DVD Review: Enterprise Season 1
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::Movie review
Enterprise is over after 4 years. Much is being written these days about the fact that the 2005 fall season of television will be the first in nearly 20 years to not feature a Star Trek series. Many of the articles I've read attribute this to some perceived poor quality of the newest series (their evidence is the lack of ratings), but I don't buy it. For one thing, there is little in the Star Trek universe that could be worse than the first few seasons of The Next Generation.
There is merit to the notion that the series was doomed because no one watched it, but the reason no one was watching had little to do with the quality of the show.
I recall a few years ago when the phenomenally popular Buffy the Vampire Slayer jumped ship from the WB to live out its final years on UPN. This was about the same time that Enterprise was getting off the ground. And this news caused great turmoil. The problem was simple: UPN had virtually no affiliates. Most of the country was blacked out.
With Buffy, it didn't really matter to the bottom line. Sure, the fans were ticked off, but the series was ending anyway. UPN knew this when they bought it and were only using the show as an enticement to lure affiliates. For Enterprise, however, the lack of viewing coverage was a death sentence from the very beginning.
Speaking from one of the shafted markets, I can affirm that the entire first season of Enterprise went practically unwatched. A number of angry phone calls and letters prompted the local cable company to scramble to find a solution. Their temporary band-aid was to slot Buffy and Enterprise back-to-back onto a Fox affiliate at 11pm on Saturday night. By the time they got this set up, the season was already over half way over. What's worse, they didn't actually advertise this time slot, so by the time people discovered what was going on, the season was over and the Fox affiliate took back their time slot during the rerun break.
When season 2 of Enterprise rolled around, it's a pretty safe bet that many otherwise eager viewers had forgotten the show even existed. After all, many of them had never had the chance to watch it. UPN coverage continued to increase and by season 3, most of the country could access Enterprise if they wanted, but there was another hitch. The series had begun to move away from stand-alone episode plots in favor of a season-long story arc. Potential fans now had the opportunity to watch, but found themselves trying to keep up with a plot that depended on back-story set up in the prior 2 seasons. It was just too much to ask.
I realize that this is a review of season 1, but it feels important to point out some of the reasons why I feel this show failed. I don't think it had anything to do with quality. At its average, Enterprise was at least as good as any other Trek series, and it often had moments of greatness. There was something refreshing about the reinvention of the Star Trek universe. The Next Generation did this by jumping into the future of the original Trek world. Enterprise jumped far into the past.
Perhaps the biggest challenge for Enterprise was in creating a world that convincingly existed before the time of Kirk. The problem, of course, is that much of the technology that seemed fantastic during the run of the original series isn't all that far-fetched now. The computer I'm writing this review on doesn't pause to say "working" at every trivial request (despite the Windows operating system). My cell phone rivals Kirk's communicator -- and it can even take pictures and surf the web. And Google is only a few steps away from being a Universal Translator.
Still, Enterprise manages to bring a certain rawness to Star Trek, while balancing current technologies with those of the original Trek series. Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) wears a baseball cap and blue jeans, and has a pet dog aboard the ship. The crew still prefers to take shuttles, because the transporter system can't be trusted for living things. The Enterprise has armor plating, rather than shields, and seems more like a claustrophobic submarine than a giant star ship. Their uniforms even have zippers!
When season 1 opens with the episode Broken Bow, there is just barely a Starfleet. The newly commissioned Enterprise is in orbit above Earth and hasn't yet been tested outside of the solar system. In fact, Humans have barely even explored space. We learn that there is a bit of animosity between Humans and Vulcans. The Humans feel that Vulcans have been holding them back and repressing technology. The Vulcans don't think Humans are ready for the rest of the galaxy. Which one of them is right becomes a moot point when a Klingon crash lands on Earth and Starfleet decides (at the insistance of Archer) to return him to his homeworld.
As the season progresses, we are introduced to familiar aliens - for the first time. The series also plays with the fears and anxieties of space travel. It isn't nearly as commonplace in this time as it is in other Trek series, and some members of the crew are on the verge of being terrified of every little bump.
Still, for all of the good points, there are some flaws. I don't know what it is about Star Trek, but other than the very first series, the shows have always been slow to find their way in the first year or two. Enterprise is no different and there is a definite sense that the writers and actors were still trying to find the right notes. Season 1 isn't a lost cause, but it does leave room for improvement.
::Video
Enterprise is, far and away, the best looking Star Trek series to date. It helps tremendously that the series was produced in widescreen anamorphic format to begin with. Colors are bold and rich and the overall level of detail is better than other Trek series. Images are sharp and there seem to be very few digital artifacts to be found. Minimal edge enhancement helps to make this a very solid example of how a television presentation should look. It's still not quite film quality, but very good in its own right.
::Audio
The audio on this set is also first-rate. The dynamic range is very impressive, with solid mid and high ranges and deep, rumbling bass -- which is how it should be when the Enterprise flies overhead (even if that's not how it should be in space).
::Special Features
This set follows the standard format for Star Trek box sets. A number of episodes are presented with some form of commentary, while the last disc of the set contains the bulk of special features.
The first episode, Broken Bow, contains both an audio commentary (featuring Brannon Braga and Rick Berman) and a text track (by Trek DVD regulars Michael and Denise Okuda). Three other episodes also feature a text track. While these commentary tracks do have some interesting things to say, perhaps the most important thing I can tell you about them is that they assume you have watched the entire run of the series. If you have not, and you don't want to know details of upcoming story arcs, then perhaps you should avoid these.
Several episodes also contain deleted scenes, and while fun to watch, most don't really add much and were wise cuts.
Disc 7 of the Enterprise set is where you'll find all of the featurettes. I suppose it's to be expected, but some of what you'll find here is promotional and fluff. However, there are a few interesting tidbits. Inside Shuttlepod one is an honest look at one of the seasons better episodes. The producers are surprisingly candid in admitting that this was one of the "budget cutting" episodes (it has a very small number of sets and visual effects), but they chose to make up for that with character development. Enterprise Secrets is a very short, but very amusing look at just how low-tech some of the "effects" are in the series. This feature ends with hints of more to come and I hope that future sets give us longer versions. Also, the Enterprise Outtakes featurette is surprisingly funny - unlike most outtake clips I've been forced to endure.
The remainder of the featurettes are more of the same "cast reflections" and "actor profile" pieces that have been a staple of these Trek DVD sets. In spots they are mildly interesting, but otherwise not nearly as entertaining as the episodes themselves.
::Bottom Line
Although a bit rough around the edges, Star Trek Enterprise seems to be the most accessible Star Trek yet. The characters seem a bit less perfect and far less sure of themselves this time around. All in all, I found Enterprise to be more enjoyable than other recent Trek series, and if you're like me, there's a good chance that you never really got to see the entire first season, so this DVD set makes for a good opportunity.
Buy Enterprise Season 1 at DVDEmpire.com
| Movie |  |
3 / 5 |
| Video | |
3.5 / 5 |
| Audio | |
3.5 / 5 |
| Extras | |
3.5 / 5 |
| Family Friendly | |
2.5 / 5 |
| This outing of Star Trek has more sexuality and violence in it than previous versions, so although it isn't too far over the top, parents would be wise to use caution before letting the youngsters watch. | ||
| Overall | |
3 / 5 |
- Robert Wurth, ©2005
::Technical Specs
Studio:
Paramount Home Entertainment
Year of Theatrical Release:
N/A
Disc Format:
7 single-sided, Dual Layer
Image Format:
Anamorphic Widescreen
Aspect Ratio:
1.85:1
Region Encoding:
1 (North America)
Sound Format:
Dolby Digital 5.1
Running Time:
Approximately 45 minutes per episode
Director:
Various
Stars:
Scott Bakula, Jolene Blalock, John Billingsley, Connor Trineer, Linda Park
MPAA Rating:
TV-PG
Disc Supplements:
- Commentary on Broken Bow by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga
- Selected Text Commentary by Michael and Denise Okuda
- Deleted Scenes
- Creating Enterprise featurette
- O Captain! My Captain! A profile of Scott Bakula
- Cast Impressions: Season One
- Inside Shuttlepod One featurette
- Star Trek Time Travel: Temporal Cold Wars and Beyond
- Enterprise Secrets featurette
- Admiral Forrest Takes Center Stage
- Outtakes
