With the release of the fourth and final season of Star Trek: Enterprise,
a 40-year journey through the stars is finally coming to an end. What started
in the ‘60s, was supported by movies through the ‘70s and ‘80s,
re-emerged in the late ‘80s with a new show, has been on TV in the form
of four different series, is now a legacy of immense proportions. But the Star
Trek universe and all its majesty is now, in a way, complete. This six-disc
set marks the end of the journey for Gene Roddenberry’s creation –
barring there are no more movies or series of course. The quality of the set
is much the same as the first three in this series of releases: a great collection
of episodes with a decent selection of special features.
THE SHOW Star Trek Enterprise is a pre-history of the known Star
Trek universe. The series follows the trials and tribulations of the very
first warp-5 capable vessel in the newly formed Earth Starfleet. The flagship
and only Earth vessel capable of long exploratory missions, the NX-01 Enterprise
sets the scenes for everything Trekkies would come to know about their beloved
show and its fictional history.
Even though the fourth season ended up being the show’s last, many fans
found it was also its best. Thanks to some new writers and executive producers,
stories and scripts seemed to vastly improve from the previous three seasons.
Personally, I was a huge fan of the first three seasons, but I did notice that
season four seemed to have something different about it. It was very well written,
and exciting. The season also was pivotal in the sense that it finally got around
to really establishing things about Star Trek fans would hope for. For instance,
the founding of the United Federation of Planets.
Scott Bakula’s Captain Archer leads the intrepid crew – I loved
him in the role. I think he has the perfect personality and demeanor, and he
really sold the character to me. There’s a pretty good bunch backing him
up too: Connor Trinneer plays Archer’s best friend Charles “Trip”
Tucker III. I believe Trinneer is the second strongest actor/character combination
behind Bakula. Satisfying the need for incredibly stunning and sexy alien babes
is Jolene Blalock as the Vulcan, T’Pol. I’m a firm believer in the
fact that Blalock actually got hotter as the series progressed. Her outfit in
the season four episode “In A Mirror Darkly” is worth the purchase
price of this set alone. Enterprise’s communications officer, Hoshi Sato,
is played by Linda Park; Dominic Keating stars as the ship’s armory officer,
Lieutenant Malcolm Reed. Continuing the tradition of at least one or more of
the characters being an alien, we have a jolly Denobulan (John Billingsley)
as the ship’s Dr. Phlox. Finally we have Enterprise’s helmsman,
the young Travis Mayweather (Anthony Montgomery). Montgomery was vastly underused
in the third season, but he definitely has more screen-time this season. And
I can’t forget Porthos, Captain Archer’s disgustingly cute pet beagle.
THE EPISODES
With the Xindi threat from season three removed, season four starts out with
a short two episode arc that pretty much ties up the loose ends of a story beginning
at the start of the series: the temporal cold war. It’s a few good episodes
for sure. From there, Enterprise returns to the normalcy of [their] present
day. The main story arcs for season four include some great episodes concerning
relations with the Vulcans, as well as how a number of species begin to form
alliances thanks to Earth and the Enterprise. We see a lot more from the Romulans,
and stories dealing with Augments – super-humans like our good friend
Khan. Brent Spiner makes a fantastic guest appearance for those episodes as
Dr. Arik Soong – the great grandfather of Noonien Soong; the man who created
the Trekkie’s beloved Commander Data from The Next Generation series.
But as you can see, the fourth season of Enterprise definitely did a good job
in laying the foundation for events that would happen in the future –
and that us as viewers have already seen.
Some specific episodes worthy of note include: “Storm Front Parts 1 &
2,” “The Augments,” “Kir’Shara,” “Babel
One,” “United,” “In A Mirror, Darkly Parts 1 & 2,”
“Demons,” and “Terra Prime.” The “In A Mirror,
Darkly” episodes are a absolutely fantastic couple of shows dealing with
the alternate reality/mirror universe that fans were first exposed to in The
Original Series. The stories are completely contained within the mirror universe
so there are no continuity blunders for hardcore Trekkies to be upset about.
Sadly though, the series’ finale “These Are The Voyages…”
was a complete letdown. While they attempted to make it better by including
the likes of Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis),
it really came off more as an episode of The Next Generation than of
Enterprise. For most, the series truly wrapped with the episode
“Terra Prime.” It’s too bad really, because since the fourth
season was so excellent, to have it end with such a weak episode is depressing.
Oh well, the other 21 episodes are great!
AUDIO AND VISUAL
Just like the rest of the sets, the fourth season of Enterprise
looks and sounds great. Brought to us in a nice 1.78:1 Widescreen aspect ratio
and a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround track, the show has a fantastic feel to it.
There is also a 2.0 Surround option available. Subtitles are available in English.
PACKAGING AND LAYOUT
The case for this set is exactly like the previous three. A hardcover plastic
outer case pulls apart to reveal the seven-discs in plastic trays that slide
inside a slipcover. Sounds complicated… and it is, because it’s
a three-step process to retrieve the disc you are looking for. It can be a nuisance,
but overall, it keeps the discs very well protected, and gives the sets a standout
look on shelves. One thing that bothered me, however, was that the outside of
the case was not labeled with the season number. Only through a slight hole
in the side can you see the “Season 4” from the inside slipcase.
Also, the case is the same color as the previous seasons. In other Trek
sets, the colors have differed from season to season making it easier to distinguish.
The layout of the menus and navigation of the discs are great as always. A Vulcan
fleet of ships is the theme for the menus in this set. Finding what you want
is easy, and the menus just look really good. The episodes do have chapter menus,
so if you had to leave while you were watching, you pick up pretty much anywhere
you left off. Each disc has four episodes; the sixth disc contains the final
two episodes and the special features. One last thing definitely worth mentioning
is the booklet: a lot of good information in it including episode synopses,
a recount of the story so far, a look at how genetic enhancements have shaped
the future and a look at the future. Overall, it’s a very well laid out
set.
THE EXTRAS
The special features here follow the trend of those on the previous three releases
of the series. There really aren’t a whole lot on here, but they are worth
watching. Here’s a closer look:
• Enterprise Moments: Season Four – Another collection
of some of the best moments of the season, as seen in the overall arc of the
Trek story, as well as from the cast/producers points of view. Done
much better this time around than previously.
• Inside the “Mirror” Episodes – A behind the scenes
look at the ideas and the stories behind the mirror universe stories and how
they pulled it off. Worth a watch for sure, especially since the episodes were
so good.
• Visual Effects Magic – A quasi-detailed look at a number of the
CGI shots used throughout the series and some of the other special effects used
in the show. It wasn’t amazingly in depth, but was interesting to watch
nonetheless. Give it a shot.
• Links To The Legacy – This was great because cast and crew give
viewers a look at a number of the ways events occurring during Enterprise
set precedence for the events that took place in the other Trek series. This
was quite interesting.
• Enterprise Secrets – A final look at some of
the secrets the production crew keeps behind the scenes. I think the one from
the first set was the best, but its worth watching anyway.
• That’s A Wrap – A quick look at the series’ wrap party.
It’s short and sad because the show was killed before it had a chance
to redeem itself in many people’s eyes. Give this a look to see the cast
in their own real-life form.
• Enterprise Outtakes – This was short, like all
the ones on previous sets, but it was the best I think. I actually laughed.
Some good jokes in this set. Give it a look.
• Deleted Scenes – There are a number of these on a bunch of different
episodes. Give them a look.
• Commentaries – There are a few audio commentaries, and two text
commentaries from the Okudas. All are pretty good. Use them for sure.
• Photo Gallery – It’s got pictures. No. Really. It does.
I swear.
• Easter Eggs – There’s only one this time around, and its
easy to find. I don’t like to spoil them, but I feel I must here because
it has to do with the fan’s response to the show being cancelled. It was
a good addition to the set. Perhaps a nice screw you to television execs.
MOTHBALLED
Well, there you have it. The final chapter in the Star Trek legacy
is upon us. The fourth season set of Enterprise is definitely
a must have for fans of the show. Probably the best season, it truly is a huge
shame that the show was cancelled after it. I’m a firm believer that Gene
Roddenberry’s visions haven’t been shamed, but rather that those
in charge of television networks need to get a goddamn clue. Enterprise aired
on a second-rate network. It didn’t get enough promotion. It was a good
show that was killed well before its time – much like many other shows
nowadays. For Star Trek fans, our collections of DVDs is all we have
now (except syndicated repeats), and this six-disc set will definitely look
great lined up with everything else on your shelf. I look forward to future
endeavors in the Star Trek universe. Live long, and prosper.
Season 4 Episodes: A+
Season 4 Extras: B
Audio/Visual: A
Packaging/Layout: A Overall: A
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