"Enterprise" Broken Bow: Part 1 (2001)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

James L. Conway

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry (Star Trek creator)
Rick Berman (creator) ...

TV Series:

"Enterprise" (2001)

Original Air Date:

26 September 2001 (Season 1, Episode 1)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Enterprise, Earths first vessel capable of exploring the universe, is to embark on a dangerous first mission: bringing back a chased Klingon to his home world.

Plot Keywords:

Klingon | Vulcan | TV Series Pilot | Space Exploration | Star Trek

Cast

Scott Bakula	...	Captain Jonathan Archer
John Billingsley	...	Dr. Phlox
Jolene Blalock	...	Sub-Commander T'Pol
Dominic Keating	...	Lieutenant Malcolm Reed
Anthony Montgomery	...	Ensign Travis Mayweather
Linda Park	...	Ensign Hoshi Sato
Connor Trinneer	...	Commander Charles 'Trip' Tucker III
John Fleck	...	Silik
Tommy 'Tiny' Lister	...	Klaang (as Tommy 'Tiny' Lister Jr.)
Vaughn Armstrong	...	Admiral Maxwell Forrest
Jim Beaver	...	Admiral Daniel Leonard
Mark Moses	...	Henry Archer
Gary Graham	...	Vulcan Ambassador Soval
Thomas Kopache	...	Vulcan Attaché Tos
Jim Fitzpatrick	...	Commander Williams

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Klingon

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Germany:12 | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Television

Trivia:

There is a scene in this episode where Jolene Blalock, as T'Pol, bared her navel. This required removal of Blalock's navel piercing ring. According to interviews given by Blalock, the ring proved very difficult to remove, and forced Blalock (in full Vulcan make-up) to visit a nearby tattoo-body piercing shop to have it removed.

Quotes:

Admiral Daniel Leonard: It's a Klingot... A Klingon.

Soundtrack:

Faith of the Heart

A Stake Through the Heart

Despite a decent first season this series never came close to realizing its potential. Set as a prequel to the original "Star Trek" series it was doomed almost from the start by an executive producer, Rick Berman, who felt compelled to artificially limit and constrict the definition of what a "Star Trek" series could be (which made this futuristic show increasingly anachronistic from a dramatic standpoint). The actual show-runner, Brannon Braga, didn't help matters by his uninspired and tired rehashing of previous Trek episodes and careless disregard of the franchise's internal mythology (it was painfully obvious early on that he was in it only for the paycheck). Never have I seen a series' that so consistently did a disservice to a cast of talented actors (Jolene Blaylock excepted)last so long. It is as if this entire series was produced in bubble existing outside the contemporary television landscape where the audience (even a Trekker audience) is more demanding and sophisticated in their dramatic wants and desires. Unfortunately it appears as if Berman and Braga have succeeded in convincing the higher ups at Paramount that "Enterprise" suffered from "franchise fatigue" and that its core audience was did not walk away but was driven off. Produce a quality offering that lives up to the high ideals and standards of its predecessors and they (the audience) will come.

Simply put, In a TeeVee universe where we are given shows like "Battlestar: Galactica" and "The Shield" the powers-that-be must give the viewing public a "Star Trek" that measures up and is dramatically competitive. It is just that straightforward and easy.