# Star Trek: Enterprise - The Complete Series - Blu-ray Review



## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

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*Title: Star Trek: Enterprise - The Complete Series* 

*Movie:* :4stars:
*Video:* :3.5stars:
*Audio:* :4stars: 
*Extras:* :5stars: 

*HTS Overall Score:*80




[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=89010[/img]*Summary*
It’s been a good 12 years since “Star Trek: Enterprise” ended, and I have to say that the outrage and anger over the show makes it one of the more maligned shows in the Trek universe. After years of ragging on the show myself and thinking it was the worst thing that could have ever happened to the Trekverse, I have to admit that not only is it not as bad as I made it out to be, but it’s actually a pretty enjoyable series. I fully admit that first two seasons were largely forgettable fluff, and that they had a hard time getting their bearings. But once the third season kicked off the powers that be had gotten a stable foothold on the universe and were pumping out a much more serialized arc than the traditional episodic show that Trek normally is. Season 4 was amazing, but it was too little too late. The show had already been cancelled and the crew had to wrap up the show with little to no fanfare (and they had to end it with the worst episode in the entire show. Even fans who didn’t like what came before had to admit that the final episode is better left skipped and let the viewers end the series on the second to last one in season 4). 

Season 1 was a strange one for sure. People weren’t sure about Scott Bakula as Captain Archer, and much of the backstory of the Enterprise had been rewritten to get it in the timeline that the show is based upon. Then there was the infamous choice to change the typical orchestral opening of a Trek show and change it to some random pop song that just WON’T get out of your head (it’s nearly as bad as listening to “Let it Go” on “Frozen”. Stupid song just keeps going on and on and on). However, the song grows on you and the show even more so.

The year is 2151 and the world has changed since Zefram Cochran made contact with the Vulcans (with the help of the future enterprise if you’ve watching “First Contact”), and humanity is starting out on its own. The first major starship is being launched, known as the USS Enterprise. A massive beast whose goal is exploration and investigation of this new frontier. Helming it is Captain Archer (Scott Bakula) and a host of other handpicked crewman, including Commander Trip Tucker (Connor Trinneer), Linguist Hoshi Sato (Linda Park), Security officer Malcolm Reed (Dominic Keating) and Vulcan liaison T’Pol (Jolene Blalock). Together they form the base crew of the Starship Enterprise and its mission into space.

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The missions start out easy enough, but it becomes obvious that a mysterious race is working against the enterprise. Time and time again this alien race gets in their way, and soon it becomes clear that this threat is greater than a few raiders. Dipping into the second season we get to find out that they are a race that is being controlled from the future for a nefarious end, and the fate of humanity is carrying the weight of their fury.

That’s not to say that the show doesn’t have its fair shair of episodic adventures. We get plenty of one on one time with all of the major characters, and delve a little bit into their lives with episodes aboard a transport freighter where we see into Ensign Mayweather’s past, or an episode where the crew comes upon a cybernetic race buried under ice and snow. A race that any Trek fan will know immediately when you see the neon green rays surrounding their bodies and the distinctive “Resistance is futile” line (although it’s an episode that drove many a fan nuts, as it completely flies in the face of what happens about the Enterprise in “The Next Generation” when Q introduces the Borg to humanity). Then we have the obligatory love episodes where the crew has to oooo and ahhh over the gorgeous Sub Commander T’Pol. It’s typical trek fare, but the rockiness and awkwardness of the first two seasons made for the sagging ratings that sunk the next two seasons (which were phenomenal by the way). For my thoughts on the second half of the show, you can read the full reviews for the Blu-ray seasons I reviewed a few years back HEREand HERE. 







*Rating:* 

Not Rated



*Video* :3.5stars:

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=16434[/img]
*Season 1* :3stars:
“Enterprise: Season 1” has the distinction of sharing the weakest transfer of the 4 seasons (along with season 3). It’s a bit sad that “Enterprise” doesn’t have the very BEST transfer of all the Trek shows released so far being that it is the NEWEST of the shows, but most of the series was finished in 720p for television (effects wise) due to the broad back of the TV market being mostly in that resolution. As a result the series had HD masters, but the only way to get them as glorious as the TNG or TOS remastered shows was to go back and redo ALL the special effects in 1080, something that the producers weren’t willing to do being that “Enterprise” is kind of the red headed stepchild of the “Star Trek” shows. As a result, it looks good, decently better than the DVDs, but not AS good a really well done Blu-ray CAN look. Colors can be a bit muted with some smudging here and there when the obviously turn of the century special effects take over the screen. The blues of the uniforms and the coloring of the decals on deck look well saturated, and phaser blasts are quite pleasing to the eye. There’s a few splashes of color in some of the away mission episodes, but overall the sterile look of the ship is fairly bland. The special effects tend to show some shimmering, and jagged edges come into play in the upscaling process to 1080p. 

*Season 2* :3.5stars:
Season two is a slight increase in quality over the lackluster season one, giving us some brighter colors and a more fine-tuned color palette in general. There’s still some softness to the show that is definitely due to the uprezzed effects and the definition is not always the best. There’s some compression going on here with mild macroblocking and a few times I noticed banding in the dark hallways of the Enterprise. Details are never great, but there are still quite satisfactory for the most part. Ship interiors are the worst offenders of the season, with dark colors and dim lighting not doing much to really boost the show into greatness. However, when they go down to the planet in “Marauder” things look a LOT better, with good contrast levels and bright colorings. It’s still pretty soft, but definitely a good look for the show CAN do. 


*Season 3* :3stars:
Click HERE for the video review from season 3


*Season 4* :4stars:
Click HERE for the video review from season 4










*Audio* :4stars:

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*Season 1* :3.5stars:
The 5.1 DTS-HD MA track for “Enterprise: Season 1” is a serviceable upgrade from the DVD, but upon comparing it against the other 3 seasons I notice that it’s a bit tinny and “thinner” than its successors. Vocals are well placed and the soundstage has definite expansiveness to it, though. The bridge of the Enterprise is wide and full of little beeps, cheeps and other “trek” noises that make up unique sound of a starship. Not to mention some of the space battles have the LFE rocking and the surrounds in full gear. However, the quieter moments of the show sound a bit cramped and confined, with some of the vocals sounding a little echoey in the tight hallways of the ship. It’s a GOOD transfer, and certainly competently done, but not as great as other remastered Trek shows have proven to be.

*Season 2* :4stars:
Season 2 steps up just a little bit and sets the bar for what the rest of the series is going to sound like. It’s well spaced track and shows good directionality amidst the 5 main speakers. The vocals are locked straight in the center channel and sound rich and vibrant amongst the special effects. Phaser bursts are impressive, with a solid boost from the LFE as well as nice directional queues from the surround speakers. Dynamic range is impressive and there are several moments where the subs kick into high gear during an attack. Again, a very competently done track that is stable and while not exemplary, does a fantastic job of what is asked of it considering the sound design.

*Season 3* :4stars:
Click HERE for the audio review from season 3


*Season 4* :4stars:
Click HERE for the audio review from season 4









[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=14119[/img]*Extras* :5stars: 
• Audio commentary on select episodes
• Text commentary on select episodes
• Deleted Scenes
• In Conversation: Rick Berman and Brannon Braga
• Network Presentation
• Syndication Presentation
• On the Set
• To Boldly Go: Launching Enterprise
• Archival Mission Logs
• Creating Enterprise
• O Captain! My Captain! A Profile of Scott Bakula
• Enterprise Secrets
• Star Trek Time Travel: Temporal Cold Wars and Beyond
• Inside Shuttlepod One
• NX-01 Files
• Outtakes
• Celebrating Star Trek
• .....And Many More









*Overall:* :4stars:

I’m actually surprised that “Star Trek: Enterprise” (originally called just “Enterprise” until the fan backlash made them insert the “Star Trek” back into the show and retcon the first two seasons) has never had a complete box set before. The original “clamshell” boxsets from 2005 were bundled together on amazon and other sites, but no official package was ever created till now. This 24 disc complete series is, like the DVDs, the same discs as the Blu-ray from a few years back and housed in a megapack clear box and housed in a classy slipcover.. I’m not personally a fan of these giant mega cases that Paramount is fond of using in all their “complete” collections because of how easy the overlapped discs seem to slip off the hubs. I understand it’s a space saving and cost saving measure, but it’s the only real complaint I can have about this repackaging. If you haven’t picked up the series yet, then this is easily the definitive release for the whole series on Blu-ray. It's not any different than the individual seasons, but it is a LOT less expensive as a giant boxset if you haven't completed the show yet. Definitely worth picking up if you haven't already



*Additional Information:*

Starring: Scott Bakula, John Billingsley, Jolene Blalock
Created by: Rick Berman, Brannon Braga
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, Spanis, French, Japanese DD 2.0, German, Italian DD 5.1
Studio: CBS/Paramount
Rated: Not Rated
Runtime: 4226 Minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: February 14th, 2017



*Buy Star Trek: Enterprise - The Complete Series On Blu-ray at Amazon*



*Recommendation: Buy It​*
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