10 Star Trek Episodes That Just Didn't Work

9. Extinction - Enterprise

Star Trek Enterprise Extinction
CBS

This third season episode saw the name of the show change to 'Star Trek: Enterprise', where all episodes prior to this had just been called Enterprise. That is the lead point in this entry as this outing is one of the worst that Star Trek has offered in its entire run.

Directed by Levar Burton, who later admitted that he had told the producers he was ashamed to have worked on it, the story revolves around Archer, Reed and Hoshi devolving into aliens who are primitive and violent. It is similar to Identity Crisis, an episode of The Next Generation that saw Geordi go through a similar transformation.

The script is staggeringly awful and the dreadful performances do nothing to help. It is a deeply uncomfortable example of actors simply going through the motions. Scott Bakula, Linda Park and Dominic Keating are all much better than this script gave them credit for. Even the now-timely threats of quarantine and fears of spreading viruses among wider populations do nothing to help the fact that this episode is a stinker.

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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"