Star Trek Enterprise (Season 3A)

Season 2d -- Season 3b

It might have taken something like a week of sitting around, done with where I am at but not yet able to head to where I need to be, to get me back into “Enterprise.” I am confirming the probable reasons that there were only ever 4 seasons of this Trek. The characters, ideas, and potential are all good, but the stories are consistently a let-down.

Season Three picks up where things were set-up at the end of Two. And considering the time when this stuff aired—2033-2004—it is probably safe to view this all as a big metaphor for the war on terror. So that at least gives us potential all these 16 years later, to find relevance today. The world has worked itself up into a frenzy of nationalism and xenophobia in the days since 911.

Episode 53: “The Xindi”

Enterprise has become a military ship with the mission of finding the enemy and defeating them before they can finish the attack that they started. Questions abound. The attack on earth was carried out because the enemy were told we are a threat—information they got from the future. Could that intel be a case of self-fulfilling prophecy? Are these Xindi universally bad, or is it a mere faction? We learn that the Xindi are actually a collection of 5 diverse species, who are not all in agreement with each other.

But all of these questions are set-up for the season to come, so we don’t get any answers yet.

Episode 54: “Anomaly”

Further set-up for a season-long arch. Pirates who are trapped in this area of space attack other ships for survival. It seems that the Enterprise is locked into an area of space with a lot of potential enemies, all trapped. So the Xindi will not be the only problem going forward.

Episode 55: “Extinction”

This is a mess of an attempt at the tired, old Trek story where our heroes get converted into another species. Never mind that the science in this science-fiction is laughably bad, the preaching at the end is worse. Archer declares at the end of the episode that he is not about to commit genocide, even as he is trying to avoid the genocide of his own race. A noble and good sentiment to be sure, and needed in the context and at the time of the show, but did it have to be spelled out so clumsily?

Episode 56: “Rajiin”

Archer falls for an obvious attempt by the enemy to infiltrate the Enterprise with a Mata Hari. It would be a fun story of intrigue and spy-warfare if it weren’t executed so poorly.

Episode 57: “Impulse”

This is an attempt at horror from the makers of Trek, complete with the nightmare stinger at the end. That is all.

Episode 58: “Exile”

Ever wonder what a Trek version of Beauty and the Beast would be like? I thought it might have more singing.