canon), I’m reminded of that old saying, “be careful what you wish for”, due to the massive levels of fan bitterness and animosity that’s been aimed towards the current management of Star Trek recently.

[@TubeAmerica]

Depict the Earth/Romulan War in a movie or movies rather than another season. They can then hide/explain the aging of the cast better.

[@leytonjay]

Almost two decades late, but I finally watched Enterprise from start to finish.... the final episode WTF?!?! If I wasn't so utterly deflated, I'd be outraged.

[@firefly9838]

I had to pretend it didn't exist and write my own ending in my head.

[@commando21]

Yeah the ending was garbage, so sad

[@CarlosFontes]

I LOVED how 'Star Trek Beyond' reached back towards the NX era of 'Trek. Hearing talk of MACO, the Xindi, and seeing the USS Franklin crew using shuttle pods instead of the transporter to beam down made me so damn happy

[@guciowitomski3825]

'NX'?

[@CarlosFontes]

@@guciowitomski3825 The 'Star Trek: Enterprise' series, when Captain Archer's ship was the Enterprise NX-01

[@tctheunbeliever]

There were some story ideas in Enterprise that I really didn't like, but the characters were always worth watching. And Jeffrey Combs was at his best.

[@segastardust8836]

I'm probably in the minority, but I prefer the first two seasons of Enterprise. I thought it was a bold decision to have the captain be so bigoted and unable to view alien civilizations without seeing them from a human perspective. It was as if Archer was the antithesis of the captains that would follow him. I loved seeing the crew stumble through simple Trek stuff that was second nature to Kirk and Picard's crews. The third and fourth seasons are amazing for all the reasons you mentioned, but I recall missing the episodic nature of the first two years. Doing a prequel ironically made me feel like anything could happen to these explorers, they weren't ready. Even a first contact or a new planet could prove disasterous for them.

[@bensommer3024]

I know that many would disagree, but I honestly found seasons 1 and 2 to be on par with most of TNG. Overall, I prefer season 3 and 4. However, I missed the NASA or The Right Stuff feel I got from the earlier seasons. I also liked that it was a Star Trek show that felt like it was about proper exploration. I wonder what Enterprise would have been like if the show progressed naturally rather than the show shifting in seasons 3 and 4.

[@piotrd.4850]

It was SMART decision. Enterprise was showing process of GETTING THERE, instead of wondering "what else we can do with miracles we have". That had given Archer something akin to Hero's Journey / character arc - something Worf had on DS9.

[@segastardust8836]

@@piotrd.4850 Agreed, Archer isn't the same man in the finale that he was in the premiere. I think Enterprise is an enigma, too classic Trek for some, not Trek enough for others. But when you step back you realize what a balancing act they had on their hands.

[@kevchuck]

I'm sorry, what about Archer is "so bigoted"? He seems to always stick his neck out for vulnerable & downtrodden of VARIOUS species.

[@segastardust8836]

@@kevchuck his attitudes towards all Vulcans for starters. Or when he's detained at the suliban prison he assumes theyre just like every other suliban he's met. Or when he's on trial on Qo'nos and he's surprised to have a Klingon attorney as he assumed all Klingons were warriors. Yes, he sticks his neck out for aliens all the time. But he cannot distinguish between the aliens who've informed his first impressions and the ones he meets later Because his father was screwed over by Vulcans, he thinks they're all the same. Because sillick is a terrorist, he thinks all suliban are. Because Klang was a warrior, he thinks all Klingons are warriors. Mind you, I don't think this would be the case of archer in the finale.

[@shanepye7078]

“It’s better to be a warrior in a garden, than a Gardener on a battlefield” For me, is the main philosophy behind the idea of Star Fleet. The marriage between Star Fleet and the macos was necessary and well done. It kind of answers what is the role of StarFleet later in the series. It’s both a military organization, and one of science, engineering, and exploration/diplomacy. As said before, it’s better to be a warrior in a garden, than a gardener on a battle field.

[@javiermoretti1825]

I've been a Trekkie since the 1970s, and I've loved all the series. That said, ST Enterprise was great and so much potential. It was a tragedy that it was cancelled.

[@aldunlop4622]

Same here, there were some things I didn’t like, but that’s normal in Star Trek. Even DS9, my favourite had some terrible episodes. I hated the Xindi arc with insectoids etc, but I certainly didn’t want the show to end. The characters were interesting and I emotionally connected with them. Especially compared to modern Trek like Discovery, which I as a long time fan, think is garbage.

[@danallen266]

I've said this before, but this is some of the best documentary-type work that I've every seen on You Tube. Thanks, I thoroughly enjoyed this segment.

[@davej9228]

I don't know about that, he seemed to have used a lot of tropes in his analysis.

[@jdraven0890]

I hope this excellent retrospective encourages people who have never seen Enterprise to watch it. It really is worthwhile, especially to a Star Trek fan.

[@RabbitShirak]

After rewatching it now with my wife, I have to say it's a lot better than I remembered it to be. It is still the weakest ST series there is, but I was honestly expecting something way worse than I got.

[@jdraven0890]

@@RabbitShirak About the same for me, when I finally decided to watch it. I'm glad I did because there are some standout episodes and storylines. But yeah, not best Trek by any means.

[@lowellleber1722]

People dismiss this often, but UPN was not always easy to pick up outside of urban areas. This made it harder to reach the core demographic.

[@davidholdren1358]

A lot of pre-empting due to NFL games, also

[@richardarriaga6271]

I lived in a large city (1+ mil), but couldn't get it over the air, so I missed many episodes until I saw it on Netflix a decade later.

[@customfantasyhotwheels]

Nigga, what you mean?! Da homies and I loved this show while drinking our juice in da hood when this series came out in 2001.

[@byrannasorousrex]

during a dark time while i was in college i decided to give star trek a go since i knew my mom had liked it growing up. i always liked sci-fi so i was thinking "sure why not" and read descriptions of each show and decided eh ill just go chronologically (skipping TOS over knowing it was dated - i watched it last) i think it was during the andorian incident where i was actually really interested in trek. then the xindi arc eventually hit and holy cow. needless to say that was about 8 years ago and i wouldnt have been naming my son Riker without me first watching this show and getting me interested in the trek fandom. i will always look at enterprise as one of the best shows because of that. i wish it had more seasons but all good things... i love all your trek retrospectives and have been watching them as they have been releasing. i will be sad for when the day they are over but i am happy for these videos as they are being made in the first place. maybe a simular season breakdown and length of video of these into BSG would be nice but i digress. thank you Rowan

[@pticatori]

I was 14 when I occasionally ran into Enterprise s01 e01 on TV, and it was a blast: everything was just perfect to me. I had seen none of Star Trek series before, it was my introduction point to this universe. Since then I've devoured everything Star Trek related in astronomical amounts. So, it's hard for me to say that Enterprise was bad or controversial, because it brought me into this amazing universe. P. S. I also loved the intro song, yes. Hearing it once again brings back very comfy memories.

[@AstroNerdBoy]

I hated the whole Temporal Cold War and was glad when Mr. Coto got rid of it in S4. I wanted to see the founding of the Federation. So while the "new" Vulcan's initially made me uncomfortable, the Andorian Incident changed my mind. I liked the idea of Vulcan's and Andorian's being hostile to each other. And so it would be interesting to see how both races grew after dealing with humans and agreed to join a Federation. But we didn't get that "founding of the Federation" going well until S4. After its initial airing, I never rewatched Enterprise until I streamed it. On second viewing (and having forgotten many of the episodes), I found S1 and S2 weren't as bad as I remembered them. And S3 and S4 were pretty good. So I scored the BD release of the series.

[@CJR-wv8kc]

The whole temporal cold war was forced on the show, the network were very anti-prequel and the TCW was a middle ground for something more 'futureistic'

[@lihkan]

That being said, Temporal Cold war is great handwave for any unavoidable issues inherent to prequels

[@sarahscott5305]

Towards the end of this video, I was actually getting a little choked-up that this would be the last Retrospectives. Then you teased the 2009 movie and I actually punched the air 😁

[@flyingfoamtv2169]

me to.

[@hezekiahramirez6965]

I really like that movie a lot. I think it's the best entry point to Trek. It's not a cerebral morality tale, it's a fun action adventure blockbuster. But the characters are all there and in excellent form and ultimately I think that's what makes good Star Trek. It's a good, fun, entertaining movie and that's okay by me

[@Fygee]

S3 of Enterprise is one if the best seasons of TV ever made, and I will die on that hill.

[@owenshebbeare2999]

I found that many dumped on Scott Bakula for "ruining the franchise", or whatever, and I think that was misplaced. I didn't entirely enjoy the character, but Bakula was good in the role. The faults fell elsewhere, at least to me, as it appeared somewhat tired and even derivative or clichė, despite attempts to present a fresh perspective. It is the only series I couldn't re-watch, mainly because it was a bit boring to me. Oh well, I didn't hate it, but it was not entirely what it could have been.

[@noneya3635]

Agreed the behind the scenes stuff prove that it was the writers and show runners that made the show so shtty.

[@Edax_Royeaux]

I don't think he was good in the role. The scripts kept calling for him to have speeches and emotions and he was only capable portraying a very limited range. Connor Trinneer was clearly the superior actor, it might have worked better if Bakula and Trinneer had swapped roles.

[@noneya3635]

@@Edax_Royeaux True, his acting in that mirror mirror episode was SOOOOOO bad.

[@CJR-wv8kc]

@@noneya3635 the producers have admitted to their fair share of the shows faults, but don't underestimate the network either a huge chunk of the blame goes to them as they had no idea how to run the IP, they were more concerned if they could fit a band of the week in the mess hall than it being star trek in any shape or form.

[@macmcleod1188]

I think Star Trek is always required the person playing the captain to deliver bigger than many actors feel comfortable. Actors who have played Shakespearean Parts on stage tend to do better.

[@japzone]

Still bummed we never got the Romulan War. Enterprise is still one of my favorite Star Trek series.

[@tineye5100]

I was a fan of Enterprise, even the first two seasons that tend to get a little more hate. It worked for me, effectively catching the wonder of humanity going out and seeing things for the first time. I love the Archer/Trip/T’Pol dynamic quite a lot.

[@hotboygoody]

The beat down Enterprise took in the Battle of Azati Prime is freakin epic. I remember actually watching the episode to the end where Enterprise is helplessly adrift, STILL getting blasted to bits from every angle, no defense, no weapons, no power. It had me on the edge like, "Enterprise may actually be done for..." 😱 Riker once said, "Fate protects fools, little children, and ships named Enterprise." I should've known better.

[@bloodhat3097]

They should have continue Enterprise, 3 series + was just amazing and I believe 5-7 seasons and this series could truly shine...

[@henryglennon3864]

This was a very balanced and insightful analysis of Star Trek: Skip Intro Button.

[@cellokid5104]

I LOVE Scott Bakula as a human being. He is so wholesome and an amazing actor

[@JonoSSD]

Enterprise has grown on me over the years, especialy by trying to be so different from other Star Trek shows that came before. If not for that abysmal "temporal cold war" plot I think the show would've lasted way longer, as proven when the bigwigs finally stopped being scared of "the lore" and decided to let the team actually tell how starfleet met other powers in the alpha quadrant and how the federation started. Something they should've done since the beginning. And yeah, the relationship between humanity and the vulcans, especially when andorians come into play as well, is one of the highlights of the show. I wish we had more seasons of that.

[@millar876]

Faith of the heart wasn’t written for enterprise, it appeared in the “patch Adams” soundtrack in 1998 sung by rod stewart and charted no3 in the US charts and 60 in the uk in 1999. But the enterprise version “where my heart will take me” was a reworked version for Enterprise.

[@pokepress]

Reminds me of the journey of another Diane Warren song called “Makin’ My Way”, best known for its Billie Piper version on the Pokémon: The First Movie soundtrack. It originally appeared in a Whoopi Goldberg movie called “The Associate” and made a few other stops along the way.

[@purefoldnz3070]

Great show that was sunk by its truly horrible theme song. It was supposed to be Everywhere You Will Go not Faith of the Heart.

[@knives1705]

I’m very surprised he got this wrong when just a quick Google search would have shown it wasn’t an original song for Enterprise

[@warikwarlock]

Though it was a glaring oversight for Rowan considering how well done all his ST retrospectives are

[@CanuckGod]

Also have to disagree with Rowan, I actually prefer the Season 3/4 version of the theme, it's a little more upbeat for myself.

[@emilescurel]

These are the voyages sucked but that last sequence with all of the enterprise's was absolutely beautiful.

[@fgdj2000]

Yup, it was a really misguided attempt at a finale. I see it as a bonus episode and think the post-Enterprise novels managed to make some sense of it… at least from what I‘ve heard.

[@tineye5100]

Yeah I see the prior two-parter as the “true” finale.

[@williamteskey528]

It would have been cool if they also showed the defiant, voyager and the enterprise E

[@fgdj2000]

@@williamteskey528 Well, at the time these were the three main TV Enterprises. I actually like the idea of future crews looking back on the NX-01's final mission. The problem was imo a) too few returning actors (why not make it a two parter and make it set aboard the Titan and not jerry-rig it into a 10 year old TNG episode?) and the mission itself had nothing to do with the formation of the federation and core themes of the show. Compare that to Star Trek VI, where the mission ultimately brings peace with the Klingons.

[@gullwingstorm857]

Connor Trineer was perfect, I loved Trip's character, and that romance between he and T'Pol was riveting. And I'm not a romance fan at all.

[@DJSockmonkeyMusic]

Same, I don't dig romance storylines at all, but Trip was such a relatable character, perfectly written and performed. Connor absolutely made the show for me, although I'm also a huge fan of Scott Bakula from his time on Quantum Leap. I still say Enterprise is Star Trek at it's best.

[@GraHaz]

I started watching for Hoshi, she was gorgeous and at that time I wanted to become a linguist, but I eventually stayed because of Tripp. Very good character in all regards - fun, relatable, natural - I definitely shed a few tears for him after the end of the show.

[@greyfade]

When Enterprise first aired, the first thing I did was check the official chronology. It placed the Romulan Wars in Season 5. There is nothing I wanted to see more. Imagine my disappointment when I saw the temporal cold war arc and the show was canceled when it finally started to come together in season 4. God damn it.

[@willschneider4616]

How fortunate we are to have this and Jessie Gender's video to enjoy a laid back Sunday afternoon nerding out about Star Trek? Is this the golden age of KZbin Star Trek content?

[@magnusprime962]

It would be if CBS would get off SF Debris’s and Angry Joe’s back and let them actually post their videos.

[@brettcooper3893]

It should be noted that "Faith Of The Heart" was originally performed by Rod Stewart in the late 90s for the movie, Patch Adams. So, it was not written just for the show. But again, the royalties for using the Rod Stewart version would have proved to be too expensive, so they went with somebody whose voice had a passing resemblance to Stewart's that came off for a cheaper price tag.

[@amehak1922]

Carlton Banks entered the chat room

[@brettcooper3893]

@@amehak1922 u black?

[@amehak1922]

@@brettcooper3893 yes

[@thulyblu5486]

It's still baffling to me how anyone familiar with Star Trek could choose christian rock as a viable genre for an intro song. It's like choosing dubstep for a church service or death metal for a kids show aiming at 4 year olds. It instantly repels its audience on a deep instinctual level - it was the main reason I emotionally couldn't watch, even though I started the series 3 separate times. Even more tragic is that the song itself is actually very good and extremely well performed - what a waste.

[@amehak1922]

@@thulyblu5486 never knew that. I was mostly annoyed that they used a song with lyrics all of the sudden.

[@BeSkeptical851]

I love the show's theme song. The visuals paired with the music was really moving, especially the original slower version. Mankind's aviation progress which inevitably sees us going to space and beyond really fills you with pride.

[@DiscoScottie]

Sorry. That song was absolute puke. Had no business being a Star Trek theme. The visuals were great but that song... no way.

[@user-ct8my8rv9c]

That song was truly awful and turned many people off.

[@willmfrank]

@@DiscoScottie The visuals fit better with "Archer's Theme."

[@robertgirau7339]

I refuse to re-watch “These Are the Voyages.” Whenever I binge and re-watch Star Trek Enterprise, I always stop at “Terra Prime.”

[@guaposneeze]

Honestly, I love the early idea of a post- first contact show set on Earth. (Like, if I had been in a position to pitch a Star Trek series, one of them would have been in that setting.) But doing one season of that, followed by X seasons of a space exploration show would be a terrible idea. Anybody who wanted the space exploration show would not watch the first season and have stopped watching it before it got to what they wanted. And anybody who like the Earth based character show would have tuned out when it became just another space exploration show following the usual Star Trek formula. I think absolute the best thing that could have happened to Enterprise would have been if it didn't get picked up for another few years, so the production team had some time to lose the habit of making Star Trek, and were coming at it with the batteries a bit more recharged. A lot of episodes the "prequel" setting really only manifest as "standard Star Trek Episode, but we say a slightly different number for the warp speed, and did find and replace on the script for a few jargon words like 'shields.''" A few years gap between productions would have left time for some of the ideas to get more baked, and some more fresh blood to be involved behind the scenes. Some people crap on Discovery, but stylistically it is way more removed from Voyager than Enterprise was, despite Enterprise theoretically being much further removed from Voyager in-universe. It also seems impossible not to think about the fact that 9/11 happened during production of Season 1 of ENT, after the general tone and style of teh show was already established. The audience was living in a very different world before 9/11 vs a few years later. But it took a while for that to actually effect the narrative. Just starting preproduction for the show in the Post Nine Eleven World would have shifted the tone of the show's writing and direction a lot compared to TNG/DS9/VOY because completely different stuff would have been everybody's mind when building the series.

[@sharp14x]

There's a reason Discovery is more removed from Voyager than Enterprise. It's because it's not Star Trek.

[@bonghunezhou5051]

@@dffndjdjd It's "trek" alright - just not in the same milieu as the CLASSIC/CANON Trek (1966~2005)!

[@RetroCarsForever]

Glad to see I'm not the only one who LOVED the third season of this show. Even with its flaws, Enterprise had its heart in the right place, and that gets me through it much more than the newer Trek shows.

[@DeusDevoid]

Dude, thank you. I have always said that enterprise, despite its flaws, s a criminally underrated series, and is some of the best Trek ever

[@camillealexandrebonnes2682]

Great! Thx for this Christmas present. Finally Enterprise, my favorite series, which I didn't even watch when it came out, because of said "fatigue", yet became a huge fan later on and wished so much it would have been continued.

[@DoctorSmock]

Every time you do the "cliffhanger ending" to these videos, I always go "Awwwwww shit!" in anticipation! Great video as always man!

[@pocketheart1450]

Before watching I just want to say that I feel like the main problem with Star Trek in this era wasn't necessarily too much Star Trek that was causing the fatigue it was Star Trek was refusing to evolve into something new. And I think of course we can probably blame Berman for that. He always played it safe, he had really stupid ideas of how to bring audiences in (it was always more sex with him) and I don't really think he understood what Star Trek was really supposed to be about. He was a guy that basically missed the point for years and years and years. People would have been fine with more Star Trek had that Star Trek been evolving or doing anything new in anyway instead of blatantly regressing. Enterprise could have been incredible it has so many good ideas but they were largely wasted. I love Enterprise and I love the period takes place in, but it had the wrong people in charge for too long.

[@bonghunezhou5051]

Is there an MCU fatigue today? Or was there one before the pandemic struck in early 2020?

[@m.e.3862]

I'm not a fan of his mostly because he turned trek into a future populated by people who dressed and talked like Sheldon Cooper 😛

[@japzone]

@@bonghunezhou5051 I don't think there's MCU fatigue. I think the MCU is currently suffering from what many long running franchises suffer with, what direction to take things. Basically, the awkward teenage years. End Game wrapped up a ton of the long running plot lines and character development that kept people hooked for years. Now that most of the old main cast/characters are basically retiring, they have to usher in a new generation of characters and figure out where they're going to go with those characters. Not everything is going to land at first, and Marvel getting deep into churning out TV shows just means that it shows even more. On the flip side though, all these shows and movies let's Marvel experiment with new directions quickly, see what sticks, and then plan ahead with that knowledge. Spider-Man NWH shows that people aren't tired of Marvel or Superhero movies, it just has the advantage of again being a climactic ending to a long running story arc, with a ton of fan service thrown in like usual. After Marvel can figure out its new characters and story arcs, and they can sort out all the production issues the pandemic has given them, things will probably pick up again.

[@Wraiths_and_Wreckage]

It was network guys too. When the audience switched to more young women, they wanted them to put boy bands on the ship. Seriously. Hence the beefcaking.

[@m.e.3862]

@@bonghunezhou5051 I'll give the mcu credit for at least trying to expand the scope of super hero movies. Thor ragnarok was comedy, winter soldier was a spy/conspiracy movie, captain America was a ww2 movie etc. Trek was bland and the crew never seemed to move on. Riker was xo for 20yrs. At least in Stargate people got promoted and grew

[@PhilDonaldson]

Shran and the Andorians (sounds like a band name) were one of the best things to happen to "Enterprise." Using the temporal cold war as a foundation for the series cheapened it for me. It begs the question, "Is this the real beginning or some alternate timeline? I didn't feel as though I was watching the very first version of the first mission." It would have been nice to see the crew forge their own way through their first mission without future help and antagonism. Also, many of the Vulcans, who were supposed to be full-blooded, were more emotional than Spock. In the same arc in which T'Pol's mother points out her daughter's transparent emotionality, V'las seemed unhinged with his near meltdowns. I also wished they'd let Bakula act more. But maybe that's just me. 😁

[@trance_trousers]

Loved Star Trek Enterprise, easily one of my favourite Trek series. Such a shame there weren't any more seasons of it. The last 'real' Star Trek as far as I'm concerned. None of what followed came remotely close to this, TOS, Voyager, TNG, or DS9.

[@nathanthiessen3557]

Honestly believe now would be a perfect time for an Enterprise sequel series. It's been enough years that the cast can appear as older versions of their original characters and we can see the tensions/dramas that would come from early Federation politics, unifying the races into a joint Starfleet etc.

[@johnchedsey1306]

They can pull a Roseanne, pretend the finale never happened and maybe do a limited run series or 3 part miniseries to finish their story.

[@MsSissiePooh]

As long as Alex Kurtzman (the man whom most Trek fans love to hate for numerous reasons) is still in charge of the franchise, at this particular time, maybe it’s best to let Star Trek: Enterprise rest in peace. If Kurtzman did attempt to bring back ENT, the end result may not be what those in the fandom wanted, hoped for or even expected, and that will simply anger, infuriate and fracture the Trek fandom even further, and that’s not what the series, the actors or the fandom deserves. 😐

[@lunasophia9002]

We now have three prequel series (ENT, DIS, SNW). That seems to be all people want to make. =\

[@MsSissiePooh]

@@lunasophia9002 - That seems to be what they want to make, because it’s “easier” (so to speak) to do a prequel that sets the stage for the other Trek shows than to do a Trek show that’s in a different time post-TNG/DS9/VOY.

[@nathanthiessen3557]

@@lunasophia9002 I would say that Enterprise was well warranted as a prequal concept though. Sure we may know that the Federation gets built on the heels of the Earth-Romulan War but we never get a true picture of Earth's early exploration after first contact and the years of events that built those relationships. Discovery... nuff said Strange New Worlds, please God be a return to the Trek we knew and loved. Otherwise Trek Culture did a good video on some ideas but rather than saying "prequal" called them "unexplored eras". Still plenty of good stories to be told in there but depends on the direction people take it.

[@ramathememe5674]

Hate it, love it that’s not important. What’s important is to understand that this show genuinely *tried* to both bring new things to Star Trek and remain respectful to the Cannon. Also that damn song was great, the lyrics of that song describes the journey of Archer and humanity throughout the Star Trek universe. New, and respectful 🖖

[@crowtservo]

I found the show more likable when I rewatched some of it on Netflix a few years ago. I did like right away how different it felt than Voyager and DS9 and TNG. I liked how cramped and small the ship felt. I liked how all the technology isn’t perfect like in the three other series. But yeah, I wish the writing was better early on. The bigger problem even today is that Star Trek is passé. I don’t know any of the big Trek fans from 25 years ago who are watching Discovey. Picard or Lower Decks. Enterprise came in with a good episode but quickly fell in to the same old stuff. The premise was fresh and new, unlike Voyager which felt a bit like a retread, but the story telling fell into the camp of being the same old stuff from previous shows. It was frustrating to watch because you wanted to like it but as the first season wore on, it felt like most of the episodes could have characters from other Star Trek series and the episodes wouldn’t be any different.

[@Calzaki]

"In season 2 he decided to fire most of the writing staff.." Except himself and his partner who wrote nearly half the season including all key episodes

[@JaelaOrdo]

2nd best Trek series after DS9 in my opinion, it’s a shame we never got another season

[@bm1747]

It's my least favorite... but that next season is also something I was immensely disappointed didn't happen. All of my favorite things about the series we're coming to the forefront at that time and I really was digging what it looked like they were setting up for.

[@geronimovallejos7232]

Yesss, i think the same thing!

[@chrisloesch1870]

I still don't understand what CBS and Paramount were thinking not green lighting the 5th season. Coto has stated many times he planned on getting into the Earth Romulan War, how the Vulcan / Romulan schism took place, more mirror mirror material, etc. that was hinted at in the Original Series back in the 60's. It's crazy they were so narrow minded and ignored his episode outlines he presented to them. Would have been a ratings boom especially after how well ENT did in season 4.

[@sarahscott5305]

Couldn't agree more Jaela! Lower Decks could very well unseat it for my second favourite if it carries on like it has been!

[@Seanginty1]

I think Enterprise also suffered from coming out just after 9/11. The national mood was not optimistic and xenophobia was ascendant. BSG was very much of that time, but by it’s very nature Star Trek couldn’t go there without becoming a Mirror Universe version of itself.

[@BritneyLaZonga]

The Xindi probe attack is a prime example of "Art imitating life". I always found parts of ENT to be unbearable to watch due to it`s blatant Bush era patriotism.

[@Seanginty1]

@@BritneyLaZongaOne of the things I liked about that arc is the way it pivoted away from the US model of response to one of understanding and cooperation. In the end Starfleet and the Xindi emerged as allies. I would have abandoned the show if it had descended into a dumb retaliation fantasy. Unfortunately, I think that's where the zeitgeist was and a lot of viewers weren't interested in a show that offered an alternative. I was at WTC during the attacks and I still wanted no part of Bush's BS, finding it brutal, stupid and morally indefensible. Enterprise portrayed the response I wanted to see, the harder path of foregoing vengeance.

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@Seanginty1 tbh I think that could just be viewed as an allegory for the failed infrastructure-building attempts, given how they pick the factions most like the humans and essentially soft-coup through this wedge issue… now the story justifies it by having the higher threat be other entities who really do exist. Like on the surface it feels like traditional Star Trek diplomacy and peaceful discussion solves the Xindi tensions… but actually it was spurred by intel gained by essentially a mind control interrogation session, *The WMD* did exist and they found out exactly where it was, and human’s (America’s) local allies succeed in helping human military blow it up real good. It’s ultimately a twist on the original mission statement, even though it presumably does indeed, offscreen, fuel further actual Trek style cooperation, transparency, fairness, etc.

[@marocat4749]

I think they managed that well, like in season 3 they have to go through that desire for violence, revenge and questionable morals at least, But they can get through that and it ends in a peace treaty with abligatory action, and the characters do too. Which is intresting, and season dealing a lot with fighting they dealt mostly with that, it took over the federation, rasism and xenophobia. And thats very very hard and against all odds. Which is having that adressed, but also the star trek optimism . I love that, its darker but its also very much the star trek spirit.

[@marocat4749]

@@kaitlyn__L I thought it was a lot of they went to very dark places, with consequences but chose to be better despit it seeming impossible, sam as they try to do the same to the federstion coming back, who is sadly more realistic. .

[@GoGreen1977]

I try not to mourn what "Enterprise" could have been, I appreciate what it did achieve. But yeah, it would have been great to have another season or two.

[@filmforthought4793]

These videos are all amazing. Definently one of the best retrospective series on the entire platform. The amount of respect you pay to each detail is very commendable. You're able to allow people like me with limited knowledge of the franchise to be able follow the plot since you're not just skipping that and going straight to analyzing. Youd be shocked how many content creators don't know how to structure reviews/retrospectives, but you nailed it with this series

[@ktanner3]

Perfectly on point with everything you said. After Voyager the franchise needed a rest. One thing I wasn't aware of was the fact that it was studio interference that forced Berman/Braga to contradict their premise with the temporal cold war. That explains a lot. Seasons 3 and 4 seemed to be the sweet spot for every Star Trek spinoff. It's like the writers take two seasons trying to figure out what works and then really hit it beginning in the third year. PS: The more appropriate statement would be that 2005 was the end of an era in Star Trek as Rick Berman had been the showrunner of the franchise since TNG. He had always tried to keep what he thought was Gene's vision going in every subsequent series. That all ended for better or worse.

[@bonghunezhou5051]

Berman was _involved with_ the IP since 1987; his status as showrunner started in 1989, when Gene, due to rapidly declining health, effectively stepped down from his role. Still, a very long tenure indeed.

[@Wraiths_and_Wreckage]

Yes, it needed to breathe and allow even fans room to get pumped for the next series. Not to mention the exhaustion from pumping out 21 seasons. I think they wanted to take two years off but the network needed a big show.

[@alexanderrabey6718]

I really enjoy the more laid back, "down to earth" feel of the show. Unfortunately it never quite reached its potential although it felt like it was starting to get there by the last season. It's a shame Hoshi and Travis got sidelined so hard since they both had a lot of potential as characters.

[@Psiros]

DS9 didn't get the love it deserved when it was aired. The same goes for ENT. I love both and wish both were recognized during their times as the great works of art that they are.

[@Zreen001]

Regardless of question of canonicity, the Enterprise Relaunch Novels (Rowan's mentioned this a while back I believe, unless that was another trek channel) do a great job retconning that series finale as an in-universe cover up for the leadup to the Romulan War and the events that followed. For some reason the novels are currently on hiatus after Flint rescued Trip from a Section 31 ambush at the onset of the Maltuvian War. I recommend it if anyone's interested.

[@magnusprime962]

The novels aren’t just on hiatus, they ended with Star Trek: Coda. They’re completely wiping the slate clean now.

[@mtshaul86]

Enterprise came out when I was in High School and was the first series I enjoyed and related to. Real bummer it was canceled after 4 years. Definitely something Paramount should consider bringing back... "Enterprise - 15 years later"

[@dave_p560]

That was amazing rowan. Thank you so much for all your hard work. I'm so glad you highlighted carbon creak as it is one of my all time favourite episodes of all trek. It and ds9 honour among thieves is star trek showing you how you can do an amazing story without pew pew and both hit an enjoyable and emotional tone. Have a good Christmas to you and your family.

[@blissmaster71]

35:02 John Bilingsley's comment on ENT applies to Disco and Picard. I think making the new shows with their own style and tone was the only legitimate thing to do. Why make it to appeal specifically to golden age trek fans, when they already have 100s of episodes to enjoy? I feel bad for giving up on ENT halfway through the 1st season, then coming back to it in the 4th and loving it, only to have it cancelled soon after.

[@kaitlyn__L]

Yes!

[@MsSissiePooh]

Absolutely yes!

[@temporaneo617]

Honestly, I think a first season spent trying to build the enterprise/get the right crew had so much potential, it's a shame it didn't happen

[@Imbatmn57]

People are always terrified to try and make a show where they actually show the various stages leading up to a utopia, as if it devalues how good the utopia is.

[@DrewLSsix]

No, it's because they don't know how to make a utopia happen. Do you? Why haven't you gotten in that yet? They just said things were all good in TNG, nobody had to consider how it actually worked and it shows in the inconsistent portrayals of this idealized society.

[@ZeroRed78]

@@DrewLSsix While it wouldn't be a prefect utopia, yeah, I know how to get pretty close. Especially at the point where you can convert energy to matter at will and create a completely post scarcity world. FFS, even today the basics of life aren't scarce. We could provide every person housing, food, water, jobs, education, etc. Why haven't I got in that yet? Selfish, greedy, people control those resources. But given where Earth is in this universe at first contact post atomic war where this isn't nearly as entrenched of an issue, that could be overcome.

[@tentringer4065]

The Star Trek world is a Utopia compared to where we were when it was created. Just as today's world might be seen as a Utopia to those living 4 centuries ago.

[@thedirectorschair1054]

@@ZeroRed78 You assume a post scarcity world would create Star Trek Utopia when in actual fact, a post scarcity wold create a society more in line with that seen in Wall-E. A hell civilisation of fat, chair bound, screen bound slobs with no need, nor impetus to do anything. If there is no need for which you have to act in order to fulfil, then there is no need for you to do anything. You can already see this happening in Japan, where the younger generation who have had much of their needs automated, are some of the least productive people on the planet and Japanese society may well be doomed because of it. Utopia is not a place where you remove the struggle for life because without struggle, without pain and hardship and loss, there is no life worth living. And that is why - when you say you know how to get pretty close to Utopia - you actually have no idea.

[@Talisguy]

@@thedirectorschair1054 Except the data doesn't back you up there. Alaska gives everyone in the state an annual dividend, no strings attached, and long-term studies have found that this has had no adverse effects on motivation, employment or productivity. In fact, it's actually been correlated with an *increase* in part-time employment. Also, "struggle is a part of human nature" and "maybe nobody should be in danger of starving to death or becoming homeless due to circumstances that may be entirely outwith their control" don't have to be mutually exclusive. Also also...Japan? Really? Japanese workers have one of the longest average working days in the world. There are persistent problems with severe burnout, depression and suicide all linked to overwork, and that's not something exclusive to the older generations. You want to show your work there RE: "Japan's youth are lazy"?

[@GothicLightingQueen]

I absolutely hate that we never got to see a season spread arc about the romulan war. Also don't know if this is the right place but I'm also sad that this is the last entree with a more classic feel to it, While I have not watched discovery or picard, I'm not one of those people clamming that those shows are not star trek, my problem (and it's with almost all modern film and TV) is the production design and directing. Watch the space battle between the Andorians and the Vulcans, It' a pretty cool battle to watch, there are no lens flares, no shaking camera, It's most slow panning shots of a ship firing it's beam weapons. I searched for STD space battles and when I watched clips from the show. I couldn't really follow what was happening, lens flares, zooming, fast cutting, flashing lights (weapons fire) everywhere so I couldn't see who was firing at who. Compared to ENT I didn't feel as I was a part of the shot. My suspensiong of disbelief is lower even if the shots in them self are filled with HD details. Maybe they didn't have 2021 HD CGI in their space battles but I put them up there likes of Voyager and DS9 To be clear my problem with modern directing is with many of the shows and movies nowadays, not an attempt to shit on discovery for just being different. I just miss the more slower style at directing acting sequences

[@aldunlop4622]

You’re lucky you’ve never seen STD or STP. Calling them terrible would be a complement.

[@subraxas]

Despite my getting into Star Trek at the end of the 1980s via TOS/TMP films and TNG, ENT eventually became my second most favourite ST show over the years, trailing only DS9.

[@michaelsinger4638]

It’s a pity that the show was cancelled right as it was turning into something interesting. But I cannot just blame the fans for that. Berman and Braga REALLY messed up with those first couple of seasons. They were rough. And of course they just HAD to do the series finale and, yeah it sucked. So I think you had HALF a good show here that could have been more if given more time.

[@Guiscardr]

They blew the ship apart in Azati Prime and didn’t have it fully functional again until the fourth episode into the next season. I wonder if they had to properly fight for that. That scarred Enterprise, weakened even after the season 3 finale when they could have conducted an offscreen repair, really felt impactful.

[@DrFroyd123]

Jolene Blalock is such an eye candy! STE was supposed to show humanity's first efforts to conquer space, but it failed unfortunately

[@procyon6370]

I've noticed that most Enterprise fans either appreciate Season 3 more or Season 4 more. I'm a season 4 guy, and I really do like episodes that are based on continuity, I like multi-episode arcs that aren't serialized storytelling (time to breathe, you know), and I really like cheesy episodes like In A Mirror, Darkly and such. You're obviously a Season 3 guy, and that's okay.

[@damienkakoschke3099]

I liked both 3 & 4 , but yes, appreciated the opportunity taken to address previous continuity. As for In A Mirror Darkly - ending with Empress Hoshi -YES! Respect!!!

[@fakecubed]

His praise for season 3 is really quite at odds with the overall reaction of the audience, which might give him some pause, but I guess it doesn't. The ratings really crashed and the show was never able to recover. It was the exact opposite of what the show needed to do, and it's the reason why it got canceled and Star Trek ended as a franchise. Anyway, he seems to always like the parts of Star Trek that are most hated by the Star Trek audience, and he criticizes the fandom for criticizing newer, objectively worse stuff, making up straw men arguments when the simple truth is, Star Trek as a brand has been utterly destroyed by the modern stuff and ratings have gone from 10+ million viewers back in the Michael Piller era to less than a quarter of a million on the new streaming stuff. I think he's just not a very good judge of media.

[@musicalnotextr]

I think the biggest problem with “Faith in the Heart” is that nothing else in the show sounds like it. Dennis McCarthy (and the other composers) are just doing the typical Dennis McCarthy-thing of orchestral wallpaper throughout the episodes. (Seriously the incidental music is hardly distinguishable from that of VOYAGER or TNG). And none of the incidental music sounds like a guitar or acoustic or any type of modern Western rock in the sounds. Essentially, imagine if it instead had the soundtrack of, say, FIREFLY? Yeah, it would sound very different from the Trek prior and fans would have hated it, but it would have had a symbiosis with the theme music and I think overtime, “Faith in the Heart” would have gotten more love a lot sooner.

[@Knightfall182]

My biggest problem is it ruins the flow of the episode. It's tonally jarring. A big alien battle and suddenly 90s soft rock, with singing that makes ones ears bleed.

[@powerpopjoey]

Everyone forgets about the instrumental version of "where my heart will take me", which was a brilliant effort. Used partially with the closing credits of episode one. In my opinion, MUCH better than "Archers Theme" and would have been a good choice for the opening credits as well. It might not have ticked off so many fans 😂 I like your perspective and your comments about the firefly theme. Here's the instrumental version... kzbin.info/www/bejne/n3vUqKKgbpuUeac

[@emmanuelkotei649]

I really enjoyed the theme, I felt like it set the tone for the show, to me it’s soaring and inspirational, sometimes faith and science intertwine

[@musicalnotextr]

@ger du To be honest, a lot of ENTERPRISE in general is linked to American culture - much more than other Treks. The fact that the show evokes the aesthetic, attitudes mythic personalities of American astronauts - especially from Archer and Trip who wouldn’t make sense if they were from any other country. The whole Xindi storyline had post-9/11 “War on Terror” American nationalism written all over it. Even the infusion of “Great Man” theory involving Archer and his presumed legendary role in the founding of the Federation foreshadowed a lot in the Temporal Cold War stuff. So the theme music’s not that far off in that respect.

[@joshuadowdle9691]

I'm one of those who truly despised the theme song. It seems like most people warmed to it over time, but I'm not one of them. Every time I hear it, it makes me think of that show "7th Heaven" and how it would have been a much better fit for a show like that. It's not very relevant, but I never realized until now that the parents in that show both had decent sized roles in Star Trek movies. Weird.

[@BreadApologist]

Finally! Been waiting for this one. Also 2005? Everyone knows “real” Star Trek ended in 2148 after the Rallion Corporation lab in Canada had a containment breach in the antimatter generator, obliterating most of North America and plunging the world into a 15 year long winter due to the amount of debris kicked up by the detonation. Incidentally it was the very month that the 50th Trek revival was in full swing taking place. Nearly every prop and script n tons more were destroyed by the cataclysm. Though that doesn’t happen for some time since watching this on KZbin: Temporal Edition. Also no they never fixed the copyright system and there were only 50 more Skyrim re-releases. Last being “Skyrim: Special Definitive Anniversary Platinum Deluxe Commemorative Premium Holodeck Etherium Edition.

[@1heKing]

sir this is a wendys

[@benjamino.7475]

@@1heKing lol

[@alienmozart9902]

lol you need to be a writer for trek

[@mfdriggs84]

The Xindi Arc of season 3 makes me really sad for what a season-long "Year of Hell" arc could have been on Voyager.

[@stephenramsey5585]

Love or hate the explanation for how the Klingons lost their ridges, I feel like that story plays fantastically well into the first episodes of Discovery. T'Kuvma's mantra of "Remain Klingon" is that much stronger when you consider the species is only at that time getting over the generational effects of a virus that forced a degree of humanity upon them.

[@PyrokineticFire1]

that doesn't explain why they're space-orcs in STD. the explanation in ENT was to explain away the light makeup in TOS... but that somehow also explains the most complex makeup for klingons yet in STD? updating makeup techniques is good, but let's consider the effects of this update: is the makeup easier to apply/remove? do the actors have more range of expression? is this arrangement cheaper/more sustainable? it might look better, more alien, than a simply forehead prosthetic... but it's kinda unnecessary bloat for their budget isn't it? was there an actual problem with the TNG-era makeup? it seemed to allow actors a wide range of expressions, while also being immediately recognizable.

[@stephenramsey5585]

@@PyrokineticFire1 Not really ehat I was getting at; I said the ENT story compliments his motivation, not his aesthetic. But, if you need an explanation for the space-orc look (I don't, somebody will capitalise on it for a story point some day) how about this: Three ridgless Klingons from klingons from TOS appear again in DS9, now with ridges. There is no explanation but their are only two likely conclusions. Either they had cosmetic surgery to look more klingon or the virus cure's effect wore off them im later life. I'm inclined to think it's the latter because when you look at Gemeral Chang of Undiscovered Country, he's got ridges but they're relatively smooth, which would indicate they are returning in his old age. Now, with all that in mind, I cam think of three reasons for the orcish look. The first is that cosmetic surgery to look more klingon became fashionable and, like many cosmetic surgery addicts, they went drastically overboard on a cultural level. Another option is that as the virus cure's effects wear off, those recovering could swing into the extreme with their klingon features for a period before they stabilise. Or there's also the possibility that this was the result of another attempt at genetic meddling in an effort to remove the humanlike features. Amy of the above would be plausible and well within the realm of Trek canon, so as far as I'm concerned, the redesign is fine (for now. Outside if Disco era it'll need more explanation than that).

[@aldunlop4622]

STD is terrible, I’ve tried repeatedly to watch episodes and barely get halfway before I can’t watch any more.

[@stephenramsey5585]

@@aldunlop4622 Given it has four seasons with a fifth on the way and relaunched modern Trek, if you can't get through a single episode, the problem is far more likely with you than with the show. I'm not engaging in this conversation any further than that. I've had enough arguements with Disco haters to know where it goes. Good day.

[@JCtechwizard]

1:17:00 Nope. The official Star Trek website was never shut down. Also, Star Trek The Magazine ended 2 years before the cancellation of Star Trek Enterprise last issue April 2003). The magazine was discontinued due to low subscriber count, high price, and the ending of the Star Trek Fact Files (its primary source of material, and the publication of which it was the american counterpart).

[@JCtechwizard]

Rowan may be thinking about the Star Trek Communicator, a separate magazine (originally known as the Star Trek: The Official Fan Club Magazine) that did end in 2005, however, its ending had nothing to do with the ending of Star Trek Enterprise. Communicator was ended by the publisher Decipher due to complaints about long mailing times, threats of lawsuits, and Deciphers financial Issues.

[@BammerD]

I remember being completely disinterested with Enterprise from the very start. I only watched a couple of episodes and had no interest in the Xindi arch. 10 years after the series ended, I found myself watching more and more KZbin clips from Enterprise and starting to appreciate it more. After watching this retrospective episode, I'm thinking it's time for a binge watch.

[@mattgio1172]

I think the biggest gripe I have with the intro song isn't the song itself, but the fact that ALL other Star Treks use the intro music to inform musical choices in the episodes themselves. The non-existence of that fundamental theme meant it was a lot harder to build meaningful motifs that audiences could immediately recognize - which is why I think the inclusion of that song is one of the biggest musical failings in all of Star Trek.

[@kolapon6832]

You know an episode will be good if a Jeffrey Combs alien is in it. Idk how he does it but there isn't a single bad character of his, they are all just so captivating.

[@adamdobrowolski2510]

I think it is paramount to note (pun possibly intended?) that S3 not thriving in viewership despite notable improvements may very well have to do with the plot hitting perhaps a bit too close to home. We already went through 9/11 and were involved in war that we were lead to believe had to do with fighting terror. As a result, this was very heavy on the pallets of many viewers. Had this arc occurred in different time, like now, and I think it grabs a lot more viewership. Overall, I thought Enterprise had its strengths, but never quite grabbed a "completed" feel to me. The temporal cold war stuff was the drizzling shts in my opinion, and the Trip-T'Pol romance didn't stick, for my taste. Additionally, matters like Hoshi and Mayweather becoming after thoughts left us without having enough of those great stand alone episodes that give us the respite from the heavy serialized content. Perhaps it would've reached that point with a full fourth season and beyond, but the writing for cancellation was already on the wall before S4 started to air. It should be noted that S4 was moved to Fridays, which is widely accepted in TV as a death knell for a series. In all, I put Enterprise on the same tier with Voyager: one tier below ToS and two tiers below TNG and DS9. The Xindi arc was just fine to me all said, although the return to that time-altered WW2 garb was burdensome, as you explained. Instead, it was the lack of true one-hitters that keep it below the top three. TNG has one-hitters up the gills due to its episodic nature. Meanwhile, DS9 was serialized by series end, but we still had great one-hitters, especially "The Visitor." It's more than enough to get me in the mood for a re-watch some nights. Enterprise just doesn't have that. "Similitude" was the clear star of the series IMO, but there limited options after that. P.S.: "Faith of the Heart" was absolutely brilliant, especially in S1 and S2.

[@kaitlyn__L]

Plus writing it today vs then would have the benefit of hindsight over the effects of NATO presence and actions, rather than being in the midst of it whilst also trying to write an allegorical yet more hopeful yet also over in a year version of it.

[@DiscoScottie]

That song was AWFUL, AWFUL, AWFUL I mute it every time I watch.

[@ka1juhunt3r]

Would love to see a season by season stargate retrospective done in this guys style

[@daxbashir6232]

For money!!! :)

[@Spitwrath]

This series of retrospectives is remarkable and thank you for creating them.

[@mikewaite3746]

Thank you again for doing such a great job on these retrospective type videos!

[@jaybee9269]

Absolutely loved Enterprise. Particularly the Dark Universe two-parter (“In A Mirror Darkly”).

[@Thermool]

That recording of Scott Bakula “To boldly go go where no one has gone before” was actually ASMR posted on the Star Trek website at the time for something else. I have that recording somewhere on an old hard drive.

[@andycole1984]

So mad we didn't get to see that 5th season Earth Romulan war. The Romulans have always been my favorite Trek villain, and that could've been "Dominion War" levels of epic with Coto running it.

[@benjamino.7475]

Feels like the entire fandom has come to really like this show after some time has passed now. Maybe it did simply come out at the wrong time...