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Star Trek: Enterprise - Season 3


RRP: £84.99
Our Price: £21.97 (subject to change)

Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

Described by series cocreator Brannon Braga as "a single episode that lasts 24 hours," the third season of Star Trek: Enterprise is arguably the best in the show's four-season run. With the epic "Xindi saga" as the season's primary story arc, the series found its tonal focus in the unpredictable space of the Delphic Expanse, where alien encounters and matter-warping spatial anomalies forced Capt. Archer (Scott Bakula) to make extreme decisions that tested his ethical boundaries. Realizing the need for a fresh viewpoint, Braga and cocreator Rick Berman hired Manny Coto, a TV veteran who conceived or wrote several of the season's finest episodes (not forgetting Mike Sussman and other members of the series' first-rate writing staff). Coto's involvement was instrumental in shaping the Xindi saga, which began (with season 2's cliffhanger) when Earth was attacked by a Xindi probe--a massive weapon which Archer must now destroy. This vital mission dominates season 3, deriving its potent drama from an impressive variety of characters and subplots focused on the five-species Xindi council, which finds its voice of reason in Primate member Degra (season regular Randy Oglesby) and rancor in the Reptilian Commander (Scott MacDonald), pivotal characters whose fates will be tragically intertwined.

Despite lower ratings and budgetary cutbacks (as evident in several ship-bound episodes with minimal casting), season 3 was equally strong as a showcase for the Enterprise regulars, with plenty of fan speculation rising from the sexy and soothing Vulcan "neuro-pressure" sessions between the insomniac Tucker (Connor Trinneer, better than ever) and T'Pol, whose hidden addiction to a toxic compound allows Jolene Blalock to mine the volatile depths of her character (who now sports a more appealing hairstyle and wardrobe). Meanwhile, security chief Reed (Dominick Keating) engages in heated competition with Major Hayes (reliable guest Steven Culp, from the first season of Desperate Housewives), the leader of NX-01's Military Assault Command Operation (or MACO), which Reed views with territorial suspicion. And while Enterprise still fumbled to develop the characters of Hoshi (Linda Park) and Travis (Anthony Montgomery), John Billingsley continued to bring clutch-player excellence to his role as Dr. Phlox in several highlight episodes including "Doctor's Orders" and "Similitude," the latter featuring equally strong work by Trinneer in an ethically complex (and fan-favorite) examination of the cloning--a typical example of Star Trek at its best.

The alternate timeline of "Twilight" also honours the classic Trek tradition, while "Harbinger" reveals the existence of the trans-dimensional Sphere Builders, whose moon-sized creations affect Enterprise throughout its season-long mission. Finally, the crucial appearances of blue-skinned Andorian Shran (Jeffrey Combs) bring both suspense and comic relief to the season's grim proceedings, adding depth and tentative alliance to Enterprise's pre-Federation politics--a crucial element that assumes greater importance with the jaw-dropping cliffhanger of "Zero Hour" and the surprises in store for season 4, which will bring Enterprise ever closer to the original Star Trek timeline.


A corker
Review date: 2008-09-21 Rating: 8 out of 10

Out of sheer loyalty to Star Trek I gamely endured seasons 1 and 2, hoping desperately that the show would improve and engage my interest. So glad I did; Season Three is a corker! What distinguishes Season Three is the plot which `arcs' all twenty four episodes. This allows the writers to give depth to the story and the characters and allows them to add subplots which further flesh out the main story. The special effects are also very good and plentiful and there are lots of hugely satisfying battles in which Enterprise is nearly destroyed with bulkheads collapsing all over the place, the nacelles being blown up and hull breaches left, right and centre! My only criticism of the series is that two of the characters are irritating and implausible; namely Captain Archer and Lt Reed. The former sometimes hams it up so badly that he resembles a character in a pantomime (sometimes when he says a line like `I have proof that the Xindi are behind it' you expect the cast to chorus `oh no you haven't!'). When he isn't hamming it up he is often self righteous, smug and arrogant. He is also far too old for the part. Lt Reed, for his sins, seems to be the archetypical repressed and self effacing Englishman - not what one expects to see in a Tactical Officer on a starship.... (bring back Worf I say.) On the other hand, there is no irritating `comedy' character to ruin things (Voyager's Neelix being a case in point) and the other characters are all charismatic so all in all, season three is well worth the viewing.

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Reviews


BEST Star trek season ever
Review date: 2008-08-22 Rating: 10 out of 10

And when i write ever, i mean from all the different Star Trek seasons.
This season has it all ... the tension and mystery is very present from episode 1 untill the last ep.
All the main characters are given more realistic "human" qualities and flaws.
THIS IS A MUST BUY for all who liked Star Trek at some point.

In short for the whole series of Enterprise : season 1 = weak / season 2 = mediocre / season 3 = super /season 4 = great (close to S3)

Enterprise, Schmenterprise!
Review date: 2008-02-17 Rating: 4 out of 10

The problem with Star Trek Enterprise is it lacks confidence, or rather the studio which made it lacked confidence during production. Executives were stepping ina ll the time trying to secure high ratings and often intervered with the plot lines, a situation that peaked in the early days of the new Star trek movie when producer Rick berman left the studios his early script idea was rejected.



The story lines are familiar Trek concepts but Enterprise seems way to heavy in laser fire battles in ship corridors and insipid 'american way' ideas. Year three is basically the same as the borg story wth a big metal ball hurtling towards earth set on destruction...yawn. The opener to year 4 is set in nazi occupied earth...(wasnt that a Voyager story???), oh and somewhere in year 2 there is an episode set in the wild west...EVEN BIGGER YAWN. Worth knowing I skipped the nazi story because basically - who cares!



I was very frustrated how the lead character Cpt Archer seemed to self appoint his historic prowess without any real merit. He is not great to look at (in fact none of the male cast are) and seems to make stupid decisions that just would'nt happen. For example in Year 4 he is the one who climbs up the the tube to stop pathogens killing everyone - when the obvious choice is to get the agile security chief to do it (who had to tell archer what to do in the first place). He tortures a man for information and steals a warp core...ruuuubbbiiisssshhhhhh!



This is all repeated over and over. Archer is always being the hero. The most laughable shot is when they destroy the Xindi weapon and a slow mo archer is seen running to camera while a ball of fire erupts behind him, inches from engulfing him. I nearly spilt my tea it was so shockingly bad.



My belief is that the actor playing Archer became a bit to insistant on this 'hero' status (once, he went against the produers wishes and insisted on being unshaven in an episode, because that's how he felt his character should be). The fact seems that he was actually just going for a macho look and it was all a bit of vanity.



Anyway, to summerise, if you want a weak vulcan who nearly blubs with every difficult decision (in years 3 & 4 anyway), a butch bloody minded engineer with an accent that sounds like he is sucking a marble, a fat doctor who overacts, a black pilot who never has any lines, a Thai comms officer who is scared evertime a torpedo is fired and a captain who loves himself so much you want to vomit - and a collection of 20 and 30 somethings all loving themselves for their ineptitude - then Enterprise is DEFINATELY for you! I'd wait till its £9.99 a box set thern you can make lots of cheap ashtrays with the discs.


Excellent Series but be careful!!!
Review date: 2007-10-30 Rating: 8 out of 10

This is an absolutely excellent series!!! You're gonna love it, however I do urge you to be cautious, The first disk is faulty in the two copies I have bought, from different companies, there appears to be a fault and the lasering isnt successful and the episodes either skip or dont play atall. If you can find a good copy then great cos it is an excellent series, but be warned!!, ENJOY!!!

Idiot Writers!
Review date: 2007-04-29 Rating: 6 out of 10

Series 1 & 2 of Enterprise are fantasic! Easily the best Start Trek ever made. New and fresh and with believable and interesting story lines. From series 3 however, the writers just lose the plot. There's even one episode where the crew turns into monkeys! Oh, come off it!

The story lines in series 3 are just too ridiculous to be believable. Did the writers really have to create scenario where Captain Archer and Enterprise literally save the world? How tedious is that! By the end of series 3, you are totally sick of hearing the word "Xindi".

Then there's all of this nonsense about time travel which plays a significant part in the saga. It's just too ridiculous to be believable.

The writers have really done a poor job here. Don't they realise that part of the charm and magic of the show is its believability? Don't they realize that trekkies are looking for fantastic technologies and seeing how they are used, and for new life and how humanity interacts with it, and the exploration of "strange new worlds". The occassional battle is okay too - but not one lasting a whole season.

Overall - I'm not impressed and there's no doubt in my mind that it's the crap writing that did for Enterprise which was canned after series 4. What a waste!



Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Anthony Montgomery
John Billingsley
Scott Bakula
Jolene Blalock
Dominic Keating

Creators:
Scott Bakula (Primary Contributor)
John Billingsley (Primary Contributor)

Recording label: Paramount Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Paramount Home Entertainment
EAN: 5014437862334
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 7
Format: Anamorphic, PAL,
Release date: 2005-09-05
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 1026 minutes
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: English (Original Language)

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