Enterprise (abridged)

[Captrek]

Last year, I selected what I considered an essential set of TNG episodes. One of the criteria, as I wrote at the time,

is that the marathon should feel reasonably complete, so the inclusion of some episodes may mandate the inclusion of others.

For example, “The Naked Now” is not a particularly good episode, but is required because it is mentioned in “The Measure of a Man” that Data and Yar had been intimate. If you are not familiar with the events of TNN, that revelation in TMOAM is likely to have you thinking “WTF?!!!” and be distracting enough to affect your appreciation of the rest of the episode. To a lesser extent, TNN is required by “Where No One Has Gone Before”; if WNOHGB is the second episode in the marathon, the “Wesley as Mozart” thing seems to come out of nowhere, but the various depictions of Wesley’s ingenuity in TNN set that up nicely.

Another less obvious example is “Ménàge a Troi,” which was not included in the first draft of my marathon, but I found it jarring to see Wesley, without explanation, wearing a Starfleet uniform at the start of “The Best of Both Worlds.” So, yes, I included MAT for the Wesley subplot that I think gets less than five minutes of screen time. Fortunately, when I watched the episode, I found it not nearly as bad as I thought I remembered it being, and it doesn’t require any previous familiarity with Lwaxana or the Ferengi.

I’m basically an ENT newbie. I want to start at “Broken Bow” and go in order, watching the best episodes and the narratively significant ones, but skipping the unnecessary mediocrities and crap.

Can you help me out with the selection of an “essential set” of ENT episodes along similar lines to what I did with TNG? I don’t know how well ENT would lend itself to this. You tell me.



I don’t want this ENT thread to be derailed by extensive discussion of my selection of TNG episodes, but here they are, for reference:

Spoiler: TNG (abridged)

Encounter at Farpoint
The Naked Now
Where No One Has Gone Before
Hide and Q
Datalore
Skin of Evil
The Neutral Zone

Elementary, Dear Data
A Matter of Honor
The Measure of a Man
Q Who?
The Emissary

The Enemy
The Defector
Déjà Q
Yesterday's Enterprise
Sins of the Father
Hollow Pursuits
Sarek
Ménàge a Troi
The Best of Both Worlds

The Best of Both Worlds, Part II
Family
Brothers
Reunion
Final Mission
Data's Day
The Wounded
The Nth Degree
The Mind's Eye
Redemption

Redemption II
Darmok
Ensign Ro
Unification
Unification II
The First Duty
I, Borg
The Inner Light

Chain of Command
Chain of Command II
Ship in a Bottle
Face of the Enemy
Tapestry
The Chase
Descent

Descent II
The Pegasus
Lower Decks
Journey's End
Preemptive Strike
All Good Things

 

[RegFan]

It seems that you don't know that the Xindi arc takes up the entire S3 and the S2 finale. Besides those episodes, most of S4 would be essential in my judgement, given that it mostly consists of two- and three-parters about Federation-building.

Other essential episodes:

S1
Broken Bow
The Andorian Incident (Shran's first appearance)
Cold Front
Fusion
Shockwave
Acquisition (Possibly; the Ferengi appear in this episode, but this episode is only relevant to the franchise in general, not ENT. And it's a bad episode. Personally, I would exclude it.)

S2
Shockwave, Part II
Minefield
Stigma
Regeneration (A Borg episode; same as Acquisition, but not bad. Personally, I would include it.)
Cease Fire
Cogenitor (nothing important happens in this episode, but it's one of my favorite episodes)

S3 and S4 exceptions
North Star
Doctor's Orders
E²
Daedalus
Observer Effect (The same as Acquisition and Regeneration; it's a standalone, but has an appearance by the Organians. Personally, I would include it.)
These Are The Voyages... (possibly; yes, it's the finale, but it's still bad and not really an important episode. Personally, I would exclude it.)

That's all I can think of now.

 

[ChristopherPike]

Enterprise is quite probably, my favourite Star Trek series. So only rarely did I not enjoy it... or just felt total apathy during an episode.

It's probably easier for me to list those you might pass over. Some because they aren't great, others that are simply pretty average and you can come back to them, assuming you even last an abridged course.

So here we are then, watch from the beginning but skip the following...

Unexpected
Terra Nova
Sleeping Dogs
Rogue Planet
Acquistion
Oasis
Vox Sola
Desert Crossing
Two Days and Two Nights

Carbon Creek
A Night in Sickbay
The Seventh
The Communicator
Vanishing Point
Precious Cargo
The Catwalk
Dawn
Canamar
The Crossing
Horizon
The Breach
Bounty

The two least relevant episodes of the Xindi saga...

Extinction
Exile

North Star is too, but as a favourite of mine, I'll leave it in.

These are the Voyages...

Definitely avoid those in bold!

Something about disrespecting your audience.

 

[Whill]

I watched the entire series strait through between 2008-2009. I recommend the story arcs below (with a few of the Xindi Superweapon arc episodes skipped). As previously mentioned, the Xindi arc includes the entire third season and it's a "sub-arc" of the overall series arc called the Temporal Cold War ("TCW"). I use the term inter-arc to describe an episode as art of a arc that exists in other Trek series.

I really enjoyed the Xindi Superweapon arc overall but the Temporal Cold War is hit and miss for me. It is a great idea but inconsistently executed. The TCW by its very nature is very confusing but if you try to avoid it then you leave out the series pilot and the entire 3rd season (Xindi Superweapon plot), so to follow along as best as possible I recommend watching the whole TCW.

The Andorians Vs. Vulcans arc is important for the later The Vulcan Reformation Trilogy, which is important for the The Babel Crisis Trilogy, which is important for the The Terra Prime Crisis arc. The Xindi Superweapon arc is also important for the The Terra Prime Crisis. The Augment Crisis Trilogy is important for the The Klingon Augment Virus arc.

I think the series just gets better as it goes along, culminating with the 4th season after the TCW is completely resolved. I suggest watching those multi-episode stories in one sitting as 90 or 135 minute features if possible.


Broken Bow Two-hour pilot episode, the Temporal Cold War arc begins.
The Andorian Incident The Andorians Vs. Vulcans arc begins.
Cold Front The Temporal Cold War arc continues.
Shadows of P'Jem The Andorians Vs. Vulcans arc continues.
Shockwave (I & II) The Temporal Cold War arc continues.
Cease Fire The Andorians Vs. Vulcans arc concludes.
Future Tense The Temporal Cold War arc continues.
Judgment The Klingons Vs. Archer arc begins.
First Flight Single-episode story framing a flashback serving as background for series (and how Archer met Trip)
Regeneration "Sequel" to the film First Contact, the 22nd century entry of the Borg inter-arc
Bounty The Klingons Vs. Archer arc continues.
The Expanse The Klingons Vs. Archer arc concludes, the Temporal Cold War arc continues, and
The Xindi the Search for the Xindi Superweapon sub-arc begins.
Anomaly
Impulse
Twilight
Similitude
Proving Ground
Harbinger
Azati Prime
Damage
The Forgotten
E2
The Council
Zero Hour The Search for the Xindi Superweapon sub-arc concludes.
Storm Front (I & II) The Temporal Cold War arc concludes.

Borderland The Augment Crisis Trilogy begins.
Cold Station 12
The Augments The Augment Crisis Trilogy concludes.

The Forge The Vulcan Reformation Trilogy begins.
Awakening
Kir'Shara The Vulcan Reformation Trilogy concludes.

Babel One The Babel Crisis Trilogy begins.
United
The Aenar The Babel Crisis Trilogy concludes.

Affliction The Klingon Augment Virus Duology begins.
Divergence The Klingon Augment Virus Duology concludes.

Demons The Terra Prime Crisis Duology begins.
Terra Prime The Terra Prime Crisis Duology concludes.

In a Mirror, Darkly (I & II) The 22nd century entry of the Mirror Universe inter-arc.


I did not include the series finale. It is not essential or even relavent to the series, and doesn't even tie up any minor loose ends. It takes place 6 years after "Terra Prime". It is a very lame stand-alone episode.

Most fans I've known consider the Terra Prime Crisis to be the series finale, and it involves the formation of a coalition of planets that will eventually lead to the United Federation of Planets after the Earth-Romulan War (the war itself only being mentioned in but not featured in any series or movies). The Terra Prime Crisis also includes a plot element that refers to the biology of a very major Trek character from the centuries after this show's era.

I suggest a minor change to the viewing order for the last two duologies above. I moved the Mirror Universe episodes to the end for two reasons. First, the episodes refers to the history of a main Enterprise character from the view of over 100 years in the future of the final season of Enterprise. So it is a nice epilogue to the series, what became of that character after the show. Also, these are the ultimate tribute to TOS with full recreations of TOS sets and aliens. It is both a sequel of one TOS episode and the prequel to another, and the TOS is the next series chronologically. It really drives home what the whole 4th season has been showing about how this series is a prequel to the entire rest of the Star Trek franchise (including even the new movie). Moving these episodes to last doesn't effect the continuty of the entire rest of the Enterprise series becasue these two Mirror episodes take place completely in another universe.

I view The Terra Prime Crisis Duology as the series finale and "In a Mirror, Darkly (I & II)" as the series epilogue.

I hope you enjoy your abridged series!

 

[jgdst]

Everybody's lists seem to be fairly similar to what I would choose, though I think for seasons 1 and 2 you have to include some just for completeness. I think Enterprise had more references in earlier episodes that were picked up later on in the series than we saw in TNG, so for trying to keep the level of completeness you ask for (using the Menage a Troi example), here is what I would suggest:

Season 1:
Broken Bow
Fight or Flight
The Andorian Incident
Breaking the Ice
Cold Front
Silent Enemy
Dear Doctor
Shadows of P'Jem
Shuttlepod One
Fusion
Detained
Fallen Hero - Open to debate
Two Days and Two Nights
Shockwave

Season 2:
Shockwave, part II
Minefield
Dead Stop
Stigma
Cease Fire
Future Tense
Judgement
Regeneration
Bounty
The Expanse

Season 3:
Even though there are a couple of suspect episodes in there (which unfortunately make a reference or have a plotline carried over into another episode), watch in its entirety with the exception of North Star, which serves no purpose in the overall arc and is never revisited.

Season 4:
Again, watch in its entirety as it relies on continuity between episodes quite heavily, though not to the extent of season 3.

Episodes to skip would be:
Daedalus
Observer Effect
In A Mirror, Darkly, parts I and II
These Are The Voyages

If I've missed any out or anybody disagrees with any of my choices, I'd be happy to discuss why I have/haven't included an episode and will change the list accordingly.

And good luck captrek, I hope you enjoy watching Enterprise

 

[RegFan]

Episodes to skip would be:
Daedalus
Observer Effect
Bound
In A Mirror, Darkly, parts I and II
These Are The Voyages

Really? Most people consider both parts In a Mirror, Darkly to be among the best episodes of the series. And Observer Effect is not bad either. Sure, none of these three episodes have anything to do with the overall continuity of the series, but I thought this list was supposed to also include the best episodes.

 

[jgdst]

^ In that case, add them back in by all means. I just left them out because they didn't have anything to do with the main Enterprise story, and they could be skipped without missing any character or plot developments.

I suppose if you're following the Mirror Universe arc from TOS through to DS9, then IAMD would be essential viewing and rounds off the story nicely. I was doing it from a point of view if I wanted to zip through the series as fast as possible and pick up all the major plot points, then I'd probably miss out a two-parter that doesn't feature anything from Enterprise's "prime" Universe.

The consensus seems to be to leave it in, so I will defer to the judgement of the majority Whill's change to the viewing order seems like a sensible thing to do.

 

[JiNX-01]

Season 1:
Broken Bow
The Andorian Incident (good ep, introduces Shran)
Breaking the Ice (relevant material for S4-Home)
Shadows of P'Jem (followup on Andorian Incident)
Shuttlepod One
Fusion (relevant material in S2 Stigma and S4 Vulcan arc)
Shockwave I

Season 2:
Shockwave II
Minefield/Dead Stop
Singularity
Stigma
Cease Fire
Cogenitor
First Flight
The Expanse (great episode, sets up season 3).

Season 3:
The Xindi
Anomaly
Rajiin (bad episode, but sets up Carpenter Street, Azati Prime)
Impulse (sets up events in Damage; will also come up in S4 Home)
The Shipment (sets up future developments)
Similitude (T'Pol will refer to him in Harbinger)
Carpenter Street (sets up developments in Azati Prime and beyond)
Chosen Realm (sets up developments in AP and beyond)
Proving Ground
Stratagem
Harbinger (sets up future developments)
Hatchery (sets up future developments)
Azati Prime (A Fantastic Beginning of The End)
Damage (follows on Impulse; events will be referenced in Home)
The Forgotten
E2
The Council
Countdown
Zero Hour

Season 4:
Skip Deadalus and This Ain't The Valentine

 

[jgdst]

I just removed Bound from my list of Season 4 exceptions. While it's an iffy episode, I forgot it has a pretty major bit of plot advancement/character development for one character that wouldn't make sense in the next episode if it was skipped.

 

[Captrek]

Most people consider both parts In a Mirror, Darkly to be among the best episodes of the series. And Observer Effect is not bad either. Sure, none of these three episodes have anything to do with the overall continuity of the series, but I thought this list was supposed to also include the best episodes.

That is correct. I don’t want to miss the best the series has to offer. My understanding is that IAMD is considered not only by RegFan but by general consensus to be among the best the series has to offer. (Voting on IMDB rates them as the 2nd best and 5th best episodes of the series, and GEOS has them 1st and 3rd.)

Everybody's lists seem to be fairly similar to what I would choose, though I think for seasons 1 and 2 you have to include some just for completeness. I think Enterprise had more references in earlier episodes that were picked up later on in the series than we saw in TNG, so for trying to keep the level of completeness you ask for (using the Menage a Troi example)

The “rules” are not absolute, and some judgment calls have to be made by people who know the series.

I include Ménàge a Troi for a few reasons. One is, as I mentioned, that I want to show how Wesley becomes a full Ensign since it’s a little weird having him suddenly in uniform with no explanation. Another important factor is that it’s not such a bad episode. (IMHO. I know a lot of people disagree with me on that.) If I thought that it were a horrible episode or that it required the inclusion of horrible episodes, I probably would skip it. Finally, I have no other episodes in my list with either Lwaxana or Ferengi, and I figure both are worth meeting at least once. Fortunately, there’s nothing in the episode that shouts out that we have met Lwaxana or Ferengi in previous episodes and would cause a TNG-virgin watching the abridged series to wonder what he missed.

As a counterexample, when Wesley mistakes Mendon for Mordock in A Matter of Honor, it’s kind of obvious that he’s referring to somebody he met in another episode, but I choose not to include Coming of Age. In CoA, Troi talks about Picard attacking the Enterprise with the Stargazer while under the influence of a mind-control device, and that’s something that I felt shouldn’t be mentioned and not shown. It also refers to significant events in Justice and includes some foreshadowing that’s left hanging if Conspiracy isn’t included. I figure that Wesley having met a Benzite named Mordock isn’t such a big deal that it demands explanation and warrants the inclusion of Justice, The Battle, Coming of Age and Conspiracy. (BTW, CoA also refers to Encounter at Farpoint, The Naked Now and WNOHGB, which are included in my abridged TNG. It’s kind of a clip show minus the clips.)

And good luck captrek, I hope you enjoy watching Enterprise

Thanks! Enjoyment is the ultimate goal; getting through the series quickly is secondary. Skipping mediocre and poor episodes where I can do so without leaving “holes” will not only save me time but also maintain the quality of the viewing experience. So, keeping in mind those goals, use your judgment.

 

[RegFan]

Actually, there's a reason you might want to watch the finale - to know what other fans are talking about. Really, it's not that bad (at least in my opinion), but finale episodes are simply held to higher standards. If you decide to watch the finale after all, I'd recommend that you watch the last three episodes in this order:
These Are the Voyages...
Demons
Terra Prime

Oh, and if you dislike the first few episodes you watch, remember that the series gets much, much better in the last two seasons.

 

[JiNX-01]

Actually, there's a reason you might want to watch the finale - to know what other fans are talking about. Really, it's not that bad (at least in my opinion), but finale episodes are simply held to higher standards.

It's not just a matter of higher standards for series finales. It's that our beloved crew didn't get their own story. And it wasn't epic.

Spoiler: To avoid ruining the repulsive surprise for the OP

Nothing really important was going on. Riker facing a dilemma we've already seen resolved? A bait and switch ransom? Trip's steadiness in a crisis and engineering skills vanish in an instant after all achievements we saw him pull out of a hat over the years? And a few days later he's completely forgotten by everyone who ever called him a friend. Bleah.

 

[Shatnertage]

I'd say start with a few of the stronger S4 episodes, see if you like it, then start from the beginning.

Personally, I'd start with Observer Effect. That's the episode that really got me hooked on ENT, and I think it fits in well with what the show as a whole was trying to do. There's also the continuity porn of the Organians if you're a diehard fan, but I can say from experience that there's enough there to make you interested in the characters.

And mediocre and poor really is in the eye of the beholder. Several people have recommended you pass up "Observer Effect," and I'd start with it. I could do without big patches of seasons 1 & (moreso) 2; some people love those seasons. All I'd say is you definitely should watch season 3 in order to really appreciate the arc and the story.

 

[Captrek]

Actually, there's a reason you might want to watch the finale - to know what other fans are talking about. Really, it's not that bad (at least in my opinion), but finale episodes are simply held to higher standards.

Apparently your opinion of TATV is very unusual. I often hear complaints about it, IMDB has it rated as the worst episode (by a considerable margin) and GEOS as second-worst.

If you decide to watch the finale after all, I'd recommend that you watch the last three episodes in this order:
These Are the Voyages...
Demons
Terra Prime

I probably won’t decide until I get there whether to watch TATV, but I will definitely keep your recommendation in mind. Thanks for your input! Ditto to everybody else who has posted (or will post) advice for me on this matter.

Oh, and if you dislike the first few episodes you watch, remember that the series gets much, much better in the last two seasons.

I will keep that in mind as well. I’m familiar with the “gets better as it goes along” phenomenon from DS9. Coincidentally (?), that series also improves as it becomes less episodic and more serial.

There's also the continuity porn of the Organians if you're a diehard fan, but I can say from experience that there's enough there to make you interested in the characters.

“Continuity porn”? I’ve never heard that term before. It’s a good one.

And mediocre and poor really is in the eye of the beholder.

Very true, but as I have yet to behold them, I’m relying on others for advice. The more contributors the better, so I can get more sense of a consensus instead of just the advice of one particular beholder.

I could do without big patches of seasons 1 & (moreso) 2; some people love those seasons. All I'd say is you definitely should watch season 3 in order to really appreciate the arc and the story.

That seems to be the consensus, so I will do that.

 

[RegFan]

Actually, there's a reason you might want to watch the finale - to know what other fans are talking about. Really, it's not that bad (at least in my opinion), but finale episodes are simply held to higher standards.

Apparently your opinion of TATV is very unusual. I often hear complaints about it, IMDB has it rated as the worst episode (by a considerable margin) and GEOS as second-worst.

In my opinion, TATV is a bad episode, and even worse as the finale, but it's still not nearly as bad as many people seem to think it is. I don't think my opinion is very unusual, because those numbers are only average ratings, and they could mean half the people rate it higher than that. I wouldn't suggest watching it if it wasn't talked about so much.

 

[Captrek]

I wouldn't suggest watching it if it wasn't talked about so much.

Good point. I think I will watch TATV, if only to see what made so many fans so angry.

 

[Mach5]

It is my opinion that one should watch all the episodes, even the stinkers, in order to get the full Enterprise experience.

I mean, it's not like there are hundreds of episodes out there...

 

[Hopeful Romantic]

And mediocre and poor really is in the eye of the beholder. Several people have recommended you pass up "Observer Effect," and I'd start with it.

Here's another vote for "Observer Effect." It's my favorite episode of the entire series.

And while I'm at it, I think "North Star" is worth 43 minutes of your life, too. It's a departure from the other episodes, it's beautifully made, the performances are wonderful, and I enjoyed the story.

Personally, I have found something to like about every episode, whether it be storyline, character development, performance, writing, direction, makeup, fx, music. I would recommend you see them all in order as well, and decide for yourself which ones are "quality." The other non-TOS series have, what, 180 eps apiece? Enterprise has 98, just a few more than TOS. When I caught up with Enterprise before Season 4 began, I saw the first 3 seasons in a 2-month marathon and had a great time.

 

[Stag]

Your season three enjoyment will be that much more satisfying if when you get to the last episode, Zero Hour, you stop your DVD in the last few minutes right after the scene where the aquatic ship releases the NX-01 and it sails off towards Earth. Furthermore if you begin Season 4 with Storm Front part 2 right after the dogfight over NY where Daniels explains to Archer how the timeline is correcting itself. Sorry, as much as people hate the TATV finale, I think Storm Front is far worse.

 

[Mach5]

Sorry, as much as people hate the TATV finale, I think Storm Front is far worse.

I wouldn't call Storm Front "worse," but it definitely is PAINFULLY boring.