10 Terrible Star Trek Episodes With Awesome Endings

Sorry, Enterprise, it's another third season episode. We did actually enjoy that season as a whole. Promise! Only the second episode in, Anomaly has received some of the strongest criticism (and rightly so) for its depiction of torture as used by Captain Archer on an Osaarian prisoner. For a Starfleet officer, and an episode of Star Trek, this is 'terrible' in the sense of 'causing terror,' and 'awe-some' when that is mixed with fear.

As the episode reaches its climax, fear is the theme for everyone on board the NX-01. Using the information Archer has 'obtained,' the crew is engaged in a fight with an Osaarian ship in order to get hold of its Xindi database. Things are touch-and-go for a bit — the sparks fly, and Enterprise loses its hull plating before Hoshi completes (90% of) the download. All things considered, it's a rather decent space battle.

Whatever your thoughts on the episode, the fact also remains that it happened — it's there now for us all to watch as a part of canon. The same applies to Archer by the episode's end. He has done what he's done but will have to atone for it later. For now, he must get on with the mission. Played just on the edge between stoic and guilt-ridden by Scott Bakula, Archer walks into the command centre. Shrouded by the darkness that fills most of the room, he simply says, "Computer. Load the Xindi database."