With Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) trapped in the 31st
century, season 2 of Enterprise opens with a rousing resolution
to season 1's cliffhanger finale. The first four episodes
instantly became fan favorites: "Shockwave, Part II" advances the
Suliban's role in the Temporal Cold War; "Carbon Creek" reveals
the real first contact (albeit a secret one) between humans and
Vulcans in Pennsylvania in 1957, allowing Jolene Blalock to play
T'Pol's "second foremother" in a Sputnik-era scenario; in
"Minefield," Reed (Dominick Keating) is nearly killed by an
explosive device attached to Enterprise's hull; the damage is
repaired in "Dead Stop," featuring award-winning digital modeling
effects as the disabled Enterprise encounters a mysterious
automated space station. Season 2 also emphasizes Archer's
ongoing friction with the Vulcan High Command, exacerbated when
T'Pol's career is threatened (in "Stigma") by her involuntary
involvement with ostracized mind-melders. Connections to the
original Star Trek (series and films) continue with episodes
involving Tellarites, Tholians, Klingons, Andorians, and even a
brief appearance by a Tribble (one of many occasions for humor in
Dr. Phlox's bay, the setting of many of the season's finest
dialogue-driven scenes). Early warp-drive history is also
explored in "First Flight," a Right Stuff-like episode
guest-starring Keith Carradine as Archer's friend and rival in
breaking the Warp 2 barrier.
Consisting primarily of stand-alone episodes that integrate
ongoing story arcs, season 2 showcases the primary cast with
generally good results: Mayweather (Anthony Montgomery) visits
the "boomer" cargo ship he was raised on in "Horizon"; Hoshi
(Linda Park) experiences unsettling transporter symptoms in
"Vanishing Point"; and Tucker (Connor Trineer) plays a pivotal
role in several episodes, notably "Dawn," "Precious Cargo" and
"Cogenitor." And while "Regeneration" provoked controversy among
fans for introducing the yet unnamed Borg in an early Starfleet
context, it's a fine episode (with echoes of The Thing) that
holds up to scrutiny, while others (including "The Crossing,"
"The Breach" and "Cogenitor") feel somewhat recycled, indicating
the challenge of finding new ideas in the Star Trek canon.
Overall, however, season 2 is consistently strong, with several
episodes directed by cast alumni from previous Trek series,
including NextGen's LeVar Burton, and Voyager's Roxanne Dawson
and Robert Duncan McNeill. They all lead up to a devastating
attack on Earth (with seven million casualties, including Trip's
younger sister) in "The Expanse," ending the season with
high-stakes mystery as Enterprise enters a treacherous region of
space in search of the Xindi, an enemy race that factors heavily
in season 3.
Abundant bonus features include a generous selection of deleted
scenes (non-essential, but interesting to fans); audio commentary
(on "Dead Stop" and "Regeneration") by writers Mike Sussman and
Phyllis Strong, who explain the challenge of writing under
constantly shifting production conditions; and text commentary
(on "Stigma" and "First Flight"), in which Trek veterans Michael
and Denise Okuda demonstrate their encyclopedic knowledge of Star
Trek fact and fiction. Six Easter eggs, known as "NX-01 Files,"
are hidden on the Special Features menus; they offer brief
glimpses into specific aspects of production, including set
recycling and art direction. "Enterprise" secrets are revealed
for those who pay meticulous attention to detail; "Inside 'A
Night in bay'" offers a behind-the-scenes assessment of that
memorable episode; and "LeVar Burton: Star Trek Director"
celebrates the actor's smooth transition to directing after his
stint on Next Generation. "Enterprise Profile: Jolene Blalock" is
a tribute to the sexy actress by her fellow cast members and
executive producers Brannon Braga and Rick Berman, including
Blalock's assessment of T'Pol's pivotal role as Enterprise's
resident Vulcan. Best of all, however, are the hilarious
outtakes: They show the cast as a family unit, combining hard
work with humor as the second season progresses. --Jeff Shannon