The 25 Best Episodes Of Star Trek: Enterprise Ranked

A radical departure from the previous four "Star Trek" series, the 2001 spin off "Star Trek: Enterprise" was a prequel series set barely a hundred years after Earth's first contact with extra terrestrials. Before the founding of the United Federation of Planets, before Earth had fleets of powerful starships, phasers, or even transporters, "Enterprise" chronicled the first experimental Warp 5 ship (the titular Enterprise) and its mission to explore the final frontier. While Earth's only alien friends, the Vulcans, remained skeptical of humans' ability to navigate interstellar affairs, Captain Jonathan Archer — consummate explorer — sets out to prove them wrong.

While the first two seasons were mostly standalone adventures that harkened back to classic "Trek" of old, Season 3 embraced a season-long story. It introduced the Xindi into the franchise as a nefarious new alien race comprised of five different species plotting to destroy Earth. The fourth season would be ambitious, turning to a series of multiple-episode stories that dipped into classic "Star Trek" mythology, too. Though never a hit in the ratings department "Star Trek: Enterprise" is better than you might remember. It was unceremoniously canceled before it could make its fifth season, but the show has a number of gems from throughout its run. This is a list of its 25 best.

In classic "Star Trek" fashion, the crew of Enterprise are faced with an impossible ethical and moral choice in the Season 3 episode "Damage." Former "Deep Space Nine" star Casey Biggs guest stars as the captain of an alien vessel who comes to the aid of Enterprise, which is limping through space after a Xindi attack. Heavily damaged, Enterprise is losing life support — and with no warp coil and thrusters inactive, the ship is functionally adrift. 

The life-saving chance encounter with the Illyrian vessel is a boon to Enterprise, but their emergency assistance isn't enough for Archer. The Enterprise captain demands that the Illyrian ship hand over their warp coil so they can continue their mission. The alien captain refuses, as it would leave them stranded just like Enterprise. Determined to stop the Xindi at any cost, Archer wrestles with whether to steal the coil and complete their mission, believing that crossing a moral line is justified when billions of lives are stake. The Xindi Council, meanwhile, debates their confrontation with Archer, with Degra and his allies beginning to question their quest to destroy Earth. 

Before starring as Admiral Marcus in "Star Trek: Into Darkness," actor Peter Weller first appeared as another corrupt militant Earth leader in what many see as the real "Enterprise" series finale, "Terra Prime." A fitting conclusion to the overall premise of the series, the episode concludes a two-part story that began with a xenophobic mining leader named John Frederick Paxton (Weller), who is enraged at the prospect of Earth entering into an interstellar alliance. In response, Paxton and his radical extremist group called Terra Prime have turned the Mars-based verteron array into a weapon, and threaten to unleash it on Earth unless every alien is forcibly expelled from the planet.

As part of his plan to frighten the people of Earth, Paxton also genetically engineered a baby using the DNA of Trip and T'Pol, creating the first Vulcan/Human hybrid. With Enterprise called in to deal with the crisis, Archer's two officers have an added personal incentive to stop the madman, seeing the baby as their own daughter, and hoping to rescue her from Paxton's clutches. But stopping Terra Prime and signing the first charter of the Coalition of Planets won't be an easy task, as the crew discovers that Paxton and his followers aren't the only ones nervous about galactic peace.

A seemingly alien shuttlepod is discovered in "Future Tense." When it is brought on board, clues to its origins only raise more questions. After examining the vessel, it's determined to not be alien at all, but an Earth pod from the distant future, sent back in time for unknown reasons. The puzzle is further complicated when both the Suliban and the peculiar Tholians come looking for the craft, and are willing to kill to get it. Looking for information on what looks more and more like a part of the Temporal Cold War, Archer examines the future database left behind by the mysterious time agent called Daniels.

Though T'Pol remains skeptical of all things time travel related, the vessel in their launch bay starts emitting unusual readings. These readings cause a brief temporal anomaly aboard Enterprise, preventing further investigation into the apparent time pod. As a small fleet of Suliban ships close in, a Vulcan combat cruiser comes to Enterprise's aid and engages the Tholians. With Enterprise outnumbered, T'Pol wants the pod destroyed, while Archer wants to use it as a means to become a more active participant in the Temporal Cold War.

The explosive Season 2 finale "The Expanse" opens with the Enterprise being recalled to Earth after a shocking and devastating attack by the Xindi, a mysterious alien race. Using a massive sphere-like weapon, the Xindi blasted the North American continent, killing more than seven million people. Trip's sister Elizabeth was revealed to be one of the victims of the disaster, making it a doubly personal tragedy for the crew, who are now set on revenge against a new, bloodthirsty enemy. 

Visited by the shadowy future figure, Archer is informed that the Xindi's attack was a pre-emptive strike after a faction in the Temporal Cold War told them that humans would one day destroy their homeworld. With the Vulcans sympathetic but uninterested in a war, and no other Warp 5 vessels in their fleet, the Enterprise is on its own to find the Xindi and confront their latest foe. But locating and getting to them is easier said than done, as their native star system resides on the other side of the Delphic Expanse — a vast region of space littered with dangerous spatial anomalies. And the Xindi aren't the only ones out to get them.

After the Season 1 finale ended on a cliffhanger, "Shockwave, Part 2" picks up aboard Enterprise with the Suliban in pursuit and looking for its captain — who is nowhere to be found. Outgunned and overmatched, T'Pol surrenders the ship and allows the Suliban to search the vessel, much to the dismay of Tucker. Meanwhile, Archer has been taken forward several hundred years into the 31st century by Daniels, where a change in the timeline has resulted in the destruction of Earth's entire civilization. Getting back to fix history is a problem, however, because every time portal has been destroyed.

Back on Earth in the 22nd century, Admiral Forrest fights with the Vulcan High Command, who demand that Enterprise be recalled, believing they're guilty of destroying the mining colony on Paragaan II. While Forrest is steadfast that Archer is innocent, Soval sends a Vulcan cruiser to intercept them. But with Archer stuck in a devastated future, and T'Pol at the mercy of the Suliban in the present, the fight to prove their innocence may be the least of their problems.

"The Council" follows the events of "E2," where Degra agreed to escort Archer and Enterprise to the Xindi Council. There, Archer will show them his evidence that they are being manipulated by the mysterious race of Sphere Builders and that Earth is not their enemy. Though they are able to convince Dolim to let them pass, the Reptilian Commander remains deeply skeptical and distrustful of Archer's motives. When they arrive, the rest of the council is equally cautious, and want real proof that the Sphere Builders are not truly their allies if they are to call off their attack on Earth.

Aboard Enterprise, T'Pol puts together a team to infiltrate one of the enemy spheres to get more information on its systems in the hopes of finding a weakness. Taking one of the MACO officers with them, T'Pol, Reed, and Mayweather successfully get what they're after, but at a high cost. Back at the Council, Dolim gets his revenge for the destruction of the Reptilian ship.

In "Shockwave, Pt. 1," Archer takes Enterprise to a distant mining colony on the planet Paraagan II. During their trip to the surface, an apparent shuttle accident ignites the planet's atmosphere, killing everyone on the planet's surface. In the wake of the accident, Starfleet recalls Enterprise and officially ends their mission to explore deep space, with the Vulcans lack of faith in Archer's command now seemingly justified. But while Archer struggles with guilt over the deaths of the colonists, taking the full weight of the blame, he's suddenly transported into the future where he meets crewman Daniels. 

There, the enigmatic time agent tells him that the destruction of Paraagan II was never supposed to have happened, and that someone has begun meddling with history. Knowing he wasn't responsible for the accident, a reinvigorated Archer sets out to prove his innocence and stop the Suliban from interfering with Enterprise's mission. With evidence of alien involvement in the disaster, Archer must get the information to Starfleet — but they're suddenly stopped in their tracks by a fleet of enemy ships, who demand Archer be handed over to them.

The final part of the 3-part Syrannite saga, "Kir'Shara" the Vulcan High Command starts a war on two fronts, with their star fleet preparing to attack Andoria, while agents on Vulcan are hunting the rebel Syrannites. Soval, aboard Enterprise tries to warn the Andorians, but only succeeds in angering Shran, who believes the Vulcan Ambassador is setting him up. Tucker, in command of Enterprise, attempts to broker a truce, but soon becomes the Vulcans' next target.

At the same time, T'Pol and Archer — thanks to the katra of Surak in his head — have helped T'Pau and the Syrannites locate the Kir'Shara, the mythical artifact said to contain the Vulcan leader's original true teachings. Believing the relic's discovery will bring about a reformation and new period of enlightenment for their people, they hope to return it to the Vulcan High Command before and avert the war with the Andorians. But to get it back, they'll have to evade the attack parties working for the corrupt Vulcan leader V'Las. T'Pau, meanwhile, also believes she can cure T'Pol's Pa'nar syndrome with a mind meld, but the Enterprise's science officer is skeptical of the ancient and taboo ritual.

Archer and Enterprise play peacemaker in "Babel One," part one of a three part story from the series' fourth and final season. The ship is escorting a Tellarite ship to Babel One, where Ambassador Gral will take part in a trade summit. Relishing playing a bigger part in galactic affairs, Archer's escort mission is disrupted by a distress call from an Andorian vessel, under attack from an unknown ship. But when they arrive, it's too late — two Andorian ships have been destroyed. Andorian Commander Shran comes aboard with accusations that the Tellarites are responsible.

With the Tellarite Ambassador onboard, Shran wants revenge, and the two make threats against each other. As Archer attempts to keep them separated until they can get to the bottom of what's happened, Enterprise comes under attack from what appears to be an Andorian ship. But a discrepancy in energy readings leads T'Pol to believe a third party might be involved, attempting to incite a war between galactic powers in the region. With both Gral and Shran skeptical, Archer must find out what's really going on before Gral and Shran start a war between their people.

Set more than 200 years before the Enterprise-D's first run-in with the Borg, "Regeneration" might seem like a continuity breaker, but a clever time travel twist allows the Borg to make their presence known. After the events of "Star Trek: First Contact" where the Borg traveled back to 2063, it's now revealed a part of the destroyed enemy ship crashed into the Antarctic. Nearly a hundred years later, an Earth research team stumbles upon the cybernetic beings and unwittingly re-activates them. After assimilating the scientists and converting a ship for their use, the newly re-awakened Borg attempt to reconnect with the Borg of this era, and it's up to Archer and Enterprise to stop them.

Invaded by the Borg, the story takes a twist when Phlox is attacked by the Borg and must develop a cure to assimilation before he becomes one of them. But with technology 200 years out of date, how can the 22nd century Enterprise hope to stop the most powerful enemy the 24th century Enterprise ever faced? Like "Star Trek: First Contact," this episode plays like a horrific zombie story, evoking a genuine sense of dread and terror as the Borg slowly re-emerge as a deadly threat.

The final episode of Season 3, "Zero Hour" is the epic conclusion to the season-long Xindi War that saw a race of malevolent aliens try to wipe out all of humanity. In this final installment, it's T'Pol in command of Enterprise in the final assault on the Xindi fleet, hoping to halt the massive weapon spheres that is on a direct course for Earth. But when they arrive, they find the Sphere Builders are ready for them, with a powerful energy field protecting the network of spheres. 

Captain Archer, meanwhile, will stop at nothing to end the threat of the Xindi weapon. Entering its vortex with a plan to stall its operation, he manages to get help from an unexpected ally. In a final showdown, Enterprise's captain comes face to face with Dolim, the Reptilian leader, and only one will make it out alive. But the end of the Sphere Builder's plans isn't the end of trouble for Archer, with problems in time causing ripple effects that prove more damaging than any alien weapon.

"Azati Prime" sees Archer and Enterprise find where the Xindi are building their super weapon. Hatching a plan to infiltrate the facility and destroy it before it becomes operative, Archer knows it's a mission he will not be coming back from. But just as he's about embark on his suicide mission, time agent Daniels whisks Archer away to the future to convince him not to go through with it: history needs him alive if the United Federation of Planets is to ever become a reality and the timeline kept intact. But Archer is unconvinced that his role in history is that critical, and puts his plan into motion.

When Archer's mission goes awry and he's taken captive by Dolim — leader of the Xindi Reptilians — he must somehow convince the Xindi Primate Degra that he's not their enemy. With little more than a relic given to him by Daniels, he must prove that the information from the Sphere Builders — who've guided their entire mission — cannot be trusted.