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ARTICLE
DVD Review: Star Trek Enterprise - The Complete Fourth Season
by Jim Pappas Published: November 8, 2005
Rating: Country: USA Release Date: November 1, 2004 Distributor: Paramount Home Entertainment Director: · Various Cast: · Scott Bakula · Connor Trinnear · Jolene Blalock · Dominic Keating · Linda Park · John Billingsley · Anthony Montgomery Grade: A
With the release of the 4th and final season of “Star Trek: Enterprise” by Paramount, all of the television and feature film incarnations of Star Trek are now available on DVD.
What lies ahead for the franchise is unknown, but at least the series ended on a high note, with season 4 producer Manny Coto returning to the roots of Trek, finally. If “Enterprise” had began as it ended, a 5th and maybe more seasons of the show might have been in the offing, and this fact is discussed on disc 6 of the set, which contains all of the special features (although there are deleted scenes included on other discs). Mr. Coto was very cognizant of the complaints made by fans regarding the first 3 seasons, and he was wise enough to know that what everyone really wanted from “Enterprise” was a bridge to the original series and beyond, a connection sorely missing from the series up to season 4.
The failings of “Enterprise” have been discussed ad nauseam, and I’m not going to dwell on that here, instead I believe that season 4 of “Star Trek: Enterprise” was television at its finest, and includes the two- parter, “In a Mirror, Darkly” which is my personal favorite all time “Enterprise” episode. The idea to create a show where the audience is addressed as if we were living in the alternate reality universe introduced in “Mirror, Mirror” from the original series was brilliant, and that was accomplished by simply changing the opening credits to appear as if the show itself existed in that violent parallel reality. “In a Mirror, Darkly” also answered the question raised about what happened to the starship Defiant that disappeared in the original series episode “The Tholian Web.” If that kind of creativity had been exercised earlier in the series, and as I alluded to above, we’d be seeing new episodes of “Enterprise” this television season, for sure.
Season 4 is packaged identically to the other 3 seasons, in the sturdy outer case holding the 6 discs stacked in individual leaves of a flip-open “book” of discs. Again, all of the special features are on disc 6, and those features include an examination of how the “In a Mirror, Darkly” episode came about, interviews with series regulars regarding their thoughts and feelings on the ending of the series, a glimpse of the wrap party held at the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel, and introductions to crew and lesser known cast members, which I think is something of real interest to fans and I am grateful to Paramount for adding to the DVD. There are regrets and a bitter sweetness to what we find inside the hearts and minds of the show’s personnel, and the fact that those who have made Star Trek their lives are now left without a home is something that touches one in poignant fashion.
So, what is next for Star Trek? Well, there is a film in the works about the Romulan war with the Federation, but if the series will arise on TV again in some form is unknown. Star Trek has been a cash cow for Paramount for many years, and given that it is pretty safe to assume there will be some new series introduced to the legion of Trek fans in the not too distant future.
Gene Roddenberry’s creation, in the meantime, lives on as DVD collections of all the various series and films, so our collective addiction to Trek can be assuaged somewhat by watching them over and over again. It is probably too soon to really think about what to do with Trek next, but it isn’t too soon to at least start wondering what will be. I’ve always championed the idea that we should re-visit the original series, complete the 5 year mission that was supposed to have occurred then, and then go forward from there. Many consider it heresy to even consider using new actors in the roles of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, et al, but I, for one, would like to see that happen.
Star Trek has touched the lives of millions of people all around the world, and its vision of a utopian future for all mankind resonates inside the hearts and minds of us all. We’ve been given a gift, a look at a possible real future, and many of us have embraced the idea of mankind exploring and colonizing our galaxy while slowly eradicating all of the ills that plague us now. The fictional future reality as postulated by Star Trek touches our souls, and we cannot dismiss it easily, and neither should we. Because Star Trek means so much to so many, the idea that we’ve seen the last series is kind of ridiculous. Star Trek lives, and may it do so forever.
