Star Trek: Enterprise is often regarded as the red-headed step child of the Star Trek pantheon. However, at its best, it produced some of the finest Star Trek episodes ever released. The issue is that the writing was uneven, and so at its worst, a few episodes simply should never had been produced, and often served as distraction more than carrying forward the narrative.
The irony is season four is widely considered nearly flawless, with many outstanding episodes. The fourth season explored many concepts as back story that helped fill gaps in the narration told by previous Star Trek series.
But prior seasons also produced outstanding episodes, with Similitude widely considered one of the finest Star Trek episodes ever produced. Writer Manny Coto leveraged this remarkable episode into becoming the executive producer in seasons three and four.
Ultimately, the damage in ratings from below par season one and two episodes doomed the series to ending at four years vice the planned fifth. It was revealed that the fifth season would have focused on the Romulan War, which remains an unfulfilled portion of the Star Trek canon.
Had season four episodes led the series off, it is likely Enterprise would have enjoyed a far more successful run. It didn't help that the series was the cornerstone of the fledgling United Paramount Network, and so suffered from uneven network support in the first few years.
Overall, Enterprise produced a string of outstanding narratives deserving of wide praise. The acting was overall excellent, and when those actors were given quality scripts to work from, the results were often some of the best Star Trek ever released.
The irony is season four is widely considered nearly flawless, with many outstanding episodes. The fourth season explored many concepts as back story that helped fill gaps in the narration told by previous Star Trek series.
But prior seasons also produced outstanding episodes, with Similitude widely considered one of the finest Star Trek episodes ever produced. Writer Manny Coto leveraged this remarkable episode into becoming the executive producer in seasons three and four.
Ultimately, the damage in ratings from below par season one and two episodes doomed the series to ending at four years vice the planned fifth. It was revealed that the fifth season would have focused on the Romulan War, which remains an unfulfilled portion of the Star Trek canon.
Had season four episodes led the series off, it is likely Enterprise would have enjoyed a far more successful run. It didn't help that the series was the cornerstone of the fledgling United Paramount Network, and so suffered from uneven network support in the first few years.
Overall, Enterprise produced a string of outstanding narratives deserving of wide praise. The acting was overall excellent, and when those actors were given quality scripts to work from, the results were often some of the best Star Trek ever released.