5. Unexpected

There were a number of decent episodes in the first season of Enterprise fighting for this position. Many would think it’s crazy that this episode made the spot, because come on, Trip gets pregnant. Yeah, that’s really stupid, but it has it’s positives too. The first season of Enterprise did a good job of setting up the ongoing arcs as well as capturing the theme of exploration. This episode does a great job depicting first contact with an alien species in a  thorough and interesting way. While there were other first season Enterprise episodes that had some good action and made for an enjoyable experience, the first 20 minutes of this episode did something to expand on the exploration aspect of Star Trek, which is more interesting. We understand the outrage by this choice, because after Trip gets pregnant the episode gets kinda lame. Just fast forward until the Klingons show up!

4. Sleeping Dogs

The Klingons play a role in Broken Bow but it seemed like Enterprise was just looking for ways of drawing interest from the fans. In Sleeping Dogs they do more to set up what Klingons are like in this time period and expand on their relationship with humans. It also features some good character interactions which is sometimes lacking in Enterprise. It’s one of the better episodes for Hoshi and T’Pol.

3. Silent Enemy

Silent Enemy showcases some excellent writing, creating a situation where you really want to root for the team. It also does a great job of demonstrating the disadvantage Enterprise is in and sets the stakes for their task of exploring in dangerous space. It’s a good episode for Trip and Reed, demonstrating their character in a way that ties seamlessly into the plot.

2. The Andorian Incident

Andorian Incident introduces many of our favorite story arcs in Enterprise in an entertaining and clever way. Most of all it introduces Shran and the Andorians, both of which are awesome! Some may feel discomfort from this episode, as it pushes the previous annoying quality of the Vulcans into potentially villainous territory, but I think it finally establishes that the Vulcans of this era are much different than the Vulcans the viewer is used to, and hints at the direction the writers will take their species, which pays off really well in the last season.

1. Shockwave Part I

Shockwave Part 1 was a good culmination of the story arcs introduced in the first season. The potential danger of space exploration becomes strikingly personal when The Enterprise seemingly destroys an entire culture in the opening of the episode. The stakes of the mission being put on hold feel real, which is quite a feat for an episode of Trek. This may (sadly) be the best part of the temporal cold war, which is a concept I found very compelling. Aside from the thematic elements, Shockwave is one of the more exciting episodes of Star Trek.