That like asking if you should eat a live sponge before eating a sponge cake.
"Enterprise" is the "Phantom Menace" of"Star Trek."
"Enterprise" is the "Phantom Menace" of"Star Trek."
Should I watch Enterprise before Discovery?
- Thread starter pgbka
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It certainly works better as a setting 100 years more advanced than Enterprise, than it does 10 years before the Original Series.
Whether you want to start with Enterprise is up to you. I've seen each series in the order they were produced, but on rewatch tend to put ENT first. Probably with a reminder of Star Trek: First Contact before because Zefram Cochrane and the invention of warp drive is the absolute start.
Whether you want to start with Enterprise is up to you. I've seen each series in the order they were produced, but on rewatch tend to put ENT first. Probably with a reminder of Star Trek: First Contact before because Zefram Cochrane and the invention of warp drive is the absolute start.
Hmm, it's interesting the original poster hasn't been seen since they posted the question so I guess they got what they needed.
But for what it's worth I agree with most others. It's not necessary to wait to finish Enterprise before watching Discovery. There is one exception as others have noted that might be helpful (though not critical). I hesitate to name the episode because that alone might give something away so I'll just say
and let the poster decide if they want to see which one we're talking about.
Still, season 4 of Enterprise was my favorite of the series so it's still definitely worth watching.
But for what it's worth I agree with most others. It's not necessary to wait to finish Enterprise before watching Discovery. There is one exception as others have noted that might be helpful (though not critical). I hesitate to name the episode because that alone might give something away so I'll just say
the two parter, "In A Mirror, Darkly"
Still, season 4 of Enterprise was my favorite of the series so it's still definitely worth watching.
I haven't seen the new Discovery episode yet, a rewatch of "Shockwave" feels appropriate. Sometimes you discover a thread a new episode is pulling on and you can cherrypick something that may or may not be related.
Not saying of course that the cliffhanger event Daniels takes Archer to, is related to "the burn"... but it does feature the furthest visit to the future seen, until now.
Not saying of course that the cliffhanger event Daniels takes Archer to, is related to "the burn"... but it does feature the furthest visit to the future seen, until now.
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Yes, and having rewatched Shockwave now, turns out we don't see the Prime Universe 31st Century in that episode anyway. It's a future altered by the absence of a Federation and removing Archer from the timeline. The devastated city (along with the rest of Earth presumably) is centuries old. The books in a library tell the correct history up until the Warp 5 program and then apparently everything altered thereafter. A tantalising mention of the Romulan Star Empire among the shelves, indicating better awareness of them by humans before everything ended.
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Fun fact, Discovery S3 premiere referenced the Temporal Cold War.
It mentions Temporal Wars. Not the Temporal Cold War.
I suppose it's a cold war where the acceptance of time travel as a fact isn't officially accepted. Starfleet that far back haven't made that discovery yet. No crew has yet survived any accident involving warp drive that has thrown them back or forward in time. Encounters made by the Enterprise NX-01, like the Suliban or the Xindi who claim to be in contact with time travellers, become classified. Technology from the future passed into the 22nd Century, is just seen as advanced alien culture and either influences the creation of native inventions or their creation happens occurs independently.
Where it becomes a full blown temporal war, is among later centuries where factions involved are actively using the technology against opposing sides with the same ability. But the idea of one group based in the 25th fighting the 27th, and another in the 31st trying to limit the damage, has always been an intriguing idea. But as it's own show as far removed from Enterprise as possible really.
Enterprise was better off a straight-forward prequel dealing in the history of setting up the Federation though, and the Temporal Cold War was at the insistence of the studio wanting something as futuristic as Voyager or Next Gen.
Where it becomes a full blown temporal war, is among later centuries where factions involved are actively using the technology against opposing sides with the same ability. But the idea of one group based in the 25th fighting the 27th, and another in the 31st trying to limit the damage, has always been an intriguing idea. But as it's own show as far removed from Enterprise as possible really.
Enterprise was better off a straight-forward prequel dealing in the history of setting up the Federation though, and the Temporal Cold War was at the insistence of the studio wanting something as futuristic as Voyager or Next Gen.
Different writers, plus a lot of stuff in DIS doesn't perfectly match up to previous shows. I'll take it as an intended reference to the TCW of ENT.
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