Best Stand-Alone Episodes in Enterprise?

[gblews]

To me, Similitude and Twilight (along with North Star, Doctor's Orders, and Extinction (ugh!)) are sufficiently understood as stories all by themselves to be considered standalone, even though they may have subtle repercussions that show up later on in the arc.

If memory serves, and it is likely that it does not in this case, the abominable "Extinction" did involve some aspect of the Xindi hunt. I think it is mentioned only at the beginning of the episode. Someone correct me if I'm wrong here.

I think all of the episodes are self contained during season 3, and understandable without knowing the entire Xindi story. To me, this is not what makes an episode a standalone.

Agree that Sim is not a standalone and that Doctor's Orders is a standalone.

 

[Jimmy Bob]

* The Forge (you don't need to see the rest of the arc)

I find The Forge (and the entire Vulcan Saga) to be too integrated into the greater tapestry of Enterprise and it's characters, for it to be considered stand-alone.

Now the Augments Trilogy is pretty stand-alone.

Then again, which one was The Forge? I watched those three-parters in one sitting and so in my head they tend to be just one three-hour long episodes.

Anyway. My choices.

The Entire Augments Trilogy
Carbon Creek
Judgment
Cogenitor
Shuttlepod One

Great. I just got a desire to watch Carbon Creek again.

Surprisingly, quite a lot of great stand-alones from season 2.

 

[cooleddie74]

"Cogenitor" ranks very high among the standalone episodes as well. It's always been one of my Ten or Dozen favorites in the entire series. I don't like it as much as "Shuttlepod One" to be fair, but it's a highly literate and challenging storyline that few if any other TREKs in the course of 40+ years have ever tackled. The downsides to wanting to help an apparently abused and miserable member of another species. Other TREKs wouldn't have handled and ended this episode the way this one was written and concluded. Shattering ending and it was kind of nice for once to have an episode that left Archer at odds with and even angry as hell at Trip. Added texture and color to their relationship.