The Five Best Episodes of Enterprise Season One (No Matter What My Co-Hosts Say)

Having one full season of Enterprise under our podcasting belt seems like a perfect time to look back on the previous 26 episodes and pick out the best. And yeah, we did just release our Season One Wrap-Up episode where the podcasting gang got together and reflected on the highs and lows of the season. But we all know those guys can say foolish things at times. Joshua B. Jones’ unwavering defense of Rogue Planet is a pretty fine an example, an episode that Wired specifically highlighted as a “sluggish, slow episode that might just make you want to climb into a shell and never come out.”

Sometimes all you need is a definitive ranking of the best episodes of season one and I am here to satiate your desires, dear readers.

The fifth episode of the series is also the fifth best episode of the season. This episode has Connor Trinneer’s Commander Trip going aboard a Xyrillian ship to make some repairs, but he also ends up making some babies and getting himself pregnant. It’s an admittedly goofy and un-serious premise, but it’s also absurdly fun because this is Connor Trinneer’s breakout episode in the series. Up until this point, it seemed entirely plausible that Trip may have simply been intended to serve as a younger version of the folksy and highly judgmental Dr. Leonard McCoy. Instead, this episode injected the character with a perfect amount of whimsy and exasperation, cementing both the character and the actor who portrayed him securely in our hearts.

If you haven’t yet, you can get busy with our podcast here: Unexpected

The pilot for the series is among the best pilots among all of Star Trek, and does an outstanding job of establishing the setting for Enterprise. Written by the show creators Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, this episode introduces us to an entirely new alien species in the Suliban, and also gives us some Klingon action to give fans of the other series a nice easy hook into this world.

Beautifully directed by James Conway, it’s clear that no expense was spared in production of this episode as it looks as if it would be just as suited to the silver screen. This earns a spot on the list for not only setting up the universe this show takes place in, but also making me want to keep watching it.

It was a two-part episode, and we celebrated by recording a two-part podcast:

Broken Bow Part 1

Broken Bow Part 2

This is an outstanding episode, and it was a difficult decision whether this should get second or third. But I’m here to make the tough decisions. This story, from Rick Berman, Brannon Braga and Fred Dekker successfully introduces the audience to these kick-ass new Andorians. It also seriously calls into question the trust we’ve automatically given to the Vulcans simply because they’re Vulcans. This is an episode that has far-reaching consequences and will be brought up in numerous episodes throughout the season, most notably in Shadows of P’Jem, and I love myself an episode that has lasting consequences.

As if all of that weren’t enough? This is the first episode of this series directed by Roxann Dawson, most famous in the Star Trek world for her role as B’Elanna Torres on Star Trek Voyager. She was so successful here that they brought her back for one of Podcast Co-host Chris’ favorite episodes of the season Vox Sola.

Still not enough to earn it the three-spot on this top five list, you say? How about we toss a little goddamned Jeffrey Combs into the mix as the Andorian Commander Shran. This character was so outstanding that in the special features on the Enterprise Blu-ray, Braga admitted that Shran was going to be brought aboard the Enterprise as a regular crew member if the series had continued onto a fifth season. Add that to the list of reasons why the world is a worse place because of Enterprise’s premature cancellation.

This episode actually received the highest average rating of an episode among the podcasting crew, and that discussion can be heard here: The Andorian Incident

Sixteen episodes into the season, it started to become clear that Enterprise was going to need to make some financial adjustments to stay under budget. The result of that? Shuttlepod One, one of my favorite bottle episodes of any series, let alone Star Trek. Almost the entirety of the episode takes place in the small confines of a damaged shuttlepod, where Trip and Reed are running low on oxygen but have a surplus of despair arising from their belief that the Enterprise has been destroyed.

Connor Trinneer as Trip does what he does best and is ridiculously charming and lovable. But this was also a standout episode for Dominic Keating’s Lieutenant Malcolm Reed, a character that I often have mixed feelings over. Bottle episodes are naturally heavily reliant on the actors featured in order to be successful, and this duo easily prove they are up to the task with these commanding performances.

If you missed this podcast, check it out here: Shuttlepod One

The season finale easily earns the top spot because it is damn near perfect. And much of the credit for that goes to Allan Kroeker as he puts on a masterclass in directing. His perfect utilization of continuous shots allow the viewer to feel the tension and frantic atmosphere aboard the Enterprise immediately following its explosive opening sequence. The sickbay sequence has the camera weaving through an ongoing dialogue among the crew as they try to piece together what happened is among the most tense in the entirety of the season. A stunning fact considering it is little more than an impromptu conference.

This episode is also steeped heavily in the Temporal Cold War plotline, which at this point in the series I am always craving more of. It’s filled with high-intensity action and fast-paced plot developments. These are characteristics more associated with Star Trek movies than the television series, but I was loving every second of it.

Shockwave Part 1 is also the highest rated episode from the first season on IMDB, so anybody on our review podcast who didn’t love it will be henceforth addressed only as Uncultured Swine. You can listen to that celebratory podcast here:

Shockwave Part 1

Do you have different thoughts? Let me know in the comments and I’ll do my best to let you know you are mistaken in the kindest way possible.