10 Reasons Star Trek Enterprise Deserves A Second Chance

6. Adventures Of Early Starfleet

Star Trek Federation
Paramount Pictures

Enterprise was the first ship to depart Earth for deep space. Along the way, it discovered several allies and made new enemies. This is a running plot device in all Star Trek series that has sadly faded a little in both Discovery and Picard. The fundamental mission for all Starfleet ships is to seek out new life and new civilizations. The five year journeys of both Kirk and Picard were centered around this fact.

With the afore-mentioned reasons notwithstanding, Enterprise at least tried to emulate that. The ship was, for the first two seasons, much like Voyager in that it was always implausibly clean, always robust and the crew were always well fed. As the outside universe has become a little more challenging, this view of the future becomes a bit more jarring. But it is the very exploration and discovery of new resources and ideas that is the driving force behind Star Trek. Take the final episode of the Next Generation. Q's entire argument is that, for one moment, Picard manages to see beyond the mundane and accept the idea of there being more in heaven and earth than can be seen by mortal eyes.

Viewing Enterprise with this in mind, a resurgence of the show should be given the licence to explore this side of the universe. Let the new technologies come to them through unconventional means. Let their encounters with other life forms be both wonderous and frightening. The show, so often hampered by perceived rules of canon, could have had the broadest canvas - everything was new, even that which had been seen before.

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"