Enterprise Episodes

[00:00:03] Discovery going. Throttle up. [00:00:10] 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. [00:00:26] Hey, what's going on out there in the Alpha Quadrant? How is everybody doing today? [00:00:31] Welcome back. Thanks for joining us on this episode. I'm your host, Phil Rizzo. Flying solo today because we're going to talk about some Enterprise episodes. We're going to talk about Enterprise today. [00:00:44] You know, usually my co host, Brian Parks would be with us, but, you know, but when we break down these, you know, the top 10 episodes, it's kind of difficult with someone who's never seen them, you know, of course Brian always asks great questions and always has some good insight, but. But for the most part, it's me explaining a lot of stuff, which again, hey, I don't mind. [00:01:03] I love that dynamic. But since our good friend Brian Bomber Parks is knee deep in fatherhood, I'm gonna go ahead and record this one solo. [00:01:12] This is one that's been coming for a while. I've been talking about this one for a while. I finally got my top 10. We're gonna talk about Enterprise today. We had never done a pod that was Enterprise specific. [00:01:23] You know, it's a show that we don't talk about much on this pod, honestly. It's a show that a lot of Trek fans don't talk about much. And I am going to talk a little bit about why I think that is and kind of where I'm at with the show now. But listen, before we dive in, folks, what I want to do is tell you to check out some of our content. We don't have a lot, but we're trying to post more and more. The more often we can just give us a follow and a like on Instagram, TikTok threads. [00:01:54] You can go ahead and give us an email. You can shoot us an email twarp10mail.com and let us know what's going on. I would love to hear what you think about Enterprise and you could tell us where you think Enterprise falls on your list of the best Trek shows. I'd love to hear any of that, you know, so Enterprise, let's talk about it. It's a little weird. It's kind of one of those Trek shows that just kind of is out there and it's got its followers. I know it. [00:02:23] A lot of people have seen it, but it came sort of at the end of that, you know, big Trek revival in the 90s, right? Or the First Renaissance, as I call it. So, you know, you have the original series comes out in the 60s, animated series comes out in the 70s. The movies start in the 70s, they go through the 80s. [00:02:42] Next Gen kicks in around 1987. [00:02:45] Hugely popular, followed up by Deep Space Nine. Not as popular, but certainly a critical favorite. A lot of critics will tell you that DS9 is, is the superior Trek show. [00:02:57] I go back and forth between DS9 and next gen, you know, it's kind of like my back and forth between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi for years. I couldn't really pick which one I liked better, if I'm being honest, Enterprise. I'm sorry, if I'm being honest, Empire is the better movie. And Return of the Jedi is more fun, if you ask me. So you know, DS9 comes out and Voyager comes out right after that, you know, so. [00:03:22] And D9 premieres while next gen is airing, Voyager premieres while DS9 is airing. And then Voyager ends in 2001. [00:03:30] In my opinion, a strong seventh season. [00:03:34] Stronger than Next Gens, for sure. [00:03:37] Not as strong as DS9s, but a good seventh season. I think it ends on a high note. And then a year later, Enterprise premieres. Oh, no, I'm sorry. The same year. Excuse me. The same year. Enterprise premieres in 2001. So Enterprise goes from 2001 to 2005. [00:03:52] We finished Voyager, like I said, on a high note, at least. Personally, it was a high note for me. [00:03:57] And then I hear about the next show coming out and it's a prequel and I'm not crazy about that. And we've talked about that before, you know, I didn't like the. I wanted to continue in the 24th century. That was my favorite century. It's the one I grew up on. I want it to get more stories from that timeline. But they opted to go with a prequel. It's kind of the way creativity was heading at the time. [00:04:19] But you know, in Star wars, you know, Phantom Menace was hugely successful. So why not, right? Why not tell an origin story? Why not try to get a new group of people into Star Trek by making it just a little bit more relatable? Let's bring it back to the 22nd century, right? Where. Which, folks, is only 150 years, actually. Really, it's only 120. 130 years from where we are now. At the time that it aired, it was 150 years hence, but still they wanted to make it a little more relatable, a little closer to NASA and a little further away from the Enterprise. D or E. [00:04:58] So between the prequel strategy and making it more relatable, I get it. It's also something different. DS9 did something different to separate itself from next Voyager did a couple things different to separate themselves from the other shows. So Enterprise is trying to do that. Totally get it. They hire, you know, pretty much sci fi royalty in Scott Bakula, you know. You know, I wasn't a big Quantum Leap guy. I don't, I probably saw one episode if anything. But I know it was a hugely popular sci fi show. It's got a big cult following, so they bring Bacula on board. Great choice for a captain, I think, whether you like him or not, I think at the time it was a great choice. And you know, Enterprise kind of just comes out. It was on the UPN network just like Voyager was. The very short lived UPN9 that I think premiered in 95 with Voyager's premiere, you know, they had Voyager and they had wrestling. That's pretty much all they had. They tried some original content, didn't really take. But nevertheless, you know, Enterprise premieres on the same network on upn, one of the big six, if you will. [00:06:06] And yeah, the ratings were okay. You know, me personally, like my father watched it pretty faithfully. [00:06:13] You know, he was my dad just kind of, he just devoured Star Trek. He just kind of liked it. He, you know, wasn't one to talk too critically about these shows. He just kind of liked what he liked. And when Enterprise premiered, he just kind of watched it. He just kind of dug it. [00:06:27] You know, I watched the first couple seasons, I think with. I watched some with my father. I just kind of come home from work and I would catch up and I'd watch it and it was okay. You know, it didn't blow me away way. But like I said, it was still Star Trek, right? So I'm still watching it. I'm still gonna embrace what it's trying to give me and it's. It's okay. You know, the first two seasons are, you know, like I said, kind of okay. [00:06:49] Now that being said, you know, we're gonna talk about the seasons a little bit on the pot as well. And I know I've. My hot take is that Enterprise's first season is better than any of the other 90s shows. First seasons, I don't think that's a stretch and I don't think it's surprising really, but I could see people kind of arguing with that. You know, maybe if you want to make the argument that D Space 9's first season was better, I respect that. [00:07:16] But it's definitely. Enterprise's first season is definitely Better than Next Gens. And I would say it's definitely better than Voyagers. So I would love to hear from you. Do you think I'm right? Is that a hot take or am I kind of in the ballpark? And the only kind of show at that time that could give the first season a run for its money was DS9. So anyway, my point of saying all this is that the first two seasons weren't terrible and dare I say, was I possibly going through Trek fatigue? I don't think I've ever had that in my life. But I could see a lot of people who did. I could see a lot of people having it after three shows. You know, you have Trek on TV from 1987 till 2001, right? Like that. That's a lot. That's 14 years straight of at least one Star Trek show, sometimes two being on TV, people just kind of like, all right, maybe I need to take a break. Hey, I listen to Led Zeppelin like a madman in my 20s, right? [00:08:07] You know, I fell hard for him. I got into it. It's pretty much all I listened to for like eight, nine years straight. And then I had to take like 15 years off, man. Like, you can't just go hard forever, you know, and you, you got to take a break. These things have hills and valleys, right? [00:08:21] So maybe even I was a little Trek fatigued at the time. Who knows, right? But for whatever reason, you know, it could also be the fact that I'm kind of in the prime of my hanging out, you know, I'm in my late 20s when that comes out, you know, and just kind of being really social and hanging out with friends and taking trips and you're doing what people in the 20s are supposed to be doing. So, you know, maybe TV in general took a back seat, you know, at the time. So it is what it is. So I was not crazy about the premise. It comes on. I watched the first couple seasons and then the third season comes out. And you know, on this pod, if you listen, Luke and I have talked about the third season a lot. That was the season in which me, him and his, I want to say, fiance at the time, watched the third season of Enterprise together. And it was great, you know, it was great. I love the idea of them embracing the long form storytelling style that DS9 did so well in seasons six and seven. [00:09:16] It was, it was a great way to go. You know, that Xindy season had a lot going for it. Very exciting. I dare say most of my episodes on this list are from Seasons three and four, but we'll, we'll, we'll add that up as we go along. But season three was really great. And then season four was really good too. And the show was just hitting its stride when it got canceled. [00:09:34] I get why I got canceled. I'm not one of those fans that says, you know, oh, that's, this is bullshit. You know, if the ratings aren't there, the ratings aren't there. You know, I was upset when it got canceled because just in general, more Trek, the better for me. I mean, but it's not like when angel got canceled and I was like, you know, literally writing emails to, you know, studio executives, like that's going to help. But either way, I wanted to do whatever I could. I thought that show was also at its peak and I did not want to see that end. I was way more into the Buffy verse at the time than I was to Enterprise, not the Trek in general. Look, I was still re watching Next Gen Voyager, Deep Space non stop. That's been a non stop component in my life since I got into Next Gen. I've just been, I've been watching Star Trek on repeat for just, you know, as long as I can remember with, with a few lulls here and there. But for the most part, you know, I wasn't down on track. But maybe I was more into the Buffyverse than I was into Enterprise. In fact, I was. I definitely was. So, yeah, so I didn't even watch the fourth season until, in its entirety until maybe three or four years ago. You know, I'd watched the first two seasons a couple times. I watched that third season like I mentioned, and then I just kind of stopped. You know, weird. Like I said, you know, you're going through life, you're doing this, you're doing that. And it just didn't coalesce. I never finished it. [00:10:51] When I started this pod, which was kind of at the same time as the second Trek renaissance, you know, when Picard and Lower Decks and strange new worlds and all these Discovery and all these shows are coming out again, of course I'm gonna get excited like any other Trek fans did, you know, you know, doesn't matter whether or not they like the shows. The idea is that Trek was back. And of course, when I started the pod, you know, I'm not, I couldn't call myself a fan if I hadn't seen all the shows. So I had to go ahead and dive in and watch that fourth season, Enterprise. And it was good, man, it was really good. You know, not Only did they embrace a different type of storytelling, but they set themselves apart from the third season as well. Something that Discovery kind of did not discover. [00:11:34] I didn't mean to say that, but that's stupid. I'm gonna keep it. [00:11:37] Discovery, you know, had this first season that was very much, you know, a story of the week. Yes, they had overarching stories and they had the Klingons and Tukuvma and all this stuff going on, but it was, it was mostly standalone storytelling, even if there was an overarching storyline. But the overarching story didn't necessarily drive the plots of each episode. Like the second season of Discovery did, you know, the whole Red angel thing. And man, we got pike and number one and Spock and so much going on. [00:12:07] Successful. And then they did season three and you know, they were trying to discover what happened with the Burn. [00:12:14] Not so successful. Right. [00:12:16] You take away season two, I don't think Discovery was a show that really could sustain these season long arcs. It kind of didn't because they kind of repeated, you know, the same mistake in season four with. I want to say that was the season with species 10C. I want to say I do like the fifth season. I think it was the strongest season since season two of Discovery. But my whole point of bringing up Discovery is that what Enterprise did in season four was instead of making a season long arc, they decided to separate themselves from that again and do these. These three parters, which is great. And I think it completely worked. I think they did these. I think they did four three parters and one two parter. I want to say, but don't quote me on that, but the season was largely these three part arcs. It was so cool. I think anybody who watched Enterprise or has watched Enterprise recently or is watching Enterprise now would probably agree that seasons three and four were the strongest season. [00:13:11] So there you go. So that's. I'm sorry. And I have since rewatched season four again. So I've seen season four twice now. So I've seen every season at least twice. I've seen one and two many times. I've seen three probably three times now. So I felt it was time, you know, I definitely had enough to say about the show, you know, with Luke and with Friends, as I'm watching these episodes. But, you know, I had a lot of fun compiling this list watching these episodes. And I had a lot of fun rewatching the 10 that I chose so I could just kind of take notes and talk a little more informed. It, you know, I Don't. There's. These aren't locked in my brain like Next Gen Voyager and Deep Space are, you know, so I kind of had to do a little studying here, which I know is rare for me, but I wanted to. I wanted to make sure I knew what I was talking about. So the last thing I'll say before I get to, you know, kind of the meat of the pod is that you can't talk about Enterprise without talking about 9 11, you know, so 911 happens, you know, right as the show is premiering. And much like all other media in the United States at the time, tv, movies, books, you know, it was largely influenced by that and as well it should be. [00:14:22] It was a huge moment in the country's life, and it was a huge moment in my generation's life. [00:14:29] So this show was largely affected. I mean, season three, of course, is a metaphor for 9 11, you know, this, this, this unprovoked attack, you know, on Florida by the Xindi weapon, you know, launches us to. To pretty much invade space in search for a weapon of mass destruction. I mean, it's, you know, no one's trying to hide the fact that it's an obvious metaphor for, you know, for 911 and the aftermath. But that being said, it did affect the show. You know what I mean? So, you know, and again, I think season three is great. I think watching it 25 years later is great. I don't. I don't think it'. [00:15:08] I don't think it's affected by being a product of its time. I think it is still a good season. I think it's good storytelling. I think there's still some great moral conundrums there that we can think about and talk about. But it is a factor. It is a key factor in Enterprise as a show. And certainly as the third season progressed. [00:15:27] Let's talk about some general things about Enterprise I'd like to talk about before I get into the episodes themselves. [00:15:33] And folks, listen, I apologize if I seem like I'm rambling. I've kind of been excited to talk about Enterprise for a while because I've never focused primarily on this show before, and I enjoy it more every time I watch it. So I'm excited to talk about it. A few things about Enterprise. We mentioned Scott Bakula as Captain Archer, right? So a lot of these Trek shows, a lot of them are defined by the captain, right? You know, it's Picard better than Kirk. You know, man, Cisco got dark in season six. You know, Janeway's a badass. She'll do anything, man. [00:16:04] And then we got Archer, right? At first, I think Archer to me came off as a little vanilla, you know, just a little ho hum, you know. Councilor Troi, one of the notes that he talked about Archer, because he just went through Enterprise2 for the first time the whole show. He'd never seen it. It was so. So he definitely agreed that seasons three and four were better, but he was kind of. Overall, I'd say he was disappointed with the show. And he did mention that Archer seemed very one note, and I can completely see that. I think. I disagree at this point, but he definitely came off like that at first, and I could see people feeling that way. It's totally valid point. So I think Archer is a very good captain. You know, I actually placed him higher than you would have thought at the time on our top 10 captains list. I think he was number five, I want to say, maybe even number four, which is pretty impressive for a show that I kind of largely ignored mentally for a while. [00:16:57] But he's an interesting blend, right? So I feel like Archer is a blend of many different captains that came before. [00:17:03] For example, he has a dark and defiant streak about him. Okay? He can get very moody. He can get very ice. He can isolate himself and get in his own head. And I think Janeway did that a lot. Like, Janeway would go on this tear where she would just. It'd be her against the crew, you know, to the point where Tuvok and Chakotay are like, what are we gonna do if this happens again? [00:17:25] I mean, Tuvok, who is her, like, you know, confidant, her closest friend on the ship, at least at first, he's very hands on and he could throw a damn punch. Like our boy Captain Kirk. Like, you know, he's down in every away mission. He's mixing it up. He's, you know, he's throwing punches. He's, you know, he's. He's. He's very hands on and I think that's very Jim Kirk of him. [00:17:46] And like Janeway and like Kirk, he relies very heavily on. You said it. A Vulcan confidant, right? He. He has that Vulcan for counsel, provides stability, expertise, that alternate viewpoint that, you know, is so sorely needed in a captain. Okay, so there's some Kirk and Jamway for you. I think he is an explorer, like Captain Picard. I mean, not the explorer that Picard was, but certainly Picard's spirit was. He's an explorer. I think Archer had that spirit, too, at first, until the Xindy arc, I think it was all about, you know, the whole show was about getting out there and seeing what's out there for the first time. And in that aspect, it's pretty exciting. I like that aspect of Archer. I think he was right to play him as someone who was eager to get out there, prove himself, prove that the human race deserves to be out there. [00:18:36] I think he's like Picard in that way and yeah, you guessed it. I'm gonna. I'm gonna draw a comparison to Cisco now because I think when he was called to war, like he was in the Xindi arc, man, I think he was willing to do whatever it took, okay? Him, Janeway and Sisko did things that no other captains did. [00:18:57] To this day, I would say if I'm missing a key aspect of something, but I feel like, you know, he can get just as dark as Janeway, just as dark as Cisco, more. Cisco and him really, I'd say, are a little more darker than Janeway was. But he could go there, man. He had to make those decisions because it's war and guess what, it's killer be killed. And that's some tough stuff, man. That's some tough stuff for a main character on a TV show to kind of do. But, you know, Cisco and DS9 laid the groundwork for that. So, you know, you might want to say DS9, you know, what's the expression? Crawled so Enterprise could walk, right? So. So there you go. He could be one note at times, I do agree with Troy to some degree, but I also think he was extremely likable. Archer. I think he's very folksy when he needs to be. And I think he was a competent captain. I think he made good bridge decisions. [00:19:49] I think he, you know, grappled with these moral conundrums like you're supposed to, by the way, grappled with these moral conundrums. Before any other captain had to deal with this, there was no precedence. He was out there just flying solo, man, without a net. You know, there was no, let me see what other captains did before me in this type of situation. Nah, there was none of that. [00:20:10] So, you know, Archer is what it is. You know, I like him a little more each time I watch him, but at the same time, I dare say, in a good way, he is kind of annoyingly stubborn though too. Right? And that's kind of what captains need sometimes. And then we got to Paul, you know, we mentioned this Vulcan stability, this Vulcan council, you know, the idea of making the Vulcans the chief Antagonist early on in the series was a bold move, I think. Very bold. [00:20:38] You know, the Vulcans are probably right up there with the Klingons as like, the most beloved Trek species other than human. Right. Like, you know, you want to argue that the Romulans are thrown in there because there's such a great rivalry or the Borg of this menace, but come on, the Klingons of the Vulcans are the two main species you think of when you think of Trek. And at least I do anyway. You know, call me out on that. [00:21:01] Making them the antagonist was pretty ballsy, I think. [00:21:06] You know, the Vulcans were always stubborn and they were always arrogant, but they were always lovable. [00:21:11] These guys were not lovable, man. Like, these Vulcans were straight up dicks, all right? And we all know that. Yeah, I know they came around at the end and, you know, once they got over themselves, they. They saw the potential in. In humanity. [00:21:25] And, you know, it's really interesting to think about the fact that we go from that. You know, look at the pilot episode of Enterprise where the Vulcans are just like, nah, screw you. You're this petty species. You're not ready. [00:21:36] You're arrogant, you're loud, you're, you know, you're quick to judge, you're quick to react and then flash forward to them sort of taking a back seat and letting humanity kind of take the lead on the Federation, you know what I mean? Like, and I know Archer had a lot to do with that, but, you know, they really swallowed their pride, you know, from point A to point B to the point where in the 24th century, you know, you would never know that the Vulcans had. Had that antagonistic attitude towards humanity at first. [00:22:08] Yes. They always judged them silently and they always were like, why are you getting so upset? You know, what the hell's wrong with you? But I like that. I like the fact that they took a species that we loved and we adored, made them the antagonist and gave that species an arc that they kind of didn't have before. I think that's an interesting aspect of it. It's an interesting way to look at it. [00:22:31] You know, the Vulcans have always been sort of one note. Characters have arcs, but now we have an arc for that species, and I think that's pretty interesting. [00:22:39] So we got to Paul, right? It was so satisfying to watch t' Pol's arc on this show, especially upon third and fourth viewing. [00:22:49] Amazing job by Jolene Blaylock. I'm just. Just amazing. Like, she is a highly underrated character in Trek Lore like, she really is. [00:22:57] Matter of fact, I. I should say her Trip and Phlox were probably the most fun to watch these last couple times through. And that is not a knock on the rest of the cast. We're going to talk about Hoshi, Travis, Malcolm as well. But something about her, Trip and Phlox. Those characters just sort of maintain their interest to me over the course of these multiple viewings. [00:23:22] And of course, because upon multiple viewings, you are noticing more and you're appreciating these arcs a little more and where these characters started and where they end up. Yeah, we know, Phil. That's an arc. [00:23:33] So. Yeah. So back to DePaul. So, listen, she's. She's great. I mean, her arc was so emotionally satisfying, ironically enough. [00:23:40] And like I said, that actress pulled it off. Listen, we're human, right? We're watching a fictional show about humans and other species. But listen, we're human and we're watching this TV show. And you know, I fall for it every time. I fall for these narratives where humanity does win you over, right? It's this weird validation that doesn't count. [00:24:01] Right? Like, as a human being, I'm proud that Vulcan's like us now. What the does that mean, dude? Like, come on. Like, get a life. Thank you, William Shatner. I. I totally get it. Totally get it. But listen, I'm a nut job. And we're. I'm immersed in this universe and. And I think of these shows and characters and episodes in terms of this. So, yeah, hey, I'm a fanboy. Get over it, man. And I know a lot of you guys are, too. So this is how we think. This is how we talk. And her humanity winning her over. [00:24:32] Her choosing to stay on Enterprise, her choosing to, you know, resign her commission to stay on Enterprise, to see the mission through. [00:24:41] Man, it gets me choked up every time now. Every time there's a small to palm moment. It's fucking great. Good job. Like I said, Hoshi, Travis, I mean, they didn't have anything to do, okay? That is not a knock on Linda Park. It's not a knock on Anthony Montgomery. And to a lesser extent, it's not a knock on Dominic Keating. I apologize. Yeah. Malcolm Reed. So it's not a knock on him because Malcolm had a little more to do than everybody else did, than Hoshi and Travis did. But, man, they did. I mean, they didn't write anything for Travis. Like. And when they did give him an episode, yes, it was, you know, it was okay. But he was a space kid. He was a boomer, whatever they called it, a space boomer. I forget what they called it on the show, but I mean, that was him and that was interesting. [00:25:23] You know, he did have areas of expertise that the rest of the crew didn't. Of course, he was the best pilot on the show. I like that. He had a few great moments in seasons three and four that I really liked, but for the most part, he was underwritten. [00:25:37] Maybe the most underwritten character in Trek history. Now, I'm just saying that off the top of my head now, but prove me wrong, right? [00:25:45] I'm thinking about these other shows. I mean, even you take a show like Lower Decks, and I'm not saying that, like Lower Decks is a lesser show. I'm saying it's an animated show and people could be easily lost on that show. But for the most part, man, I feel like Travis was the most underwritten character on track that I could think of right now. Main character, I should say. [00:26:04] But you know what? Let me leave that there because I'll think about that more. But. And Hoshi had a few more episodes and she did a little bit more. And Linda park was phenomenal and was great, but I would like to have seen her be more involved, shine a little bit more. [00:26:19] And then Malcolm's an interesting one, you know, Dominic Keating, I think he did a good job. I like the fact that we have a British officer on the ship. He was a good security officer. Like, he was like, on first glance, he's not, you know, at first glance, he's just sort of lost in the shuffle as far as, if you're comparing him to Odo and Tuvok and Worf, I mean, those are some tough shoes to fill. But I think he did a good job, you know, and I, upon my third viewing, I realized that he was a good security officer. Security officer. I liked watching him do what he was doing. I liked the storyline with him and the Makos and, you know, Stephen Culp, you know, playing the leader of the Makos. I can't think of his name right now. But, you know, I, I like that, that storyline. I loved his Section 31 esque storyline in Season 4. We'll get to that at some point today. But Malcolm was underwritten as well. [00:27:13] So I think these characters are good. I don't think the characters or the actors failed anything. [00:27:17] Again, I don't think anything failed anything. I think this is a show worth watching again. It's. It's a backseat to a lot of these other shows. I think if I was Ranking them all right now. And I'm going to someday. [00:27:28] I would put it probably sixth or seventh right now. And I gotta tell you, I'm rewatching Prodigy season one, so I could. I bought all the Blu Rays and I can't wait to watch season two. Never seen it. I've seen season one rewatching Prodigy. Man, this show is good. I mean, it's good. Like, right now, it's better than Enterprise, I'll tell you that. I'll just throw that out there. [00:27:48] You know, I was texting Luke the other day. I'm just like, dude, man, this show is fun. It's good. [00:27:54] These episodes are really well done. So I think I got him hooked. I'm gonna get him to watch it. Troy, who knows? We'll try. But if you're out there listening and you've never seen Prodigy, it's. Check it out, man. It's worth it. Yeah, it's a kid show, but it's not written or performed or created like a kid show. Okay. It is safe for kids, but I think there's so much more than that. And so far, I'm loving it. I'm on episode. I want to say 12 of season one of a rewatch of season one, and it's really good. So my point in telling you all that is right now, Prodigy might be better than Enterprise, but that being said, this show is worth watching, and I want to talk about it. I want to talk about these episodes. So listen, I've surprisingly talked for about a half hour about Enterprise leading up to this. And if you've been just waiting around for just for the 10, I apologize, but we're gonna get into it right now. Okay, so these, in my opinion, are the top 10 Enterprise episodes. Number 10, First Flight. This is from season two in 2003. It's got a 7.5 on IMDb. After his close friend and colleague A.G. robinson is killed in a mountain climbing accident, Captain Archer tells to Paul about the warp two test flight almost 10 years earlier. [00:29:06] Fun, fun episode. We get a little Archer, you know, foundation here, a little glimpse into his past. We get the Trip Archer origin story, which is fun. We like that. You know, you watch the show, I'm sure they dropped hints here and there, but you think they've been lifelong friends, like Bones and Kirk, you know, but nah, you know, they only met, like I said, you know, 10 years earlier. But I like seeing that. That was fun seeing that origin story. I didn't expect to see Trip pop up in that episode. Love, Keith Carradine. Okay, wow. Bill Hickok, Undeadwood, Agent Lundy on Dexter, pops into these shows for a smidge of episodes and just kills it. Like, in my opinion, he stole those first four episodes of Deadwood. [00:29:56] Even while they're establishing this whole, you know, the premise of the whole show, man, he just. He just carried it, man. Keith Carradine, that voice, so distinctive. Love the way he played Wild Bill Hickok on. [00:30:10] On Deadwood. And if you haven't seen that, my God, go watch that. [00:30:15] Such an amazing show. [00:30:17] It's right up there with the Wire and Sopranos as the best HBO shows of all time. It's right up there with any of the best shows of all time. Trust me, watch it. Three seasons and a movie. Amazing. [00:30:28] And if you're a Dexter fan, which I was for the first seven seasons or so, he played Agent Lundy in that. That amazing season four with the Trinity Killer, you know, was mostly him and Jennifer Carpenter and working together. I can't remember it's been so long since I've seen season four of Dexter, but I want to say he was in most of the season. [00:30:51] If it was 13 episodes or 12 episodes, what most shows were back then, I'd say he was in 7 or 8. Fact check me on that. Either way, man, he killed it. I like what he brought. He brought a gravitas to that role, just like he did with Wild Bill, just like he does here. Great to see. Great to see him. I love Keith Carradine. I got to look up more that he was in because I would love to cite more examples of what I've seen him in, but I really don't have much. [00:31:19] He might have even been on Star Trek in another capacity. I don't even know. He could have snuck in as a Klingon or something. Like when Luke snuck Stephen first past the goalie when we did our. [00:31:31] Our guest stars pod. But Agent Lundy, love him. Love Keith Carradine. [00:31:37] The ending, you know. You know what? Before I go to the ending, just the episode in general, I just like the idea of, you know, this Top Gun sort situation, you know, Archer being a little more brash, a little more brazen. I like that. I like that these guys just throw fists. I like that that Starfleet is a little more loosey goosey at the time. [00:32:02] You know, there's no general court martial for punching a fellow guy in the face. You know, so a fellow cadet or a fellow officer in the face. [00:32:10] So I kind of like that. It's like the, you know, the. The Very, very beginnings of Starfleet kind of cool. [00:32:16] You know, their whole. The whole storyline there with them trying to compete for the first captain to, you know, for the Warp 2 test. It's just fun. Who doesn't like seeing that? [00:32:26] And like the ending, man? So he's telling this whole story. The framing device is Archer's telling this story to Paul and I think to Trip as well at one of their many, many captains quarters dinners. [00:32:39] And here's what I'm talking about, you know what I mean? To Paul. This is season two. [00:32:44] And here's to Paul emotionally bringing this episode home. Talking about how they should name the Nebula after his friend, you know, Robinson. The Robinson Nebula. [00:32:55] Nice touch, man. That's just a great touch. Great way to end that episode. And I think that last moment of the episode kind of brought it into the top 10 for me. Like, it just made the 10, obviously. Oh, by the way, I should say no honorable mentions today. You know, I can't even remember what first flight, this number 10 was competing with. But I think it all just kind of fell into place. And then it was just a question of, you know, arranging the order from there. So there you go. So no honorable mentions. Number 10, first flight. Let's keep going. Number nine, divergence. [00:33:26] This is a 7.9 on IMDb from season four of discovery. So we're keeping track. That's one for season two, one for season four. This came out in 2005. [00:33:36] While enterprise tries to bring Trip on board to reverse the malicious Klingon modifications Phlox and Untack, find a cure for the virus. That will not please General Kavah. [00:33:49] Folks, this is part three of three. [00:33:51] Okay? It was hard to separate these, but I did. Like I said, no caveats, no parrot sketching for this list. [00:33:59] I like three better than the other two. And that's it. I'm not including all three in the arc. [00:34:03] So, first of all, look. [00:34:05] Probably the most ridiculous and awesome thing ever filmed in a Trek episode, right? The warp speed cable transfer that Tripp was doing was so cool. I don't care. Like, I know in a million years nothing about it would ever happen. You know what I mean? It's ridiculous, but so cool. [00:34:27] And I think visually I thought it looked great. For 2005. I thought it looked really good. [00:34:32] You know, I know sometimes these episodes are cleaned up when they're streaming, but, like, it. It looked great. I thought it was filmed great. I thought it was a phenomenally radical idea. [00:34:42] You know, how many more ideas can you have when you've had, you know, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5 different shows that came out before this series. You know, like, how do you keep coming up with new stuff? So you think outside the box. And that's outside the box, man. [00:34:59] I know that Trip was on the other ship at the time, so that was a little weird, but it was a great way to bring him back onto Enterprise. [00:35:05] I love seeing Trip in control, not only on his ship, but when he gets back to Enterprise and shoves the other, you know, newly appointed chief engineer out of the way and, you know, beat it. So love that. That's a great opening way to start, you know. You know me, I'm an action freak and I love seeing that scene. Really good. [00:35:23] Folks, let's talk about the actual origins of section 31 here. You know what I mean? I was the guy who got very excited when they mentioned section 31 in Star Trek Into Darkness. I know it's the Kelvin timeline, I know it's not, you know, the prime timeline, but I've always been a giant fan of Section 31. The idea of Section 31, I think it makes total sense. I think in order to compete with the Tal Shiar and the Obsidian Order and all these other sort of clandestine organizations within organizations that we have, you need to compete. [00:35:55] And obviously it's a modern day CIA, but, hey, who doesn't like CIA movies and CIA TV shows, right? I loved Alias for the first, you know, ridiculous. [00:36:05] What, two and a half seasons till it got bonkers. But, you know, it is what it is, so. Section 31, man. [00:36:12] So this is what I was alluding to when I talked about Malcolm before, how he had this really great moral conundrum in season four. So do you follow orders even when you have to betray what is essentially your family? [00:36:26] Who knows, right? I mean, you know, we see a lot of that in drama, especially when there's military organizations. We see a lot of where there's dramas where you have superior officers. In any sort of context, do you follow orders or do you maintain that loyalty? Right? What do you do? We just, you know, I'm watching season seven of Next Gen to get that list ready. I'm almost done. That. That should be the next one we do. And. And I'm watching the Pegasus, right? Does Riker just come out and tell Picard all this stuff he's under orders to not do it by an admiral? Like the character Riker doesn't know that he's on a TV show where he should be loyal to Patrick Stewart? You know what I mean? Like like, that's a realistic way to portray that. Like, he's still a commander in Starfleet and an admiral has given him a direct order. Here's Malcolm. His superiors are telling him, look, you signed up for this and now you got to deal with it. You know, you can't tell Archer everything that's going on just because you like the guy and you're loyal to him and you've gone through some things on this ship. Or am I wrong? That's the conundrum. [00:37:31] I thought Archer was a little tough on him, considering all this. [00:37:35] Archer can be tough. Again, I said that. I like that aspect of him, so. Whereas I think he was justified in really going off on trips in an episode that I. [00:37:46] Is not on the list, I don't think. But, you know, when he didn't follow the Prime Directive and sort of screwed around with that androgynous species, which is similar to what Riker did, now that I think about it. Next Gen episode the Outcast. [00:38:03] But he fucking went off on Trip. And he should, man, because of the implications, you know, that the Prime Directive is put in place to prevent. [00:38:12] And, you know, again, none of these officers have had to deal with these situations yet. But for some reason in the moment, I agree with Trip. I'm sorry. I agree with Archer being so hard on Trip there now with Malcolm here, I think, you know, Archer respects the chain of command. And if he wants his officers to do that, guess what? If somebody higher than him tells Malcolm to do something, you got to do it. So, yeah. So, you know, and to bring the Pegasus, you know, comparison back into focus. [00:38:39] Picard went easier on Riker during the Pegasus episode than Archer did on Malcolm in this episode. And I think it's the same thing. I really do. [00:38:47] Cisco went easier on o' Brien in captive pursuit when he decided to let Tosk just, you know, let him go and run free. Janeway went easier on Tuvok when he traded Federation technology to the alien race so Janeway, quote, unquote, wouldn't have to, you know, deal with it. [00:39:05] All those characters I mentioned eventually did the quote, unquote, right thing. [00:39:09] But Riker did essentially what Malcolm Reed did. You know what I mean? He just. He followed orders until he absolutely couldn't anymore, until he thought it was gonna be a threat to the ship. So, you know, he didn't do that. But listen, all that aside, I love the moral conundrum of that. I love the idea. I love grappling with those ideas. I love the fact that this Captain and this Security officer in this crew is grappling with these ideas for the first time before anyone else in Starfleet had to deal with this stuff. So I like that. [00:39:34] And, you know, just a great all around, action packed episode. A great third part to end that sort of Klingon arc. So well done. Good episode, good episode there. [00:39:45] So that was number nine. Let's keep going here. Number eight, regeneration. [00:39:50] That's an 8.5 on IMDb from season two. Another one from season two that aired in 2003. So, folks, that's two for season two, one for season four. [00:40:00] An Arctic Research team makes a startling find. Cybernetic creatures, Borg buried in the ice. When the revived aliens seize control of a spacecraft, it's up to Archer to keep them from contacting the collective and threatening Earth. [00:40:14] A Borg episode on Enterprise. Who saw it coming, right? Maybe you did. I did not. But what a clever way to bring them back. What a clever way to have a Borg episode on a Star Trek show that takes place in the 22nd century. [00:40:29] First contact, baby. That's so cool. [00:40:32] Obviously, you know, the events of First Contact is just a gold mine for storylines, and Enterprise did it well, man, they. [00:40:41] They took what was established, they made a creative storyline about it, and they brought back one of the most beloved villains in Trek lore. Well done, indeed. I. I'm the guy who got all excited when Seven of Nine knew the First Contact story and just said that, you know, the Borg were present during those events and left it at that. And the whole crew was like, what the fuck you talking about? Love that. This just takes it to the nth degree. Well done. [00:41:07] Who doesn't love seeing the Borg? They're always a menace. I like the fact that, you know, we had some of the story in that Arctic or Antarctic, I can't remember research center. It was a great sort of parallel story there. [00:41:20] Love that. Love the ending. Okay, this is a controversial ending. I get it. But I love the ending, okay? And I think the premise, the great gimmick, and the ending are what put this at number eight. So the Borg sent a subspace message that will take, you guessed it, 200 years to reach the Delta Quadrant, just in time for the 24th century. [00:41:40] Now, this kind of contradicts the Borg introduction in the Next Gen Season 2 Episode Q who, right? [00:41:48] So the idea is that the Borg didn't even know of human existence or the Federation or Vulcan exit, you know, for that matter, the Federation existence until Q flung the Enterprise deep into what we now know is probably the Delta Quadrant, okay? And Then at the end of that episode, Picard realizes, you know, the Borg, I should say. Picard and Guinan discuss how, like the Borg knowing of humanity before they were supposed to. [00:42:15] They will be coming. So they know the work are coming for him. [00:42:19] By the way, great freaking ending to that episode. Great menace, great last line to sort of if it was the last time, I think it was, you know, weighs heavy on the heart, right? And we all know the end of season three, it happened. So anyway, back to Enterprise. So, yeah, so it kind of contradicts that now. You know I'm the ultimate Trek apologist, right? Troy's laughing right now as I'm saying these words. [00:42:44] You could say that the. The cube that Q flung the Enterprise in front of was the cube coming to do a reconnaissance mission from when, you know, they got the message and they sent somebody out. [00:42:58] Because you could play with the. With the space there, right? You could play with the distance there. Because there's no established parameters as to, you know, when the board decided to launch a ship after getting that message from, you know, the Enterprise show. I don't sound like I'm making much sense. Hopefully, I am. [00:43:15] Basically, the Borg send a message that takes 200 years to reach the Delta Quadrant and then say they launch a vessel, one cube to go. You know, see what's going on. And my point there is, who knows how long it took the cube to get to where it was? Who knows how far Q flung the Enterprise, blah, blah, blah. So either way, Picard would have no way of knowing that the Borg. Although I tell you what, like, that should be in Federation records, though, wouldn't it? [00:43:45] Yeah, it would. Up. Loophole. Sorry, sorry, little. Little plot hole there. [00:43:51] So, yeah, so, you know, Picard would know of the Borg's existence because the Enterprise did encounter them. [00:43:57] So when Q flung them, they would have known. Data certainly would have gone through the database and known that unless for some reason it was classified at some point between Enterprise and Next Gen. Let's leave it at that, folks. [00:44:12] Good episode, a lot of fun. Great way to bring the Borg back. Love seeing the Borg. Yeah, I know I'm the guy that was disappointed that the Borg cropped up at the end of Picard Season 3. But not that disappointed where it ruined the season for me. I know a lot of people were like, come on, enough with the Borg already. But you know what? Keep them coming. I'm fine with it. All right, let's go, number seven. This is a fun one. In a mirror darkly, part 1.8.2 on IMDb season 4 scores 2 to 2, folks. [00:44:42] Season 4, 2005, set in the dark and oppressive Mirror Universe. Commander Archer leads a mutiny in a bold attempt to seize control of an advanced starship, a vessel from the future that may be the key to saving the Terran Empire. Mirror Universe baby dolls, we're back. Okay, listen, let's talk about it. I love the First Contact beginning. What a cool, cool sort of twist to put on that well known scene and well studied scene, right? This is the moment that every school kid in the 22nd, 23rd, 24th century knows about, right? So way to turn that on its head and make it something different, something dark. [00:45:23] Great job. By the way. This is now, as you know, the second episode on this list that involves the events of First Contact. I think that's really cool. I think it speaks to the impact that that amazing film had on the Trek universe. Lord knows, it is mine and Luke's number one Trek movie and it's just great. If you haven't seen it, I can't imagine if you're listening to my voice right now. You haven't seen First Contact, but it's so good that it spawned two Enterprise episodes right here on my list. So I love that. Listen folks, by my count, this is the, I want to say the third series of Trek. At the time to do a Mirror Universe episode, there would be at least five shows and I want to say 15 episodes total. 15 Mirror Universe episodes in all of Trek lore. Okay. I did do some cursory research here. [00:46:15] Very unlike me. I know the original episode, the original series obviously had, you know, The Mirror. Mirror. [00:46:21] DS9 had five Mirror Universe episodes. Won't go through them all. Obviously it's not a DS9, DS9 pod. But they really embraced the Mirror Universe and they made it a fun sort of, you know, it's very Rick and Morty esque, right? It's very American dad esque. Meaning you know, the Rick and Morty episodes where you get to see what's going on at the Shit. What it's called the, the where all the Ricks and Morty's are. I can't remember what the hell that's called. But you know, every once while you get to see what's going on in that storyline and they'll just have like a, like a standalone there American dad, you know, the, the Golden Turd storyline. Every once a while you just kind of go back to that and see what's going on. [00:47:01] It's kind of got that feel, you know, when you, when you return to the mirror universe on DS9, you pretty much pick up where you left off in the last Mirror Universe episode. And it was just a fun way to sort of, you know, let the characters do some fun stuff. So, five on DS9, two on Enterprise. This is a two parter. I wasn't as crazy about the second episode as I was the first one. So that's why only part one made the list. [00:47:22] Discovery folks had six Mirror Universe episodes. Six of them. Gotta revisit those. Do not know them well at all. And listen, I can't remember if this is in season one or season two, but Prodigy had the last Mirror Universe episode. So there you go. That's 15 Mirror Universe episodes. What a cool thing to do. [00:47:43] My good buddy Councillor Troy and I, in August, I'm gonna propose. It was his idea, but we're gonna spend, you know, a few days in August hanging out. I think we might try to watch all the Mirror Universe episodes. Fun, fun stuff to do. [00:47:57] Couple other things about this episode. So Hoshi gets a chance to shine. [00:48:04] Don't mind saying that Hoshi, very attractive lady. Very attractive actress. It was fun to see her get a little flirty, get a little, you know, show a little skin. You know, I. [00:48:16] You know, t' Pol gets a lot of the. A lot of the looks on Enterprise, you know, and, you know, justifiably so. Jolene Blaylock is a very attractive actress. But, hey, so is Linda park. And it was great to see her have some fun. [00:48:28] Love Hoshi in this role. She seems like she had some fun with it. And hey, first look at Atholian. What's going on with that? [00:48:37] Love it. You know, revisiting the original series. The Tholian Web is a really great episode. [00:48:44] It may even make my top 10. We'll see. But first look at a Tholian. So cool, man. [00:48:52] You know, great creature design. Great. [00:48:54] You know, obviously it's Insect Slash spider. Ish. You know, what other kind of species would use a web as a weapon? So just really cool. I love seeing that. That was really fun. [00:49:05] Yeah. And in general, look, these. These actors just had some fun. They were able to cut loose. Archer had a good time. It was fun watching Scott Bakula play this role. It's just. Just fun stuff. What can I say? That's my number. Number seven. All right, number six. Let's go. Babel 1 Season 42005 so this is an 8.4 on IMDb. [00:49:27] It's all season four and two so far, folks. What the heck is going on? [00:49:32] So I Think that's three to two. Season four versus season two. Let's see if we can get some threes and ones in here. So Enterprise escorts Tellerites to peace talks with Andorians. While transporting, they rescue Andorians and say the Tellerites attack them. Okay, this is how it's written, so I'm just going to keep reading. Enterprise is soon attacked by an Endorian ship and Archer must prove who is responsible. [00:49:56] Not a great synopsis there, but it gets the job done. [00:49:59] I think this is a fun episode. Man. I had a lot of. I've had a lot of fun watching this one. So this is great. This is so nostalgic when, you know, for Trek history that we never actually saw, right. This is the Tellerites and the Andorians, two founding members of the Federation, you know, with the humans. And this is like the first real glimpse into humans, sort of bridging these species together. [00:50:20] There's something so cool about that. I've talked about the spirit of Enterprise and how on other pods too, on how, like, it's great to really embrace the idea of the beginnings of what we have come to know and love. The Federation, Starfleet. Just all these things that we know and love. Seeing the origin of all this, even a glimpse like this episode is so cool. It's so nostalgic. That's why it made the list. [00:50:45] Couple notes here. So, you know, Archer embraces the Tellarite philosophy. I like that. But a weird moment, I thought, when he was super rude to Trip and like, you expect him to be like, you know, give him a little smirk or smile or something. He just treats him like a dick and lets him go. I thought that was an interesting choice. [00:51:03] Maybe I missed something there, maybe I didn't. But like I said, Archer. Hey, he could be stubborn Dick sometimes he's holding a grudge about something. [00:51:10] Anyway, the Telluride. So Lee Arenberg plays the main Tellerite. If you don't know who Lee Arenberg is, he pops up in a lot of Trek and he possibly been a lot of stuff. I know him as Mike Moffat from Seinfeld in the Susie episode where. Where Jerry accidentally breaks his thumbs. He's fun in that. He was in a great Tales from the Crypt episode where he. I think I want to say he was a magician or somebody who was on stage and he got Bobcat Goldthwait's voice stuck in his head and he couldn't get it out. Maddening. Talk about maddening. He was great in that episode. So I like that actor. [00:51:46] He's in it. And of course, the beloved Jeffrey Combs as Shran. Who doesn't love when he comes back, man. Love it, love it, love it. Love him showing up here even if he was in full, you know, pink skin mode. Love Jeffrey Combs. [00:52:01] Archer taking a swig of Andorian ale. So much fun. We've seen so many Trek characters do that over the years. Some with, you know, I should say with varying degrees of success as far as, you know, hiding how strong it is. But that was fun to see. [00:52:17] Listen, I love the politics of 22nd century Alpha Quadrant, right? Like the Tellerites and the Andorians are in constant war, but here's the fucking Romulans behind the scenes pulling strings. [00:52:29] So fucking cool, man. It's almost like, you know, if you could go, you know, to the events leading up to World War II and just be a fly on the wall in some of these, like, summits and meetings and like these back rooms and just sort of getting a real glimpse into like, you know, how these things started and how these things were formed. I think that's phenomenal. Such a cool thing. And the Romulans, of course, of course the Romulans are just sitting back and just pulling the strings and trying to, trying to manipulate these species because it's a game of chess. It's always a game of chess with the Romulans, right, Picard? Always Romulans. Maybe the most underrated species of villain in Trek. We'll, we'll talk about that at some point in the future. But the Romulans are always there. They're always a menace. They're always doing something. Love it. [00:53:13] Brian Thompson as the Romulan captain. The great Brian Thompson, man. Let's talk about him. Bomber, listening to this pod knows who Brian Thompson is. We've talked about him before. He is the pug bad guy from Cobra with the crazy ass knife that every kid my age wanted. He was the alien bounty hunter on X Files. He was on D Space nine. He's been in a bunch of cool shit. Love Brian Thompson. The Makos. Let's talk about the Makos a little bit. So when the Makos came on board in season three. I love. That's a great idea. I've talked about it before on the pod. I won't go too into it, but I think it makes total sense. Yes, Starfleet security officers are trained well. [00:53:52] But listen, we're in uncharted waters here, okay? We're invading Zindi space. We got to try to figure out what's Going on. Let's bring some army, some marines on board, right? Basically. So I love that the Makos are still relevant in season four. Okay. And that's why I kind of brought them up. So they're still pretty badass. The Andorian commander. Great, great job. I think that was. Was that, Was that Susie Plaxton? It might have been Susie Plaxton, I can't remember. But great fight between her and just one of these just no name Makos. I love the fact that they still let the Mako put up a fight. They're still acknowledging that the Makos are just a little bit more trained, a little bit more badass than the regular security officers on Enterprise are. So that was a great moment. Whoever wrote that in there, love it. Phenomenal. Just some no name Mako puts up a fight against the Andorian. Good job. [00:54:43] Let's talk about this reveal at the end. What a fucking cool reveal at the end of this episode, right? The whole time the Romulans are in this control room and they're flying this ship and blah, blah, blah. And then at the end they just pull back and the Romulans are not even on the fucking shit ship. They're on Romulus. So cool, man. And again, so Romulan, man, why risk your own life? Why not just do it remotely? Why not just have these, this giant ship, you know, just doing this for you. You know, Romulan life is far too precious, right? [00:55:16] Great ending, great reveal. Liked it a lot. [00:55:20] What else can I say, man? That was number six. All right, listen, let's do, let's go top five. Here we go, man. Now we're going to get into the nitty gritty, the real meat of this show. Okay, finally, season three. Here we go. Zero hour. This is the finale of season three, the finale of the Xindi story arc. Okay? 8.5, deservedly so on IMDb. This one came out in 2004. [00:55:43] Archer takes Degra's ship to try to prevent Earth from being destroyed and get some unexpected help. Enterprise tries to destroy sphere 41, but the sphere builders know about the plan. [00:55:56] Look, this is a season long arc. I'm not going to go into again everything that's going on in this arc. [00:56:02] If you haven't seen this season, man, go watch it. It's a blast. [00:56:06] So this is a great finale to this Zindi arc, okay? Who doesn't love it when Daniel shows up? Okay? I'm a big time travel guy. Not just in Trek, in any kind of movie, TV show, book, comics, Love it. Love time travel. So when Daniel shows up, you know there's going to be some fun time traveling going on. We get a great sneak peek into the signing of the Federation Charter that we're gonna see more about in the end of season four. But a nice little sneak peek here. And again, when they do make this episode in season four, the finale of the show, it's a great callback to the same set design and the same sort of feel that this show glimpsed. So I like that a lot. [00:56:45] What a cool moment when Jeffrey Combs as Shran and the Andorians join the fight, right? I didn't fall for much of that in Enterprise's run. I didn't fall for much of that. You know, Troy and I. There's a great moment that Troy and I talk about when on DS9, when in the great two parter in purgatory Shadow by Inferno's Light, when they're gearing up for this, this big Dominion attack that kind of doesn't happen. And all of a sudden, all of a sudden there are ships decloaking out there and it's the Romulans and they've requested permission to join the fleet. [00:57:22] And you know, Cisco's just like, well, I'll be damned. Like what a fun moment that is. So there were a lot of moments like that on Next Gen D. Space Voyager didn't have a lot of those in Enterprise, at least not to me. But this was one of those great moments. Okay. Loved it. Shran shows up, says some cheesy line, but who cares, man? It's. It's so fun, you know, it was almost, it was almost like every 80s movie where, you know, Shran just pulls up so you think I'd miss this party? You know, it's kind of like that. But you don't care. You don't care because Shran's back and he's here to help. And you know, it doesn't matter that he has a debt to repay. It doesn't matter. It's just a fun moment. So I embrace that. Love it. [00:57:59] Badass Archer blows up the fucking Reptilian. How fun was that, man? That was a fun moment. [00:58:07] This, you know, sort of balls out fight against the Reptilian. It's just Archer on this ship, Fear Dead. [00:58:14] You know, these Reptilians are clearly stronger, bigger, but he fucking pulls it off. Love it. Cool moment. [00:58:22] And this ending, I mean, come on, like in and of itself, it's a complete non sequitur, right? In and of itself, it's just an ending that is just meant to throw you off. It's a complete Planet of the Apes ending. [00:58:37] Obviously, I'm talking about the Tim Burton Planet of the Apes ending and not the original Planet of the Apes ending. By the way, I thought the Tim Burton movie was entertaining. It certainly wasn't great by any stretch of the imagination, but when I watched it the second time, I enjoyed it a lot more. [00:58:53] However, that ending does not get any better. I don't know if they were planning on making a sequel or not, but it's, it's such a non sequitur that it's like, fuck you. Whereas here, you know, they're going to resolve this in season four, so it's not quite as bad. So I liked it. I like that bonkers ending. It reminded me very much of the Voyager 2 parter, the killing game parts one and two with the Nazis and the holodeck and everything. So it definitely had that vibe when you see these uniforms. But hey, great ending. Okay, that was number five. You know, it took a lot to bring that whole arc to a satisfying conclusion. And I think they did that. Well done. [00:59:32] Let's keep the finales rolling with number four. And yes, we finally have season one here. Shockwave Part one. [00:59:38] Listen, in a so so season, you know, of course I mentioned that it's a better season than most other season ones, but even still, you know, it's still, you know, just, just the so so season. But this was a great finale, I think. To the so so Season 8.3 on IMDb from 2002. This is a long synopsis, folks. I'm sticking hard to my rule of reading. Whatever the first Synopsis is on IMDb, so bear with me. Okay? [01:00:07] Enterprise discovers a mining colony of the Paragons. The crew gets an invitation for a meeting on the surface, and a shuttle pod tries to break through the atmosphere. [01:00:16] All of a sudden, just under the shuttle, a giant explosion begins and scorches the earth beneath. All 3,600 colonists are reported dead. After examination, Enterprise finds out plasma leaking from the pod's vents ignited tetrazine. Ignited tetrazine in the atmosphere. Lt. Reed, however, ensures he closed the plasma vents before the shuttle went off. [01:00:38] After conversations with Admiral Forrest of Starfleet Command, Captain Archer learns that Enterprise's mission is canceled and they must return home. Not to return to space for another 10 or 20 years. [01:00:48] When the ship has altered course, Crewman Daniels, a time traveler, pays a visit to Captain Archer. [01:00:54] Hey, somebody. That was the first synopsis. What can I tell you? [01:00:58] Very Cool. Cold. Open. My God, can you imagine killing 3,600 colonists when all you want to do is explore and have this peaceful sort of mission. Bonkers, right? And the reason it hits us is because the writing and the acting. Nailed it. Okay. You feel their dread. Okay. I thought it was well done. [01:01:19] Listen, folks, I was mentioning to Paul's Ark before. This was one of t' Pol's first overt signs of loyalty here, okay? When she defends the crew to the Vulcans. [01:01:32] Love that moment. Love it. I love Daniels. Let's talk a little bit more about the Temporal Cold War. So this is really intriguing, Okay. I think in a show that could be considered inherently boring because it is a prequel, this was a great way to add a little futuristic zest, a little time traveling, sort of, you know, pixie dust. [01:01:54] The Temporal Cold War, okay? Regardless of how you feel about how it ended, regardless of how you feel the Cold War was resolved, I think it's a great idea to have done it. And I'm glad they did. I thought it was the most fascinating aspect of season one, the idea that there's this Temporal Cold War going on where this Suliban have been genetically altered to be these agents of this unknown Phantom Menace, you might say. [01:02:23] Don't say that. [01:02:24] So I think the Cold War is really cool. I like the idea of it and I like the idea that they did come back around and they gave us some finality to it, Even though the show sort of got lost in a good way in a Zindi arc. And these sort of, you know, three episode arcs. So well done there. [01:02:40] Let's talk about t' Pol in Command. [01:02:43] Love that. Love it. Sullivan is about to destroy Enterprise and where's Archer? That's right. [01:02:49] Grabbed by Daniels for this really bonkers finale where they're just stuck in the future with no means of getting stuck in the scorched future, I should say. This scorched planet, this scorched cityscape where they have no technological means of sending him back. [01:03:06] Great cliffhanger, Honestly, for a season one. [01:03:10] Am I going to be bold and say this is the best season one cliffhanger up to that point as well? Hell yeah. No question about it. Besides the fact that, I mean, let's face it, for the most part, you know, Voyager didn't have a season one finale. [01:03:25] The original series didn't have a season one finale. Animated series certainly didn't. [01:03:29] Next Gen did. D Space did, but they didn't feel like certainly were cliffhangers. [01:03:34] Next gen, you want to argue That's a cliffhanger. Sure, no problem. [01:03:37] The Romulans are back. What a menace. What are we going to see from season two with the Romulans? But this was the first legit cliffhanger of any season one. And well done. I just like it a lot. [01:03:50] Kept me gripped enough to watch season two. So there you go. [01:03:54] All right, folks, top three now. We're talking about some genuinely great episodes. Okay, I'm gonna say. I'm gonna admit Enterprise didn't have a lot of them. Okay. Like, I'd say all the episodes up to and including Shockwave Part 1 are really good. [01:04:10] The ones that I picked anyway. Really good episodes. But these three, I think stand out. These three are really great. [01:04:17] If you're an Enterprise fan, you probably know at least one that's on this list. Let's see if it's. It's the one I'm talking about now. So number three is Twilight. [01:04:26] Yep. That's a season three episode from 2000. A much deserved 8.6 on IMDb. I think I rated it even a little higher than that. I think I rated it an 8.9. But let's see. [01:04:38] His memory crippled, Archer awakens years in the future after the Xindi have reduced Earth to a cinder and the remnants of humanity have settled on a distant planet. Now Archer learns that he may be the key to undoing this tragedy. [01:04:53] Great episode for many reasons. Okay. [01:04:57] This was a great device to raise the stakes for the Xindiark. Okay. We're already in full swing with the zendiark. [01:05:05] But now let's take a look at what happens, what truly happens if we fail. Okay? Like, we know Earth's gonna be destroyed, but it's worse than that. Humanity is gonna be wiped out. Okay, I know that's been the mission of the Zindi. They knew that. But seeing it starkly. [01:05:22] Okay. Raised the stakes for the viewers, I think. I think it really did. What a great cold open man. I mean, why is Archer confined to quarters? Why is Earth destroyed by the Zindi weapon? Like, what is going on here? You know, it's. It's a great way to start an episode like this. You're just totally fucked. You're like, well, what's happened? Did I miss three episodes? What's going on? Nope, you just got to hang on for the ride and see what's gonna happen. Captain t'. Pol. [01:05:47] Captain t', Pol, baby. I love it. Bad ass agent. Okay, is the ship still docked with us? [01:05:56] It is. [01:05:57] She rams the second ship with the docked ship like Are you kidding me? [01:06:03] That's so freaking Starbuck. And by the way, that's not gonna be the only comparison they make the Battlestar Galactica in this episode. So if you remember the. The miniseries of Battlestar Galactica, Starbuck is trying to rescue Lee, who's just dead in space. [01:06:19] How am I gonna get this, you know, this Viper back to the launch bay, right? You're gonna fucking ram it and hope to connect your wing with it so you can carry it back to the fucking launch bay. Crazy shit, right? Starbuck was a maniac. [01:06:34] That's a show I can't wait to revisit soon. It's on, I think it's on Paramount now, by the way, folks. So if you're watching Star Trek and you want a little break, you want some additional sci Fi brilliance, stay right in Paramount and check out Battlestar, man. Awesome, amazing show. So, yeah, so we got that moment which is very reminiscent of Katee Sackhoff, Starbuck in the Battlestar miniseries. But look, I already talked about how, you know, this, this bleak future where humanity is just this, the last settlement, just the remnants of humanity are settled. I mean, that's what Battlestar is about, right? This fleet is the last vestige of these humans just trying to survive. You know what I mean? It's very Battlestar this episode. Maybe one of the reasons why I gravitated towards it. Either way, I love it. And just amazing performances by Jolene Blaylock and Scott Bakula. Amazing performances. Like, really well done. [01:07:30] So much heart in this episode. I love the idea that Jolene Blaylock got to play to Paul down the road with even more humanity infused into her performance. She was able to really express some genuine emotion. I like that. [01:07:45] Not to say that she does not do that with what she has, because she does amazing job. These actors who play Vulcans, and to a lesser extent, not a lesser extent, because the acting is less. But you know, Data as an Android, it's amazing what they can do with so little emotional, I should say so little allowed emotional range. Really well done. A lot of it is in the eyes. A lot of it is in the subtle facial tics, you know, and Tim Russell and Jolene Blaylock and you know, early on, Robert Picardo as the hologram and you know, Data, like, they. They pull that shit off, man. How do these characters become so endearing with so little emotion? That is a testament to the writing, the storytelling and the acting. So well done, great performances. And Scott Bakula really steps it up here. I thought that was Great. I mean, just. Just what a devastating episode, really. [01:08:38] How much of us are left? 6,000 humans are left. Could you imagine? Unbelievable. [01:08:44] Great episode. [01:08:47] All right, top two here. Let's go. Let's do this. Number two, Azadi Prime. I think if you know of my love of the Zindi arc, you had to know this was going to be high up on my list. [01:08:57] This was one of the highlights of the season. One of the highlights of the Show. It's an 8.5 on IMDb from season three. In 2004, Archer decides he should pilot a kamikaze shuttle to destroy the Zindi weapon. Temporal. Agent Daniels urges him to reconsider. [01:09:13] Very succinct. Like it. And here we are again, folks. We're getting another Star Trek episode. This is not a bad thing, by the way. We're getting another episode in which we get to have our cake and eat it, too. And if you listen to all the pods, you know what I'm about to say. [01:09:26] We get to see the crew react to a death that hasn't really happened, okay? We get to see the crew mourning Archer's inevitable loss, okay? Very similar to when they find Data's head buried under San Francisco and they know at some point he's gonna die, and they're all acting like he's kind of already dead. Great moment here. Gave each of the characters a chance to shine here. Love that. Now we're full swing in this indie arc here, okay? [01:09:55] So there's a lot of tough decisions to be made. And here's where Archer is going to channel his inner Cisco. [01:10:01] He fires on a research station, killing three Zindi scientists. Defenseless Zindi scientists, okay? [01:10:09] He knows that they're not, you know, malevolently. Malevolently intentioned. Is that a fucking phrase? I don't fucking know. He knows they're not being malevolent. He knows they're just doing what they think they should do to protect their species. He's got no choice. He just kills three civilians. [01:10:26] A captain killed three civilians. Just think about that for a second. Damn right. I mean, that's. That's Cisco. That's Cisco scorching the Maquis planet so it could never be fucking used again. That's, you know, Cisco being an accessory to fucking murder to get the Romulans to join the war on the side of the Federation. So Archer's no joke, man. He's not clowning around with these indie peeps. So there you go. I thought that was a bold, bold moment. And I Love the moral grappling that he did in the moment. And I, you know, that lives with him. It did in the rest of the episode and, you know, it does in his character going forward. Well done there. [01:11:05] Daniels is back. Look, there's. There's a pattern here, clearly, okay, because this is the third episode now that Crewman Daniels is in the Enterprise J. [01:11:17] The Enterprise J. [01:11:19] 400 years in the future. How cool is that? Love it, love it, love it. Really great. [01:11:24] Listen, folks, we talked about Malcolm Reed's moral conundrum, okay? Here's an even better one in my opinion. Okay? Degra's hesitation is really interesting, okay? This moral conundrum, I've used that word, that phrase too many times, is more compelling than it seems on the surface, I think. Okay, we're going to talk a little more about 911 here in the shadows of 9 11, the shadows of the war on terror going on in the real world. And certainly think about what's happening now in certain parts of the world, right? Is it justified to commit genocide if it saves your species? Look, I am not weighing in on what's happening now. I'm not even weighing in on what happened during 9 11, okay? I'm just saying that it clearly infused this storytelling, okay? What was happening in the real world clearly seeped its way into Enterprises creators, and I think it's unavoidable. And I'm fine with it, okay? Because, you know, nothing good comes out of any kind of, you know, genocide or terrorist attack. Nothing good. [01:12:27] But just speaking in terms of television, it did give us a sort of compelling thing to ponder and think about. Okay? Is it justified to commit genocide to save your species? [01:12:38] But even more sort of poignant, I think, is how will the future children we've saved judge us and our actions? [01:12:47] That was a line in this episode. That's a phenomenal fucking line. It's a great add on conundrum to the already existing conundrum, right? [01:12:57] Yes. Okay. Even if we decide that genocide is terrible, but we have no choice, we have to commit it to save our way of life, to save our species. But then what way of life are we saving? How will our children see us? It's a valid, valid concern. And I think it's just a great, great centerpiece theme to this episode. [01:13:20] And the fact that, you know, an ancillary character is grappling with this is just a testament to good storytelling and good writing, in my opinion. Well done. [01:13:32] I don't think you've ever seen any bridge on any show. Take a Beating like this one did in this episode. This was an absolutely catastrophic cliffhanger, you know, to this episode. [01:13:49] Again, I don't think we've ever seen a ship so close to blowing up before. [01:13:54] Come at me with. With something you think is better, but, man, this ship took a beating. I'm not in terms of casualties, they didn't really concentrate much on that, but just in terms of, like, the ship just being, like, annihilated, like, even Voyager, when it went through, when the Caretaker dragged it to the. To the. Out to the Delta Quadrant, it. I don't think it was as beat up as this bridge was so harrowing to watch that. And I think Jolene Blaylock played that great as Captain, you know, to Paul, or as in command of the bridge. [01:14:25] So well done. [01:14:26] Actually, now that I think about it, maybe when Voyager went through the year of hell, they did take Voyager to quite a beating. So that. That might have come close, but. [01:14:36] But still, this was. This was. This was really something else. They took a beating. [01:14:42] Great score in this episode. I. During the battle scene. I never really take too much notice of a score in a movie or a TV show unless it's really good or really annoying, of course. But no, this was really good. This was the best moment of season three, the best episode of season three. And I think. [01:15:01] I think it's a deservedly number two. It's just an absolute banger of an episode. Love it. [01:15:09] So listen, folks, if you have stuck with me this long and, you know, Enterprise at all, you probably know what number one is. I'm not gonna not put something on number one just because it's so obviously the number one choice. [01:15:21] But, folks, this is. Man, this is Carbon Creek from season two. Okay? This is an 8.5 on IMDb. This should be at least a 9.0. This, in my opinion, is the only Enterprise episode that should be a 9.0 or higher. This is an absolutely unique, fun, endearing episode of Star Trek. [01:15:45] You know, it is not quite as emotionally resonant as the Visitor or as yesterday's Enterprise, or as Duet. You know what I mean? Or as I want to bring Voyager into this. Or as Message in a Bottle. Okay, but it's close, man. [01:16:03] If I was picking emotionally resonant episodes, and hey, maybe that's a list. That would be in the top 10. This would be in the top 10. So this is Carbon Creek, on the first anniversary of her assignment to Enterprise to Paul, tells Archer and Trip about the first contact between humans and Vulcans, which involves three Vulcans becoming stranded in the town of Carbon Creek, Pennsylvania in 1957. [01:16:26] First of all, how cool is it that first contact with Vulcans was not in First Contact. Okay. [01:16:32] It was in 1957. I think that's awesome. It's very Little Green men, right? From DS9 season 4, where the Ferengi are the aliens in Aryan 51. Right? But this is less gimmicky, man. This is played completely for Hart. Played completely for the tender moments between these players. Not just the Vulcans, but the townspeople. This is just. This is just a heartfelt love letter to small town America in the 50s. [01:17:05] Right? [01:17:07] It's just a great idea for a story, and I think it works on every level. [01:17:11] Let's talk about J. Paul Ballmer. I hope I'm saying his name right. [01:17:16] He was the actor who played the Vulcan who fell in love with one of the residents of Carbon Creek. And listen, this is the second time that this actor has appeared in a narrative involving Earth's past to follow that. [01:17:32] So this is the second time that this actor has played a character that has popped up in a story about Earth's past. So you'll remember he was the Nazi, the main Nazi in the Killing Game, parts one and two. [01:17:44] The main human Nazi, I should say. You know, the Hirogen were playing Nazis as well. But this actor is really cool. Like, I haven't seen him in anything else besides these two episodes. [01:17:54] I'm almost positive he was in another Trek episode that I'm not remembering right now. But he was great. I like seeing him. I thought he did a phenomenal job. The other two Vulcans did a phenomenal job as well of playing in this. [01:18:06] This role of these Vulcans who, you know, are strictly scientifically curious. And they get stranded and once they abandon hope of rescue, I mean, they don't really abandon it, but they kind of accept their lot in life. They really embrace this human culture. And more so than any Vulcans before, or maybe even after, they truly get what it is to be human. And I like that. I like that a lot. [01:18:31] I'm not gonna say they beat Spock out. I don't think they do, but they're pretty close guys. I love the way in which the Vulcan's assumptions constantly upended. That was a great bit of writing there. Okay. [01:18:43] Something that I noticed when they first start walking around the town and they're like, oh, my God, those people must be prisoners. They're not. They're laborers. [01:18:57] Oh, this entertainment. Oh, it's just. It's combat. They're savages. No, no, it's just entertainment. They're. They're not really killing each other. Those aren't prisoners. They're just laborers trying to make their way through life. They have these assumptions about humanity that are very cleverly addressed with just a little bit of dialogue. Well done. Really well written. And now I'm paraphrasing to sort of bring that point home. [01:19:18] This is one of the lines from one of the Vulcans, I believe it was, to Paul's ancestor. It's hard to believe this species managed to launch an artificial satellite. Now, obviously, that's very timely. You know, it's 1957, so they're talking about some Sputnik. [01:19:34] But it nails, I should say. It brings home the idea that they have these preconceived notions about humanity. And they very quickly learn that everything they've thought about humanity is incorrect. And I love that. Love it, love it, love it. Because, listen, folks, all the stuff I set aside before about me being a fanboy and thinking of these things as happening in real life, obviously, I don't think that rationally, but a line like that is a commentary. Obviously. I'm not saying anything you guys don't already know is a commentary about humanity and, you know, real life humanity. And if we. If we can do something like that, launch an artificial satellite into space, if we can go to the moon, if we can, you know, discover other galaxies just from our planet, surely we can get over the petty fucking bullshit that we're dealing with right now. Okay, so I'm obviously making a little more grandiose to fit into, like, you know, the political climate right now. But really, all I'm saying is it's a great line that demonstrates that humans can be better. It's pretty much the philosophy of Roddenberry and Star Trek in general. We can get past all this, and the Vulcans are sort of seeing us do that on a smaller scale. [01:20:49] There are some funny moments in this episode, man. There's some real funny moments. One of the kid. [01:20:56] One of the kid in the town calls one of the Vulcans mo fucking hilarious. I don't know how I missed that the first couple times I watched this episode, but I belly laughed when I heard that. It's so fucking funny. It's a great commentary on, you know, the design of Vulcans in general. Right? That bowl cut. Hilarious. [01:21:14] I need to go now. I Love Lucy is on tonight. [01:21:18] Fucking love that. Like, you know, even Vulcans are going to get addicted to Lucy in the moment, right? Who doesn't love Lucille Ball. [01:21:25] Apparently no one in the galaxy does not love Lucille Ball. Love it. To Paul's great grandmother slowly seeing humanity's potential, as I sort of mentioned already, is really wonderfully done. [01:21:38] You know, she was the last one to sort of come around to the fact that these humans are worth knowing, worth studying, worth interacting with, worth being a part of. And that is in no small part to Jolene Blaylock's acting. Amazingly done. The writing, of course, is, is great. And, you know, everything about this episode just sort of gels. But, man, without Jolene Blaylock, this would not have worked. [01:22:04] Largely underrated actress in Trek lore. Love it, love it, love her. Love this episode. And folks, Vulcans, they invented Velcro. That's it. [01:22:13] No timeline damage there. They just invented Velcro and moved on, man. Carbon Creek's a great episode. [01:22:19] All these are great episodes, I should say. Like, you know, the top five are great episodes. Top three are real bangers. And like, the rest of these are worth watching, folks. This is a show that's worth watching. It's a show that's worth discussing. It's worthy of more attention than it gets. Okay, you know, you may have watched it and just thought it was blank. You may never watch it again. That's completely valid. It's completely up to you. I am looking forward to the time, and it's coming very soon, when this show becomes one of my rotation Trek shows, when this becomes the show that I just put on in the background. It's happening soon. TOS already made it and it. And it fills my heart with joy that that is now one of the episodes that I just want to watch in general and just have it on. It's no longer academic. It's just, just fucking great. And I love it. And Enterprise is gonna get there soon for the curious. Next gen D Space Voyager, tos, lower decks are right now the only shows that are in that rotation. And Enterprise is going to be the sixth one, I think. Well done, folks. That's all I got for you. Look, I can't believe as I'm looking at the clock that I've talked about this show on my own non stop for about an hour and 20 minutes. Hour and 25 minutes. It's been an hour and 34 minutes. But after I edit it down, it's probably going to get to around an hour and 20, hour and 25, maybe even an hour and a half. I cannot thank you enough for indulging me for this long and listening to just my thoughts. One fan's thoughts about what I think is a worthy show. But thank you. It means so much. [01:23:46] You know, like this episode. Tell someone about this pod. We would love to get more Trek fans talking about Star Trek talking about this pod. We would love to get more emails. We've gotten some from a few fans. They're great. We love them. We'll respond. I can't wait to hear from you. If you have any suggestions, if you have your own lists, we'd love to hear them shout them out there. In the meantime, we'll be back soon. Hopefully our good friend Brian Parks will be on the next pod. Maybe even Lucas Jerome Boyle will come back on the pod. I'm dragging him on this pod for our original series top 10. So we're going to do that soon. Love you guys so much. Thank you for listening. We'll talk to you soon.