“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)

“Rajiin” 20th-anniversary reflections

While the Xindi Council continues to debate how best to destroy Earth, the Enterprise welcomes aboard a beautiful passenger. Archer rescued the lingerie-clad alien from a slave market on the Xanathan planet where he, Tucker, and Reed sought clues about the Xindi and a way to synthesize trellium-D. It turns out that the freed woman may not have the information they need, but she does have ulterior motives … and the hots for everyone. Things take an even weirder turn when the Xindi Reptilions and Insectoids show up looking for their electric Barbarella.

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 “Rajiin” as we discuss Xindi motivations, Rajiin's reality, Archer's hard knocks journey, and how this installment advances the overall story.

Chapters
Intro (00:00:00)
Xindi Motivations (00:02:14)
Archer Learns Star Trek Tropes (00:07:16)
Should Rajiin Have Returned? (00:14:46)
Muddy Powers (00:18:58)
Susceptible to Abuse? (00:23:36)
Managing Time in Storytelling (00:28:03)
Advancing Trip and T'Pol (00:31:45)
A TOS Vibe (00:37:26)
Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:39:52)
Closing (00:44:07)

Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

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

“Anomaly” 20th-anniversary reflections

Things in the Expanse get weirder—and more dangerous—as an anomaly starts rearranging Enterprise. And an unexpected visit from a group of alien pirates complicates matters and threatens to leave the crew stranded. Porthos knew it was going to be a bad day when he saw a book on the floor, but he didn't realize just how bad it would get. To keep the mission on track, Archer has to resort to more extreme measures, including torture. In the process of retrieving their supplies, the crew uncovers an even deeper mystery: an ancient sphere. And to find it, they just had to follow Jenny.

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 “Anomaly” as we discuss how the Expanse changes people, the mystery of the spheres, and more.

Chapters
Intro (00:00:00)
Cosmic Canvas (00:02:49)
(Almost) an Orion Backstory (00:09:06)
Archer Changes (00:13:15)
MACOs Matter (00:17:42)
The Spheres (00:22:24)
Subtle Continuity (00:28:29)
What's in a Name? (00:31:34)
Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:35:57)
Closing (00:39:07)

Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

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

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 warp into Season 3 with “The Xindi” as we discuss how the series takes a dark turn with a new mission, sexy character tension, and an upbeat retooling of everyone's favorite theme song.

Chapters
Intro (00:00:00)
The Xindi Concept (00:02:10)
Faith of the Upbeat Heart (00:10:28)
A Dark Turn (00:16:26)
Making the Case for MACO (00:26:17)
Malcolm and the Major (00:30:01)
Sexy Time with Trip and T’Pol (00:34:43)
Visual Effects (00:40:22)
Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:43:54)
Closing (00:45:53)

Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

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