Star Trek Enterprise-
The Complete Second Season
(Paramount Region 1 NTSC DVD)
(2002)
review by Head Cheeze

If the first season of Enterprise seemed to suffer from a case of getting its "space legs", one only need look at the first outings for all of the Star Trek spin-offs to see that, at least in this series' universe, first impressions aren't always accurate. Personally, I enjoyed Enterprise's first season, however, to be fair, I didn't watch the show right out of the gate, so my take on the earlier episodes was slightly skewed by the fact that I'd grown attached to the characters in later seasons. Still, it is obvious that the cast chemistry really didn't start to take for this show until the tail-end of its first year, and, with the start of the second season, this Enterprise crew was running like a well-oiled machine.

It is also in this season that we are introduced to more character oriented scripts, many of which developed traits and issues that would be touched upon with regularity throughout the show's run. For example, in 'Stigma', we learn that T'Pol has Pa'nar Syndrome, a life-threatening disease that is spread through "mind-melding". Admitting to suffering from this disease is akin to self-exile from the Vulcan community, as mind-melds are considered taboo. T'Pol's struggles with the disease eventually lead to another story arc that showcases the lengths through which she would go to keep her illness a secret. This is an obvious statement about A.I.D.S., but it is handled well, and, unlike most episodic Sci-Fi, the gravity of this message isn't wasted by having the disease cured by the episode's end.

I felt that Enterprise was the strongest of the post-Next Generation spin-offs in that it incorporated many storylines such as this into the overall mythology. There's a sexual relationship between T'Pol and the ship's engineer, Trip, that sort of turns the tables on the usual male/female dynamic, as the aloof T'Pol doesn't seem to see the logic in having their relationship be anything more than physical.
There's also the delicate relationship between T'Pol and Archer, and the mutual respect that forms between them. Other characters, like Reed, Mayweather, and Hoshi, are also given their fair share of backstory and conflicts. While it would be impossible to fully realise each and every member of Enterprise's crew, the main cast is remarkably well fleshed out by the end of the second season.

Sure there are some underwhelming episodes; 'Dawn', an Enemy Mine rip-off, features a marooned Trip squaring off with the enemy who shot him down. Another Trip-centric episode, 'Cogenitor', focuses on Trip's empathy for an asexual being that serves as the 'third partner' in a species' procreation rituals. These are stories we've seen before, and serve as little more than filler between the really stellar episodes, like 'The Seventh', which investigates T'Pol's past as a Vulcan mercenary, or the touching 'First Flight', in which Archer flashes back to the dawn of the Enterprise project when hears of the passing of an old rival. Once again, these are episodes that show us what it is that make these characters who they are, and how it is that they got that way.

The second season set from Paramount features a nice haul of extras, including select episode commentary, featurettes, outtakes, and more.

Enterprise Season Two will no doubt be gobbled up by fans of the series, but a lot of Trek fans were put off by this show's focus on character development rather than space opera action (something the creators steered the series toward in its final season). If you're looking for a show that's got lots of things blowing up and relentless alien assaults, then Enterprise (at least season two!) is not for you. However, if you like a little humanity in your sci-fi, then this fun and addictive series is right up your alley.