Star Trek Enterprise

So my husband and I have recently discovered a fun "new" show that we've been enjoying lately. It's Star Trek Enterprise. Taking place a hundred years before the original Star Trek with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, but having aired in 2001-2005, this show is a lovely combo of prequel story lines and new technology. The main story of the series is that Captain Jonathan Archer is the captain of the first Warp 5 starship and, with his crew, is on a mission to explore new worlds and meet new species. Of course, they have plenty of adventures along the way.

Each of the characters is unique and different. They interact with each other in humorous ways and provide a lively mix of alternating stories and focal points. The main characters are Captain Archer, Subcommander/Science Officer {and First Officer/Vulcan representative} T'Pol, alien Doctor Phlox, Communications Officer Hoshi, Tactical Officer Malcolm Reed, Helmsman Travis Mayweather, and Chief Engineer Charles "Trip" Tucker.



The best character, in my husband's and my opinion, is Commander Charles Tucker the 3rd, or Trip as he's better known as. He's very gifted with mechanics and can coax the engine into going pretty fast, considering their limited technology at this stage in the series. He makes mistakes as he goes along on his various adventures, but he learns from them and doesn't lose his personality as he grows. At first, he and Malcolm had tension and friction in their friendship, but that got ironed out when they were stranded together and learned they have more in common than previously thought. Trip also falls for T'Pol and balances her Vulcan characteristics pretty well with his down-to-earth personality. We get a wonderful glimpse into his character when his and T'Pol's DNA is stolen to produce a hybrid clone that later dies form complications.

T'Pol herself is an interesting character. She's a promising Vulcan with a position on the Science Directorate and she provides the necessary logic to balance certain situations. She was originally placed on Enterprise at the insistence of the High Command, much to Archer's annoyance; but she proved herself helpful and became loyal to the captain - eventually leaving the High Command and joining Star Fleet. She views life aboard the Enterprise through an outsider's eyes and being Vulcan has saved them on more than one occasion.

Captain Archer's father invented the warp engine that now powers his ship, giving Archer a personal reason for being captain and seeing the mission through to the end. At first, he begins by being something of a pacifist and only wants peaceful interactions. But his opinions and mindset change when they are repeatedly attacked by unfriendly species and the weapons on-board come more and more into play in their "peaceful" negotiations. He makes a good commander; kind and sympathetic to those under his authority, but strict and stern when he needs to be. One of the softer sides of his character is that he has his dog on the ship with him and cares a great deal about him - as is proved when the dog gets sick in one episode and needs medical attention.

Malcolm Reed is very British; he says little, keeps to himself and occasionally has a dry sense of humor. When his birthday rolls around, no one - not even his own sister - can name his favorite food, which is pineapple. His roll as the tactical officer comes more and more into play as he upgrades weapons and improves the response time of the crew when under attack. He becomes good friends with Trip and Travis, the helmsman. Travis is unique to the group because he was born in space on a freighter and knows a lot about the "local" area of space, though this knowledge comes less into play the further from Earth they go. He is still an excellent pilot. And Hoshi manages to interact with everyone on board in one way or another. She is a highly talented communications expert and was personally persuaded by Archer to join their crew. Her fears and anxieties almost cripple her several times, but she soon learns to control them and gets more confident and comfortable with her duties on board the starship.

And the last of the interesting main characters is Doctor Phlox. He is obviously an alien - the only one on board aside from T'Pol - and his sense of humor paired with his medical skills adds a lovely touch to the show. He is very curious and genuine; his interest in the humans as their doctor and an alien race to study is often amusing. He finds himself in a pickle occasionally but bounces back quickly from whatever obstacles are in his way. Hoshi is a particular friend of his and often stops by to help him feed his many pets.

With such a fun colorful cast of characters and some really good writing, this show is a fun form of entertainment and also gives a good glimpse into how the more familiar Star Trek universe came into being. The allies and enemies they make now comes into play in the future, and they even incorporate time travel into this series which is quite nice. So if you're looking for a good summer show to watch, try finding this one at your local library. Enjoy!