Why bring Riker and Troi into this. The crew could have gone out in a blaze of glory with a script that was imaginative and exciting. We are pretty much told what happened and the characters act it out, stiffly and with little aplomb. This series was a bit inconsistent, at least in its first half, but the episodes became much more complex and creative in the second half. The final dual episode preceding this was one of the best of all. So we throw in this lame thing. I got to know these people, their trials and their accomplishments, and "The Next Generation" takes over with people telling Riker dull things as he pretends to be a chef. What a letdown.
85 Reviews
Love the series, but the ending just stunk...
zopop11921 January 2013
Warning: Spoilers
I just completed watching Enterprise on Netflix. I have to say as a long time Star Trek fan, I was a less than enthralled during the first two seasons, however the final two picked up the pace and I ended up enjoying the way they moved the story along. I particularly liked the cover episode regarding one of the age old Trek questions about how the Klingons from the original series might have developed ridges by the time the movies were made... at any rate.. the finale for Enterprise was lame on several counts, some of which have already been talked about. I don't have a problem so much with them bridging into the TNG... but it was a little too much of that and not enough closure for the series. Killing off a character is always expected.. but Tripp's death was just lame and Troi spoiling it early sort of lamer. Not allowing the series to end with the Captain's speech to the delegates was also sort of lame.. sort of short cheated the Captain Archer legacy... I have to think that this was thrown together once they knew the series was not going to be renewed.. at any rate, its too bad it ended where it did, because I think it was just starting to get good. It would have made more sense to try and bring the story as close to the roots of the Original series time line as they could in a bridge than to do what they did...
Even IMDb takes a shot at this disgraceful finale.
cannotlogon10312 October 2010
I won't recapitulate all the negative reviews of this horrible episode (with which I agree, incidentally); however, I noticed that even IMDb subtly disapproves, listing all the cast of "Enterprise" with the designation "(hologram)" next to their characters' names, suggesting it was as if...there weren't really even there.
Touche! The fact is, the B&B send off reduced the cast of "Enterprise" to ghostly afterthoughts, not unlike hologram characters -- photonic images created by the bending of light, and not fully-formed, fleshed out characters. The cast that dedicated four years of their respective careers deserved much better than to be pushed to one side (WAY to one side!) to make way for the bulky Riker and Troi.
A disgrace. (I gave it a four, simply because I liked the Shran story line, and Jeffrey Combs is always a welcome presence.)
Touche! The fact is, the B&B send off reduced the cast of "Enterprise" to ghostly afterthoughts, not unlike hologram characters -- photonic images created by the bending of light, and not fully-formed, fleshed out characters. The cast that dedicated four years of their respective careers deserved much better than to be pushed to one side (WAY to one side!) to make way for the bulky Riker and Troi.
A disgrace. (I gave it a four, simply because I liked the Shran story line, and Jeffrey Combs is always a welcome presence.)
What An Insult...
carpentersfan200320 June 2008
All I can say about this finale is that it was complete and utter trash. Bringing in Troi and Riker was a mistake of monumental proportions. Not to mention having two "ledgends" on the show stole the thunder from the cast of the Enterprise.
I have heard that Jolene ( T'Pol ) has stated that the final episode of Enterprise is "total crap" and that she was embarrassed to be a part of it, this is an opinion that is shared by both Scott Bakula and Connor Trinneer.
Personally I think Braga's comment about this episode as being a " Valentine to the fans" is total B.S. and he can shove his Valentine where the sun don't shine.
In a word... SHAMEFUL!!!!
I have heard that Jolene ( T'Pol ) has stated that the final episode of Enterprise is "total crap" and that she was embarrassed to be a part of it, this is an opinion that is shared by both Scott Bakula and Connor Trinneer.
Personally I think Braga's comment about this episode as being a " Valentine to the fans" is total B.S. and he can shove his Valentine where the sun don't shine.
In a word... SHAMEFUL!!!!
Horrific, depressing, half-baked, disgraceful, insulting, disrespectful
apostle_137 June 2012
Hey Rick Berman, you just sent off Enterprise into a smouldering pile of dung. The second last episode "Terra Prime" is how my heart will remember Enterprise ending, dignified and heartwarming.
Why would you crush the hearts of loyal fans with such drivel? The entire dialogue, premise and plot were incredibly amateurish as if it was written at lunch break by the company accountant.
After "Terra Prime"'s sad yet beautiful ending it really tied a lot of loose bits for fans. Nothing more was needed.
Please never touch anything Trek related again before you completely destroy the franchise.
Pathetic.
Why would you crush the hearts of loyal fans with such drivel? The entire dialogue, premise and plot were incredibly amateurish as if it was written at lunch break by the company accountant.
After "Terra Prime"'s sad yet beautiful ending it really tied a lot of loose bits for fans. Nothing more was needed.
Please never touch anything Trek related again before you completely destroy the franchise.
Pathetic.
Decent episode in the absurdly wrongest place...
outerheaven233 May 2014
Warning: Spoilers
For me this episode is the most pondered, thought about TV finale there is, I have spent almost ten years thinking about it as of the writing of this review. While I was initially very much in favor of this episode, after having watched it just tonight I feel that while there are obviously a vast crowd of people roaming the internet just bashing anything they can get their keyboard on without offering ANY KIND of better idea and I defended this episode against them back in the day quite adamantly, there is one thing in particular that strikes me as severely wrong with it today: This could have been one of the great Star Trek episodes if it did not serve as Enterprise's finale but had been put in the middle of the fourth season. I totally get what the writers were trying to do bookending the TNG-DS9-VOY-ENT era and integrating the adventures of the NX-01 in the future context in a actually quite modern way. However, screen time for the Enterprise actors themselves was so reduced in their own finale that it can hardly be called that anymore. Furthermore, the chain of events was set in motion by a pretty insignificant plot device (Shran's abducted daughter that previously had not even existed in the story) and led to some unknown aliens of the week forcing Trip Tucker to sacrifice himself in order to allow Archer to give his speech for the signing of the early Federation charter. All of this seemed quite forced to say the least. However, the Next Generation part was executed quite well, the holodeck terminology fit right in and was a nice nod to TNG itself. Which illustrates the problem again: The episode was more TNG then ENT and that is hurtful to the show itself when being a finale. So, I believe that another position for this episode within the season would have greatly benefited it's reviews and reception, as a finale it was sadly rather improper. I would, however, ask the many people hating this episode so much to finally consider that the writers, Berman and Braga, were the people that have given us some, even many of the best Star Trek episodes and films and that the accusation by many fans that these two writers wanted to and succeeded in f**king the fans with this finale is simply preposterous and probably nothing someone should imply. The episode may not have worked as intended, but I believe there hardly is anyone who can say he or she has never made a mistake. The recently released BDs of Enterprise clearly show that B&B had to face many obstacles in making this show and that their demonization by many people ("fans") even to this day is something these so-called "fans" should be ashamed of, whether they hate the final episode or not!
Berman & Braga say "Screw you, Trekkies!"
NavyOrion12 February 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Easily the most unsatisfying end-of-series episode I have ever seen, "These Are the Voyages" was nonetheless an appropriate send-off for "Enterprise" in that it was, like much of the series, full of unrealized potential.
There was no reason to wrap the whole story, set some six years after the fourth season's events, in a ridiculous "Next Generation" plot based on a minor seventh-season TNG story, "The Pegasus." It was distracting to see Frakes and Sirtis trying to look relevant (and struggling not to look old and fat) in their younger characters, after we had seen so much greater growth over the course of several feature films. The idea of play-acting on the holodeck for several days (don't you have some actual WORK to do, Commander?) as an effective way to reach a decision was embarrassing. I wanted to shake him: "Man up, Riker!"
What was the most annoying aspect of the movie "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" (aside from the aging crew shoe-horned into their uniforms and an insipid plot)? The idea that "Oh, did I forget to mention all these years that I have a brother?" And yet that kind of "conveniently forgotten" fact is exactly what they did here. Suddenly, the ship's cook (yes the COOK) is a major player, everybody's buddy, and privy to more information than a bridge officer. For the whole series, they've treated this guy like a combination of "Tim the Toolman Taylor's" over-the-fence neighbor that you never actually see, and DS9's Morn, whom you never hear. So from whence comes this idea that "Chef" (he doesn't even get a name?) was the confidant of every person on board? Seems like something that might have been mentioned at SOME point in the last four years. The series finale is a bit late to stuff in a point like that, guys.
Bad as the idea was of having these guest stars cluttering up the story, other facets of the episode seemed less oversight or poor judgment than deliberate slaps in the face. One of the most poignant points of any show is the death of a major character; in the Star Trek universe, this is exemplified by the deaths of Spock, Kirk, and Data in the feature films, each of which was an emotional climax of their respective movie. Yet Troi is given a line that completely ruins this, telling the viewers a good 20 minutes ahead of time that Tripp Tucker is going to die.
Annoying as the questions around Tucker's death are (blowing up a compartment was his BEST idea? Had Shran really left or not? Where the hell were the MACOs?) it was the death scene itself that was worst. Why? Because there WASN'T a death scene! Gravely injured, Tucker is rushed into a chamber in sickbay. We break for commercial to watch several minutes of ads for toilet paper and Big Macs, and then come back to find Archer and T'Pol in Tripps quarters. It's only after a minute or so of dialog that it is confirmed for the viewer that he has died! If I were Conner Trinneer, I would fire the agent that let me get cheated like that. The only ones cheated more were the fans.
Finally, the last scene of the last episode of the last Star Trek TV series arrives. It's Archer's speech, the speech that he has been thinking about the whole episode, the speech that marks the foundation of the Federation, the speech that frikkin' Troi had to memorize in grade school, for pete's sake! This should be good, stirring stuff, full of Horatio Hornblower and starry eyes, a cherry on top of a lackluster series, one last chance for the writers to redeem themselves for four years of hackery that almost ended the 40-year run of Star Trek. And what does Riker say? "Computer, end program." Fade out, steal Shatner's monologue, roll credits.
If Berman and Braga hadn't screwed up so much in this series, after doing much the same with BOTH "Star Trek: Insurrection" and "Star Trek: Nemesis" the franchise might well have been kept out of the disrespectful hands of J.J. Abrams and his 2010 "re-imagining" of the Star Trek saga. Let us hope that B&B will never again be allowed near it.
There was no reason to wrap the whole story, set some six years after the fourth season's events, in a ridiculous "Next Generation" plot based on a minor seventh-season TNG story, "The Pegasus." It was distracting to see Frakes and Sirtis trying to look relevant (and struggling not to look old and fat) in their younger characters, after we had seen so much greater growth over the course of several feature films. The idea of play-acting on the holodeck for several days (don't you have some actual WORK to do, Commander?) as an effective way to reach a decision was embarrassing. I wanted to shake him: "Man up, Riker!"
What was the most annoying aspect of the movie "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" (aside from the aging crew shoe-horned into their uniforms and an insipid plot)? The idea that "Oh, did I forget to mention all these years that I have a brother?" And yet that kind of "conveniently forgotten" fact is exactly what they did here. Suddenly, the ship's cook (yes the COOK) is a major player, everybody's buddy, and privy to more information than a bridge officer. For the whole series, they've treated this guy like a combination of "Tim the Toolman Taylor's" over-the-fence neighbor that you never actually see, and DS9's Morn, whom you never hear. So from whence comes this idea that "Chef" (he doesn't even get a name?) was the confidant of every person on board? Seems like something that might have been mentioned at SOME point in the last four years. The series finale is a bit late to stuff in a point like that, guys.
Bad as the idea was of having these guest stars cluttering up the story, other facets of the episode seemed less oversight or poor judgment than deliberate slaps in the face. One of the most poignant points of any show is the death of a major character; in the Star Trek universe, this is exemplified by the deaths of Spock, Kirk, and Data in the feature films, each of which was an emotional climax of their respective movie. Yet Troi is given a line that completely ruins this, telling the viewers a good 20 minutes ahead of time that Tripp Tucker is going to die.
Annoying as the questions around Tucker's death are (blowing up a compartment was his BEST idea? Had Shran really left or not? Where the hell were the MACOs?) it was the death scene itself that was worst. Why? Because there WASN'T a death scene! Gravely injured, Tucker is rushed into a chamber in sickbay. We break for commercial to watch several minutes of ads for toilet paper and Big Macs, and then come back to find Archer and T'Pol in Tripps quarters. It's only after a minute or so of dialog that it is confirmed for the viewer that he has died! If I were Conner Trinneer, I would fire the agent that let me get cheated like that. The only ones cheated more were the fans.
Finally, the last scene of the last episode of the last Star Trek TV series arrives. It's Archer's speech, the speech that he has been thinking about the whole episode, the speech that marks the foundation of the Federation, the speech that frikkin' Troi had to memorize in grade school, for pete's sake! This should be good, stirring stuff, full of Horatio Hornblower and starry eyes, a cherry on top of a lackluster series, one last chance for the writers to redeem themselves for four years of hackery that almost ended the 40-year run of Star Trek. And what does Riker say? "Computer, end program." Fade out, steal Shatner's monologue, roll credits.
If Berman and Braga hadn't screwed up so much in this series, after doing much the same with BOTH "Star Trek: Insurrection" and "Star Trek: Nemesis" the franchise might well have been kept out of the disrespectful hands of J.J. Abrams and his 2010 "re-imagining" of the Star Trek saga. Let us hope that B&B will never again be allowed near it.
Don't understand the hate
Hughmanity12 June 2021
People are really mad about this episode in the reviews, but I found it a fitting way for this series to go out. Yes the plot is very thin and probably too many wink-nod references eg "Here's to the next generation" but we get to see these characters 10 years in as Enterprise is about to be mothballed and they are moving on to other things. It provides a fitting setting for closure on the series and seeing some of the character arcs come to an end.
I also don't understand the hate for bringing some TNG cast into it. What's not fun about seeing Riker and Troy on screen with the Enterprise crew? It was a nice linkage to the next series (in stardate chronology). We even got to see Shran one last time.
Thanks for the memories, Enterprise. A good show with it's flaws but overall I enjoyed the ride.
I also don't understand the hate for bringing some TNG cast into it. What's not fun about seeing Riker and Troy on screen with the Enterprise crew? It was a nice linkage to the next series (in stardate chronology). We even got to see Shran one last time.
Thanks for the memories, Enterprise. A good show with it's flaws but overall I enjoyed the ride.
Not easy to pull off at the best of times, but that's CERTAINLY not what these were...
jrarichards11 December 2018
Warning: Spoilers
To properly analyse this infamous final episode of Enterprise, with the benefit of an increasing amount of hindsight) a certain teasing out of issues is necessary. "Enterprise" ended after four seasons, and it was clear to most that the idea still had life in it. The same could not be said of "The Next Generation", and yet after 7 seasons "All Good Things..." could not be approached by any true fan without a heavy melanocholy and unsettled feeling that things were indeed "coming to an end".
So the truth is that any bringing an end to "Enterprise"after close-on 100 episodes would have had its dose of sadness, disappointment, dissatisfaction and so on, and it is with that truth in mind that the strategy the makers actually chose to achieve "a quick finish" and "go out in style" can be assessed.
While this episode was preceded by a double which had its point to make and was OK, this last-ever was a one-off, and indeed in every sense. As the whole series had sought to tell the story of the founding of the Federation, that (inevitably?) necessitated a jump of some years forward in time, and that was the first hiccup. The crew is in essence the same after all those years, there's not too much evidence of what they've been doing in the meantime, but what we do know is that the T'Pol-Tucker relationship has cooled, notwithstanding shared intimacy, the engendering of a child and the shared loss of that child.
But now suddenly T'Pol seems to be wanting to start things up again, conceivably though because she is prompted to do so by an interloper from 2 centuries ahead, in the somewhat fatter shape of Will Riker from TNG!
Collapse of stout party on that one, as how can we really accept that what we see on "Enterprise" in this episode is a holodeck recreation - admittedly a good one looking like the real thing, but nevertheless one that necessitates a final "Computer, End Program" on the Enterprise D!
The whole recreation thing by Riker has been prompted by a flimsy enough Enterprise D plot that also takes the edge off the Archer crew plot.
Now the justification here - not quite zero - is that this way we get to see the place in the history books that Archer and co. earn for themselves, which has a certain merit. Perhaps that's even why we watched the four series?
But why that excuse has to bring about the death of Tucker seems like one step too far, since it leaves Phlox with his wives, the Enterprise crew with each other (several suggest they would like to go on serving under Archer), and T'Pol heartbroken (to the extent that a Vulcan can be) and more alone than she has long been. Perhaps there is just a hint of hope for those who have "shipped" T'Pol and Archer all along, as clearly these characters have strong affection for each other. But did we need to bump off Trip to achieve that? Conceivably we did, but then why not make it clear that Archer and T'Pol lived happily every after?
Perhaps we are just kids if we need to know this, and yet somehow we do!
And, since even T'Pol is long dead by the time this episode really (really) takes place, it's all irrevocably sad and miserable anyway. "They did great things all those centuries ago" we murmur to ourselves, as the tears flow. But are they tears of sadness of anger? Now there's a question!
And we don't even have the comfort (cold as it might have been) of knowing what happened to our heroes later on. Since Riker and Troi (for she's in it too) know that history quite well, they might at least have offered a bit of closure by sharing that.
But they did not...
So even leaving aside the inevitable finale-induced misery for devout fans of "Enterprise" (a term I feel I can apply to myself), there is no way that the complex approach the makers take here can offer satisfaction, and sadly it really does not.
A whole Trek world - a whole 4 seasons - really cannot and should not be coloured by a single episode, most of all the final one. But here the makers seem to have done what they can to achieve this dismal effect, and it's sad...
So the truth is that any bringing an end to "Enterprise"after close-on 100 episodes would have had its dose of sadness, disappointment, dissatisfaction and so on, and it is with that truth in mind that the strategy the makers actually chose to achieve "a quick finish" and "go out in style" can be assessed.
While this episode was preceded by a double which had its point to make and was OK, this last-ever was a one-off, and indeed in every sense. As the whole series had sought to tell the story of the founding of the Federation, that (inevitably?) necessitated a jump of some years forward in time, and that was the first hiccup. The crew is in essence the same after all those years, there's not too much evidence of what they've been doing in the meantime, but what we do know is that the T'Pol-Tucker relationship has cooled, notwithstanding shared intimacy, the engendering of a child and the shared loss of that child.
But now suddenly T'Pol seems to be wanting to start things up again, conceivably though because she is prompted to do so by an interloper from 2 centuries ahead, in the somewhat fatter shape of Will Riker from TNG!
Collapse of stout party on that one, as how can we really accept that what we see on "Enterprise" in this episode is a holodeck recreation - admittedly a good one looking like the real thing, but nevertheless one that necessitates a final "Computer, End Program" on the Enterprise D!
The whole recreation thing by Riker has been prompted by a flimsy enough Enterprise D plot that also takes the edge off the Archer crew plot.
Now the justification here - not quite zero - is that this way we get to see the place in the history books that Archer and co. earn for themselves, which has a certain merit. Perhaps that's even why we watched the four series?
But why that excuse has to bring about the death of Tucker seems like one step too far, since it leaves Phlox with his wives, the Enterprise crew with each other (several suggest they would like to go on serving under Archer), and T'Pol heartbroken (to the extent that a Vulcan can be) and more alone than she has long been. Perhaps there is just a hint of hope for those who have "shipped" T'Pol and Archer all along, as clearly these characters have strong affection for each other. But did we need to bump off Trip to achieve that? Conceivably we did, but then why not make it clear that Archer and T'Pol lived happily every after?
Perhaps we are just kids if we need to know this, and yet somehow we do!
And, since even T'Pol is long dead by the time this episode really (really) takes place, it's all irrevocably sad and miserable anyway. "They did great things all those centuries ago" we murmur to ourselves, as the tears flow. But are they tears of sadness of anger? Now there's a question!
And we don't even have the comfort (cold as it might have been) of knowing what happened to our heroes later on. Since Riker and Troi (for she's in it too) know that history quite well, they might at least have offered a bit of closure by sharing that.
But they did not...
So even leaving aside the inevitable finale-induced misery for devout fans of "Enterprise" (a term I feel I can apply to myself), there is no way that the complex approach the makers take here can offer satisfaction, and sadly it really does not.
A whole Trek world - a whole 4 seasons - really cannot and should not be coloured by a single episode, most of all the final one. But here the makers seem to have done what they can to achieve this dismal effect, and it's sad...
Stinks of Berman and Braga
phenomynouss16 October 2010
Warning: Spoilers
After two years of noble efforts to save "Enterprise" by its writers, the murderers of this franchise, Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, return to write the series finale to a show that was on its way to following the path of The Next Generation---an abysmal start with its first two seasons, and a sudden sharp rise in quality starting with the third season.
Instead, Enterprise was essentially dead by season 2, and the damage was irreversible, even as the quality of episodes reached even levels of certain TNG episodes in terms of impact and quality.
Even without the obvious point if this technically being a story stolen by TNG Riker and Troi, the script stinks, STINKS, of the same tired, stupid tropes Berman and Braga littered the first two seasons with, with stupid meta-references dropped like "Here's to the Next Generation" and "All good things...", or one-dimensional characterizations like "I'm a Vulcan; I don't miss people" which goes COMPLETELY AGAINST what'd been occurring for the past year's worth of episodes, or droning, repetitive statements of "I never thought Vulcans and Andorians would work together!" again despite EVERYTHING that'd been occurring for the PAST YEAR'S worth of episodes, and PAINFULLY unsubtle remarks by characters.
Like a typical Berman and Braga script, along with the stupid dialogue and shallow comments and characterization, there are tons of unfunny jokes, a story featuring random ALIENS OF THE WEEK that are so blatantly evil and one-dimensional, it feels almost insulting that even Commander Tucker, a guy who would normally rank among the lowest of notable Star Trek characters if not for his relationship with T'Pol making him a real character, dies while killing a bunch of these arbitrary idiots.
It's a death rather like Tasha Yar's; killed by some random alien that will never have any effect in Trek history ever again, for pretty much no reason.
There literally is no story. Enterprise is on its way for Archer to sign the treaty that creates the Federation when Shrann appears, apparently having faked his own death for whatever reason, and forces Archer to help him rescue his daughter from pirates or whatever. They save her, and the pirates find Enterprise and board it, only for Tucker to suicide bomb them. The rest involves Riker and Troi with the Pegasus thing, and a decision Riker has to make which, for the life of me, I absolutely cannot remember or even care about.
Riker...
I wish I were exaggerating when I say that Riker's (or Troi's) presence is like a hammer smash to the face, completely DESTROYING all the immersion and drama of a scene, reminding you that "HEY, this is all a holographic illusion with a surprisingly old and fat Riker standing around looking horribly out of place watching it all". He's always just THERE, for no good reason other than to diminish Enterprise for the sake of what couldn't even be considered a SUBPLOT for a TNG episode.
TNG's finale was hardly "final", as they knew they were going to make movies to continue the franchise. Deep Space Nine ended with a bang of a war's conclusion. Even Voyager had a big finale involving technobabbling Voyager home.
Aside from the end of the holographic story where Enterprise is nonsensically mothballed and the Federation is established, the events in this story can hardly be considered more than filler, made all the more irritating for its pointlessness.
The only good part of the episode was the very end, where the famous "Where No Man/One Has Gone Before" recitation is done, by all three Enterprise captains, starting with Picard, Kirk, and Archer.
Thanks for killing Enterprise, Berman and Braga, and thanks for giving Enterprise a send-off that not only completely squanders everything that was great about the improved Enterprise present JUST IN THE PREVIOUS EPISODE ALONE and squatting out a story not fit even for the Original Series's finale.
Instead, Enterprise was essentially dead by season 2, and the damage was irreversible, even as the quality of episodes reached even levels of certain TNG episodes in terms of impact and quality.
Even without the obvious point if this technically being a story stolen by TNG Riker and Troi, the script stinks, STINKS, of the same tired, stupid tropes Berman and Braga littered the first two seasons with, with stupid meta-references dropped like "Here's to the Next Generation" and "All good things...", or one-dimensional characterizations like "I'm a Vulcan; I don't miss people" which goes COMPLETELY AGAINST what'd been occurring for the past year's worth of episodes, or droning, repetitive statements of "I never thought Vulcans and Andorians would work together!" again despite EVERYTHING that'd been occurring for the PAST YEAR'S worth of episodes, and PAINFULLY unsubtle remarks by characters.
Like a typical Berman and Braga script, along with the stupid dialogue and shallow comments and characterization, there are tons of unfunny jokes, a story featuring random ALIENS OF THE WEEK that are so blatantly evil and one-dimensional, it feels almost insulting that even Commander Tucker, a guy who would normally rank among the lowest of notable Star Trek characters if not for his relationship with T'Pol making him a real character, dies while killing a bunch of these arbitrary idiots.
It's a death rather like Tasha Yar's; killed by some random alien that will never have any effect in Trek history ever again, for pretty much no reason.
There literally is no story. Enterprise is on its way for Archer to sign the treaty that creates the Federation when Shrann appears, apparently having faked his own death for whatever reason, and forces Archer to help him rescue his daughter from pirates or whatever. They save her, and the pirates find Enterprise and board it, only for Tucker to suicide bomb them. The rest involves Riker and Troi with the Pegasus thing, and a decision Riker has to make which, for the life of me, I absolutely cannot remember or even care about.
Riker...
I wish I were exaggerating when I say that Riker's (or Troi's) presence is like a hammer smash to the face, completely DESTROYING all the immersion and drama of a scene, reminding you that "HEY, this is all a holographic illusion with a surprisingly old and fat Riker standing around looking horribly out of place watching it all". He's always just THERE, for no good reason other than to diminish Enterprise for the sake of what couldn't even be considered a SUBPLOT for a TNG episode.
TNG's finale was hardly "final", as they knew they were going to make movies to continue the franchise. Deep Space Nine ended with a bang of a war's conclusion. Even Voyager had a big finale involving technobabbling Voyager home.
Aside from the end of the holographic story where Enterprise is nonsensically mothballed and the Federation is established, the events in this story can hardly be considered more than filler, made all the more irritating for its pointlessness.
The only good part of the episode was the very end, where the famous "Where No Man/One Has Gone Before" recitation is done, by all three Enterprise captains, starting with Picard, Kirk, and Archer.
Thanks for killing Enterprise, Berman and Braga, and thanks for giving Enterprise a send-off that not only completely squanders everything that was great about the improved Enterprise present JUST IN THE PREVIOUS EPISODE ALONE and squatting out a story not fit even for the Original Series's finale.
All Good Things...
alelizio20 December 2020
Warning: Spoilers
And now it's over. A great series, with one of the most amazing openings I've ever seen! ST: Enterprise was a GREAT series, in many aspects. I'm sad it ended, and I even sadder that so many people had disliked it!
Sure, it had many ups and downs. There were many episodes I didn't like much. Many.
But overall, the series is great. Trying to make a prequel to an old and loved series is not a small thing, and trying to keep "trek" of every detail from ST:TOS to TRY not to spoil things or keep continuity may be a massive work, but I think they delivered it right.
I'm a bit... disappointed with all the negative reviews involving a lack of action, some even mentioning the lack of violence. I'm disturbed with so many people linking violence to "a good story". These people would hate the series and movies from the past, like the original series. Violence and sex were almost a no-show on those days... ST:E tells a great story, and if you get involved in it, if you pretend it to be real (as entertainment, suspension of disbelief is almost its purpose), if you can try to feel what the characters are feeling, you might find the storytelling great. Archer and his group made me laugh, cry, feel anger or fear, so many times, that I can't say the series was lame. They put up a great show.
But that's only my opinion. I always try to plunge into the story and feel some catharsis during the movies I watch or books I read or games I play. Only when the story fails to "reach me" is that I think its creators failed.
And for that, I think the staff of ST:E did a great job.
And with all the links to the rest of ST Universe, the decision to end it with another link, as if that universe was real, was really something. It could have ended perfectly on the previous episode, but this last "coda", although risky and not that great, kind of wrapped things up nicely. Shran's last "debt call", the feelings of the main crew about their colleagues, and the heart-stabbing death of a nice and beloved character, all that made me happy they did a fourth season.
An Interesting Idea...
Narrow5 March 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I've noticed the final episode of Enterprise has had some rather damning reviews both from fans and critics. In particular Berman and Braga have taken quite a bit of flak for it.
I'm not entirely sure this is fair... I personally enjoyed it for the most part, it was an interesting idea, but unfortunately I just don't think they had the time to fully realise it.
I assume that B&B had to rush to write a finale? Also the studio seemed to have cut the series short (it only had 20 episodes as apposed to the usual 26) meaning that they only had one episode to tell the story as apposed to two or three. This could definitely have used more time, because basically they were trying to tell two stories at the same time... granted the audience probably knew the Next Gen story (Pegasus, one of my favourite episodes), but there was a whole other story with Shran to tell and there simply wasn't enough time to tell it...
I'd maintain that the plot of Tucker getting killed wasn't bad, nor the idea of him giving his life to save Archer against his orders, however the manner in which this was done was seriously rushed and therefore the emotional impact of Trip dying was rather lost. Also the manner in which he disobeyed Archer's order was far too different from Riker's predicament... If they had had the time to spread it out over 80 minutes then perhaps they could have set up a better scenario in which the same eventual outcome was reached.
I did like the basic idea of the story and there were some nice touches and I didn't think the final montage of the three Enterprises was tacky, or a pointless endeavour, it made quite a good final shot (not as good admittedly as the final shots from TNG or DS9). The episode doesn't rank well against All Good Things or What You Leave Behind, but those were brilliant episodes from brilliant shows. Overall I thought the idea was better than that of the final Voyager episode Endgame, which I did think was a poor idea; These Are The Voyages was unfortunately a better idea with poorer execution.
Overall I think it's a shame that they had to end the series like this; personally I found it very enjoyable. Actually if anything I thought it got progressively better as it went on, there were some great stories in the final series and the decision to make more three-part episodes went well artistically in my opinion, but perhaps scared off other fans of the show. Perhaps it paid for some of the sins of Voyager, which possibly ran too long...
I hope this isn't the end for Star Trek as I have always at the very least found it highly enjoyable and in the cases of TNG and DS9 it has produced probably my two favourite TV series of all time.
I'm not entirely sure this is fair... I personally enjoyed it for the most part, it was an interesting idea, but unfortunately I just don't think they had the time to fully realise it.
I assume that B&B had to rush to write a finale? Also the studio seemed to have cut the series short (it only had 20 episodes as apposed to the usual 26) meaning that they only had one episode to tell the story as apposed to two or three. This could definitely have used more time, because basically they were trying to tell two stories at the same time... granted the audience probably knew the Next Gen story (Pegasus, one of my favourite episodes), but there was a whole other story with Shran to tell and there simply wasn't enough time to tell it...
I'd maintain that the plot of Tucker getting killed wasn't bad, nor the idea of him giving his life to save Archer against his orders, however the manner in which this was done was seriously rushed and therefore the emotional impact of Trip dying was rather lost. Also the manner in which he disobeyed Archer's order was far too different from Riker's predicament... If they had had the time to spread it out over 80 minutes then perhaps they could have set up a better scenario in which the same eventual outcome was reached.
I did like the basic idea of the story and there were some nice touches and I didn't think the final montage of the three Enterprises was tacky, or a pointless endeavour, it made quite a good final shot (not as good admittedly as the final shots from TNG or DS9). The episode doesn't rank well against All Good Things or What You Leave Behind, but those were brilliant episodes from brilliant shows. Overall I thought the idea was better than that of the final Voyager episode Endgame, which I did think was a poor idea; These Are The Voyages was unfortunately a better idea with poorer execution.
Overall I think it's a shame that they had to end the series like this; personally I found it very enjoyable. Actually if anything I thought it got progressively better as it went on, there were some great stories in the final series and the decision to make more three-part episodes went well artistically in my opinion, but perhaps scared off other fans of the show. Perhaps it paid for some of the sins of Voyager, which possibly ran too long...
I hope this isn't the end for Star Trek as I have always at the very least found it highly enjoyable and in the cases of TNG and DS9 it has produced probably my two favourite TV series of all time.
Not a great finale. But an average enterprise episode.
imdb-428811 June 2018
This episode gets a bad rap because it isn't a great finale. But it is an episode on par with most other episodes of enterprise. So, if this were just some other episode, it would probably be about an 8/10. ... And I am solely basing that scale on average IMDb ratings of other episodes, by other people.
As a series finale, it's not great. So if you're looking for a great ending, don't expect one. Maybe just expect a run-of-the-mill enterprise episode, and you won't be so disappointed.
Did not Deserve to End; Nevertheless, Deserved a Better Ending
claudio_carvalho7 May 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Enterprise is one of the best series of television ever, with excellent shows and great chemistry of the characters. Along the four seasons, I tried to prolong the maximum I could to enjoy T'Pol, Archer, Dr. Phlox, Trip, Reed, Hoshi and Travis and their friends and enemies. "Enterprise" did not deserve to end so soon; nevertheless, "Enterprise" deserved a better ending. I do not know what has happened with the producers and writers of this cult-series. This lame last show is a ridiculous crap entwining the story with "Next Generation" and killing Trip is a silly plot. As mentioned in other reviews, this episode is an insult to a fantastic series. My vote is three.
Title (Brazil): "Estas São as Viagens " ("These Are the Voyages ")
Title (Brazil): "Estas São as Viagens " ("These Are the Voyages ")
Sad ending to a show that deserved better ...
paoguy7 August 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Truly this is the worst series-ending episode that I can ever recall. "Forever Knight's" finale broke my heart, but at least it had some substance. This episode was simply terrible. Perhaps the producers wanted to ensure that they would kill this series once and for all with this episode. Well, they surely did. This show was a disappointment, but did have its moments. Its crew deserved a better send off. I would have preferred for them to be lost forever or assimilated by the Borg instead of being treated like this. It's very sad indeed. I would hope this means that if any other attempts to make a Star Trek series are made that it will have new producers and writers. This effort was truly terrible.
I regret watching the final episode
Zoppica22 September 2010
Warning: Spoilers
It was such a nice series and this final episode just ruins it. So Trip has to die because they suddenly couldn't handle a bunch of second rate villains? How very unlikely. The captain and the crew are usually so cool, calm and collected and now this? That's what bothers me the most, but it's not the only thing. Suddenly we get to meet the chef who, apparently, was a sort of counselor all these years. He wasn't even mentioned once. Mixing all these Next Generation elements could have been fine in any other random episode, but not as the series finale. In the episode preceding the finale you see Trip all sad because the baby died, but also that he might be willing to have another one with T'Pol. That might have been a good ending. Next episode they suddenly haven't seen each other in years. Really weird.
I'm sorry I ever watched it.
I'm sorry I ever watched it.
ST: Enterprise Finale or ST:TNG Episode
emplehplease25 July 2016
Warning: Spoilers
It was overall a decent episode if it wasn't the series finale. It felt more like an episode of ST:TNG rather than the final episode of Enterprise.
The story attempts to make a connection with ST:TNG S7 E12 "The Pegasus" where Riker is ordered by his former captain who is now an admiral to keep the true objective of the mission from Picard. In the process of making his decision on whether or not to tell Picard the truth, Riker recreates the final mission of the Enterprise on the holodeck to find out about obeying/disobeying orders from a superior officer.
A misleading spoiler was given by Troi when she and Riker were observing in Engineering. As the NX-01 crew was preparing for an away mission to rescue Shren's daughter, Troi mentioned that unfortunately Tucker will not be returning from the mission. Although it's true that Tucker will die, however it was not from the away mission. He died later on board Enterprise when he sacrificed himself in an explosion in order to kill the kidnappers who wanted Shren. As other reviewers have said, the crew has been in more dire situations than this so Tucker's sacrifice was not necessary.
As a suggestion from Troi, in order to chat with the crew, Riker became the often mentioned but never seen Chef on board the NX-01 Enterprise. He converses with all of the main characters except for Captain Archer. The interesting thing about the conversations Riker has with the crew, his chat with Tucker did not happen until after he was killed. I don't know if that was a mistake in editing or what the purpose was for Riker to have a chat with the dead.
After watching the finale, I went back and watched the above mentioned ST:TNG "The Pegasus", hoping for some mention of how Riker came to the the decision to reveal the truth to Picard by observing the final mission of the NX-01 crew. Alas, no such satisfaction.
I wish there would have been a more fitting send off for Enterprise with a self-contained episode just like this one but finish the story with Archer's speech. I didn't see the need to bring in Riker and Troi, then attempt to tie the story with an episode of ST:TNG.
Such a letdown for a great series that ended too soon...
The story attempts to make a connection with ST:TNG S7 E12 "The Pegasus" where Riker is ordered by his former captain who is now an admiral to keep the true objective of the mission from Picard. In the process of making his decision on whether or not to tell Picard the truth, Riker recreates the final mission of the Enterprise on the holodeck to find out about obeying/disobeying orders from a superior officer.
A misleading spoiler was given by Troi when she and Riker were observing in Engineering. As the NX-01 crew was preparing for an away mission to rescue Shren's daughter, Troi mentioned that unfortunately Tucker will not be returning from the mission. Although it's true that Tucker will die, however it was not from the away mission. He died later on board Enterprise when he sacrificed himself in an explosion in order to kill the kidnappers who wanted Shren. As other reviewers have said, the crew has been in more dire situations than this so Tucker's sacrifice was not necessary.
As a suggestion from Troi, in order to chat with the crew, Riker became the often mentioned but never seen Chef on board the NX-01 Enterprise. He converses with all of the main characters except for Captain Archer. The interesting thing about the conversations Riker has with the crew, his chat with Tucker did not happen until after he was killed. I don't know if that was a mistake in editing or what the purpose was for Riker to have a chat with the dead.
After watching the finale, I went back and watched the above mentioned ST:TNG "The Pegasus", hoping for some mention of how Riker came to the the decision to reveal the truth to Picard by observing the final mission of the NX-01 crew. Alas, no such satisfaction.
I wish there would have been a more fitting send off for Enterprise with a self-contained episode just like this one but finish the story with Archer's speech. I didn't see the need to bring in Riker and Troi, then attempt to tie the story with an episode of ST:TNG.
Such a letdown for a great series that ended too soon...
The Final Insult: Berman and Braga insult fans everywhere with horrific finale episode: Where was the CAST?
Ricimer3 February 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This episode was so incredibly bad, and simply insulting, to the viewers, that I seriously had to ask "Have B&B (Berman and Braga) really become so bad at this that they thought we'd like this episode?...or were they trying to insult us *on purpose*?".
I mean, just like 20 years later people still remember the ridiculous "Dallas" season-erasing dream/shower episode, 20 years from now people will remember this as one of the infamous worst endings of any TV series.
Basically, this is *NOT* the Enterprise finale. B&B framed the whole episode as a "holodeck program" being viewed by Riker and Troi during Next Generation's 7th season.
***The regular cast of "Enterprise" gets no time in this episode. Archer, T'Pol, and Tucker are the only ones that have any meaningful dialog. The problem was that Mayweather, Hoshi, Reed, and Phlox don't get anything to do here. The cast of Enterprise is not really present for their own series finale.
***The biggest complaint is they kill off Commander Trip Tucker. This is officially the **silliest character death in the history of Star Trek and possibly of all scifi TV** Riker is (supposedly) watching this holoprogram to get insight into his own dilemma about following orders (which he knew were morally wrong) in the Next Gen 7th season episode "Pegasus", by watching a "famous historical example of someone breaking orders for the greater good".
Enterprise is boarded by random alien pirates, who hold Archer and Tucker at gunpoint. Now, let me remind you; Archer being kidnapped by bad aliens was such an overused plot line in seasons 1 and 2 that fans *begged* the show to stop doing that The point is that these guys have been held at gunpoint all the time; what they do is wait for their other crewmembers (remember them?) to rescue them.
What happens is that Archer is willing to stay at gunpoint, but Tucker says he wants to try something, as Archer is getting punched. Archer shouts that he "orders" Trip not to try anything, but Trip "breaks orders" by doing it anyway: he tells the alien pirates that he will put them in communication with the bridge, leads them over to a maintenance panel, then intentionally misconnects two power cables in his hands, to cause a massive explosion that kills himself and the pirates, thus saving Archer. That's it.
My questions are; 1) Why would Tucker suddenly do something (like causing an EXPLOSION) which he knew would definitely kill himself, when he's been in random hostage situations MANY TIMES during the course of the series? 2) **HOW WAS THIS IN ANY WAY AN "ORDER"???*** Riker's "breaking of orders" dilemma was that he had been ordered by a corrupt admiral not to tell anyone that the Federation was conducting secret weapons experiments in direct violation of international treaties, but he felt this was wrong and wanted to tell Picard. This was longstanding issue, which he struggled with for several days. This whole situation is NOT COMPARABLE to that! *****In interviews, Connor Trinner, who plays Tucker, basically stated that A) Berman and Braga knew that Tucker was the most popular character on the show and B) essentially realized that there was nothing emotionally involving in the incredibly bad script they had written, so they sank to the lowest common denominator by just killing off a beloved character to get people to "like" the "tear-jerker" ending. But it's such a forced, obviously scripted death that it was just silly. Many fans hope that a later series will simply explain this away as a hologram error, and that Tucker never died.
On top of this, the entire episode is centered around Archer having to give a speech at the signing of the Federation charter: struggling with what to write, etc. The final scene is of him walking out the door into a forum to give the speech, then ***Riker says "computer, end program" and the whole thing turns off. We never hear the speech, after all of that hype. Not. One. Word. Maybe they were trying to give the idea that it was such a good speech that we could never hear the whole thing, that it was so legendary and good that we should just let our imaginations run wild with how good it was. I can understand not giving the WHOLE thing, but not a single line?! Not a single quote?! For the amount of hype they gave to it (according to them, Tucker killed himself so Archer could deliver this speech on time!) we should have heard something.
*****The final shot is of Archer, Kirk, and Picard doing a narration of the "These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise" monologue, intercutting with each other as we see the three Enterprises fly by. A lot of casual fans said "oh, this was a good episode, I liked that montage at the end"....well, it could have been inserted into any given episode, and honestly, did it SERVE THE PLOT IN ANY WAY? Character development, etc? IT WAS A CHEAP TRICK.
On top of this, Berman and Braga didn't even THINK of that; they stated that they literally wanted to have Riker say "Computer, end program", have him walk out of the holodeck, then fade to black. Credits role. That's it. The end of Star Trek. How these monsters keep getting work, I will never know.
That's it. I'm watching Ron D. Moore's Battlestar Galactica now. It's the best scifi show since DS9 went off the air (which, conspicuously, was also the last Star Trek which Moore worked on...). RDM set out with BSG to fix everything about scifi TV that B&B got wrong with the last 7 years of Star Trek; and he did it! Characterization, dark tone, smarter dialog, no Seven of Nines! Ron D. Moore and Battlestar Galactica have inherited the mantle of Scifi television.
By your command!
I mean, just like 20 years later people still remember the ridiculous "Dallas" season-erasing dream/shower episode, 20 years from now people will remember this as one of the infamous worst endings of any TV series.
Basically, this is *NOT* the Enterprise finale. B&B framed the whole episode as a "holodeck program" being viewed by Riker and Troi during Next Generation's 7th season.
***The regular cast of "Enterprise" gets no time in this episode. Archer, T'Pol, and Tucker are the only ones that have any meaningful dialog. The problem was that Mayweather, Hoshi, Reed, and Phlox don't get anything to do here. The cast of Enterprise is not really present for their own series finale.
***The biggest complaint is they kill off Commander Trip Tucker. This is officially the **silliest character death in the history of Star Trek and possibly of all scifi TV** Riker is (supposedly) watching this holoprogram to get insight into his own dilemma about following orders (which he knew were morally wrong) in the Next Gen 7th season episode "Pegasus", by watching a "famous historical example of someone breaking orders for the greater good".
Enterprise is boarded by random alien pirates, who hold Archer and Tucker at gunpoint. Now, let me remind you; Archer being kidnapped by bad aliens was such an overused plot line in seasons 1 and 2 that fans *begged* the show to stop doing that The point is that these guys have been held at gunpoint all the time; what they do is wait for their other crewmembers (remember them?) to rescue them.
What happens is that Archer is willing to stay at gunpoint, but Tucker says he wants to try something, as Archer is getting punched. Archer shouts that he "orders" Trip not to try anything, but Trip "breaks orders" by doing it anyway: he tells the alien pirates that he will put them in communication with the bridge, leads them over to a maintenance panel, then intentionally misconnects two power cables in his hands, to cause a massive explosion that kills himself and the pirates, thus saving Archer. That's it.
My questions are; 1) Why would Tucker suddenly do something (like causing an EXPLOSION) which he knew would definitely kill himself, when he's been in random hostage situations MANY TIMES during the course of the series? 2) **HOW WAS THIS IN ANY WAY AN "ORDER"???*** Riker's "breaking of orders" dilemma was that he had been ordered by a corrupt admiral not to tell anyone that the Federation was conducting secret weapons experiments in direct violation of international treaties, but he felt this was wrong and wanted to tell Picard. This was longstanding issue, which he struggled with for several days. This whole situation is NOT COMPARABLE to that! *****In interviews, Connor Trinner, who plays Tucker, basically stated that A) Berman and Braga knew that Tucker was the most popular character on the show and B) essentially realized that there was nothing emotionally involving in the incredibly bad script they had written, so they sank to the lowest common denominator by just killing off a beloved character to get people to "like" the "tear-jerker" ending. But it's such a forced, obviously scripted death that it was just silly. Many fans hope that a later series will simply explain this away as a hologram error, and that Tucker never died.
On top of this, the entire episode is centered around Archer having to give a speech at the signing of the Federation charter: struggling with what to write, etc. The final scene is of him walking out the door into a forum to give the speech, then ***Riker says "computer, end program" and the whole thing turns off. We never hear the speech, after all of that hype. Not. One. Word. Maybe they were trying to give the idea that it was such a good speech that we could never hear the whole thing, that it was so legendary and good that we should just let our imaginations run wild with how good it was. I can understand not giving the WHOLE thing, but not a single line?! Not a single quote?! For the amount of hype they gave to it (according to them, Tucker killed himself so Archer could deliver this speech on time!) we should have heard something.
*****The final shot is of Archer, Kirk, and Picard doing a narration of the "These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise" monologue, intercutting with each other as we see the three Enterprises fly by. A lot of casual fans said "oh, this was a good episode, I liked that montage at the end"....well, it could have been inserted into any given episode, and honestly, did it SERVE THE PLOT IN ANY WAY? Character development, etc? IT WAS A CHEAP TRICK.
On top of this, Berman and Braga didn't even THINK of that; they stated that they literally wanted to have Riker say "Computer, end program", have him walk out of the holodeck, then fade to black. Credits role. That's it. The end of Star Trek. How these monsters keep getting work, I will never know.
That's it. I'm watching Ron D. Moore's Battlestar Galactica now. It's the best scifi show since DS9 went off the air (which, conspicuously, was also the last Star Trek which Moore worked on...). RDM set out with BSG to fix everything about scifi TV that B&B got wrong with the last 7 years of Star Trek; and he did it! Characterization, dark tone, smarter dialog, no Seven of Nines! Ron D. Moore and Battlestar Galactica have inherited the mantle of Scifi television.
By your command!
Good Episode, Bad Series Finale.
XweAponX7 July 2012
Warning: Spoilers
ACTUALLY... After watchin it again, this ep was done very well. Although, Braga did not even stick to his own internal Enterprise canon (which he basically wrote!).
But as good as this ep actually is... was was a boot in the rear aimed directly at the cast of Enterprise.
Braga HAS written some fine scripts, in general I like his ideas, but not here.
I'm not really giving the actual episode "5" stars-It was a fine, well produced episode. I'm giving Brannon Braga a -5, so it evens out to a "5." This guy was handed the reigns of ST:TNG and he drove in into the ground, ruining all of the progress made by better writers. Maybe I'm too harsh on Braggo. Most of my Trek fav's are his eps. Including Voyager eps, particularly "Threshold" which was the funniest Trekep ever made...
It has been said that Brannon Braga blew up the Enterprise D, "Because it didn't look very good in 16:9 aspect ratio"-Looks fine here though. Actually it looks Freakin' FANTASTIC, even for a Digital "Model."
And that's the problem: ALL of the Next Generation scenes looked great, as good or better than TNG. But the problem is, this was NOT "Star Trek: The Next Generation"
Our two Next Gen crewmen, Troi and Riker, well for one thing they do NOT look like they did when the episode being referenced was filmed back in 1994. Marina could have pulled it off, if they had stayed away from all facial close-ups: In long shots, she actually looked pretty similar to her 1994 Doppelganger. But Riker, this is not the same Frakes that used to be called "Ensign Babyface"- Had they done something like this around the time "Insurrection" was being made, he could have pulled it off, but in 2005, it was impossible.
If this had been a stand alone Episode, earlier in the season, it would have been good and true Homage to ST:TNG, a nice salute. But here, at the end of Enterprise, it is a kick in Enterprise Crew's face.
The framed "Enterprise" story was not really a good enough story to be the "Last Mission" and Tripp, having survived The Xindi and The Suliban, would not have let those Alien Gangbangers anywhere near him, so I don't believe that either. And I also did not believe there was a character called "Cook" that was a kind of 'Ship's Counsellor" for 10 years? It's not that I didn't like the idea, and the way this was written, it was actually a Holodeck fantasy of Riker's, so he could interact with the crew of NX-01.
What really bugs me is that Braga forgets canon, including the parts he wrote himself: When we watch the referenced TNG episode, what was Will Riker doing right before? He WAS NOT on the Holodeck indulging himself: He was doing Calisthenics with WORF, and he Injured Himself. So I want to know, WHEN did this happen? Also, he never did tell Picard or Troi about Pressman's agenda: He said nothing to anyone until he blew his stack after the Romulan Ship had disrupted them into the asteroid! But Ron D Moore wrote that episode, and this is an insult to him as well.
So it was not only Enterprise "canon" that Braga ignored and wrecked, it was Next Generation canon as well.
As far as the "Enterprise" Holodeck fantasy which was being played out, I guess it had "something to do with the day the United Federation of Planets actually became a viable and real entity." Of course, which is what this episode should have been about. But THAT story was not told. Or rather, it was told, in several of the arcs from seasons 1 through 4. But it was not told HERE-It was not wrapped up here. The only reference to it was the final scene. Which was missing Daniels and Archer watching it happen, as shown in "Countdown". The Holodeck would have displayed their recorded images, they were there.
So, thanks a lot, Braggo: For wrecking not only Enterprise, but also The Original Series, Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and even Voyager as well. Phphphph and Nyah.
EDIT: After Binge-Watching season 3, which I had never seen, I can safely assume, we can ignore this dud "finale":
They could have resurrected Tripp by making a new Sim and then fixing his life-span, like Sim suggested in "Similitude". And in my mind, that's exactly what they did. Tripp was too good a character to just toss into the trashbin, the relationship between him and T'Pol should have been finalized. But instead, Braga even destroyed that relationship, which, after "Terra Prime" had been made stronger, with the revelation that T'Pol and Tripp (Or Sim) could have had a child. But Braggo made it so that Tripp and T'Pol ignored each other for 6 years. It was such a poor ending, not just for the show, but for the characters as well. But after watching this again, I realized, I do not hate this ep as I originally did. But it is of course full of missteps and misfires. Also, I noticed something interesting, Shran's daughter was partially Aenir? So Shran actually married J'hamal... That is something I did not notice, So, even with this unsatisfying series finale, there are things you notice even years later. But, Screw Braga anyway. This final season was a series of several 2 and 3 episode arcs, some of them great, some of them dumb. The Vulcan trilogy would have been better without Vulcans acting as if they were in Pon farr. There were a couple of good things about The "Arguments" Trilogy, mostly due to Brent Spiner. My favourite was Storm Front and the Klingon 2-parter that showed how Klingons ended up looking like humans. But this show was cut off way too early, it should have run 3 more seasons. After Enterprise was axed, UPN was axed as well. They hacked out the only show that was keeping people watching the network. Apologies for the Tome...
But as good as this ep actually is... was was a boot in the rear aimed directly at the cast of Enterprise.
Braga HAS written some fine scripts, in general I like his ideas, but not here.
I'm not really giving the actual episode "5" stars-It was a fine, well produced episode. I'm giving Brannon Braga a -5, so it evens out to a "5." This guy was handed the reigns of ST:TNG and he drove in into the ground, ruining all of the progress made by better writers. Maybe I'm too harsh on Braggo. Most of my Trek fav's are his eps. Including Voyager eps, particularly "Threshold" which was the funniest Trekep ever made...
It has been said that Brannon Braga blew up the Enterprise D, "Because it didn't look very good in 16:9 aspect ratio"-Looks fine here though. Actually it looks Freakin' FANTASTIC, even for a Digital "Model."
And that's the problem: ALL of the Next Generation scenes looked great, as good or better than TNG. But the problem is, this was NOT "Star Trek: The Next Generation"
Our two Next Gen crewmen, Troi and Riker, well for one thing they do NOT look like they did when the episode being referenced was filmed back in 1994. Marina could have pulled it off, if they had stayed away from all facial close-ups: In long shots, she actually looked pretty similar to her 1994 Doppelganger. But Riker, this is not the same Frakes that used to be called "Ensign Babyface"- Had they done something like this around the time "Insurrection" was being made, he could have pulled it off, but in 2005, it was impossible.
If this had been a stand alone Episode, earlier in the season, it would have been good and true Homage to ST:TNG, a nice salute. But here, at the end of Enterprise, it is a kick in Enterprise Crew's face.
The framed "Enterprise" story was not really a good enough story to be the "Last Mission" and Tripp, having survived The Xindi and The Suliban, would not have let those Alien Gangbangers anywhere near him, so I don't believe that either. And I also did not believe there was a character called "Cook" that was a kind of 'Ship's Counsellor" for 10 years? It's not that I didn't like the idea, and the way this was written, it was actually a Holodeck fantasy of Riker's, so he could interact with the crew of NX-01.
What really bugs me is that Braga forgets canon, including the parts he wrote himself: When we watch the referenced TNG episode, what was Will Riker doing right before? He WAS NOT on the Holodeck indulging himself: He was doing Calisthenics with WORF, and he Injured Himself. So I want to know, WHEN did this happen? Also, he never did tell Picard or Troi about Pressman's agenda: He said nothing to anyone until he blew his stack after the Romulan Ship had disrupted them into the asteroid! But Ron D Moore wrote that episode, and this is an insult to him as well.
So it was not only Enterprise "canon" that Braga ignored and wrecked, it was Next Generation canon as well.
As far as the "Enterprise" Holodeck fantasy which was being played out, I guess it had "something to do with the day the United Federation of Planets actually became a viable and real entity." Of course, which is what this episode should have been about. But THAT story was not told. Or rather, it was told, in several of the arcs from seasons 1 through 4. But it was not told HERE-It was not wrapped up here. The only reference to it was the final scene. Which was missing Daniels and Archer watching it happen, as shown in "Countdown". The Holodeck would have displayed their recorded images, they were there.
So, thanks a lot, Braggo: For wrecking not only Enterprise, but also The Original Series, Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and even Voyager as well. Phphphph and Nyah.
EDIT: After Binge-Watching season 3, which I had never seen, I can safely assume, we can ignore this dud "finale":
They could have resurrected Tripp by making a new Sim and then fixing his life-span, like Sim suggested in "Similitude". And in my mind, that's exactly what they did. Tripp was too good a character to just toss into the trashbin, the relationship between him and T'Pol should have been finalized. But instead, Braga even destroyed that relationship, which, after "Terra Prime" had been made stronger, with the revelation that T'Pol and Tripp (Or Sim) could have had a child. But Braggo made it so that Tripp and T'Pol ignored each other for 6 years. It was such a poor ending, not just for the show, but for the characters as well. But after watching this again, I realized, I do not hate this ep as I originally did. But it is of course full of missteps and misfires. Also, I noticed something interesting, Shran's daughter was partially Aenir? So Shran actually married J'hamal... That is something I did not notice, So, even with this unsatisfying series finale, there are things you notice even years later. But, Screw Braga anyway. This final season was a series of several 2 and 3 episode arcs, some of them great, some of them dumb. The Vulcan trilogy would have been better without Vulcans acting as if they were in Pon farr. There were a couple of good things about The "Arguments" Trilogy, mostly due to Brent Spiner. My favourite was Storm Front and the Klingon 2-parter that showed how Klingons ended up looking like humans. But this show was cut off way too early, it should have run 3 more seasons. After Enterprise was axed, UPN was axed as well. They hacked out the only show that was keeping people watching the network. Apologies for the Tome...
Why?
c4darkmane2 March 2006
To be blunt and to the point i didn't see much of a point to this episode. It took me a while to get into Enterprise and then they go and end it like that, it totally blew it for me. The whole link to Next Gen was a desperate one if they where gonna like it to another show they could have used time travel and had Captain Archer give his speech(one we actually get to hear rather than end programme) then leave on a new mission only to be flung into the future and get pick up during the anniversary of there disappearance in the Next Gen time line, i was always looking forward to more from this show.
There was always that rumour that they were gonna pull kirk out of the Nexus in there end of the time line.
There was always that rumour that they were gonna pull kirk out of the Nexus in there end of the time line.
If you take it out of Enterprise.
sramsey-janus23 August 2023
The intent of this episode from the outset is to connect Enterprise back to the shows it spun off from. In this it succeeds, but the result is that it fails as a finale.
The entire episode follows Commander Riker of The Next Generation as he observes a holodeck recreation of the events leading the the signing of the Federation charter. The Enterprise crew are detached from the rest of their run as the events take place seven years after the rest of the show. But the episode itself isn't a bad product.
So, as a finale, it's a 3/10 but it is vastly improved if treated as a TNG episode, watched instead right after Pegasus. In this context, the relative quality elevates it to a respectably average 6/10, with potential nostalgia pushing that to a 7, depending on your attachment to Enterprise characters.
The entire episode follows Commander Riker of The Next Generation as he observes a holodeck recreation of the events leading the the signing of the Federation charter. The Enterprise crew are detached from the rest of their run as the events take place seven years after the rest of the show. But the episode itself isn't a bad product.
So, as a finale, it's a 3/10 but it is vastly improved if treated as a TNG episode, watched instead right after Pegasus. In this context, the relative quality elevates it to a respectably average 6/10, with potential nostalgia pushing that to a 7, depending on your attachment to Enterprise characters.
WHAT a cop out.......
gritfrombray-123 April 2007
Warning: Spoilers
This show had so much potential. Establishment of The Prime Directive, the Klingon war, and the founding of The United Federation Of Planets. As Season 4 was nearing the end the episodes were pretty good, in fact I never really had a problem with this show as it was character driven with a good cast. Going through the other series finales, TOS's Turnabout Intruder, not great but back in the '60s with little or no money it was, as much as can be expected. TNG's All Good Things, mindblowing. The ultimate send off for that show. Not matched since. DS9's what You Leave Behind, brilliant stuff, although left wide open for a sequel that never happened... Voyager, 7 seasons, about ten good episodes. No more to be said. Cop out finale too. But this finale, These Are The Voyages is the stinker of all stinker finales. WHAT were the writers thinking when a TNG story was suggested?? The whole thing was terrible. Not ONE redeeming quality. It ended all a little inconclusively and made Trek look real bad. Watch this at your own peril....
It was a creative ending (Spoiler at bottom)
wbagot116 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I seem to be in the minority, but I liked this episode.
The biggest problem with the legacy of Enterprise is that it was only thought up 30 years after the original series, so the people aren't mentioned in the Original Series or the Next Generation, both of which take place after Enterprise in the Star Trek time line.
So how do you fix this problem?
You make an episode in the future, 200 years in the future, talking about Enterprise, it's crew, and what they accomplished.
It filled in a number of things. It showed that not only were the crew of Enterprise remembered, but 200 years in the future the speech that Archer gives to form the Federation is required to be memorized by Federation school children ... wow.
It was a great tie-in between the series that didn't have any tie-in before then. And for those who think it was a 1 star because they used the crew of the New Generation, Enterprise had 2.5 million viewers, whereas The Next Generation took in 20 million. The finale has a wide overreach to an audience 10 times larger for trek continuity and to boost up Enterprise into the line of its bigger brothers.
There were also complaints because Riker took on the role of Chef to talk to the crew, and Chef wasn't shown to have that role on the show. Well, it's a holodeck program recreating a time 200 years earlier based on records from that time. It's not going to have a specific role for Chef. It speculates how the crew would have reacted to the questions asked. That's fair. In my mind, that's a petty reason not to like the finale.
** Spoiler **
I can understand viewers could have been shocked and annoyed at the death. You grow to like a character for 4 seasons, and then they off him in the last episode. But that's a plot device too. It's certainly been used by other shows like Game of Thrones. It didn't floor me where I hated the episode. It was to build up the final moment, a point in history so profound that was also surrounded by sacrifice.
Maybe if he was wearing a red shirt ...
The biggest problem with the legacy of Enterprise is that it was only thought up 30 years after the original series, so the people aren't mentioned in the Original Series or the Next Generation, both of which take place after Enterprise in the Star Trek time line.
So how do you fix this problem?
You make an episode in the future, 200 years in the future, talking about Enterprise, it's crew, and what they accomplished.
It filled in a number of things. It showed that not only were the crew of Enterprise remembered, but 200 years in the future the speech that Archer gives to form the Federation is required to be memorized by Federation school children ... wow.
It was a great tie-in between the series that didn't have any tie-in before then. And for those who think it was a 1 star because they used the crew of the New Generation, Enterprise had 2.5 million viewers, whereas The Next Generation took in 20 million. The finale has a wide overreach to an audience 10 times larger for trek continuity and to boost up Enterprise into the line of its bigger brothers.
There were also complaints because Riker took on the role of Chef to talk to the crew, and Chef wasn't shown to have that role on the show. Well, it's a holodeck program recreating a time 200 years earlier based on records from that time. It's not going to have a specific role for Chef. It speculates how the crew would have reacted to the questions asked. That's fair. In my mind, that's a petty reason not to like the finale.
** Spoiler **
I can understand viewers could have been shocked and annoyed at the death. You grow to like a character for 4 seasons, and then they off him in the last episode. But that's a plot device too. It's certainly been used by other shows like Game of Thrones. It didn't floor me where I hated the episode. It was to build up the final moment, a point in history so profound that was also surrounded by sacrifice.
Maybe if he was wearing a red shirt ...
Where's the intro song?
playmuchharder18 May 2019
Seemed like Holodeck fanfiction instead of an actual ending
philipandrews1 March 2017
This episode was just plain bad,
It jumps ahead 6 years, yet the ship and crew look the same, indicating literally nothing of interest happened. Most of the cast are little more then extra's in this episode with next to no dialogue
The story of Trip and T'pol, which had been building up for 2 seasons is suddenly cast aside for no apparent reason, which also undermines the ending of the previous episode in which the death of Elizabeth drew them together. 2 seasons of buildup (including a now mind-link) which is just tossed aside with a casual line here.
Shran is inserted out of nowhere, faked his death, has a child and quite a lot of other throwaway lines instead of actual plot on how this came to be.
Trip's death was just plain insulting and completely unrealistic and so tacked on that made it seems like it never happened and Troi just added it in there for Riker's "lesson". The Pirates were stated to be in a slower ship, yet somehow caught up with no explanation. They somehow not only reached the ship virtually undetected and unopposed, but also got to the heart of the ship without any effort and held Archer at gunpoint again with no opposition. Where were the MAKO's, security or any other defense against a ship stated vastly inferior to Enterprise.
Riker apparently did this simulation purely for the moment Trip defied orders and killed himself. The rest of the episode had nothing to do with this moment and the situation was in no way comparable to his own. Not to mention there are quite a few "order defying" moments in earlier episodes that served that purpose far better.
Then we get Trip supposedly dying while under Phlox's care, which not only lacked any kind of emotion to it (Trip winking didn't help) but an actual death is NOT shown and T'pol is missing.
Finally we have Troi ruining the episode multiple times. She says Trip will die 20 minutes before he does (why on earth was that line added) and she hypes up Archer's speech yet we never hear it.
In the end this episode just came of as a non-canon Holodeck novel and not the actual events, mainly due to aspects happening that literally couldn't happen. The crew couldn't be identical 6 years later and Trip couldn't have died because those pirates couldn't reach the ship due to a huge difference in warp capabilities and they certainly couldn't enter the ship completely unopposed.
It jumps ahead 6 years, yet the ship and crew look the same, indicating literally nothing of interest happened. Most of the cast are little more then extra's in this episode with next to no dialogue
The story of Trip and T'pol, which had been building up for 2 seasons is suddenly cast aside for no apparent reason, which also undermines the ending of the previous episode in which the death of Elizabeth drew them together. 2 seasons of buildup (including a now mind-link) which is just tossed aside with a casual line here.
Shran is inserted out of nowhere, faked his death, has a child and quite a lot of other throwaway lines instead of actual plot on how this came to be.
Trip's death was just plain insulting and completely unrealistic and so tacked on that made it seems like it never happened and Troi just added it in there for Riker's "lesson". The Pirates were stated to be in a slower ship, yet somehow caught up with no explanation. They somehow not only reached the ship virtually undetected and unopposed, but also got to the heart of the ship without any effort and held Archer at gunpoint again with no opposition. Where were the MAKO's, security or any other defense against a ship stated vastly inferior to Enterprise.
Riker apparently did this simulation purely for the moment Trip defied orders and killed himself. The rest of the episode had nothing to do with this moment and the situation was in no way comparable to his own. Not to mention there are quite a few "order defying" moments in earlier episodes that served that purpose far better.
Then we get Trip supposedly dying while under Phlox's care, which not only lacked any kind of emotion to it (Trip winking didn't help) but an actual death is NOT shown and T'pol is missing.
Finally we have Troi ruining the episode multiple times. She says Trip will die 20 minutes before he does (why on earth was that line added) and she hypes up Archer's speech yet we never hear it.
In the end this episode just came of as a non-canon Holodeck novel and not the actual events, mainly due to aspects happening that literally couldn't happen. The crew couldn't be identical 6 years later and Trip couldn't have died because those pirates couldn't reach the ship due to a huge difference in warp capabilities and they certainly couldn't enter the ship completely unopposed.
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