Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Enterprise: Season One Blu-ray Movie Review

Can a fantastic supplemental package dwarf disappointing video?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 24, 2013

For nearly half a century on television sets and cinema screens all around the world, they have boldly gone to the furthest reaches of the galaxy, encountered countless aliens, saved worlds, mended relationships, broken hearts, come and gone, and inspired generations to be brave, to think logically, to put others ahead of self, and to pursue careers in fields as diverse as astronomy and medicine, engineering and military. Star Trek is, without a doubt, the most important and widely developed fictional universe ever created, one that truly touches so many people, brings them together through common interests and pursuits, and strives for excellence with every new adventure, whether on the small or big screen and no matter the time, place, or crew. Every series and film has followed on from the time of Kirk and Spock, those future shows running congruent to one another in the general Next Generation timeframe. But when it came time for a series to follow Voyager, a schism formed: studio executives wanted a show that pushed even further into the future, and the creative minds wanted a prequel series showing mankind's first foray into space, decades before the time of the original series. For better or for worse (depending on the fan), the creators won the day and Enterprise, the story of Earth's first warp-five vessel and the crew that preceded Kirk and Spock, was born. It's an imperfect series and a radical departure from other Star Trek timelines and styles, but when it hits it's as good as anything that's come before. Season one shows some growing pains but also displays the sort of classic Trek cast chemistry, sense of pure adventure, and thought provoking story lines that have made the decades-long franchise such a success with fans around the world.

She's away!

But it doesn't say "Star Trek" at the beginning. And there's...a pop song over the titles? What happened to "these are the voyages..." and "...to boldly go where no man has gone before" and the ship zipping across the screen? Then, wait, what? A Klingon running through a cornfield? Humans who don't even know what a Klingon (or "Klingont," as one of them says) is? Untrusted transporters? No Prime Directive? Nothing past warp five? No shields or photon torpedoes? Logs dated by the modern month-day-year calendar rather than a stardate? Food prepared by a chef rather than a replicator? Movie night on the ship? No short skirts for the ladies? NX-01 ball caps as part of the uniform? A strip-down and lube-up decontamination chamber? This certainly isn't daddy's or even big brother's Star Trek. Enterprise goes backwards in time, much closer to the real-world present than any series has gone before, and weaves its story around the birth of man's "high warp" space travel. It's high tech but not so high tech as to be nearly alien to modern viewers. It keeps a sort of nuts-and-bolts meets modern and future technology look, not so clunky as the original series and not so smooth and refined as The Next Generation but something wholly believable and tangible. It's something an older audience member's grandchild could one day see in person and not just on the televisions screen. The beauty of Enterprise is how non-alien it is to viewers and how very much alien it is compared to the rest of Star Trek. The creators really got it right, finding the essence of Star Trek in something well before any previously established lore, developing a world that would lead towards hundreds of hours of canon while still forging its own path with its own unique look and style. Season one certainly has its fair share of bad episodes -- that's par for the course for any of the newer series -- but it absolutely gets everything else right straight out of the gate.

Season one, uneven though it may be, is home to several gems, including Broken Bow, which may be the best Star Trek premiere episode of them all. It's different, deep, does very well to establish the characters and the universe, and provides enough action to support the story rather than overwhelm it. The cast camaraderie is evident from the get-go, and pretty much everything that would define the series sees its roots here, including the gross underutilization of Travis Mayweather. The episode blends Trek convention with some predictable elements (it's no surprise when the crew first discusses the dangers and fears of the transporter that it will play a key role in the episode) but also establishes the "temporal cold war" arc that is the series creators' way of appeasing the studio suits who wanted a future-looking Trek rather than a prequel. It makes for a great mind-bending dynamic, even considering the general overuse of time travel in Star Trek, and culminates in a big way in the season finale that, again, is the best Trek has ever seen to close off a first season. In between is some real trash but a few treasures (see below), but it all helps the series find its space legs and propel it towards the superior seasons to come.

Season one highlight episodes include:

• Broken Bow: It is many decades before the time of the Enterprise NCC-1701. A Klingon named Klang is wounded on Earth after a chase through an Oklahoma field by two mysterious, shapeshifting aliens known as "Suliban." The Vulcan High Command wants to return the Klingon, dead, back to Kronos. Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula), son of Earth's warp five engine designer, convinces Earth Admiral Forrest (Vaughn Armstrong) to return the Klingon, alive, back to Kronos aboard the newly completed Enterprise NX-01. Archer assembles a crew, including a Denobulan doctor, Phlox (John Billingsley); Engineer "Trip" Tucker (Connor Trinneer); Armory Officer Malcolm Reed (Dominic Keating); Communications Officer Hoshi Sato (Linda Park); and Helmsman Travis Mayweather (Anthony Montgomery). Archer is also assigned a Vulcan liaison, T'Pol (Jolene Blalock). With the ship en route and the crew finding its space legs, the Enterpirse finds itself smack in the middle of an interplanetary incident with possible repercussions throughout the quadrant and, literally, well into the future.
• The Andorian Incident: The Enterprise is en route to a vulcan spiritual center known as "P'Jem." Archer and Trip are eager to check it out -- no human has ever seen it before -- but T'Pol is uncertain of the need to stop by but gives them strict protocol guidelines to follow when they refuse to relent. When they arrive, T'Pol notices a few minor inconsistencies: a misplaced statue and an "agitated" Vulcan elder. Suddenly, the Enterprise officers are taken hostage by Andorians, astral neighbors of the Vulcans who are highly suspicious and believe the monastery is hiding a long-range sensor array. Above on the Enterprise, Malcolm sets in motion plans for an armed rescue.
• Dear Doctor: The Enterprise brings aboard two survivors from a ship found adrift in space. The alien astronauts have been dispatched from their home world in hopes of encountering a more advanced race that can help them find a cure to a terrible disease killing their own. Archer agrees to allow Phlox to help. On the planet, they discover that the dominant species, the technologically advanced Valakians, are dying, while the more primitive Menk appear immune to the disease. Phlox learns that genetics are slowly destroying the Valakians and that the Menk may one day rise to become the world's dominant species. But without a "prime directive" in place, Archer and Phlox face a difficult ethical dilemma, forced to choose between interfering with evolution or saving an entire race from extinction.
• Shadows of P'Jem: The Vulcans are angered by the loss of the P'Jem observation station. Archer is ordered to keep a lower profile and to remain on the outside of delicate interspecies situations. More, T'Pol has been recalled with orders to return to Vulcan. But before a Vulcan vessel can pick her up, she and Archer travel via shuttlepod to Coridan, a planet home to a massive starship construction yard. They are shot down and taken captive as part of a complex internal conflict between a breakaway faction and the Vulcans. The remainder of the crew will need the help of an old acquaintance to pull off the perfect rescue operation.
• Shuttlepod One: Malcolm and Trip are returning to the Enterprise, which they find is not where she's supposed to be. The pod's comm system and sensors are down, leaving them with no means of contacting the missing ship. Soon, they make a startling discovery: wreckage on an asteroid they believe to be Enterprise. Malcolm and Trip must deal with the realities of pending death in their own, often conflicting, ways as they float hopelessly through space with little chance of rescue, let alone survival.
• Shockwave, Part 1: A shuttlepod carrying Archer, T'Pol, and Reed supposedly malfunctions and accidentally ignites the atmosphere over an alien mining world, setting ablaze an entire colony and instantly killing 3,600 souls. While Archer mourns, the remainder of the crew investigates the incident. Reed is certain they are not at fault, but before the investigation may be completed, the Enterprise is recalled and speculation is that she'll be grounded indefinitely. Suddenly, Archer awakens in the past and is confronted by the mysterious Crewman Daniels (Matt Winston) who claims to be from the distant future. The captain learns that the Enterprise was not at fault for the incident but is instead being sabotaged from the future. He also comes to see that he's a central figure in the "Temporal Cold War" that seems suddenly heating up in Archer's present.

Enterprise: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Enterprise: Season One doesn't fare nearly as well as its original series and Next Generation Blu-ray counterparts, a shame considering it's by far the newest program. Presented in its original 1.78:1 aspect ratio, the image fluctuates between looking presentable and appearing downright sloppy, finding a middle ground that only slightly favors the positive side of the ledger. Generally, it's a decent enough image, though certainly not at all what Trek fans want. Details are often muddy and flat. The image takes on a fairly smooth and sometimes overly soft appearance, leaving faces without much in the way of real, tangible texturing, whether human or bumpy alien. It's quite noisy in places, and grain fluctuates from spiky to practically nonexistent. Black levels can be pale, and flesh tones somewhat uneven. Colors are largely dull. Andorian baby blue skin lacks brilliance and the navy blue crew uniforms are bland. The cold, metallic feel of the ship's interior looks as it should, but even the nearly constant flat backgrounds can't accentuate many of the splashes of color in the show. The scene in Brazil in Broken Bow does offer some nicely brilliant greens, and certainly some scattered traces of good, honest colors are seen throughout, but mostly this is a very uninspired palette. The image does seem to tighten up, even if it's only ever-so-slightly, as the season moves along. By the time it reaches Shockwave, Part 1, viewers will see more stabilized and filmic details but still catch remnants -- and often more -- of the problems plaguing the entire season run. The special effects remain presented in standard definition; they shimmer, take on jagged edges, and lack crisp details. Hopefully, a remastered set with HD visual effects and a more consistent presentation will one day materialize.

Enterprise: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Enterprise: Season One's audio presentation fares better than its video counterpart, but not by significant leaps and bounds. This is a workmanlike multichannel lossless presentation that handles some elements well, some questionably, but none terribly. The controversial theme song has never sounded better. It's rich, full of life, and with well-defined vocals and precise instrument clarity and reproduction. Much of the action on board the NX-01 is brought to life by the subtle, deep hum of the engines and the little odds and ends sound elements that define the atmosphere. The track creates a big, believable stage that places the listener on the bridge, down in the engine room, in the mess, or in captain's quarters with ease. It's never quite so authentic as similar ambient effects heard in The Next Generation's Blu-ray release, but there's little room for complaint. Action effects are a little more hit-or-miss. Some of the fisticuffs and crashing debris during the initial struggle between the crew and the Andorians in The Andorian Incident come across as somewhat muffled, but some of the phaser fire scattered throughout the season streaks through the soundstage with a force and sense of faultless movement that listeners might want to duck for cover. Some of the explosions lack punch, some are suitably potent. Dialogue is steady and even, playing smoothly from the center. This isn't a great track, but neither is it in any way a bad one. It gets the job done with occasional flair and suitable stability.

Enterprise: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Enterprise: Season One contains a massive amount of excellent supplemental content, including several commentaries, a few new lengthy features, and plenty of shorter older material recycled from the pervious DVD release. There's plenty of brutal honesty here, a lot of discussion about what went wrong but also plenty of discussion of what's good and great about Enterprise. Much of the information repeats; there's not much new by the time disc six's new feature rolls around, but it's all good material that fans will enjoy.

Disc One:

• Cast Introduction (SD, 2:15): Rick Berman and Scott Bakula introduce the characters and the actors who play them.
• In Conversation: Rick Berman and Brannon Braga (HD, 1:02:59): This hour-plus long chat, recorded in December 2012, features the legendary Star Trek producers talking about the entire history of Star Trek by recalling a host of Enterprise-related topics, including the qualities of the pilot episode, the cast and the casting process, selling the "prequel" idea to the studios and the production team's desires to go backwards even farther in time, character details, resolving problems of future technology in a "futuristic" world in the context of future shows, ship design inside and out, the theme song, the way fans treat them, stories from production meetings, a scrapped Kirk two-part episode, the temporal cold war arc, and more.
• Network Presentation (SD, 3:17): A Star Trek universe retrospective leading up to an ad for Enterprise.
• Syndication Presentation (SD, 7:15): A more Enterprise focused promotion piece.
• Creating Enterprise (SD, 11:28): The supplement begins with the same cast/crew introductions from the Cast Introduction supplement but delivers some new information in terms of series creation, setting, production design, the show's plot arcs and themes, and more.
• O Captain! My Captain! A Profile of Scott Bakula (SD, 9:32): Cast and crew talk up Scott Bakula the man, Scott Bakula the actor, and the Jonathan Archer character.
• NX-01 File 02 (SD, 2:11): Designing a Klingon world model for the show.

Disc One Episode Specific Extras:

• Broken Bow Deleted Scenes (HD, 3:08).
• Broken Bow Audio Commentary: Writer/Executive Producer Brannon Braga, Director James L. Conway, Actors Connor Trinneer and Dominic Keating, and Visual Effects Supervisor Dan Curry share their thoughts on a new-to-Blu-ray commentary track.
• Broken Bow Audio Commentary: A 2005 track with Writer/Executive Producer Brannon Braga and Producer Rick Berman.
• Text Commentary: A 2005 commentary from Mike and Denise Okuda.
• Fight or Flight Deleted Scenes (HD, 2:18).

Disc Two:

• Cast Impressions: Season One (SD, 12:24): The cast speaks on their characters and the process of portraying them.
• Enterprise Secrets (SD, 2:00): A look into a few production tricks of the trade.

Disc Two Episode Specific Extras:

• Unexpected Deleted Scene (HD, 1:06).
• The Andorian Incident Text Commentary: A 2005 commentary from Mike and Denise Okuda.

Disc Three:

• Star Trek Time Travel: Temporal Cold Wars and Beyond (SD, 8:11): A look at the origins of the "temporal cold war" story line and a collection of highlights from Trek time travel through the fictional years.
• Admiral Forrest Takes Center Stage (SD, 5:14): Actor Vaughn Armstrong discusses his role in the show and work in previous Star Trek ventures.

Disc Three Episode Specific Extras:

• Silent Enemy Audio Commentary: With Writer André Bormains and Visual Effects Producer Dan Curry.
• Sleeping Dogs Deleted Scene (HD, 1:09).

Disc Four:

• Inside Shuttlepod One (SD, 7:57): A closer look at one of season one's best episodes, Shuttlepod One.
• NX-01 File 01 (SD, 2:56): A brief examination of the episode Shadows of P'Jem.
• NX-01 File 03 (SD, 4:59): A look at producing the visual details around the ships for a few episodes, notably Vulcan architecture and a star map and Ferengi and Andorian technology.

Disc Four Episode Specific Extras:

• Shadows of P'Jem Audio Commentary: With Co-Writers Mike Sussam and Phyllis Strong.
• Shuttlepod One Deleted Scene (HD, 6:09).
• Shuttlepod One Audio Commentary: With Producer Brannon Braga, Director David Livingston, and Actors Connor Trinneer and Dominic Keating.

Disc Five:

• On the Set (SD, 28:32): Barry Kibrick guides viewers on a journey of making only a few minutes of a major television program. Included is plenty of on-set footage and interviews with the filmmakers and cast.
• Enterprise Outtakes (SD, 9:05): A gag reel.

Disc Five Episode Specific Extras:

• Oasis Deleted Scenes (HD, 3:08).
• Vox Sola Text Commentary: A 2005 commentary from Mike and Denise Okuda.
• Fallen Hero Deleted Scenes (HD, 2:12).

Disc Six:

• To Boldly Go: Launching Enterprise, Part One: Countdown (HD, 30:45): A detailed look back at the show's origins, unique traits new to Star Trek while remaining true to the established world, discarded ideas and the shape the series eventually took, clashes between the studio heads and the series' creators, set construction and designing with "future" series in mind, NX-01 design, and the theme song and opening titles.
• To Boldly Go: Launching Enterprise, Part Two: Boarding the NX-01 (HD, 31:16): A close look at casting the lead roles and the qualities the actors brought to the show. The piece ends with some looks at set design and special effects.
• To Boldly Go: Launching Enterprise, Part Three: First Flight (HD, 27:51): Cast and crew speak on the lower quality scripts from season one, the good episodes and the bad ones, the initial high ratings, and the drop in viewership.
• Celebrating Star Trek (SD, 15:19): A fun look inside Star Trek conventions.

Disc Six Episode Specific Extras:

• Two Days and Two Nights Deleted Scene (HD, 1:41).
• Shockwave, Part 1 Deleted Scenes (HD, 1:10).

Enterprise: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Enterprise: Season One is imperfect Trek, but then all of the post-Kirk series have started off rather poorly. The Next Generation never really found itself until season three, Deep Space Nine was fine but rather slow until the Dominon appeared, and Voyager, actually, might have been the best-balanced show right out of the gate, at least until Enterprise. For all of its bad season one episodes, there are a few gems but, more importantly, a firm foundation of excellent characters and a fascinating new world of pre-Trek exploration that largely remains true to canon while also establishing its own chapter. It could have been better, sure, but season one sets the stage for some really great television to come in what would be a tragically shortened four-season lifespan. Paramount's Blu-ray release of Enterprise: Season One features mediocre video, decent audio, and a wide array of excellent supplemental content. A must-own for Star Trek fans, and casual viewers might still like it enough to warrant a purchase.