These Are the Voyages...

Chef is Commander Riker, it's all a holodeck program, yadda yadda yadda. Everyone knows that this is the worst part of the episode. This should have been a 3- or 4-parter that followed directly, chronologically speaking, from the last non-Mirror Universe arcs that the show explored. The whole season was structured to lead up to the formation of the Federation. The letdown is the way it's addressed here. Instead of giving the NX-01 a proper sendoff, the writers chose to lean on the goodwill of TNG fans. What we got was, honestly, more contrived than season 2 of Picard. It would be one thing if the Riker segments showed us things we didn't already know. Daniels accomplished that in the third season, though, when he told Archer why the mission to destroy the Xindi superweapon was important and showed him the future. So who cares!?!? I seriously don't understand the rationale behind this. Maybe Frakes just wanted to run around in his uniform again and Marina Sirtis probably just wanted a paycheck (nothing against her, actors are workers and this was probably an easy gig; she gave everything the performance required). All in all this is pointless and embarrassing.

In what would have been a fine premise for a standard episode, Riker's uncertainties in the Holodeck simply blemished the Enterprise farewell. The death of Tripp left me feeling as violated as a drive-by shooting witness. Senseless and gratuitous, it still baffles me that this seemed like a good idea to anybody. The episode, arguably the worst of the four year run, probably contributes to the trepidation of Paramount in allowing a new TV series to this day. All of that being said, I don't HATE it. It is Star Trek, and it features people that I've enjoyed for years. Hopefully, any new adaptation in the Star Trek universe will put this episode into perspective as a teachable moment and the producers will remember rule number one. The fans are the only reason that Star Trek exists. Abusing their loyalty will have repercussions.

To be blunt and to the point i didn't see much of a point to this episode. It took me a while to get into Enterprise and then they go and end it like that, it totally blew it for me. The whole link to Next Gen was a desperate one if they where gonna like it to another show they could have used time travel and had Captain Archer give his speech(one we actually get to hear rather than end programme) then leave on a new mission only to be flung into the future and get pick up during the anniversary of there disappearance in the Next Gen time line, i was always looking forward to more from this show.

There was always that rumour that they were gonna pull kirk out of the Nexus in there end of the time line.

Why bring Riker and Troi into this. The crew could have gone out in a blaze of glory with a script that was imaginative and exciting. We are pretty much told what happened and the characters act it out, stiffly and with little aplomb. This series was a bit inconsistent, at least in its first half, but the episodes became much more complex and creative in the second half. The final dual episode preceding this was one of the best of all. So we throw in this lame thing. I got to know these people, their trials and their accomplishments, and "The Next Generation" takes over with people telling Riker dull things as he pretends to be a chef. What a letdown.

People are really mad about this episode in the reviews, but I found it a fitting way for this series to go out. Yes the plot is very thin and probably too many wink-nod references eg "Here's to the next generation" but we get to see these characters 10 years in as Enterprise is about to be mothballed and they are moving on to other things. It provides a fitting setting for closure on the series and seeing some of the character arcs come to an end.

I also don't understand the hate for bringing some TNG cast into it. What's not fun about seeing Riker and Troy on screen with the Enterprise crew? It was a nice linkage to the next series (in stardate chronology). We even got to see Shran one last time.

Thanks for the memories, Enterprise. A good show with it's flaws but overall I enjoyed the ride.