“Chosen Realm” 20th-anniversary reflections

The Enterprise crew already knows that there is something unusual about the spheres scattered around the Delphic Expanse, but the extent to which some locals hold them sacred comes into focus when they bring aboard of a group of aliens who find scientific examination of the globes to be paramount to sacrilege. As these extremists attempt to commandeer the ship, Archer and his crew learn that they are in conflict with a rival group who view the spheres in a slightly different way, with extraordinary consequences for their shared home world.

In this episode of Warp Five, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 20th-anniversary retrospective that takes you through all of Star Trek: Enterprise, one episode at a time. In this installment, we continue Season 3 with “Chosen Realm” as we discuss its real-world parallels and how it ramps up the mystery of the Expanse while propelling us into the second half of the season.

Chapters

Intro (00:00:00)

One of These Things Is Just Like the Others (00:01:39)

Pacing the Reveal (00:05:17)

Holy Objects (00:07:26)

That's So Trivial (00:17:11)

Tension Between Religion and Science (00:23:42)

The Maturing of Jonathan Archer (00:32:13)

Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:34:35)

Closing (00:36:46)

Hosts

C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

Production

C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer)

“Carpenter Street” 20th-anniversary reflections

As the Xindi continue to develop their superweapon to destroy Earth, the Xindi-Reptilians decide to take matters into their own hands and create a bioweapon. To do so, they need a sample of each human blood type. Where best to find that? Detroit, Michigan, of course. In the year 2004. When temporal agents get wind of the incursion, they send Daniels to let Archer know. Though details are thin, he sends Archer and T'Pol back in time to stop the lizards from completing their mission.

In this episode of Warp Five, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 20th-anniversary retrospective that takes you through all of Star Trek: Enterprise, one episode at a time. In this installment, we continue Season 3 with “Carpenter Street” as we discuss the choice to go back in time, the timeliness of the subject matter, fast food upselling, and more.

Chapters

Intro (00:00:00)

Have It Your Way (00:02:18)

Going Back in Time (00:07:05)

Why a Bioweapon (00:17:46)

Why Take T'Pol (00:22:49)

Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:30:44)

Closing (35:44)

Hosts

C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

Production

C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer)

“Similitude” 20th-anniversary reflections

Sexy time with T'Pol turns into a brainstorming session for Trip Tucker, but the neuropressure-induced euphoria won't last long. When he attempts to pull off his plan to improve engine performance, he is critically injured. Without Trip, the Enterprise has little chance of successfully completing its mission, so Doctor Phlox proposes a bold resurrection plan: growing a symbiont to harvest its tissue. As the clone rapidly matures from silent embryo to Southern drawl, it experiences a rapid ride through Trip's life, putting Archer, T'Pol, and others in a difficult position.

In this episode of Warp Five, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 20th-anniversary retrospective that takes you through all of Star Trek: Enterprise, one episode at a time. In this installment, we continue Season 3 with “Similitude” as we discuss the importance of Trip to the mission, the ethics of Archer's decision, Sim's sacrifice, and, of course, compare and contrast with Voyager's "Tuvix."

Hosts

C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

Production

C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer)

“North Star” 20th-anniversary reflections

As they explore the Expanse in search of the Xindi superweapon, the Enterprise crew runs across a planet inhabited by humans. Living in a town that looks like it was yanked right out of the 19th-century Wild West, these humans love their whiskey and hate the locals. Archer learns that they were brought to the planet by the Skagarans, an alien race that was sourcing slave labor from Earth in the 1860s.

As conflict between Archer and the sheriff deputy grows, he takes action to save a teacher who has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for teaching Skagaran children to read and do math. And while he cannot take the humans back to Earth right away, Archer leaves behind materials to help them fill in the lost centuries of progress and build a better society.

In this episode of Warp Five, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 20th-anniversary retrospective that takes you through all of Star Trek: Enterprise, one episode at a time. In this installment, we continue Season 3 with “North Star” as we discuss the story's classic roots, its message about prejudice and isolation, and how it works as a breather within the Xindi arc.

Chapters

Intro (00:00:00)

Quite a Contrast (00:02:32)

A Reminder for Archer (00:11:25)

Contrasting Westerns (00:16:20)

Casting for Success (00:22:47)

A Positive Ending (00:26:19)

A Literary Return (00:32:05)

Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:32:50)

Closing (36:30)

Hosts

C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

Production

C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer)

“Twilight” 20th-anniversary reflections

As anomalies in the Delphic Expanse rock the Enterprise, T’Pol is trapped under debris and Archer works to rescue her. Although he pulls her out just in time, another wave smacks him head-on and knocks him out. Even worse, the wave deposits interspatial parasites in his hippocampus. He is also left with anterograde amnesia, leaving him without the ability to form long-term memories. One morning, he awakes to find that he’s been shacking up with T’Pol for the past 12 years, that he has a Vulcan haircut, and that the Xindi conflict is over—and Earth lost.

In this episode of Warp Five, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 20th-anniversary retrospective that takes you through all of Star Trek: Enterprise, one episode at a time. In this installment, we continue Season 3 with “Twilight,” Mike Sussman‘s clever concept, the story’s Voyager origins, and how it raises the stakes for the rest of the season.

Chapters Intro (00:00:00) A Clever Concept (00:02:10) Jolene and Scott Shine (00:05:20) Voyager Origins (00:13:00) The Reset Button (00:23:33) THIS Is Ceti Alpha V!!! (00:29:30) Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:32:50) Closing (36:30)

Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer)

“The Shipment” 20th-anniversary reflections

With deployment of the Xindi superweapon just weeks away, the Enterprise follows a tip from Hoshi’s almost boyfriend, Tarquin, and visits a planet where Xindi-Arboreals are refining kemocite. The mineral will be used in the construction of the weapon, something the facility’s primary technician, Gralik Durr, claims to be unaware of when confronted by Archer. He agrees to help the humans by sabotaging the final shipment. Meanwhile, Trip, Phlox, and T’Pol take apart Xindi-Reptilian guns and discover that they are powered by worms.

In this episode of Warp Five, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 20th-anniversary retrospective that takes you through all of Star Trek: Enterprise, one episode at a time. In this installment, we continue Season 3 with “The Shipment,” how the episode quickly pushes the Xindi story forward, its nuanced look at conflict and trust, and a fun science fiction take on alien tech.

Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Pushing the Story Forward (00:02:15) Durr's Doubts (00:10:23) A Nuanced Discussion (00:14:07) Archer's Angst (00:21:14) KemoCITE! (00:24:48) Gunny Worms (00:26:45) Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:31:33) Closing (00:36:25)

Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer)

“Exile” 20th-anniversary reflections

Contacted telepathically by an alien who says he might be able to help find the Xindi, Hoshi decides to take advantage of the opportunity by packing her nicest dresses and high heels for a stay at his mysterious castle. At first she’s happy to be his guest and even enjoys a lavish dinner of her Earth favorites—despite being creeped out by his mind-reading. But the mood is soured when she discovers the graves of past guests just outside, leaving little more to do until the Enterprise returns but translate a book written in an undecipherable alien language while staying comfortable in leisure wear.

In this episode of Warp Five, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 20th-anniversary retrospective that takes you through all of Star Trek: Enterprise, one episode at a time. In this installment, we continue Season 3 with “Exile” as we discuss Star Trek's attempt to do Beauty and the Beast in space.

Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Be Our Guest! (00:02:25) Mixed Signals (00:07:43) An Unnecessary Pit Stop? (00:16:01) An Uneasy Feeling … or Sphering (00:20:58) Visual Effects (00:24:06) Mind Games and Plot Holes (00:28:19) Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:36:35) Closing (00:41:16)

Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer)

“Impulse” 20th-anniversary reflections

A distress call leads the Enterprise to a derelict Vulcan cruiser trapped in an asteroid field. When the crew boards the ship to mount a rescue, they find not the calm and cold Vulcans they’re used to but rather scary and cold zombies. As they attempt to get off the ship, whatever has transformed the Vulcan crew begins to affect T’Pol. And as her behavior becomes more and more irrational, a new threat to survival comes from within the landing party itself.

In this episode of Warp Five, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 20th-anniversary retrospective that takes you through all of Star Trek: Enterprise, one episode at a time. In this installment, we continue Season 3 with “Impulse” as we discuss how the story flips the Human–Vulcan narrative and accelerates T'Pol's character development.

Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Flipping the Vulcan-Human Narrative (00:02:10) Suspicious Minds (00:12:34) One Long Chase Sequence (00:17:19) Jolene's Brilliant Performance (00:21:56) Remembering Who We Are (00:28:13) VFX Advancements (00:34:01) Shortest Cold Open (00:37:24) Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:39:34) Closing (00:45:27)

Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer)