Enterprise: Out of the Gate

“Where no man has gone before.” This was the predictable yet appropriate opening line of the new Star Trek series, Enterprise. Spoken by a young Jonathan Archer, the phrase that has become synonymous with Gene Roddenberry's creation set into motion a new approach to Star Trek that will ultimately lead us to the one we are most familiar with. At the same time, it will breathe new life into the three-decade-old franchise.

Before I go any further, I'd like to inform those who are not regular readers of this column that I live in Japan, and therefore am a bit behind those in North America. While there have now been 10 episodes aired in the United States, at the time of this writing I have seen only the first three. Therefore this article reflects my thoughts on the very beginning of the series, on how it compares to my expectations going in. For those pre-launch thoughts, see my articles "A Brand New Enterprise" and "Enterprise: A Preliminary View."

THE PREMISE
As all fans and most with at least a passing interest in Star Trek already know, Enterprise is set in the year 2151, just 150 years from our present and some 100 years before the voyages of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. I have already praised Berman and Braga in previous articles for their decision to take Trek back in time rather than forging on with another Voyager-like series, and now that I've seen the product in action my feelings have only strengthened. The carriers of Gene's torch have laid healing hands upon an ailing concept.