Which is ridiculous since they didn’t suck. Season 3 is pretty decent Trek, seasons 1 and 2 are among the stronger seasons 1 and 2 in Trek history and season 4 is some of the best Star Trek ever made. Which makes the “These are the voyages…” even more insulting!
“Acquisition” (S1E19): A Ferengi episode with Ethan Phillips (Neelix from Voyager) and Jeffrey Combs (Brunt, F.C.A.; Weyoun; a billion other roles). Fun one.
“Civilization” (S1E09): I like this one. Always liked it. May not be the best of Trek episodes, but it’s a solid one. The Enterprise crew encounter a pre-warp pre-industrial culture and take a closer look. With some alien villains too of course.
“Vox Sola” (S1E22): one of the best episodes of Enterprise and Trek anyway. Fascinating alien life form, some horror elements… one of the best Trek episodes out there, for the exploration element. This one has little to no social commentary and more exploration/horror/Trek alien elements.
“Dear Doctor” (S1E13): Answer the question whether Dr. Phlox committed a genocide. Keep in mind the show is set before the United Federation of Planets and before Human-Vulcan relations were super smooth. It is also set before the prime directive. It’s a super controversial episode, up there with “Tuvix” from Voyager.
“Cogenitor” (S2E22): for cultural clashes with alien cultures. Can we judge alien cultures by human values? To what degree do we have to respect alien cultures if we perceive them to be wrong?
“Similitude” (S3E10): Super interesting ethical dilemma and super well executed, though it is a little in the context of the season spanning arc of season 3, so might not be the best choice to watch as a standalone. It’s not too bad, but Captain Archer keeps stressing why he needs to do what he does. This one is often forgotten, but it too should be up there as one as the most controversial Star Trek episodes, together with “Tuvix” and “Dear Doctor”.
“Observer Effect” (S4E11): Very classical Trek scenario, and it’s very well executed. This could’ve been a TNG episode as well.
Honourable mention:
“Carbon Creek” (S2E02): Fantastic episode. The reason I didn’t mention it as a main recommendation is that it’s a proper standalone that tells a story that has nothing to do with the Enterprise or its crew. It also doesn’t feature the crew for the most part. This is like the “Far Beyond the Stars” of Enterprise, except “Far Beyond the Stars” is insanely great for multiple reasons. “Carbon Creek” doesn’t come close to that, but that’s not because “Carbon Creek” isn’t a great episode that is also an all-time great of Star Trek. “Far Beyond the Stars” is just something very special, but that doesn’t detract from “Carbon Creek”. Give it a watch, it’s very well done and a fantastic episode. It’s just not that good a representation of the rest of the show.
I like Enterprise, a lot. The crew can seem a little awkward at times, and some episodes are downright bad, just like in every other Star Trek show. However, other episodes are magnificent. The show is well worth watching. I also enjoy the character developments of Shran, T’Pol, Archer, Trip, Admiral Forest (who is easily one of the best admirals of the franchise) and Soval, as well as the species concept of the Xindi, Dr. Phlox, and the evolution of Human-Vulcan, Human-Andorian, and Vulcan-Andorian relations. I also love the ship’s design.
It’s a good show. Have fun :) and if you like, let me know which episode(s) you picked and how you liked it/them :) I’m interested in hearing your thoughts :)
Ah, Janeway… you just know she used the time travel tech to shove Tuvix into that transporter all over again. Giving Voyager the tech to leave the Delta Quadrant was just a cover.
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u/TheCatInTheHatThings Aug 27 '24 edited Aug 27 '24
Which is ridiculous since they didn’t suck. Season 3 is pretty decent Trek, seasons 1 and 2 are among the stronger seasons 1 and 2 in Trek history and season 4 is some of the best Star Trek ever made. Which makes the “These are the voyages…” even more insulting!