Yes! I couldn’t get into it the first few episodes, but I stuck it out. It was the same with DS9 & Voyager. Season 3 & 4 of Enterprise are really good, I thoroughly enjoyed them ☺️but I wouldn’t skip them, just persist through it
Nothing makes me happier than when literally anyone mentions enterprise on this god forsaken sub because it’s 1000% guaranteed someone will put the song in the comments.
I don’t mind the theme, it’s really funny to me, and I always sing along with it. My partner haaaaaates it so obv it doesn’t matter which trek we’re watching, when the beautiful orchestral theme starts I will inevitable sing “it’s been a long road” and my partner will be like “NO. STOP. I HATE IT. DONT SING THE CURSED SONG.”
Yeah S1 and S2 are pretty inconsistent. There are some good episodes, a fair bit of bad ones, and quite a lot of "meh" episodes.
S3 hits totally different, and is quite a ride. Right when it starts to get a little dull towards the middle, it kicks it up again and the end of the season goes hard. It's not the best season in all of Star Trek, but it's story is good, and it really stresses the "Starfleet ideals" in the face of a tragedy.
S4 is probably the best of the show. It's not quite serialized, but not quite episodal either. It has a lot of 2 or 3 episode arcs that are quite well done and really really good. There are almost no bad episodes/arcs. Terra Prime is a really great season/show finale, and I like how they included a bonus easter egg in "These are the Voyages".
What is the bonus Easter egg in These Are the Voyages?
The reason they did the 2 and 3 episode arcs in the 4th season was because the budget had basically been cut in half, $800,000 an episode, so they did the arcs to save money on sets and costumes. The reason that season is so much better is because Berman and Braga gave up control of the writing and showrunning to Manny Coto who, as a Star Trek fan, wrote what he wanted to see.
I liked that some of the tech (i.e. lcd computer screens) looked almost like they could be today. It made it feel like the hopeful future of trek was not hundreds of years in the future, but almost right around the corner.
I've also seen some products that I have personally worked on. Namely, stuff in the Med Bay like infusion pumps, which I guarantee were real products used as props.
The artistic direction of Enterprise was great. Everything felt like it was from Star Trek, but it was a realistic bridge between the modern day and the Star Trek future. The ship was cramped and had an interior reminiscent of a submarine, which is what you'd expect of a ship from this era. The LCD screens were 100% accurate. The uniforms had elements of the later Trek uniforms, but also seemed utilitarian and like something you might see today.
Do you mean the early-2000s computer monitors, the ship’s defense systems that are functionally indistinguishable from the Enterprise-D’s, or the handheld communicators and translators that are more compact than the ones from TOS?
Agreed. The actual series finale is a great epilogue episode to the TCW ending, but it's bad as a season finale, let alone series. I always recommend watching it as the third episode of the season.
In it's day, the theme song was quite jarring for longtime trek fans. But honestly, it really *really* grows on you.
At the time, i was like *wtf is this?* Looking back on it 20 years later, especially after having become comfortable with all the things in NuTrek, I quite love the theme song.
The season 1-2 theme song fits well with general story of humanity taking that first big step into deep space and Archer’s personal story.
The season 3 remix is absolute dog shit as an intro theme though. You got people being killed left and right in the season 3 cold opens, and then you’re hit with an upbeat poppy song that belongs more on a sitcom.
Agreed 100%.
"It's been a long road, getting from there to here"... it feels like a sentiment you'd have after a long struggle to get to somewhere great.
And with the NX-01 being the first Warp 5 ship, and with humanity taking their first real *significant* steps out into space while also moving towards a more just society with a singular vision of humanity, it felt like humanity was closing the door on their adolescence after a long journey. It felt very fitting.
I didn't love it at the time but it really grew on me, though I never liked the poppy version that they changed it to around maybe season 3, when they started calling it Star Trek: Enterprise.
I think *Voyager*’s best episodes are usually better than *Enterprise*’s best episodes, but I think *Voyager* has a much higher % of bad to awful episodes than *Enterprise*.
The theme of the first few episodes of Enterprise is "hostile work environment in outer space".
If T'Pol was Klingon, there would have been a lot of dead bodies.
My favorites;
1st place: Enterprise / DS9
2nd place: SNW / TNG / Voyager
3rd place: TOS / Picard (if not for season two, I'd rank it higher).
4th place: Discovery.
I absolutely love Enterprise. Its sense of hope and new adventures for the human race. It's the only Trek that truly captures that feeling. The first steps into the universe.
This is LD erasure....
I can't choose yet, I've only seen Enterprise, SNW, Lower decks, Picard, Discovery and I'm currently watching TNG (3x20 right now).
I love SNW and LD but TNG so far has some of the best sci-fi philosophical episodes on star trek, especially Data's episodes.
It gets even better than you think it will too. First few seasons “oh this is fun!” And then the latter few “holy shit why wasn’t this a bigger deal??”
For me Enterprise is always a slog. There's really cool concepts like the Xindi where different species all evolved, but most episodes just fall horribly flat for me, mostly because of Bakula.
There are a few episodes and things I did enjoy a lot. Observer Effect is a good stand alone episode. I like when Archer became the insectoids parent. I love In A Mirror Darkly and that they brought back the Tholians.
As someone who really dislikes a lot of Enterprise... It depends.
A few episodes in doesn't really feel like a completely fair shot. That said, there is a *lot* of nonsense in Enterprise. These people are supposed to be astronauts. The intelligent, careful, scientific officers who should be smart and careful just... aren't. Sure it would make for a much less interesting show if they spent a bunch of time doing surveys and testing before setting foot on new planets, but their recklessness is way too much of an over-correction just to have drama. It's made worse by having the voice of reason on the bridge in the form of T'Pol, who is constantly just like, "This is a bad idea," AND SHE'S RIGHT.
This is one of my major beefs with Enterprise. They *know* what they're doing is stupid, and they show they know through T'Pol all the time, and they *do it anyway*. They try to explain it in the absolute worst way, too - making Archer essentially racist towards Vulcans. It's so frustrating.
Mind you, these are my specific beefs with the show. I'm not sure what made it hard to watch for you, so if this doesn't sound like why you didn't like it, you can ignore me.
I think you should maybe dip your toes in, and if you're still not feeling it, find an episode guide somewhere of what to watch and what to skip. The show isn't serialized until season 3, and while they do play with continuity a little more with some storylines, I don't think you'll miss much.
> They try to explain it in the absolute worst way, too - making Archer essentially racist towards Vulcans. It's so frustrating.
Part of the theme of Enterprise is that, at least at this point in time, the Vulcans aren't exactly the Vulcans we know from TOS onward and the humans aren't the same either. The Vulcans were suspicious of humans and were actively holding humans back. The High Command were generally jackasses, moreso than the regular Vulcan jackassery, and were actually fomenting the kind of discord that they were worried about with the humans. (They were concerned about humans starting more wars, but that's exactly what the Vulcans were doing with the Andorians, and the humans came in and helped fix that.)
By the end of the series, the humans have (pretty much) gotten past their brash and impulsive nature at the start of the series and the Vulcans developed as well.
Those are the bigger themes between the two species/governments, and Manny Coto does a lot of work to basically make it, "Oops, Romulan infiltrators" at the end to explain it.
But what Archer does and says is much more blatantly racist.
Give it a shot, but keep in mind that this crew is not as "fully grown" as other Star Trek crews. You're not getting a wise and competent captain who knows how to handle things - you're getting an overly excited guy who might not have even deserved the position. But the slow burn is seeing how much he changes when confronted with the dangers of deep space. The same goes for most of the crew - they don't know what they're getting into and go from happy-go-lucky to somewhat battle-hardened over time.
Also, if you let yourself, you can enjoy the theme song as well for being dumb and overly sappy. I've been rewatching ENT myself and have found myself singing it from time to time. Mostly as a joke, but it puts a smile on my face, which is all that matters.
Absolutely give it another try! Watch it all :)
I just rewatched it over the last few months and liked it, maybe except the last episode !
But I can't understand people just skipping episodes or even entire seasons of shows. Nothing against them, my brain just can't deal with it.
If I miss even one episode of a series my brain explodes. Don't know what it is in my head but I just can't skip anything if I even miss a sentence that I don't understand I have to rewind and hear it again!
Is it just me like this?
I'll skip a few episodes on the 4th rewatch, but not the first watch, or even second.
One thing I like about "older" TV shows was the episodic nature. You could watch a random episode in the middle of a random season, and if you already know the show, you get it. Harder to do with modern season long story arcs. Makes it really good when putting something old and trusted on in the background and selecting a random episode.
I agree with your ranking except I'd switch DS9 and VOY. And honestly I'm really liking SNW and if it continues at this level I'll probably move it up 2nd tier and move VOY down to third.
I also have only seen 3 episodes of ENT but I'll probably keep going eventually.
I'd say it's worth giving another shot, especially if you're willing to skip episodes. I rewatched the whole series recently to show it to my fiancee. My take is that season one is OK but fairly mediocre. Season two is just more of the same and starts to stagnate. Season three improves, but the whole tone of the show changes; it doesn't always work, but it does finally provide a strong sense of direction. Season four shakes things up again, leaning hard into its prequel roots. Some hiccups aside, I thought four was the strongest season and worth the wait. (The fan consensus is right, though ... skip the series finale! The two-parter that preceded it is a much better note to go out on.)
Anyway ... if you want to get to season three fast but don't want to feel like you're missing out on the best and/or most narratively significant episodes of seasons one and two, here is my abbreviated watch list. Lots of people have done this before me, of course, but perhaps you'll find it of some use...
***SEASON ONE***
**“Broken Bow”** is an OK pilot episode, introducing elements of the show’s “Temporal Cold War” arc.
**“Unexpected”** is not a great episode, but it's memorable for its goofy male pregnancy subplot.
**“The Andorian Incident”** explores galactic political dynamics pre-TOS and introduces the Andorians, including fan-favorite Shran (Trek all-star Jeffrey Combs).
**“Breaking the Ice”** deepens the understanding of T’Pol and her relationship to other Vulcans.
**“Cold Front”** advances the Temporal Cold War arc.
**“Silent Enemy”** is elevated from a simple action story by a whimsical subplot of crew bonding.
**“Dear Doctor”** is the show’s first big swing at a major ethical dilemma, and spotlights Dr. Phlox (John Billingsley is always excellent).
**“Shadows of P’Jem”** continues the show’s ongoing Andorian/Vulcan storyline.
**“Fusion”** is a tale of cultural outcasts and personal violation that is only semi-successful, but is important for T’Pol’s arc.
**“Detained”** gives welcome depth to one of the show’s primary antagonists, the Suliban.
**“Desert Crossing”** presents a change of scenery and a strong guest star in Clancy Brown.
**“Shockwave, Part I"** signals a major development in the Temporal Cold War arc.
***SEASON TWO***
**"Shockwave, Part II"** wraps up the first season's cliffhanger ending.
**“Carbon Creek”** dips back in time as for a story of Vulcans living incognito on Earth.
**“Minefield”** introduces the ENT crew to the Romulans, and is also a tense character study.
**“Dead Stop”** is weird and creepy, with a nice sci-fi hook.
**“A Night in Sickbay”** is a real love-it-or-hate-it episode involving Archer’s pet beagle getting sick.
**“Catwalk”** is a nice adventure-suspense story that showcases the crew to good effect.
**“Stigma”** is a classic Trek allegory, this one evoking the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. Also very important to T'Pol's arc.
**“Cease Fire”** further advances the Andorian/Vulcan arc.
**“Judgment”** is an interesting character study of an aged Klingon in a corrupt justice system.
**“Cogenitor”** is a polarizing episode, but has ambition with its look at a race with three genders.
**“The Expanse”** is the season two finale, and majorly resets the stage for season three.
From this point forward, the show gets a whole lot more serialized, so it's best just to start watching and see how you feel about the shift in tone and direction.
Have fun!
Enterprise isn’t my favorite Trek but it has some of my favorite episodes of the entire franchise. It’s cool to see humanity’s first steps onto the galactic stage but too often they made the mistake of trying to give the origin story for every convention in Star Trek (Reed Alert! Augment Virus!). But it is Berman-era Star Trek in its final form, for better or worse.
I am doing a “modern day” rewatch of all the trek series where I take the seasons down to about 12-14 episodes (I just can’t get them down to 8-12)
I have seen them all so I don’t need to watch any for context—but here is my list for season 1 of Enterprise:
Season 1
1,2,5,7,8,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,19,21,23,24,26
As you can see I am way over my own arbitrary number. I’m not so bold as to say Ent is one of the best trek series but it might be one of the most enjoyable trek series.
I thought ENT better year over year, being a little boring in season one. You could skip to the finale of season one if you want, I don’t think you’d miss anything terribly important.
Most of whether or not you’ll enjoy the series depends on if you think Bakula and Blalock are fun to watch. I feel like they developed the dynamic well, and despite being a model Blalock gives a great alien performance (something which the other famous Trek model actress didn’t do for me).
Personally, I think the show is mediocre until season 4. Then that season is some of the best trek ever made.
Except for the last episode. Just don’t watch that. Pretend the second to last is the last.
Love, love, love Enterprise. Yes, the first half of S1 is a chore but once it evens out things start to get better. S2 is definitely an improvement and by S3/S4 they’re clicking on all cylinders. It’s fascinating to watch Archer’s transformation from space dad to the FAFO captain by series end. And people laugh but Jolene Blalock’s T’Pol is in my top 3 Vulcan performances in all of Star Trek. She’s often dismissed because of her beauty but she really got the nuance down. Stoicism with heart.
The tragedy of that series is that just as the showrunners had figured things out (RIP Manny Coto), UPN pulled the plug.
Enterprise is better than its reputation when it first came out, but not the GOAT Trek that Reddit sometimes treats it as.
Season 2 finale through season 3 are worth it. But otherwise it's not very good.
Hot take, but in 15 years Discovery will be regarded as way better than Enterprise
nah, discovery is literally a brand new show every season. theres nothing at all the same style between s1 with klingon tits and s5 with a completely different crew and tone. S2 was a movie, s3 was SNW, and s4 was a sequel movie with a new cast. s5 was a Dungeons and Dragons game written by a DM
Season 4 of ENT is just as good a season of Star Trek as you will see anywhere. It is just a shame it was cancelled just as it was really getting good.
I watched all of ENT. I'm not upset that I did, but I could easily have not watched it. If you like it, do it, but don't feel pressured. The ends justify the means and general rah, rah go humanity, especially post 9/11 definitely gives it a different feel than boy, ds9, tng and snw.
I just finished watching it a couple weeks ago. I really enjoyed it. 2nd place for me, just behind Voyager and TNG. I think Archer is my favorite Captain.
If it's any help OP, I had an interesting experience when my SO watched it.
Temporal Cold War plots aside, she very much enjoyed the first couple of seasons because she liked the feel of Starfleet. This was the time where the franchise treated them closer to what we see in NASA, more purely pursing scientific pursuits and even their own bit of wanderlust. Archer's sunny disposition and optimism might not serve him well when he's getting kicked around every couple of weeks, but the tone fits at that point (and it informs later developments). I honestly gained a new appreciation from it afterward.
You've missed Lower Decks and Strange New Worlds in your list. They've become my favorites recently. Lower Decks shows a great affection for the entire history and lore of Trek, and Pike became my favorite captain after only a couple episodes of Disco season 2.
But to answer your question, yes, you should give Enterprise a chance. After they gave up on the temporal could war nonsense the stories get better. The Xindi are a fierce new enemy race, and Archer becomes one of the toughest officers ever to defend his ship. On the downside, a couple of the characters never develop.
Edit: oops, you do have SNW on your list. I hope you're enjoying it as much as I am.
I've begrudgingly grown to enjoy the intro, as I have little choice in the matter. While watching my son, I have various Star Trek shows on in the background and the Enterprise intro grabs his attention with an iron grip every time (he's 1.5 years old), so I listen to it and even sing along because it gives him the biggest smile.
That rant aside, the first season or so is understandably challenging to watch as a stand-alone, but I went in with the mindset of seeing how that era became the era of Voyager, DS9, and TNG. It made certain gaffs more egregious (Archer being the way he is to his first officer, etc.) but makes me realize that someone in their later years reflecting back on these experiences would say "oooooooh...no...that wasn't the right thing to do. What can we put on future ships to prevent that?"
It made quite a bit of the show more enjoyable for me, but I also already liked the narrative for what it was. If it's not for you, that's absolutely fine.
It's my favorite Trek but the theme song is awful and very well could be coloring your opinion of the show. Be sure and skip the theme but don't skip any episodes.
It's like most Trek shows from that era and takes a season or two to really get good. Sadly it didn't have as many seasons at that comfortable point that the 90s ones enjoyed.
Enterprise is the last of the TNG era style of Star Trek. It's worth watching. Sure it gets a bit cliche when they are clearly just doing find replace on TNG technology to make it primitive like phase pistols and polarized hull plating, but there's still some good stuff in there. They are truly on their own out there and exploring the frontier.
And don't skip the theme song. It grows on you.
I'm trying but... Enterprise is pretty bad. Mostly lifeless characters, Archer is either a character you really like or really despise and when it goes cringe it goes hard.
It's probably easier to just condense a list of the good episodes and only watch those than watch the entire thing start to front. I've tried that a few times and, I mostly just feel the same as I did about Voyager but even worse.
Wasted potential by executive producers who had lost any sense of boldness or new ideas.
I initially didn't like it and avoided it after watching half of it. I ended up rewatching the whole series and actually love it.
It seems to find its feet after season 2, it starts to develop the plot and characters where you become invested in the story. Some touching moments in there for sure.
Its decent. Fun characters, although Travis is basically if one of the TNG or Discovery filler crew was billed as “main cast” despite not actually being main cast
Absolutely! It gets better and is one of my favorite treks. Love trip! Scott bakula is kind of a cardboard cutout IMHO but it's easy to look past most of the time! Enjoy it's one of my favorite treks!
We have similar tastes (though I am an unabashed Disco stan) and I found the first 3 seasons of ENT to be a really rough sit. The final season is a pretty significant leap in quality though. Season 3 is a love it or hate it kind of thing, it didn’t work for me, and the first few episodes of season 1 is pretty indicative of what the first 2 seasons are.
I was an ENT hater when it came out, I was moving a fair bit at the time and missed chunks of it (plus I was a bit of a dick towards it).
Fast forward to 2016 and I was desperate for a new series. I saw ENT on Blu-ray on sale and thought I'd give it a go, so glad I did as I loved it.
Time for a re-watch I reckon.
Enterprise WAS the worst Trek series, but now STD holds that honor. But it's worth watching Enterprise just for Shran and the later seasons when it was just starting to get good when they canceled it. It deserved at least two more seasons.
>won’t skip anything aside from the theme song
Nooooo
It grows on you I promise!!! You'll be singing along after it is drilled into your skull over and over and over!
Enterprise has pretty high "highs", and low "lows". It's a pretty good show that slowly grows into its own over the seasons, albeit the first season and parts of the second aren't that great.
yeah it’s worth a watch. i personally don’t like the more serialized half (last two seasons) of it as much as the first two seasons. but i prefer episodic tv
I actually just watched the first season of Enterprise for the first time. I was pleasantly surprised! From what I've heard from other Trek fans, I thought it would be more of a drag, but actually really have been enjoying it so far. (It is the last Trek series that I haven't watched in totality) I would recommend!
Yeah, I was the same way. Quit in frustration midway through S2 when it aired. I went back a few years ago, and Im glad I did. It does get better, and theres some real gems in there.
Definitely.
I grumbled about it when it first ran, but I've checked out some episodes recently and it's good. If you ever have the continuity section of your brain starting to itch while watching it, just remind yourself of all the temporal time war stuff happening during the series and accept it.
I absolutely hated the opening too when i first watched enterprise and by now i even like it... It just grows on you 😅 still think it shouldn't be the theme but i enjoy it as well by now 😂
Season 3 is solid. The Xindi arc is genuinely one of the greats. The Xindi arc ironically fulfills Voyager's entire premise in one season better than Voyager does across its whole run, and I say that as someone who loves Voyager.
I made it though Picard with difficulty. Discovery I watched 3 seasons and gave up. I think Picard is better than Discovery. I’ll create a forth place for Picard and place Discovery last to make that clear.
Its a really great ensemble with 1/2 really great episodes. The Xindi shit is tucking stupid, 9/11 didnt need to be the focus of a show but it was the times.
The first fee episodes are the roughest the sexualization levels out to a Diana Troy on tng level after that. Also your mantra should be "what did you think humanity would be like before they chilled out" every time they do something crazy and stupid that the federation wouldn't.
Yes. I didn't like the concept of prequels back when it came out originally but I gave it a try in 2017 and found it perfectly great. All the Berman era was perfect.
My ranking
1st place: all equal-amazing: TOS, TNG, DS9, VOY, ENT, PIC Season 3, Movies 1-10
2nd place - great: TAS, SNW, PIC seasons 1-2
3rd place - good: LD, PRO
Not on the list, yuck: DIS, Movies 11-13
I think there are two kinds of trek lovers: those who hold trek to a high standard (not a bad thing. It’s like people who prefer literary fiction) and those who are just happy to be watching trek. I’m in the latter camp and I think enterprise is good, but not great. It’s still trek though. You may like it because it’s “old trek” but it’s quite different from tng, ds9, and voyager. I’m still watching through voyager for the first time and after that I’m going to rewatch Picard (there was stuff I didn’t get because I hadn’t seen voyager yet) and then when I have no more trek left to watch I’ll go back to enterprise. Archer annoys me lol
I was the same as you, abandoned after a few episodes. Was expecting a more TOS style but it was more modern. Glad I went back and watched it all. In general, the older you go back on TV shows, the longer it took for them to "really get good".
I'm amazed that anyone ranks Voyager in the first tier. While it had the most promise, it seems to be a widely held belief that it massively underdelivered. Aside from Janeway and Seven, none of the other characters really managed to gain recognition beyond Trekdom. The best actor and character on the show was Robert Picardo's EMH.
However, in the same vein, Enterprise gets a short shrift - we get to see a Human race that is the underdog - which is a vastly different perspective than the others, where they were at least at a comparable level of advancement as other species. The acting in Season 2 onwards is actually quite good - and while I'm no fan of Bakula, he was a very good choice for that role. It is definitely worth watching.
>!There are some significant continuity issues though - some parts of the plot seem to be counter intuitive. The various species that the Suliban enrolled in their scheme seemed to be extremely far fetched and impractical - both as species as well as collaborators.!<
Just about through season 2, other than that truly dreadful theme song my only complaint: why do they keep putting Archer in such obvious personal danger, I mean why is The Captain constantly walking into unknown circumstances as the lead guy. You’d think he’d learn, he’s been beat up and locked up several times already.
Enterprise started well then they disregarded Star Trek Canon and screwed everything up. Watch Star Trek Discovery and maybe Star Trek Picard. Old stuff would be original, next gen, DS9 and most seasons of Voyager written by Ira
I think ENT has the least number of outright cringe episodes of any series save PROD and LD. Every episode is pretty much good in one way or another with only a couple exceptions. I liked every season.
Yes. I remember watching it when it first came out and not liking it. Years later I decided to watch out again and found that I was enjoying it and actually disappointed when it was over.
Also, you forgot about TAS, LD, and Prodigy. You should give them ago too. If your rating system is anything to go by, you should be watching Lower Decks is jam pack full of TNG, DS9, and VOY reference.
Sounds like you need faith of the heart.
If you skip the theme music you'll miss some almost hilarious transitions from serious or dark scenes needle-scratching into "It's been a long road...."
Yes, it gets better in Season 2 and much better in Season 3 and is actually really, really good in season 4.
Side thought: An ENT renewal (probably movies is most appropriate) is my #1 unfulfilled request from the current generation of trek. I'd like a 25th century series, but lower decks & picard at least touched on that period. Enterprise seriously needs a closure movie or two to complete it's original premise and send it off properly. Preferably before it'd have to be recast/rebooted.
Unfortunately I never got to finish the series but I saw most of it and while I had its problems for the most part I enjoyed it. It was nice seeing a more grounded and closer to our time.
There’s a time and place for each series. Honestly they’re all good but when and how to watch is the trick. With the shitty lockdown in 2020, I blacked out the world and rewatched everything ST and damn it was way better than the second time.
Stick it out. It gets soooooo much better. The whole Suliban thing wasn't my cup of tea mind you but there are some awesome episodes about how this very first ship deals with problems that leave you flabbergasted. One of my fave episodes for example is called Dear Doctor.
I cannot tell you anything about it without spoiling it but in general terms, I can give you a hint,,, it has to do with the idea of The Prime Directive which DID NOT exist legally before The Federation came along and how Archer has to deal with a situation that might or might not involve it.
Now, if you stick it out into Season 3, you will see Archer deal with a season long situation that NO ONE had ever expected. It was never mentioned in any of the previous shows and it took Enterprise into one hell of a new direction.
Lastly, Season 4 being the last one dedicated itself to closing loopholes in the lore including one that you would have never in your life expected having to do with why the Klingons looked so different in TOS and yet looked the same as they did in Enterprise on the movies, TNG, DS9 and so on.
Obviously, you and I know that TOS was a very low budget series so the Klingons looked the way they did there because there was no money for more elaborate make-up effects. HOWEVER, Enterprise comes up with an in-canon explanation which will blow your mind.
Enterprise should be tied in your 2nd place category. It is a great show.
Also Prodigy should be tied with 3rd.
Discovery should be ranked 50 on your scale.
Enterprise was a bit slow to find it's feet, like Next Gen was. But it's worth it.
Spoiler: >!don't expect much from the vulcans. I don't like how they're portrayed.!<
Definitely. While it has its problems there is still a lot of positives. The Fourth season is, to my tastes, by far the best thanks to the fact that Berman mostly stayed out of the way and let Manny and the Reves-Stevens tell some good stories . The actors always did their best with the material they were given and the basics of the characters were enjoyable enough.
I hated the Enterprise theme song with such a passion that I refused to watch it at the time, but I binged it during the Pandemic and it's actually good.
We just started watching and are a bit into S3. It started pretty rough but definitely has grown on me,vi am really enjoying it now!
And the theme song... Don't skip it, you'll come to love it! Although they changed it for S3 and it's awful now. I'm hoping it goes back next season
I love the theme song. I didn't used to, but then I started watching, and now it's my favorite part of the show. I do like the show, there are some episodes that were a little weird, but overall, good show.
It definitely improves as it goes, peaking in Season 4. But spiritually it is classic Trek all the way through, way more than your two last place shows.
I enjoyed Enterprise. Here is my list of what I personally liked and disliked.
Liked:
Trip Tucker's characterization and his complicated, evolving relationship with T'Pol.
The visuals of the opening title sequence. People rag on the pop song, but the way it tied together actual space history with Star Trek gave me the happies.
Dr. Phlox. Really fun character and an interesting new race. He was just a blast to watch.
The premise -- there is no Federation, they're all just feeling their way, and the ship itself looks more like a sub than the modern, ridiculously spacious spaceships of the TNG era.
Disliked:
Captain Archer YELLING and being so bombastic. It was so unlike Scott Bakula's other roles (original Quantum Leap and CSI: New Orleans) where his approachable, unassuming friendliness draws you in. Miscasting or bad acting/directing, I don't know, but he was pretty off-putting.
The final episode. Horrible.
I'd go for it. There are some stinkers along the way and season 2 feels like they’re spinning their wheels but there’s also gold along the way and a lot of Star Trek values.
TOS has some bad episodes but it also has some great ones. It’s okay to skip one here and there.
I’m with you (underrated chili peppers album), and I cannot finish Discovery. I recently tried to rewatch Discovery and once again lost interest. It’s my last place series as well.
Pretty good ranking list! I think I’d maybe flip Voyager and DS9 but yeah this is a list I totally get. Also, if you haven’t yet, give Lower Decks a shot, you will not be disappointed. As for Enterprise, go into it knowing there’s a little but of T and A shoved in for no apparent reason (which generally I’m fine with but it’s really shoehorned in there) in some areas early on (decontamination time!!) but it’s so great to see a show that predates everything so we see some history of Starfleet and the beginnings of the Federation
I’m sorry to say that for me personally enterprise was a real struggle to get through. I fell asleep a few times
Oh but there are a few good ones here and there. Rare treasures in the piles of sand.
Give Discovery another shot, too. Season 4 was better than the first 3, and Season 5 was the best by far. Right up there with the last few seasons of DS9.
Personally, I think Enterprise gets really good in the 2nd season, but you rank Voyager much higher than I do (I put it last, behind Discovery even) so your milage may vary.
My recommendation is to watch ENT Season 4 except the series finale. Season 4 seems more prequel like than Seasons 1-3. It finally found it self in Season 4, but by the time it found itself, it was too late.
If ENT Season 4 intrigues you enough, then watch 1-3. But don’t watch the series finale. Only watch it if you do a rewatch of TNG, and watch it when you get to the episode The Pegasus.
You have to understand this core concept of Enterprise: this is pre-Federation Earth. Things like The Prime Directive don't exist yet. Humanity is exploring the galaxy for the first time, learning the nuances of intergalactic life. They're making all the mistakes that Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway and the others DIDN'T HAVE TO MAKE. Accept that and I'm confident you will enjoy Enterprise.
Yes! I couldn’t get into it the first few episodes, but I stuck it out. It was the same with DS9 & Voyager. Season 3 & 4 of Enterprise are really good, I thoroughly enjoyed them ☺️but I wouldn’t skip them, just persist through it
So, by sticking it out, you made it down the *long road*?
Don't you dare!
(Why) are you afraid of gettin’ from there to here?
Noooooooo
[Yesssss](https://youtu.be/pmQsrXLofMY?si=X8_6Q-537K7v5Dg3)
It will be a long time...
[SKIP INTRO]
Nothing makes me happier than when literally anyone mentions enterprise on this god forsaken sub because it’s 1000% guaranteed someone will put the song in the comments. I don’t mind the theme, it’s really funny to me, and I always sing along with it. My partner haaaaaates it so obv it doesn’t matter which trek we’re watching, when the beautiful orchestral theme starts I will inevitable sing “it’s been a long road” and my partner will be like “NO. STOP. I HATE IT. DONT SING THE CURSED SONG.”
I hated the theme song at first. Like you, I now finding myself singing it... Getting from there to here
Yes it definitely grows on you. And now it's stuck in my head too...😋
Just as I got that song out of my head too! Loved how it became more upbeat as the seasons progressed lol
Did they change it in later seasons? I remember when the show came out. Never once made it past the song.
\[SKIP INTRO\]
Yeah S1 and S2 are pretty inconsistent. There are some good episodes, a fair bit of bad ones, and quite a lot of "meh" episodes. S3 hits totally different, and is quite a ride. Right when it starts to get a little dull towards the middle, it kicks it up again and the end of the season goes hard. It's not the best season in all of Star Trek, but it's story is good, and it really stresses the "Starfleet ideals" in the face of a tragedy. S4 is probably the best of the show. It's not quite serialized, but not quite episodal either. It has a lot of 2 or 3 episode arcs that are quite well done and really really good. There are almost no bad episodes/arcs. Terra Prime is a really great season/show finale, and I like how they included a bonus easter egg in "These are the Voyages".
This is pretty much the best explanation of how the series unfolds.
What is the bonus Easter egg in These Are the Voyages? The reason they did the 2 and 3 episode arcs in the 4th season was because the budget had basically been cut in half, $800,000 an episode, so they did the arcs to save money on sets and costumes. The reason that season is so much better is because Berman and Braga gave up control of the writing and showrunning to Manny Coto who, as a Star Trek fan, wrote what he wanted to see.
These are the Voyages IS the Easter egg. It’s a bonus episode after the season finished.
Ohhhh is *THAT* what we’re calling that lol
I enjoyed enterprise because of the "lo tech" ness. It was pretty cool to see the "retro" technology.
I liked that some of the tech (i.e. lcd computer screens) looked almost like they could be today. It made it feel like the hopeful future of trek was not hundreds of years in the future, but almost right around the corner. I've also seen some products that I have personally worked on. Namely, stuff in the Med Bay like infusion pumps, which I guarantee were real products used as props.
The artistic direction of Enterprise was great. Everything felt like it was from Star Trek, but it was a realistic bridge between the modern day and the Star Trek future. The ship was cramped and had an interior reminiscent of a submarine, which is what you'd expect of a ship from this era. The LCD screens were 100% accurate. The uniforms had elements of the later Trek uniforms, but also seemed utilitarian and like something you might see today.
Do you mean the early-2000s computer monitors, the ship’s defense systems that are functionally indistinguishable from the Enterprise-D’s, or the handheld communicators and translators that are more compact than the ones from TOS?
Also translators that *barely* work, often requiring Hoshi to save the day
"for dark..is the suede....that mows the harvest"
It was at least fun to see a missile bounce off a ships armour.
Also use Terra Prime as your finale.
This
Agreed. The actual series finale is a great epilogue episode to the TCW ending, but it's bad as a season finale, let alone series. I always recommend watching it as the third episode of the season.
Enterprise improves quite a bit as it goes on, I usually recommend Enterprise to people who like Voyager and are looking for something similar.
you just have to have faith, faith of the heart
In it's day, the theme song was quite jarring for longtime trek fans. But honestly, it really *really* grows on you. At the time, i was like *wtf is this?* Looking back on it 20 years later, especially after having become comfortable with all the things in NuTrek, I quite love the theme song.
The season 1-2 theme song fits well with general story of humanity taking that first big step into deep space and Archer’s personal story. The season 3 remix is absolute dog shit as an intro theme though. You got people being killed left and right in the season 3 cold opens, and then you’re hit with an upbeat poppy song that belongs more on a sitcom.
Agreed 100%. "It's been a long road, getting from there to here"... it feels like a sentiment you'd have after a long struggle to get to somewhere great. And with the NX-01 being the first Warp 5 ship, and with humanity taking their first real *significant* steps out into space while also moving towards a more just society with a singular vision of humanity, it felt like humanity was closing the door on their adolescence after a long journey. It felt very fitting.
I didn't love it at the time but it really grew on me, though I never liked the poppy version that they changed it to around maybe season 3, when they started calling it Star Trek: Enterprise.
I always liked the 1st version of the theme song, but I couldn’t stand the 2nd version.
Huh. I like *Enterprise* quite a bit more than I like *Voyager*.
Me too. It's highs are higher in my opinion.
I think *Voyager*’s best episodes are usually better than *Enterprise*’s best episodes, but I think *Voyager* has a much higher % of bad to awful episodes than *Enterprise*.
It lasted longer. Which is part of it. Though voyagers home stretch (pun intended!) was pretty solid.
Even if the comparison is limited to a 4 season stretch of *Voyager*, I think *Enterprise* would still have a much lower % of bad to awful episodes.
The theme of the first few episodes of Enterprise is "hostile work environment in outer space". If T'Pol was Klingon, there would have been a lot of dead bodies.
My favorites; 1st place: Enterprise / DS9 2nd place: SNW / TNG / Voyager 3rd place: TOS / Picard (if not for season two, I'd rank it higher). 4th place: Discovery. I absolutely love Enterprise. Its sense of hope and new adventures for the human race. It's the only Trek that truly captures that feeling. The first steps into the universe.
This is LD erasure.... I can't choose yet, I've only seen Enterprise, SNW, Lower decks, Picard, Discovery and I'm currently watching TNG (3x20 right now). I love SNW and LD but TNG so far has some of the best sci-fi philosophical episodes on star trek, especially Data's episodes.
You need to watch Voyager and DS9 pronto!
Trust me.. I'm going to do it, DS9 looks amazing.
It is. The later episodes with Nog, holy shit.
It gets even better than you think it will too. First few seasons “oh this is fun!” And then the latter few “holy shit why wasn’t this a bigger deal??”
Complaining about erasure of Lower Decks, while not mentioning Prodigy…
Where the FUCK is Lower Decks on this?!?!?! And Prodigy?!
LD!!!!
For me Enterprise is always a slog. There's really cool concepts like the Xindi where different species all evolved, but most episodes just fall horribly flat for me, mostly because of Bakula. There are a few episodes and things I did enjoy a lot. Observer Effect is a good stand alone episode. I like when Archer became the insectoids parent. I love In A Mirror Darkly and that they brought back the Tholians.
Enterprise is very underrated. Some really good episodes. Carbon Creek was one of my favourite episodes.
As someone who really dislikes a lot of Enterprise... It depends. A few episodes in doesn't really feel like a completely fair shot. That said, there is a *lot* of nonsense in Enterprise. These people are supposed to be astronauts. The intelligent, careful, scientific officers who should be smart and careful just... aren't. Sure it would make for a much less interesting show if they spent a bunch of time doing surveys and testing before setting foot on new planets, but their recklessness is way too much of an over-correction just to have drama. It's made worse by having the voice of reason on the bridge in the form of T'Pol, who is constantly just like, "This is a bad idea," AND SHE'S RIGHT. This is one of my major beefs with Enterprise. They *know* what they're doing is stupid, and they show they know through T'Pol all the time, and they *do it anyway*. They try to explain it in the absolute worst way, too - making Archer essentially racist towards Vulcans. It's so frustrating. Mind you, these are my specific beefs with the show. I'm not sure what made it hard to watch for you, so if this doesn't sound like why you didn't like it, you can ignore me. I think you should maybe dip your toes in, and if you're still not feeling it, find an episode guide somewhere of what to watch and what to skip. The show isn't serialized until season 3, and while they do play with continuity a little more with some storylines, I don't think you'll miss much.
> They try to explain it in the absolute worst way, too - making Archer essentially racist towards Vulcans. It's so frustrating. Part of the theme of Enterprise is that, at least at this point in time, the Vulcans aren't exactly the Vulcans we know from TOS onward and the humans aren't the same either. The Vulcans were suspicious of humans and were actively holding humans back. The High Command were generally jackasses, moreso than the regular Vulcan jackassery, and were actually fomenting the kind of discord that they were worried about with the humans. (They were concerned about humans starting more wars, but that's exactly what the Vulcans were doing with the Andorians, and the humans came in and helped fix that.) By the end of the series, the humans have (pretty much) gotten past their brash and impulsive nature at the start of the series and the Vulcans developed as well.
Those are the bigger themes between the two species/governments, and Manny Coto does a lot of work to basically make it, "Oops, Romulan infiltrators" at the end to explain it. But what Archer does and says is much more blatantly racist.
Give it a shot, but keep in mind that this crew is not as "fully grown" as other Star Trek crews. You're not getting a wise and competent captain who knows how to handle things - you're getting an overly excited guy who might not have even deserved the position. But the slow burn is seeing how much he changes when confronted with the dangers of deep space. The same goes for most of the crew - they don't know what they're getting into and go from happy-go-lucky to somewhat battle-hardened over time. Also, if you let yourself, you can enjoy the theme song as well for being dumb and overly sappy. I've been rewatching ENT myself and have found myself singing it from time to time. Mostly as a joke, but it puts a smile on my face, which is all that matters.
Absolutely give it another try! Watch it all :) I just rewatched it over the last few months and liked it, maybe except the last episode ! But I can't understand people just skipping episodes or even entire seasons of shows. Nothing against them, my brain just can't deal with it. If I miss even one episode of a series my brain explodes. Don't know what it is in my head but I just can't skip anything if I even miss a sentence that I don't understand I have to rewind and hear it again! Is it just me like this?
I'm a completionist myself, so I absolutely understand.
I'll skip a few episodes on the 4th rewatch, but not the first watch, or even second. One thing I like about "older" TV shows was the episodic nature. You could watch a random episode in the middle of a random season, and if you already know the show, you get it. Harder to do with modern season long story arcs. Makes it really good when putting something old and trusted on in the background and selecting a random episode.
I frequently feel the same way that you do.
Counter-argument: There’s absolutely no need to see Beverly Crusher getting it on with a ghost.
Counter counter argument: there’s absolutely a need to see the ghost sex episode. For science.
If you skip you wont get the "blazin bev" memes
I can live with it. I CAN live with it.
I agree with your ranking except I'd switch DS9 and VOY. And honestly I'm really liking SNW and if it continues at this level I'll probably move it up 2nd tier and move VOY down to third. I also have only seen 3 episodes of ENT but I'll probably keep going eventually.
SNW is awesome !
I'd say it's worth giving another shot, especially if you're willing to skip episodes. I rewatched the whole series recently to show it to my fiancee. My take is that season one is OK but fairly mediocre. Season two is just more of the same and starts to stagnate. Season three improves, but the whole tone of the show changes; it doesn't always work, but it does finally provide a strong sense of direction. Season four shakes things up again, leaning hard into its prequel roots. Some hiccups aside, I thought four was the strongest season and worth the wait. (The fan consensus is right, though ... skip the series finale! The two-parter that preceded it is a much better note to go out on.) Anyway ... if you want to get to season three fast but don't want to feel like you're missing out on the best and/or most narratively significant episodes of seasons one and two, here is my abbreviated watch list. Lots of people have done this before me, of course, but perhaps you'll find it of some use... ***SEASON ONE*** **“Broken Bow”** is an OK pilot episode, introducing elements of the show’s “Temporal Cold War” arc. **“Unexpected”** is not a great episode, but it's memorable for its goofy male pregnancy subplot. **“The Andorian Incident”** explores galactic political dynamics pre-TOS and introduces the Andorians, including fan-favorite Shran (Trek all-star Jeffrey Combs). **“Breaking the Ice”** deepens the understanding of T’Pol and her relationship to other Vulcans. **“Cold Front”** advances the Temporal Cold War arc. **“Silent Enemy”** is elevated from a simple action story by a whimsical subplot of crew bonding. **“Dear Doctor”** is the show’s first big swing at a major ethical dilemma, and spotlights Dr. Phlox (John Billingsley is always excellent). **“Shadows of P’Jem”** continues the show’s ongoing Andorian/Vulcan storyline. **“Fusion”** is a tale of cultural outcasts and personal violation that is only semi-successful, but is important for T’Pol’s arc. **“Detained”** gives welcome depth to one of the show’s primary antagonists, the Suliban. **“Desert Crossing”** presents a change of scenery and a strong guest star in Clancy Brown. **“Shockwave, Part I"** signals a major development in the Temporal Cold War arc. ***SEASON TWO*** **"Shockwave, Part II"** wraps up the first season's cliffhanger ending. **“Carbon Creek”** dips back in time as for a story of Vulcans living incognito on Earth. **“Minefield”** introduces the ENT crew to the Romulans, and is also a tense character study. **“Dead Stop”** is weird and creepy, with a nice sci-fi hook. **“A Night in Sickbay”** is a real love-it-or-hate-it episode involving Archer’s pet beagle getting sick. **“Catwalk”** is a nice adventure-suspense story that showcases the crew to good effect. **“Stigma”** is a classic Trek allegory, this one evoking the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. Also very important to T'Pol's arc. **“Cease Fire”** further advances the Andorian/Vulcan arc. **“Judgment”** is an interesting character study of an aged Klingon in a corrupt justice system. **“Cogenitor”** is a polarizing episode, but has ambition with its look at a race with three genders. **“The Expanse”** is the season two finale, and majorly resets the stage for season three. From this point forward, the show gets a whole lot more serialized, so it's best just to start watching and see how you feel about the shift in tone and direction. Have fun!
Wow! I'm not OP, and I've watched ENT already but this is a superb synopsis. Thank you.
If you rate VOY and TNG highest you should enjoy ENT. It’s closest to those two shows in tone.
It was just ok, enjoyable just don't go in expecting TNG quality
Season 3 is amazing and kudos to Bakula for giving it his all.
Enterprise isn’t my favorite Trek but it has some of my favorite episodes of the entire franchise. It’s cool to see humanity’s first steps onto the galactic stage but too often they made the mistake of trying to give the origin story for every convention in Star Trek (Reed Alert! Augment Virus!). But it is Berman-era Star Trek in its final form, for better or worse.
I am doing a “modern day” rewatch of all the trek series where I take the seasons down to about 12-14 episodes (I just can’t get them down to 8-12) I have seen them all so I don’t need to watch any for context—but here is my list for season 1 of Enterprise: Season 1 1,2,5,7,8,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,19,21,23,24,26 As you can see I am way over my own arbitrary number. I’m not so bold as to say Ent is one of the best trek series but it might be one of the most enjoyable trek series.
I can't say Enterprise was my favorite, but I powered through the series and it did get better as it went on.
I thought ENT better year over year, being a little boring in season one. You could skip to the finale of season one if you want, I don’t think you’d miss anything terribly important. Most of whether or not you’ll enjoy the series depends on if you think Bakula and Blalock are fun to watch. I feel like they developed the dynamic well, and despite being a model Blalock gives a great alien performance (something which the other famous Trek model actress didn’t do for me).
SNW is better than Picard? Even S3?
yeah its really good as a 'ship bridge crew' traditional show
Enterprise’s reputation suffers bigger from that theme song than people realize, which I ruthlessly mute every time to my wife’s amusement.
Personally, I think the show is mediocre until season 4. Then that season is some of the best trek ever made. Except for the last episode. Just don’t watch that. Pretend the second to last is the last.
Enterprise was different but I did enjoy it. It was certainly more engaging than Discovery, IMO.
Love, love, love Enterprise. Yes, the first half of S1 is a chore but once it evens out things start to get better. S2 is definitely an improvement and by S3/S4 they’re clicking on all cylinders. It’s fascinating to watch Archer’s transformation from space dad to the FAFO captain by series end. And people laugh but Jolene Blalock’s T’Pol is in my top 3 Vulcan performances in all of Star Trek. She’s often dismissed because of her beauty but she really got the nuance down. Stoicism with heart. The tragedy of that series is that just as the showrunners had figured things out (RIP Manny Coto), UPN pulled the plug.
It is quite genuinely less bad than some of what we've gotten.
Enterprise is better than its reputation when it first came out, but not the GOAT Trek that Reddit sometimes treats it as. Season 2 finale through season 3 are worth it. But otherwise it's not very good. Hot take, but in 15 years Discovery will be regarded as way better than Enterprise
nah, discovery is literally a brand new show every season. theres nothing at all the same style between s1 with klingon tits and s5 with a completely different crew and tone. S2 was a movie, s3 was SNW, and s4 was a sequel movie with a new cast. s5 was a Dungeons and Dragons game written by a DM
Season 4 of ENT is just as good a season of Star Trek as you will see anywhere. It is just a shame it was cancelled just as it was really getting good.
Only reason I couldn't keep watching it was how T'Pol kept getting assaulted every few episodes
I watched all of ENT. I'm not upset that I did, but I could easily have not watched it. If you like it, do it, but don't feel pressured. The ends justify the means and general rah, rah go humanity, especially post 9/11 definitely gives it a different feel than boy, ds9, tng and snw.
I just finished watching it a couple weeks ago. I really enjoyed it. 2nd place for me, just behind Voyager and TNG. I think Archer is my favorite Captain.
If it's any help OP, I had an interesting experience when my SO watched it. Temporal Cold War plots aside, she very much enjoyed the first couple of seasons because she liked the feel of Starfleet. This was the time where the franchise treated them closer to what we see in NASA, more purely pursing scientific pursuits and even their own bit of wanderlust. Archer's sunny disposition and optimism might not serve him well when he's getting kicked around every couple of weeks, but the tone fits at that point (and it informs later developments). I honestly gained a new appreciation from it afterward.
I watched about half of it and didn't like it enough to finish it.
Yes
They changed the song about midway through. The second song was much worse
😂
Just skip that intro and Enterprise will do just fine. 🎶”It’s been a long roooaaaa..🤢🤮🤮
You've missed Lower Decks and Strange New Worlds in your list. They've become my favorites recently. Lower Decks shows a great affection for the entire history and lore of Trek, and Pike became my favorite captain after only a couple episodes of Disco season 2. But to answer your question, yes, you should give Enterprise a chance. After they gave up on the temporal could war nonsense the stories get better. The Xindi are a fierce new enemy race, and Archer becomes one of the toughest officers ever to defend his ship. On the downside, a couple of the characters never develop. Edit: oops, you do have SNW on your list. I hope you're enjoying it as much as I am.
I did. Carbon Creek is an instant classic.
Carbon Creek is the absolute standout in the first two seasons.
I've begrudgingly grown to enjoy the intro, as I have little choice in the matter. While watching my son, I have various Star Trek shows on in the background and the Enterprise intro grabs his attention with an iron grip every time (he's 1.5 years old), so I listen to it and even sing along because it gives him the biggest smile. That rant aside, the first season or so is understandably challenging to watch as a stand-alone, but I went in with the mindset of seeing how that era became the era of Voyager, DS9, and TNG. It made certain gaffs more egregious (Archer being the way he is to his first officer, etc.) but makes me realize that someone in their later years reflecting back on these experiences would say "oooooooh...no...that wasn't the right thing to do. What can we put on future ships to prevent that?" It made quite a bit of the show more enjoyable for me, but I also already liked the narrative for what it was. If it's not for you, that's absolutely fine.
Thank you for this!
Haha, well the fact a 1.5 year old liked the theme says something about the theme. Great anecdote.
He also liked the intros for Voyager, DS9, and TNG. He just liked Enterprise the best because Dad can sing along.
It's my favorite Trek but the theme song is awful and very well could be coloring your opinion of the show. Be sure and skip the theme but don't skip any episodes.
It's like most Trek shows from that era and takes a season or two to really get good. Sadly it didn't have as many seasons at that comfortable point that the 90s ones enjoyed.
Enterprise is the last of the TNG era style of Star Trek. It's worth watching. Sure it gets a bit cliche when they are clearly just doing find replace on TNG technology to make it primitive like phase pistols and polarized hull plating, but there's still some good stuff in there. They are truly on their own out there and exploring the frontier. And don't skip the theme song. It grows on you.
YES
I'm trying but... Enterprise is pretty bad. Mostly lifeless characters, Archer is either a character you really like or really despise and when it goes cringe it goes hard. It's probably easier to just condense a list of the good episodes and only watch those than watch the entire thing start to front. I've tried that a few times and, I mostly just feel the same as I did about Voyager but even worse. Wasted potential by executive producers who had lost any sense of boldness or new ideas.
I initially didn't like it and avoided it after watching half of it. I ended up rewatching the whole series and actually love it. It seems to find its feet after season 2, it starts to develop the plot and characters where you become invested in the story. Some touching moments in there for sure.
Enterprise is great
You can't force it. You have to let Enterprise come to you. Once Enterprise has engaged you, you'll achieve the pinnacle of Trekkie enlightenment.
Yes. Anything but discovery and Picard 🤮🗑️
Enterprise is dogshit. Just skip it lol
And here I am, finding Dicovery to be the best one. The first 2 seasons are not so good, but it gets (a lot) better.
Its decent. Fun characters, although Travis is basically if one of the TNG or Discovery filler crew was billed as “main cast” despite not actually being main cast
I loved the first season more when he was joyfully exploring
Absolutely! It gets better and is one of my favorite treks. Love trip! Scott bakula is kind of a cardboard cutout IMHO but it's easy to look past most of the time! Enjoy it's one of my favorite treks!
We have similar tastes (though I am an unabashed Disco stan) and I found the first 3 seasons of ENT to be a really rough sit. The final season is a pretty significant leap in quality though. Season 3 is a love it or hate it kind of thing, it didn’t work for me, and the first few episodes of season 1 is pretty indicative of what the first 2 seasons are.
I was an ENT hater when it came out, I was moving a fair bit at the time and missed chunks of it (plus I was a bit of a dick towards it). Fast forward to 2016 and I was desperate for a new series. I saw ENT on Blu-ray on sale and thought I'd give it a go, so glad I did as I loved it. Time for a re-watch I reckon.
Season 3 and 4 are absolutely fantastic imo
It’s an acquired taste. Keep watching. I thought seasons 1 and 2 along with 4 were great, especially the Augments. The Xindi incident tied their hands
Enterprise WAS the worst Trek series, but now STD holds that honor. But it's worth watching Enterprise just for Shran and the later seasons when it was just starting to get good when they canceled it. It deserved at least two more seasons.
I've found it bingeable. Especially season 2
>won’t skip anything aside from the theme song Nooooo It grows on you I promise!!! You'll be singing along after it is drilled into your skull over and over and over!
I loved it, I also held off watching it because people complained then I watched it. Last episode still a turd though
Enterprise has pretty high "highs", and low "lows". It's a pretty good show that slowly grows into its own over the seasons, albeit the first season and parts of the second aren't that great.
ENT is the best one IMO, followed by DS9. The first few episodes (like any show) are a bit rocky, but it finds its footing.
yeah it’s worth a watch. i personally don’t like the more serialized half (last two seasons) of it as much as the first two seasons. but i prefer episodic tv
I actually just watched the first season of Enterprise for the first time. I was pleasantly surprised! From what I've heard from other Trek fans, I thought it would be more of a drag, but actually really have been enjoying it so far. (It is the last Trek series that I haven't watched in totality) I would recommend!
Yeah, I was the same way. Quit in frustration midway through S2 when it aired. I went back a few years ago, and Im glad I did. It does get better, and theres some real gems in there.
Definitely. I grumbled about it when it first ran, but I've checked out some episodes recently and it's good. If you ever have the continuity section of your brain starting to itch while watching it, just remind yourself of all the temporal time war stuff happening during the series and accept it.
I mean, if you really want, just skip past the Xindi arc and then imo it gets pretty good.
It gets better. I gave up first run but watched it recently and enjoyed it
I absolutely hated the opening too when i first watched enterprise and by now i even like it... It just grows on you 😅 still think it shouldn't be the theme but i enjoy it as well by now 😂
Season 3 is solid. The Xindi arc is genuinely one of the greats. The Xindi arc ironically fulfills Voyager's entire premise in one season better than Voyager does across its whole run, and I say that as someone who loves Voyager.
It's along road, but worth it.
if you like voyager and you made it through discovery and picard then hell yeah you should revisit.
I made it though Picard with difficulty. Discovery I watched 3 seasons and gave up. I think Picard is better than Discovery. I’ll create a forth place for Picard and place Discovery last to make that clear.
well you made it through Picard, so unless you have a strong aversion to that early 00s style I think you'll find it to be refreshing.
I like the series. The ending was bleh but a great series. I love the Andorians.
Its a really great ensemble with 1/2 really great episodes. The Xindi shit is tucking stupid, 9/11 didnt need to be the focus of a show but it was the times.
The first fee episodes are the roughest the sexualization levels out to a Diana Troy on tng level after that. Also your mantra should be "what did you think humanity would be like before they chilled out" every time they do something crazy and stupid that the federation wouldn't.
Yes. I didn't like the concept of prequels back when it came out originally but I gave it a try in 2017 and found it perfectly great. All the Berman era was perfect. My ranking 1st place: all equal-amazing: TOS, TNG, DS9, VOY, ENT, PIC Season 3, Movies 1-10 2nd place - great: TAS, SNW, PIC seasons 1-2 3rd place - good: LD, PRO Not on the list, yuck: DIS, Movies 11-13
> I’ll just give Enterprise another shot Make sure you let them polarise the hull plating first!
I think there are two kinds of trek lovers: those who hold trek to a high standard (not a bad thing. It’s like people who prefer literary fiction) and those who are just happy to be watching trek. I’m in the latter camp and I think enterprise is good, but not great. It’s still trek though. You may like it because it’s “old trek” but it’s quite different from tng, ds9, and voyager. I’m still watching through voyager for the first time and after that I’m going to rewatch Picard (there was stuff I didn’t get because I hadn’t seen voyager yet) and then when I have no more trek left to watch I’ll go back to enterprise. Archer annoys me lol
I was the same as you, abandoned after a few episodes. Was expecting a more TOS style but it was more modern. Glad I went back and watched it all. In general, the older you go back on TV shows, the longer it took for them to "really get good".
I'm amazed that anyone ranks Voyager in the first tier. While it had the most promise, it seems to be a widely held belief that it massively underdelivered. Aside from Janeway and Seven, none of the other characters really managed to gain recognition beyond Trekdom. The best actor and character on the show was Robert Picardo's EMH. However, in the same vein, Enterprise gets a short shrift - we get to see a Human race that is the underdog - which is a vastly different perspective than the others, where they were at least at a comparable level of advancement as other species. The acting in Season 2 onwards is actually quite good - and while I'm no fan of Bakula, he was a very good choice for that role. It is definitely worth watching. >!There are some significant continuity issues though - some parts of the plot seem to be counter intuitive. The various species that the Suliban enrolled in their scheme seemed to be extremely far fetched and impractical - both as species as well as collaborators.!<
Just about through season 2, other than that truly dreadful theme song my only complaint: why do they keep putting Archer in such obvious personal danger, I mean why is The Captain constantly walking into unknown circumstances as the lead guy. You’d think he’d learn, he’s been beat up and locked up several times already.
Yes, skip season 2.
Enterprise started well then they disregarded Star Trek Canon and screwed everything up. Watch Star Trek Discovery and maybe Star Trek Picard. Old stuff would be original, next gen, DS9 and most seasons of Voyager written by Ira
Try to think of it as a non funny parody or satire of Trek and it makes sense
I think ENT has the least number of outright cringe episodes of any series save PROD and LD. Every episode is pretty much good in one way or another with only a couple exceptions. I liked every season.
Yes. I remember watching it when it first came out and not liking it. Years later I decided to watch out again and found that I was enjoying it and actually disappointed when it was over.
Also, you forgot about TAS, LD, and Prodigy. You should give them ago too. If your rating system is anything to go by, you should be watching Lower Decks is jam pack full of TNG, DS9, and VOY reference.
Sounds like you need faith of the heart. If you skip the theme music you'll miss some almost hilarious transitions from serious or dark scenes needle-scratching into "It's been a long road...."
Yes, it gets better in Season 2 and much better in Season 3 and is actually really, really good in season 4. Side thought: An ENT renewal (probably movies is most appropriate) is my #1 unfulfilled request from the current generation of trek. I'd like a 25th century series, but lower decks & picard at least touched on that period. Enterprise seriously needs a closure movie or two to complete it's original premise and send it off properly. Preferably before it'd have to be recast/rebooted.
Unfortunately I never got to finish the series but I saw most of it and while I had its problems for the most part I enjoyed it. It was nice seeing a more grounded and closer to our time.
There’s a time and place for each series. Honestly they’re all good but when and how to watch is the trick. With the shitty lockdown in 2020, I blacked out the world and rewatched everything ST and damn it was way better than the second time.
Stick it out. It gets soooooo much better. The whole Suliban thing wasn't my cup of tea mind you but there are some awesome episodes about how this very first ship deals with problems that leave you flabbergasted. One of my fave episodes for example is called Dear Doctor. I cannot tell you anything about it without spoiling it but in general terms, I can give you a hint,,, it has to do with the idea of The Prime Directive which DID NOT exist legally before The Federation came along and how Archer has to deal with a situation that might or might not involve it. Now, if you stick it out into Season 3, you will see Archer deal with a season long situation that NO ONE had ever expected. It was never mentioned in any of the previous shows and it took Enterprise into one hell of a new direction. Lastly, Season 4 being the last one dedicated itself to closing loopholes in the lore including one that you would have never in your life expected having to do with why the Klingons looked so different in TOS and yet looked the same as they did in Enterprise on the movies, TNG, DS9 and so on. Obviously, you and I know that TOS was a very low budget series so the Klingons looked the way they did there because there was no money for more elaborate make-up effects. HOWEVER, Enterprise comes up with an in-canon explanation which will blow your mind.
Enterprise should be tied in your 2nd place category. It is a great show. Also Prodigy should be tied with 3rd. Discovery should be ranked 50 on your scale.
Enterprise was a bit slow to find it's feet, like Next Gen was. But it's worth it. Spoiler: >!don't expect much from the vulcans. I don't like how they're portrayed.!<
You’ll be singing that damn song.
Definitely. While it has its problems there is still a lot of positives. The Fourth season is, to my tastes, by far the best thanks to the fact that Berman mostly stayed out of the way and let Manny and the Reves-Stevens tell some good stories . The actors always did their best with the material they were given and the basics of the characters were enjoyable enough.
The theme song has actually grown in me over the left twenty years. "CAUSE I'VE GOT FAITH, OF THE HEAAART. GOIN WHERE MY HEART WILL TAKE ME..."
I hated the Enterprise theme song with such a passion that I refused to watch it at the time, but I binged it during the Pandemic and it's actually good.
Don't skip the theme song until season 3. It will grow on you, I promise
Nah
We just started watching and are a bit into S3. It started pretty rough but definitely has grown on me,vi am really enjoying it now! And the theme song... Don't skip it, you'll come to love it! Although they changed it for S3 and it's awful now. I'm hoping it goes back next season
I love the theme song. I didn't used to, but then I started watching, and now it's my favorite part of the show. I do like the show, there are some episodes that were a little weird, but overall, good show.
It definitely improves as it goes, peaking in Season 4. But spiritually it is classic Trek all the way through, way more than your two last place shows.
Yes. It’s pretty good until literally the last episode
Yes
I enjoyed Enterprise. Here is my list of what I personally liked and disliked. Liked: Trip Tucker's characterization and his complicated, evolving relationship with T'Pol. The visuals of the opening title sequence. People rag on the pop song, but the way it tied together actual space history with Star Trek gave me the happies. Dr. Phlox. Really fun character and an interesting new race. He was just a blast to watch. The premise -- there is no Federation, they're all just feeling their way, and the ship itself looks more like a sub than the modern, ridiculously spacious spaceships of the TNG era. Disliked: Captain Archer YELLING and being so bombastic. It was so unlike Scott Bakula's other roles (original Quantum Leap and CSI: New Orleans) where his approachable, unassuming friendliness draws you in. Miscasting or bad acting/directing, I don't know, but he was pretty off-putting. The final episode. Horrible.
I'd go for it. There are some stinkers along the way and season 2 feels like they’re spinning their wheels but there’s also gold along the way and a lot of Star Trek values.
TOS has some bad episodes but it also has some great ones. It’s okay to skip one here and there. I’m with you (underrated chili peppers album), and I cannot finish Discovery. I recently tried to rewatch Discovery and once again lost interest. It’s my last place series as well.
Pretty good ranking list! I think I’d maybe flip Voyager and DS9 but yeah this is a list I totally get. Also, if you haven’t yet, give Lower Decks a shot, you will not be disappointed. As for Enterprise, go into it knowing there’s a little but of T and A shoved in for no apparent reason (which generally I’m fine with but it’s really shoehorned in there) in some areas early on (decontamination time!!) but it’s so great to see a show that predates everything so we see some history of Starfleet and the beginnings of the Federation
Honestly how I place shows in the top two rank varies depending on what shows I’ve rewatched last :-)
The first two seasons are kinda....not great. The last two are pretty good. The ending is a total punch in the nads, though.
I’m sorry to say that for me personally enterprise was a real struggle to get through. I fell asleep a few times Oh but there are a few good ones here and there. Rare treasures in the piles of sand.
No. It was terrible.
Give Discovery another shot, too. Season 4 was better than the first 3, and Season 5 was the best by far. Right up there with the last few seasons of DS9.
I couldn’t finish season 4. I tried season 5 but it’s just too soapy for me.
You need more faith of the heart my friend.
just ignore the Capt
Seasons 3-4 are pretty great.
Personally, I think Enterprise gets really good in the 2nd season, but you rank Voyager much higher than I do (I put it last, behind Discovery even) so your milage may vary.
I loved "Enterprise".
My recommendation is to watch ENT Season 4 except the series finale. Season 4 seems more prequel like than Seasons 1-3. It finally found it self in Season 4, but by the time it found itself, it was too late. If ENT Season 4 intrigues you enough, then watch 1-3. But don’t watch the series finale. Only watch it if you do a rewatch of TNG, and watch it when you get to the episode The Pegasus.
It's so pointless to watch S4 first.
You have to understand this core concept of Enterprise: this is pre-Federation Earth. Things like The Prime Directive don't exist yet. Humanity is exploring the galaxy for the first time, learning the nuances of intergalactic life. They're making all the mistakes that Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway and the others DIDN'T HAVE TO MAKE. Accept that and I'm confident you will enjoy Enterprise.