Star Trek: Enterprise

Did You Know?

• The first novel based on the series was Broken Bow, authored by Diane Carey for Pocket Books and released in October 2001.
• The first original novel was By the Book, published in January 2002, written by Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Katheryn Rusch, who had not seen any episodes at the time of writing.
• Other books expanded on character backgrounds, such as What Price Honor? concentrating on Reed and Daedalus describing Tucker's work on a previous warp vessel.

Series overview

Star Trek: Enterprise follows the crew of the first starship Enterprise, designation NX-01, the first deep space explorers in Starfleet using the first warp five capable vessel. The Vulcans have withheld advanced technology from humanity since first contact, concerned that humans were not ready, which delayed human space exploration and caused resentment in test pilot Jonathan Archer, whose father developed the Warp 5 engine but did not live to see it used. The Enterprise was equipped with less-advanced technologies than those seen in later series: it had no tractor beam but used grappler cables, and used missiles instead of particle weapons; in Season 1, phase cannons were added. It had limited means of synthesizing foods and other consumables. Communications Officer Linguist Hoshi Sato's expertise in linguistics helps compensate for the lack of an advanced universal translator. The series showed the crew making first contacts with races previously seen in the franchise, such as the Klingons, who appear in the pilot with ridged makeup as seen from the movie franchise onward, rather than the smooth-headed versions from The Original Series. Berman and Braga attributed this to advancements in makeup, and the change was later justified by a plague caused by genetic experimentation in the two-part arc "Affliction" and "Divergence." Electronics in Enterprise were more compact than those of previous series, as real-world advances made devices from The Original Series and Voyager seem anachronistically oversized. The first season emphasized a core trio: Jonathan Archer, T'Pol, and Trip Tucker. Other main characters had primary roles in particular episodes. The second season saw deepening relationships, such as the friendship between Tucker and Reed, and the contentious relationship between Tucker and T'Pol that leads to romance in later seasons.

Production

Prior to the end of Star Trek: Voyager and after the end of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in June 1999, Paramount approached Rick Berman and Brannon Braga about a fifth Star Trek series, either to overlap with Voyager's final season or to follow it. Berman had created Deep Space Nine with Michael Piller and Voyager with Piller and Jeri Taylor, and wanted to work with Braga on a series concept. While fans online suggested a series based on Starfleet Academy or the adventures of Hikaru Sulu, the producers ensured no information leaked about the concept; the Academy idea was never properly considered. Instead, they opted for a prequel to The Original Series set after the events in Star Trek: First Contact, as Braga and Berman felt this period was unexplored. The idea was to portray the first deep space explorers, with Braga explaining that everything would be new to the crew and their reactions more contemporary. They sought feedback from members of the United States Navy submarine service, reflected in design work such as the uniforms. Network executives needed convincing of a prequel's viability, having assumed the franchise would go further into the future. The initial idea for the first season to be almost entirely set on Earth, with the Enterprise rushed to completion to respond to first contact with the Klingons, was rejected by studio executives; these story elements were restricted to the pilot, "Broken Bow."

Broadcast and release

The pilot, "Broken Bow," was watched by 12.5 million viewers on its first broadcast on UPN during the first full week of the new television season. It was felt that combining Enterprise with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Roswell would cross-promote due to genre links, including a crossover episode of Roswell where a character auditions before Jonathan Frakes for a role on Enterprise. After the first few weeks, ratings were considered solid enough that the series was expected to run seven seasons like The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager, but viewing figures decreased toward the end of the season. For the third season, changes included the introduction of the season-long Xindi storyline, which improved reviews and viewers in the 18–35 demographic, but overall ratings continued to decline. UPN cut the third-season episode order from 26 to 24, and the fourth season was shortened to 22 episodes, resulting in 98 episodes total at cancellation. At cancellation, Enterprise remained the highest-rated drama series on UPN. The series went immediately into broadcast syndication, with arrangements made by UPN prior to cancellation. In the UK, it first aired on Sky One, then on Channel 4 in July 2002, becoming the first Star Trek series not broadcast terrestrially by the BBC. In Australia, it aired on the Nine Network. All four seasons entered U.S. syndication the week of September 17, 2005, initially aired out of sequence.

Reception

The debut season of Enterprise earned a generally favorable response. Critics liked the premiere, "Broken Bow," with Ed Bark of Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service describing it as coming together in an "impressive fashion." In The Boston Herald, Brandon Easton praised the cast as "impeccable" and the writing as "strong," even though he felt the underlying concept was questionable. Charlie McCollum, also writing for Knight Ridder, thought the premise was "great," though he had not yet watched the episode. Dan Snierson of Entertainment Weekly called the series "hot," "sexy," and "kinda funny," and declared it the savior of UPN. After the pilot, opinions became more divided. David Segal in The Washington Post remarked that the show had a "bargain basement feel that lands this side of camp." By the second season, mainstream outlets were calling the series "broken." Tom Russo of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "It's dead Jim – almost," linking the franchise's fatigue to the poor reception of Star Trek: Nemesis and Enterprise's declining ratings. The second season's many stand-alone episodes also frustrated fans. The third and fourth seasons saw better overall reception, though some negative reviews persisted. Gareth Wigmore in TV Zone argued that Enterprise was "lazily picking items from the news to produce stories" rather than reacting thoughtfully to current events. Producer Manny Coto believed critics had "dumped on the show" and was disappointed they did not change their view despite the final season's improvement. When the series was canceled, critics were split. Ted Cox in The Daily Herald said "good riddance to space rubbish," while an article in the Lethbridge Herald blamed the cancellation on low ratings, even as the show's quality had improved.