Star Trek Enterprise

The Complete Seasons 1-4

Paramount

Regions 1, 2 and 4 DVD Sets

Reviewer: Michelle Taylor

When I first watched the beginning of "Enterprise" I was rather dismayed. What is this musak? Where was the Star Trek title? And the jingoistic patriotism! It was so unlike what has gone before (and not in a good way). Having said that, I have found the show itself quite enjoyable, entertaining and as always with Star Trek optimistic and hopeful for a brighter and more tolerant future. This became especially more pronounced with changes to the music and the tone of the series in the second season. With time I have become rather fond of Star Trek: Enterprise, the adventures of Captain Archer (his adorable Beagle!) and his brave, bold and daring crew.

I do have some problem with Star Trek’s predictable and formulaic approach, such as... the name of a ship is nearly always Enterprise, why not the Endeavour or the Discovery? And surely it would have been a good gesture to all the devoted Star Trek fans around the world to have included a foreign actor or actress (an Australian a European or an Indian for example) in the Enterprise cast, other than the usual Americans or Brits. I also feel saddened that there has not yet been a bisexual, gay or lesbian character in any Star Trek series. Indeed it has not even had an episode or plot relating to LGBT sexuality in any Star Trek production, unfortunately this includes Enterprise. Of all the shows on television Star Trek has no excuse, the Federation of Planets is meant to be cosmopolitan and diverse isn't it? I think an enlightened organisation like this would not exclude people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, and that this topical issue should have been addressed by the makers of Star Trek if they wanted it to remain relevant to a post-modern audience. If Gene Roddenberry was still alive today I believe the subject of a transsexual, gay, lesbian or bi character in a Star Trek series would have been breached in a positive and embracing way many years ago.

I also think Enterprise is at times a little bit gung-ho and brash, indeed even brimming with Americanism and that this is not in keeping with the general Star Trek ethos. But, I do realise that Star Trek: Enterprise is set at the beginning of humanities exploration of space and that the crew does not yet have a "prime directive" to guide their actions, so they make many honest mistakes. With time the United Federation of Planets will be founded to bring many of the disparate and warring species of our quadrant of space together in a spirit of cooperation and mutual benifit, The Enterprise NX-01 crew will play a seminal role in its foundation.

So despite these misgivings, I do enjoy watching Enterprise and have looked forward to each new episode, especially in the last two seasons. The thought provoking stories, the attention to the details of the sleekly stylish sets and props witch have a Bauhaus feel, the moody and dramatic lighting, the beautiful costumes, the look of the aliens and their varied cultures or the special effects is as with all Star Trek productions impeccable and tasteful. The cast is made up of talented people that make you care what happens to their respective characters. Enterprise works very hard within the character development and plot department. All these elements combined make Enterprise addictive viewing, and what sets it (like all Star Trek series) apart from other lesser sci-fi shows. I also like the new idea of a story-arc that spans whole seasons, rather than plot which are primarily episode based. It is a great shame that Enterprise had been cut short after only four seasons and will not be able to complete its seven year mission, especially as it is just getting into its stride. I feel like many other Trekkies it seems, that the Paramount "executives" have made a rash error of judgement in cancelling Enterprise. Surely it would have been a wiser decision to let Enterprise run its full course of seven seasons and then to have waited to see if there is still a market for a new Star Trek series?

We should thank the heavens for DVD so that the valiant but ill fated, Star Trek: Enterprise series will at least be saved for posterity as a valuable and treasured part of the Star Trek canon. The sleek silver casing that the DVDs come in is truly elegant, I just wish there had been seven of them!

The special features are fantastic too, with animated menus they provide hours of behind the scenes info and trivia that gives one a deeper appreciation of what goes into making a series like Enterprise. If you are a Trekkie Star Trek: Enterprise should be on your wishlist if you are collecting the various series on DVD, for the completist like me I would not have it otherwise.