Star Trek: Enterprise - Season Two Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Star Trek: Enterprise - Season Two Blu-ray Movie Review

Better season, slightly better PQ.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 14, 2013

Enterprise may not have turned out quite as its creators envisioned it -- the series' journey from conception to the small screen is fascinatingly chronicled both in this set's extras as well as those found on the season one release -- but the show turned out rather well in the end, despite some growing pains that it never quite overcame, even in the more lauded third season. Perhaps even more damaging, Enterprise never did escape the Star Trek fatigue that had grown with each subsequent new series, from TNG to DS9, from DS9 to Voyager, and Voyager to Enterprise, with several seasons overlapping over the course of a decade or so. Despite all its challenges, hurdles, and the general weariness surrounding it, the series recovered nicely after a shaky first season with a more solidly assembled second. Though there's still some miserable episodes here -- just as there are with every Star Trek season (though one might strongly argue that the later seasons of Deep Space Nine never fumbled) -- season two yields some very strong, alluring, and memorable shows. In fact, this might very well be the most underrated season across the entire history of Star Trek, making use of some old ideas repurposed in fresh ways as well as finding new material for a cast -- and the crew it portrays -- that consistently impresses with its sense of togetherness and camaraderie.

Wounded.

Season one got off to a fair enough start, but the series shined through its excellent crew, which seemed mature and up to the challenge from the beginning. Every other show endured far more growing pains in terms of cast camaraderie. Season two only builds on that rapport and also finds a more steady stream of good-to-great episodes that outnumber the mediocre-to-poor outings. It shows that this collection of Enterprise episodes has a lot to offer from both dramatic and pure entertainment perspectives while also building up towards the universe already established, incorporating a little bit of the future in its present, and at the same time charting its own unique course. It's a balancing act that cast and crew pull off as well as could be expected, particularly considering the turmoil plaguing the show off the screen, both in the board room as well in the ratings wars. Season two puts together a wide variety of Trek excellence, whether playing with time travel and heavy action in the season opener, exploring an amicable little slice of lore in "Carbon Creek," and encountering dangerous aliens and new technologies in the intensive "Minefield" and the alluring "Dead Stop." It recreates a classic Aesop fable in "Marauders," metaphorically explores human illnesses in "Stigma," plays with the classic courtroom elements in "Judgment," cleverly integrates old but future enemies in "Regeneration," and sets the pace and tone for a season-long arc with "The Expanse."

Yet no matter how dependably good, expectedly awful, or whatever may fall in between an episode may be, season two is both helped and hindered by classic Trek plusses and minuses. As noted earlier, the cast is fantastic, better than even the show demonstrates in part because of its shorter run (admittedly, that didn't hurt the original Star Trek, though certainly six feature films also helped solidify that crew's legendary status). Enterprise succeeds, probably beyond even the loftiest expectations, in recreating the classic human captain, Vulcan first officer, and sidekick trio in Archer, T'Pol, and Trip. Certainly they're not a match for Kirk-Spock-McCoy, but the three certainly capture the same dynamic, not so much because of placement in the show but in the readily identifiable bond they share, Archer and Trip to start and T'Pol growing into it. The remainder of the cast largely plays the proverbial second fiddle (a distant third fiddle in Mayweather's case) but they're all nicely rounded and agreeable. Scott Bakula carries the lead role with all the characteristics of a classic Trek captain, showing an outward confidence, smarts, and good looks but also displaying a more relatable human element than any of his Captain's seat brothers and sisters. The season incorporates a wide range of classic Trek aliens -- Klingons, Romulans, Tellarites, Andorians, even Borg -- to excellent effect, though it fumbles in classic Trek fashion with ridiculous "alien of the week" forehead and face prosthetics that elicit more of a "why bother?" response than any real "cool" factor that always accompanies the better designed and memorable species.

Season two highlight episodes include:

• Shockwave, Part II: A colony of thousands has been wiped out, and supposedly the Enterprise is at fault. Archer comes to believe -- with information coming from the mysterious Crewman Daniels -- that the Suliban are behind the attack as part of the "Temporal Cold War." Archer has been pushed ahead to the 31st century, the time portals have been destroyed, and there's no means of returning him to his time to prevent a future disaster. With the Suliban demanding Archer be handed over to them and occupying the Enterprise, the crew must find a way to retake the ship while Archer and Daniels work to correct the timeline from their end.
• Carbon Creek: Archer and Trip are celebrating the one-year anniversary of T'Pol's time on board the ship. Over dinner, Archer asks his First Officer about a tidbit in her service record: a short journey to a small Pennsylvania mining town called "Carbon Creek." Trip probes, and T'Pol shares the story of "first contact" between humans and Vulcans, rewriting everything humanity knows about its first encounter with aliens. She also reveals that her great-grandmother was on board a ship sent to investigate Sputnik but crashed on Earth during its mission, leaving several Vulcans, in disguise, to mingle with humans while awaiting rescue.
• Minefield: Enterprise has encountered an uncharted M-class planet, disrupting an awkward cordial breakfast between Archer and his armory officer, Lt. Reed. Archer is planning a getaway when disaster strikes: a cloaked mine tears a hole in the ship. There are several injuries, but no fatalities. A second mine attaches itself near the impulse reactor; an explosion will certainly disable the ship. The only solution is a spacewalk to disable it, a dangerous endeavor to operate on a highly advanced alien weapon of unknown origins. Meanwhile, the Enterprise is hailed by a variety of alien vessel that it has never before encountered.
• Dead Stop: It's been four days since the Enterprise struck a mine that destroyed a significant portion of the ship. Under the circumstances, and with repairs unlikely, the ship's rate of travel has been slowed, leaving the crew a decade from Jupiter Station. Archer and his crew are left with no choice but to send a distress signal, hoping for a good samaritan to come to their aid, to bank on the good karma they've built over the course of their mission. It appears their prayers are answered when they receive coordinates to an advanced automated repair station that's only three day away. On the station, Archer, Trip, and T'Pol discover a highly advanced facility that adapts to their needs and demands only a modest compensation for the repairs. It seems too good to be true, and Archer begins to believe that it may very well be.
• A Night in Sickbay: An away team has returned from a stressful five-day mission. Porthos accompanied the group, and his presence offended the team's alien hosts after he urinated on a sacred tree. The mission, then, failed; the team did not receive the necessary parts to repair the warp engine. Unfortunately, the Captain's Beagle has picked up a pathogen that decontamination cannot remedy. His autoimmune system is breaking down. As Archer deals with a minor diplomatic crisis and the need to repair the ship, he spends the night in sickbay with his ailing friend.
• Marauders: An Enterprise shuttlecraft visits an alien mining colony in search of deuterium. Enterprise sensors have detected a large quantity, but the miners are unwilling to negotiate terms for a trade. The colonists appear tense and uneasy with the team's presence. They finally make a trade that includes medical supplies, and the colonists' selection raises an alarm with Dr. Phlox. In orbit, Enterprise sensors detect a Klingon vessel approaching the planet. The Earth crew soon learns that the Klingon crew bullies the colonists in their trades. Archer and the Enterprise crew must decide to stay out of trouble or get involved in a fight that isn't theirs.
• Vanishing Point: Trip and Hoshi are exploring ancient ruins and hieroglyphics on an alien world. An incoming storm front is accelerating their departure window. When T'Pol detects a significantly larger storm coming their way, the Enterprise has no choice but to beam them up rather than wait for them to return on the shuttle. Hoshi fears the process, but her doubts are assuaged when Trip beams up safely. She arrives in one piece, too, though she remains troubled by the process after the fact. She doesn't feel quite right, and her worst nightmare become reality when she appears to be phasing out of sight.
• The Catwalk: The Enterprise has arrived at a planet that the crew believes to be perfect for both scientific study and some much-needed downtime. Before departing, an alien vessel contacts the ship and its crew requests to come aboard as soon as possible, ahead of a powerful and deadly wave traveling at high warp. The Enterprise cannot outrun it. The ship may survive contact, but the crew will die almost immediately. Trip suggests they huddle in a small shielded catwalk within the nacelles. Unfortunately, it's not quite the uneventful, albeit cramped and uncomfortable, adventure they had hoped.
• Future Tense: The Enterprise encounters an old derelict vessel. They bring it into a launch bay for further examination. Inside, they discover it's a windowless pod housing a body, a body that appears to be human. Phlox confirms, and it's a startling discovery that will rewrite man's space travel history. Archer theorizes that it might be the famed Zefram Cochrane, the man who invented warp drive on Earth. Further examination of the ship shows it to be significantly larger on the inside than it appears on the outside. Malcolm and Trip investigate. Meanwhile, a Suliban ship is detected, the Enterprise is hailed, and the Suliban crew demand the mystery ship and engage in hostilities, opening a larger mystery than even the one the Enterprise crew discovered inside the puzzling ship.
• Judgment: Archer has been imprisoned by the Klingons and placed on trial for conspiring against the Empire. Archer pleads not guilty, but if he is found otherwise, he will be put to death. He is assigned a Klingon advocate, Kolos (J.G. Hertzler). A Klingon named Duras (Daniel Riordan) accuses Archer of unprovoked hostility and holding rebels whom the Empire seeks. Klingon tribunal protocol does not permit Archer to speak on his own behalf, even in the face of lies from the prosecution and its witnesses.
• Regeneration: At Earth's Arctic Circle, a team of explorers uncovers a humanoid being in the ice. It's unlike anything they have ever seen, pieced together from different species and fused at the molecular level with highly advanced technology. Just as strange, they cannot find a match for the materials that make up the debris that was located with the aliens. The aliens suddenly regenerate. They attack and assimilate the humans and commandeer a ship, leaving the Enterprise to intercept.
• The Expanse: An alien probe has devastated a stretch of land from Florida to Venezuela, leaving many millions dead. The Enterprise has been recalled to Earth, but is pursued by Suliban ships. Archer is taken captive and learns that an alien race called "The Xindi" has struck Earth in a preemptive attack to prevent its future destruction. Archer pushes command for the green light to pursue the Xindi inside the mysterious and dangerous "Delphic Expanse." Meanwhile, the Klingon Duras is again tasked with tracking down Archer.

Star Trek: Enterprise - Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Enterprise: Season Two's high definition transfer is by no means a showstopper, but it shows, overall, a minor bump in quality over the fairly bland season one. Nevertheless, many of the same visual elements carry over here. The show looks extremely soft in places, hazy and lacking the sort of crisp definition, intimate textures, and natural clarity of the older TNG. Light compression artifacts, poor color transitions across shadowy faces, and murky and heavy blacks all contribute to a "meh" sort of picture quality. Details never excel with regularity. The brightly light exteriors in "Marauder" fare best in the season. There, the image is borderline gorgeous, showing intricate facial, clothing, and terrain detail in a well-defined, clear, and sharp frame. Unfortunately, ship interiors struggle to show more than basic details on uniforms, faces, panels, and walls. Dr. Phlox's better-lit medical facility sometimes fares rather well, and the Denobulan's facial prosthetics look good enough to study in great detail in a few select shots. Colors often appear weary and uninspired, but not significantly. Vibrancy again fares best on the brightly lit earthen shades on "Marauder," in the old-timey Pennsylvania backdrop in "Carbon Creek," and even in the almost harshly lit and very white interiors in "Dead Stop." However the basic visual element of blue uniforms contrasted against bland metallic backdrops doesn't really offer much room for color vibrancy. Light grain does accentuate the best the transfer has to offer, but fans will probably be disappointed with the overall presentation, particularly considering the massive success of the TNG restorations.

Star Trek: Enterprise - Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Enterprise: Season Two warps onto Blu-ray with, somewhat apropos considering the ship's warp five engine, a five-channel (plus the ".1") DTS-HD Master Audio lossless soundtrack. Like the video, it's not particularly exacting or memorable, but it delivers high quality and robustness when necessary. The opening title music flows evenly and plays with the sort of seamless quality lossless audio is known to deliver. Front spacing is perfect, vocal clarity faultless, and instrumental details exacting. Light surround support and a quality low end make for an enjoyable presentation of a controversial and, generally, negatively received song. The track delivers some positive action and support elements. Phaser fires generates a nice beam-like sound effect that often sounds as if it's cutting through the soundstage, while ships zoom through space with natural movement and heft. There are a few interior supportive elements, too; computer beeps and sliding doors gently help define the primary Enterprise interiors, while occasional planet-side elements, such as gusty winds, are also nicely implemented. The track does pack a fair bit of bass for its action scenes. A potent explosion in "Minefield," heavy rattling in "The Catwalk," and the attack that begins "The Expanse" generate an aggressive but balanced low end. Dialogue plays naturally and clearly from the center. It's a solid presentation, not quite so precise and fully immersive as that found on the TNG Blu-ray discs, but fans should be satisfied with the improved range and clarity over the old DVD presentations.

Star Trek: Enterprise - Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Enterprise: Season Two contains plenty of new and vintage supplemental content. The package is dominated by two lengthy, newly recorded retrospectives with cast and crew. Below is a disc-by-disc breakdown of what's included.

Disc One:

• Audio Commentaries: Episode Co-Writer Chris Black and Mike & Denise Okuda for "Carbon Creek" and Co-Writers Michael Sussman and Phyllis Strong for "Dead Stop" (recorded in 2005).
• Deleted Scene (HD, 1:10): One short scene for "Minefield."
• In Conversation: The First Crew (HD, 1:33:49): A new-for-Blu-ray piece in which Brannon Braga sits down with Anthony Montgomery, Dominic Keating, Jolene Blalock, Scott Bakula, Linda Park, Connor Trinneer, and John Billingsley in a closed, intimate setting for the first time in a dozen years. Braga leads discussions on a number of topics, including fan demand for a revival, the casting process, the cast's loves and hates on the show, changes to the basic ideas for the show along the way, studio interference with the scripting and story, the bonding amongst the cast, the show's cancellation and studio politics, improvement in later seasons, cast souvenirs from the show, and much, much more. A special guest arrives partway through the discussion. This is an extraordinary group of people who come across very well; they're all informed, intelligent, passionate, and sincere. It's too bad they didn't have the opportunity to work together in more seasons.
• Season 2 Promo (SD, 0:24): A short ad for season two.
• Archival Mission Logs: Enterprise Moments: Season Two (SD, 19:11): A closer look at "Carbon Creek," "Shockwave, Part II," "Dead Stop," "Vanishing Point," "The Catwalk," "Future Tense," "Bounty," "First Flight," and "The Expanse."
• Archival Mission Logs: Enterprise Profile: Jolene Blalock (SD, 14:28): An examination of Blalock and her character, T'Pol.

Disc Two:

• Deleted Scenes (SD, 4:02): From "A Night in Sickbay."
• Archival Mission Log: Inside "A Night in Sickbay" (SD, 11:17): A closer look at the love/hate season two episode.

Disc Three:

• Deleted Scenes (SD): Cut scenes from "Dawn" (1:34) and "Stigma" (1:15).
• Text Commentary: "Stigma" with Mike & Denise Okuda (from 2005).
• Archival Interviews (SD, 5:01): Brannon Braga, Rick Berman, Jolene Blalock, and Scott Bakula discuss "Stigma."
• Archival Mission Log: Photo Gallery (HD): A collection of still images.

Disc Four:

• Deleted Scene (SD, 0:42): From "Cease Fire."
• Archival Mission Logs: Shooting "Future Tense" (SD, 17:16): One day's worth of condensed behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the episode.
• Archival Mission Logs: Enterprise Secrets (SD, 4:50): First Assistant Director David Trotti recalls parts of Star Trek VI and returning to one of that film's locations in Enterprise.

Disc Five:

• Audio Commentaries: Actors John Billingsley and Bonita Friedericy for "Regeneration," Co-Writers Michael Sussman and Phyllis Strong for "Regeneration" (from 2005), and Writer Chris Black and Mike & Denise Okuda for "First Flight."
• Text Commentary: Mike & Denise Okuda for "First Flight."
• Archival Mission Logs: LeVar Burton: Star Trek Director (SD, 7:01): A look at the Next Generation actor's work behind the camera in Enterprise.
• Archival Mission Logs: Enterprise Outtakes (SD, 11:12): Humorous moments from the shoot.

Disc Six:

• Deleted Scenes (SD, 5:00): Cut scenes from the episode "The Expanse."
• Uncharted Territory Part One: Destination Unknown (HD, 29:54): A look at the writer "fatigue" hanging over the first two seasons and the turnover in the writing staff for season two. It also looks at the challenge of creating a show for both established fans as well as newcomers, the vision for creating a "throwback" Star Trek that was pitched as "The Right Stuff in the future," the place of Roddenberry's original vision in shaping the show, the success of "Carbon Creek" and "Regeneration," and the failure of "Precious Cargo."
• Uncharted Territory Part Two: The First Crew (HD, 28:58): An examination of the show's humanity and the way it feels closer to modern audiences. It also focuses on the collaboration between the character performances and the writing staff. It studies the Hoshi character; Scott Bakula's contributions to the scripts and the rest of the cast's reluctance to share their ideas or speak with the writers; cast camaraderie; recreating the Kirk, Spock, and McCoy triumvirate in Archer, Trip, and T'Pol; Scott Bakula's veteran presence on the set; and Jeffrey Combs' performance, character, and relationship with Scott Bakula.
• Uncharted Territory Part Three: Course Correction (HD, 29:48): Conflict between the writers and the studio and writers and network suits and the sudden influx of studio tinkering with the show, external reviews and Internet criticism, dwindling ratings, a "cold war" between Brannon Braga and the fans, and "shaking things up" by setting up a story arc for season three at the end of season two. Collectively, and as with many of these retrospectives, there's a freshness and honesty that might surprise people. Uncharted Territory is one of the most fascinating supplements out there, Star Trek related or otherwise.
• NX-01 File 04 (SD, 3:15): Scott Bakula remembers visits to the set, including the cast of The Next Generation.
• NX-01 File 05 (SD, 3:22): A closer look at Hoshi, the character's development, and her relationship with T'Pol.
• NX-01 File 06 (SD, 1:52): Anthony Montgomery remembers Whoopi Goldberg's visit to the set and how his life has changed since Star Trek.

Star Trek: Enterprise - Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Some Star Trek die-hards might not think too highly of Enterprise. The show certainly didn't turn out quite as expected, but season two produces some terrific standalone episodes amidst some trash. It also sets things up for a Deep Space Nine-like seasonal arc at the end. Enterprise: Season Two's Blu-ray release features sturdy but somewhat unremarkable video. Audio is a bit better, but this set is all about the supplements. The new material is nothing short of fantastic and it's reason enough to buy. It also doesn't hurt that there's some great Trek here, too. Highly recommended.