By BWilliams / 00:17, 5 May 2005 / Reviews - Products

STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON ON DVD
DVD

Price: $129.99
Pub Date: May 2005

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As STAR TREK: VOYAGER neared its seven-year run on UPN in 2001, word began to spread that a fifth STAR TREK series would take its place on television. Immediately fans began speculating at what the suggested fifth series would be all about. Immediately thoughts crossed the Internet, ranging from an all-Klingon series to an Excelsior series featuring the return of George Takei as Captain Sulu (which continues to be suggested to this day), to the early days of Captain Pike and Number One, to THE NEW STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION. When it was announced that STAR TREK would go back in time, fans began to wonder what this fifth series would be all about. Would it cover the Romulan Wars? Would it deal with the forming of the United Federation of Planets? Where would it go? Eventually word got out what the name of the fifth series would be: ENTERPRISE.

From its debut in late September 2001 and through its struggles on television until its recent cancellation, ENTERPRISE sought to further tap into the TREK mythology by bringing with it the origins of the STAR TREK universe. It was meant to be part TREK, part RIGHT STUFF. What it did was create as much controversy in rewriting the origins of STAR TREK as it did in adhering to much of what had been established in the 35 years prior. And fans were quick to criticize series creators and executive producers Rick Berman and Brannon Braga for the bulk of the problems.

From the start it generated much controversy. For the first time the words STAR TREK would be removed from the title, leaving just the name ENTERPRISE to suggest a TREK connection. This bothered long-time fans who argued that the STAR TREK banner be attached to the title, to formally bring it into the TREK fold (and some early second season preview trailers do in fact promote the series as STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE). Many fans were also bothered with the fact that for the first time, an actual song would be used as the underscore for the main title credits. Against a brilliant combination of historical film and video clips, illustrations, and speculative CGI designs, the main title theme was that of Russell Watson performing "Where My Heart Will Take Me" (also known as "Faith of the Heart", originally recorded by Rod Stewart for the film PATCH ADAMS). This up-tempo song was intended to modernize ENTERPRISE and give it a down-to-Earth connection; it only served to flare the tempers of those who longed for the bombastic and adventurous music made famous by Alexander Courage and Jerry Goldsmith in previous series. Still others criticized the series for its futuristic "retro" looking version of the Enterprise and its technology, the return of the film- and TNG-era Klingons, the Ferengi, the Borg, and other TNG-era races. Many others criticized the often tired and worn-out retreading of stories referenced in previous TREK series, the often blatant sexual references strung out in numerous episodes, and the lack of inspiration in living up to the TREK credo of "boldly going where no man has gone before". Some people even went so far as to criticize ENTERPRISE for being a giant reset button for the STAR TREK universe. And all of that is just scratching the surface.

Others found fault with this newest assemblage of cast and characters for this latest TREK. At the center of the series was Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer, originally thought of as this series' answer to Captain Kirk, a man of action and decisiveness and the object of every alien female's desire. Quickly fans were wont to bring up the comparisons between Archer and Bakula's previous TV role of Sam Beckett from QUANTUM LEAP, even suggesting a connection between the two. His chief crew were promised as the cream of the crop from Starfleet. Archer's chief engineer, Charles "Trip" Tucker III (Connor Trinneer), is a good-ol'-boy from the South who is fiercely passionate about his job. Neither of them are too thrilled with the fact that the Vulcan High Command has assigned Sub-commander T'Pol (Jolene Blalock) as the Enterprise's science officer to dispense critical and sometimes cynical comments about man's desire to get out into space. Together with Lieutenant Malcolm Reed (Dominic Keating), the ship's armory officer, Ensign Hoshi Sato (Linda Park), the ship's linguist and communications officer, Ensign Travis Mayweather (Anthony Montgomery), the ship's helmsman and resident "space boomer", and Dr. Phlox (John Billingsley), an alien doctor devoted to the sanctity of life, Archer and his crew of 80 are about to embark on Starfleet's first serious missions into outer space. Unfortunately, with the exceptions of Archer and T'Pol, around whom many of the stories are centered, everyone seemed bored and uninspired with the latest crew to populate the starship Enterprise.

That doesn't mean that ENTERPRISE is ripe with failure from beginning to end. Several of the first season episodes stand out as highly enjoyable and solid additions to the TREK canon. The series' pilot episode, "Broken Bow", while ruffling some feathers in the process, serves up an interesting idea of Archer and the Enterprise being sent to Qo'nos to deliver a Klingon courier back to his people. "The Andorian Incident" saw the return of the Andorians as a hostile, aggressive species with an on-again, off-again love/hate relationship with Archer and the crew, and revealing some interesting new aspects to the Vulcans as well. "Cold Front" saw the introduction of Crewman Daniels, an agent from the future with news about a Temporal Cold War involving the Suliban, a newly introduced alien species who is directed by a mysterious source to stop humanity's exploration into space. "Dear Doctor" brought Dr. Phlox to the forefront with a morality tale that suggests the origins of Starfleet's Prime Directive. "Shuttlepod One" is a great example of humanity under pressure: with little air remaining, Trip and Malcolm consider the possibility of their lives coming to an end along with their friendship. The season finale, "Shockwave, Part I", reveals the threat of the Suliban's plot behind the destruction of an alien world and further tampering with the timeline.

Unfortunately, for its freshman outing, ENTERPRISE saw just as many stories that were bland and uninspired in its creation and execution, boringly going where everyone else had gone before. Episodes like "Fight or Flight", "Strange New World", "Fortunate Son", "Silent Enemy", "Acquisition", and "Vox Sola", for example, did little to keep the STAR TREK flame going. At other times, ENTERPRISE did very little, if anything, to further explore the rich tapestry of alien races, instead settling for variations on the "new alien of the week" story repeatedly. That's simply not enough to sustain a science-fiction series for very long.

It was supposed to be the next great chapter in the STAR TREK universe. It was originally intended to go back to the beginnings of Starfleet and the Federation, and it was supposed to make Gene Roddenberry's original series look like nothing. What it wound up doing was ruffling the feathers of lots of fans, souring them in terms of continuity issues and turning them off of this latest chapter. What it also did was rehash many of the same stories in tired retreads that bored quite a number of fans from the start. Though it started off with an impressive viewing audience number of 12-15 million, that number would unfortunately taper off by at least half that amount by season's end, if not more. And long-time fans got concerned that Paramount had gone to the well one time too many.
::p::
Technobabble of a Different Kind:

For the first season of ENTERPRISE, all 25 episodes are reproduced in their original 1.85:1 broadcast aspect ratio in anamorphic widescreen format, which gives this most recent of series a feature film-like quality to it (so for those of you who absolutely have to have your TREK in fullscreen format, this is original aspect ratio here, so you're not losing anything at all on the DVDs).

Each episode is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Surround 2.0, with English subtitles and closed captions, as with the four previous series. If you think the sound quality on these episodes sounded great on television, wait until you view and hear them in 5.1 sound! Right off the bat I could tell there were subtle nuances and significant portions of dialog in a number of episodes that were absent from the original telecasts. In some of the early telecasts I had missed snippets of dialog that were not audible in the telecasts due to an improper mixture for the standard broadcasts, but none of those audio problems are present here. Everything sounds clean and clear as it should.

Packaging and Menus:

The packaging this time around is very much in the same vein as the season DVDs for the Original Series and VOYAGER last year. The outer shell is embossed in a silver-gray shell that looks like something right out of THE NEXT GENERATION, with a silver embossed logo of the series title and the Enterprise on the front, an indented series logo on the top, and an indented ship logo on the back. The case separates into two halves, allowing you to take the top right off and get into the DVDs themselves. Once inside, you'll find a plastic tray, covered with a plastic slipcover, and containing the seven-disc set. The tray set-up follows in the same arrangement as the DS9 and VOYAGER DVDs, while the slipcover contains the Season 1 logo and the Enterprise ship logo on the front.

Menu navigation is easy, with options for chapter selection, audio, and subtitles. The shiny discs themselves are arranged with all of the episode and disc content in a very clear and legible format - now this is what they should have done last year with the VOYAGER discs and failed to do. Definitely a step forward in the right direction once again! In addition, the package contains a colorful 12-page folder with series and episode information, along with disc content for the set and previews for other TREK series sets. This is something I for one am glad to see included in a TREK DVD set once again; why didn't the DS9 and VOYAGER sets have such folders and information? In addition, there is a small coupon flyer for the STAR TREK Experience included in the package.

The Extras:

This first season edition of ENTERPRISE contains quite a number of extras on its set, totalling over a whopping six hours in total. That's enough to give the Original Series season sets a run for its money! For years fans have wondered when Paramount would include substantial extras on its STAR TREK series DVD releases - specifically, deleted scenes, outtakes, and audio commentaries. The first season DVD set of ENTERPRISE now joins the TREK film releases in these areas, along with its requisite host of featurettes and text commentaries that we have come to expect. I for one am glad that Paramount has decided to include deleted scenes, outtakes, and audio commentaries on a series DVD, since this really pulls the curtain back to reveal more of what couldn't be included on television.

"Broken Bow" features an optional audio commentary with series creators and executive producers Rick Berman, in his first-ever STAR TREK audio commentary, and Brannon Braga, who has been previously featured on the audio commentaries for GENERATIONS and FIRST CONTACT, as they discuss the development of the pilot episode and the series. Their commentary is more reactive than proactive, as they had not seen "Broken Bow" in quite some time. They discuss the growing usage of digital effects on ENTERPRISE and its progression since NEXT GENERATION, the many set designs used for the series, and the casting for the series. Berman and Braga also address the harsh criticism the series received from long-time fans, as well as the controversy in "dating" the look and design of the series prior to the Original Series. (Don't worry, all of you B&B haters, you'll find it quite the amusing 85 minutes to laugh along with and throw your popcorn at.)

As with the Original Series and feature film DVDs, the first season of ENTERPRISE features running textual commentary from TREK historians Michael and Denise Okuda on three episodes, "Broken Bow", "The Andorian Incident", and "Vox Sola". As with the Original Series, GENERATIONS and FIRST CONTACT DVD releases, the Okudas' text commentaries appear "Pop-Up Video"-style on screen and reveal interesting tidbits of information about the episodes and placement in the STAR TREK canon. Be forewarned, though: the Okudas needlessly spoil the fate of one of the cast members by series' end, which has not aired as of this writing. This is the most significant drawback for viewers like me who have yet to tune in to the final episodes, much less the entire fourth season. In my opinion, the Okudas should have held back this information.

How many of us out there have been calling for deleted scenes to be included on a STAR TREK series DVD set? Too many to count, I can safely say. Paramount has obviously been listening to the fans, because for the first time on a series set they've included a solid chunk of deleted scenes from a number of the first season episodes. In this set you get a wealth of deleted scenes from "Broken Bow", "Fight or Flight", "Sleeping Dogs", "Shuttlepod One", "Oasis", "Fallen Hero", "Two Days and Two Nights", and "Shockwave, Part 1", all of which are scattered across the discs on the set, much like the SMALLVILLE season DVD sets. Each of the different scenes featured here spotlight interesting and sometimes extended character moments that didn't make the final telecasts, and it's nice to have these additional moments included on the set. All of the deleted scenes are featured in widescreen format and Dolby 2.0 surround sound - more nice touches. The sound and visual effects, though, are in various stages of completion, with some fully completed and some in work-in-progress format, and music is not included in these scenes as well. While these deleted scenes are not included in context with their episodes via seamless branching, they are nonetheless a wonderful addition to the ENTERPRISE DVD set, and I'm eager to see what additional scenes are included in the upcoming three sets.

Just as meaty as the deleted scenes are a series of bloopers and outtakes from the first season, another thing that fans have long wanted to see featured on a STAR TREK series DVD set. It's mainly a collection of funny flubs, laughing, cutting up on set, and even a few practical jokes thrown in for good measure. A nice added touch to the DVD set, and I'm looking forward to more bloopers on the future sets. Running time: 9:03.