STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE

“To boldy go, where no man has gone before.”

Rating: 10/10

Sci-fi has always been a genre I’m cautious about because I find mixing scientific facts with fiction on screen, is something that works or it doesn’t. The first time I was introduced to Star Trek was JJ Abrams’ revival in 2009. As an 11 year old kid who glimpsed the world of Kirk, Spock and the rest of the Enterprise crew for the first time––I knew that this was going to stick with me forever. The general idea that humans could space travel, to explore the vacuum of space and at the same time create elements of realistic scientific facts were all highly fascinating. Since then, I’ve always had a special place in my heart for the Star Trek Universe.

In the past year or so, I have observed that Netflix has been constantly releasing Star Trek content; starting with William Shatner’s original show. I never really prioritized binging them from the get go but I would occasionally watch a few episodes once in awhile. I was just happy that whenever I needed my Star Trek fix, Netflix was providing me with “fresh” stories and not just the Abrams films. By early February of this year, as a graduate student I now had all the time in the world to do whatever I wanted because I simply had nothing else on my plate. During my random hours scrolling through social media, I was curious if there was going to be a Star Trek 4 film as it was always out there in the open. It then led me to rewatching youtube videos where I read one interesting comment; the comment had nothing to do about any new film but it did peak my curiosity.

It was a conversation between a new Trekkie (Star Trek fans) and an old Trekkie; the old Trekkie was basically welcoming the younger one into the world of Star Trek and expressed how he wished he could see the universe for the first time again. He then continued to suggest all of the shows and films available for her. In a way… this led me to decide in fully immersing myself in the Star Trek universe by watching the films/tv shows in chronological order according to the universe’s timeline. And thus began Star Trek: Enterprise. 

Bittersweet. But more bitter. 

This is all I could think of as I’m trying to gather my thoughts for this review. I just finished all 4 seasons and I’m still reeling on how this show was robbed of its potential. In fully understanding where I’m coming from, one must know that this show was cancelled late into its production of season 4. A time where the story in its entirety was already at its peak, ready for its big take off. I’m not saying the first 2 seasons weren’t good because they actually were. Season 1 + 2 were dedicated for the exploring story arcs; the foundation of the show––visiting new worlds and having their own mishaps along the way. On the other hand, Season 3 onwards became darker and deeper in terms of their missions and relationships within the crew. From my perspective, it was just as normal as any other television series. 

Star Trek: Enterprise had very interesting episodes that one could easily get hooked on, there were elements such as humor, thrill and emotional drama. I would say that the first two seasons were as normal in any Star Trek television show and things all but suddenly spiked when S3 started. After Earth was attacked by an alien species by the finale of S2, S3 showed the Enterprise crew not as explorers but as soldiers on a mission to stop the species from attacking Earth again. From the first episode down to the last, risks were higher and even more so heavier themes were present such as death and loss amongst the crew. Captain Archer hands down becomes my favorite captain next to Kirk. As the pioneer of the very first warp ship thanks to his dad, his leadership qualities could be very much comparable to that of Kirk’s. While Kirk is more reckless with his decisions, Archer is a captain that’s more composed. He is very much a person the crew can trust with their lives but not that Kirk isn’t. It’s just that Archer knows where he draws the line between his duty as a captain to his crew and his responsibility to Star Fleet. Archer was a captain that led his crew to follow him into battle not for his sake but for the rest of mankind. The dynamic he had with his core crew such as T’Pol, Trip, Travis, Reed, Hoshi and Phlox was a team that obviously strengthened its bond over the course of each episode. 

If there’s one thing I absolutely enjoyed about this show was how the writers knew when to incorporate the right element at the right time. And the main thing that stood out to me, was Trip and T’Pol’s story arcs. From S1E01, it didn’t take long to realize that there is going to be some sort of tension between them. That much was obvious. Attraction was bound to happen soon but the writers decided not to do anything until the third season came. And honestly, props to them. This show was done in the early 2000’s and it hit me how different television was back then. They valued slow burn romance, unlike television today where writers do whatever they can to impose a relationship between characters as early as the first 5 episodes, which doesn’t really feel as authentic. 

The world was different before, the importance of allowing the characters to develop gradually creates more impact on screen and Star Trek: Enterprise had that as their weapon. Trip and T’Pol created a better love story than Spock and Uhura in my honest opinion. It truly is so frustrating to see all of those build up just crash tragically because of the show’s cancellation. They may not have any romantic scenes in the first 2 seasons but there was subtle chemistry between them. There were times where T’Pol was being connected to Archer, when in the naked eye they were unwillingly creating something between her and Trip under their nose. It was only a matter of time for their relationship to evolve and from the looks of it I would say that S3 was the beginning of it. Trip at some point, believed that the only reason a relationship existed between them was because of the neuro-pressure sessions he’s been having with her, a form of intimate act for the Vulcans. But in my own eyes, those sessions just became a trigger for things to naturally flow and I was happy with them even if they didn’t get the ending they deserved. I’m happy because all arrows led to them even before the cancellation issues led to their demise––Trip and T’Pol were proven endgame even if they physically didn’t have the chance to play it out. I say this with confidence because of the following episodes:

• Season 3 Episode 10 – Trip as “Sim” admitting his feelings for her.
• Season 3 Episode 15 – T’Pol experiencing the emotion of jealousy.
• Season 3 Episode 19 – T’Pol dreaming about Trip when she was at her worst.
• Season 3 Episode 20 – Trip opening up and becoming his most vulnerable to T’Pol.
• Season 3 Episode 21 – Trip and T’Pol being married and having a son in the Expanse.
  • This episode gave me the final impression that even at a foreign part of the universe, they are together. Which led me to further conclude that they will always be endgame because of how future T’Pol admitted to present T’Pol how she couldn’t imagine a life without him.
• Season 4 Episode 3 – T’Pol bringing Trip to Vulcan.
  • This episode was highly special and just catered to their relationship even more. Trip admitting to T’Pol’s mom that he’s in love with her and that he cares for her too much to not let his personal feelings get in the way with T’Pol decision was like the cherry on top already. This was also an episode for T’Pol to realize just how much she needs him in her life.
  • After this episode, you would think that there would be more. In reality it was quite the opposite, Trip started to detach himself from her which they both knew was unnecessary but it was like giving him no choice. It’s a shame that the storyline of Kas as an “evil” vulcan was never played out because then it would allow T’Pol to realize how insignificant their arranged marriage was. Even when she was pushing away Trip, it was becoming obvious that there was no stopping to her emotions.
• Season 4 Episode 14 – Trip wanting to transfer to Columbia because his feelings were getting in the way of his responsibilities.
  • But let’s be honest, we all knew that he only did this to see if T’Pol would chase after him. Good for him because it worked.
• Season 4 Episode 17 – Trip and T’Pol being apparently connected. Mentally, physically and emotionally. Also the episode where T’Pol admits she wants him back on Enterprise. I would also consider this the last normal episode before things started to take a turn for the absolute worst.
• Season 4 Episode 20, 21 – Trip and T’Pol having a baby. An episode that would’ve been a perfect ending for a finale that would obviously brew a fresh and exciting story ahead.

As one could see, Trip and T’Pol’s story arcs could’ve had its own spin off show by the amount of moments they had together on Enterprise. They had a baby, we saw a glimpse of them as parents. It’s even more comforting to know that the producer mentioned how if the show would’ve been renewed for a fifth season, the baby would’ve lived, Trip wouldn’t die in the finale and his relationship with T’Pol would grow. Additionally, in the books, Trip’s death was faked so that he could apparently infiltrate the Romulins and that T’Pol was waiting for him, they both end up married and having two children. 

Star Trek: Enterprise’s finale is something I chose to ignore because I knew it wasn’t at all justifiable, other than the fact that the network wanted them to wrap things up. The show was getting better. It’s a shame that the fans weren’t that vocal about it but that was the age before twitter existed. If Enterprise was done today, I could guarantee that it would’ve had a different course. But I guess the fact that it was done for over 2 decades now is what makes the show unique. Star Trek: Enterprise was its own brand. Something this franchise needs more. I would opt for a revival now that Netflix makes it possible to dig up something from the past but after fighting against myself, I just thought that it’s better if they leave it alone. It’s truly one of those feelings where as a fan you wish they compromised more to make it work.

Nevertheless I’m happy it existed. I’m happy that aside from Kirk’s crew, we have Archer’s and they did a damn good job of playing out what Star Trek is all about. Family. And a little bit of exploration here and there.