My take on Enterprise is that it was the result of history being altered by Cochrane hearing the name "Enterprise" and seeing the ship's silhouette. This led to a name and even design concepts that were not in the pre-FC timeline.
As such, I envision the events of "Enterprise" far differently than the series did and very much like many of you here.
Setting:
The Vulcans are advisors and allies. There is no tension outside of cultural differences; the Vulcans don't want to hold humanity back, though they're as cautious as we saw the 23rd and 24th century crews were with newly-warp capable species.
The Warp 5 stuff is idiotic and not referenced. Instead, the idea is the hero ship is the first equipped with a new warp engine that has changed the warp scale of the time. Hence, the ship is far faster than earlier drives and allows for true deep space exploration, at least relative to the mid-22nd century.
There is no Starfleet, only UESPA.
The hero ship is not called "Enterprise," but "Endeavour," named for the HMS Endeavour, which, of course, was also the name of a space shuttle.
In my pre-Enterprise conception of pre-Federation times, human starships did not employ saucers. In my head canon, each of the UFP founding species added a different element of their own spacecraft design to whatever the first Federation starship would be, which would be a design that predates but resembles the Constitution Class.
As a result, Endeavour would be the first of its class, which would be the S.S. Conestoga design from "Terra Nova." I immediately liked that design when I first saw it and thought that's what the NX-01 should have been.
Speaking of which, there's no "NX Class." It's the Endeavour Class UES Endeavour, NCC-01 or some other registry number.
The Klingons aren't seen until late in the series, if at all. The 2150s are too early for Earth to interact with them, though the Vulcans and other species would mention them from time to time. The same goes for the Romulans, though they would become a growing threat in the later seasons of the show.
There are no cloaking devices or any other technology that was considered novel in TOS. Endeavour's weapons are lasers and projectile weapons. Sidearms could be EM weapons or lasers. Transporters are not used by any species, though the Vulcans are experimenting with matter/energy technology.
The first episode sees the crew members leaving their respective lives on Earth behind and the ship's launch to much fanfare. The second hour deals with first contact with the Andorians, which goes almost exactly as it does in "The Andorian Incident."
The Andorians become allies over the course of the first season due to Archer and Shran's friendship. The Tellarites, frightened by a new alliance, begin attacks on both species in the second season. The second season ends with the three worlds agreeing to a cease-fire. Meanwhile, the Alpha Centaurians, fearful of the Andorians and Tellarites, withdraw their association with Earth. This comes to a head toward the last seasons of the series, with the ACs realizing they need to work with the other worlds to survive the Romulan threat.
Phlox and T'Pol are not part of the crew, though T'Pol is a recurring character in later seasons. She serves as an advisor to Archer and liaison with Vulcan, though she holds neither a Vulcan or UESPA rank.
Finally, and most importantly, the sense of Horatio Hornblower adventure and the themes of loyalty, friendship, and honor are central to the show as they were in TOS and the TOS films. The characters are also richly drawn, unlike the interchangeable crew of the NX-01. There's conflict and tension but they are professionals and respect each other. Also, the series is titled "Star Trek: Endeavour" and has a traditional instrumental theme.
