10 Reasons Star Trek Enterprise Deserves A Second Chance

8. Bad timing

Jonathan Archer Star Trek Enterprise
Paramount

9/11 changed the world. People grew fearful and the war on terror dominated daily news. The audience that had embraced the darker side of Trek in Deep Space Nine struggled to find reasons to enjoy a show so routed in optimism. Enterprise attempted to stick to what the Original Series, the Next Generation and early Voyager had tried to do - it wanted to show a bright eyed and upbeat take on the future.

This came at a time when the present was looking so dark that the world couldn't get on board. But, this is a victim of timing. Enterprise was lost in a time that wasn't looking for seemingly naive depictions of human nature. However, on revisit, it was a brave stab at continuing the dream of Gene Roddenberry.

It was his belief that the future is what the human race could make of it and, while the world seemed intent on tearing itself to pieces, this small TV show was an attempt at asking humanity to keep the bigger picture in mind. While it is fair to say that the quality of the show began to improve once it turned in a darker direction, that is not to discount the entire message behind the show.

Yes, the sunny optimism is a bit much sometimes - but isn't that why the Star Trek universe was created in the first place?

Contributor
Contributor

Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"