Enterprise: Season Four Essentials

Wow. Talk about the home stretch. I honestly can't believe it's already time for my very last Season Essentials post. When I first conceived of this Essentials idea, back in January, I sort of imagined what it might be like to write the last one. I knew it'd be December and I knew it'd be Enterprise.

 I didn't know that I'd move. Twice. I didn't know I'd meet LeVar Burton or spend a week with Jonathan Frakes. I didn't know I'd spend a week in Vancouver while my husband's writing career took off or get an email from a publisher informing me that mine was about to. I didn't know I'd fall so in love with this project or with you--the person who comes here every day to see what I've been up to. It's been quite a year and I'm so incredibly honored that you're here with me.

Now for my last Essentials post. This one's a little bit different.

1- The Forge/ Awakening/ Kir'Shara
Have the jerk Vulcans been bugging you this whole time? Do you wonder what happened to make them (slightly) less pissy between Archer's time and Kirk's? All of your questions are answered here. Additionally, Soval will most likely suddenly become one of your favorite characters.
Stand Out Line:
So I'm suffering from... a mind-meld hangover? 

2- Babel One/ United/ The Aenar
The Romulans, in typical Romulan form, are trying to start a war between the Andorians, Tellarites, and humans. This is is how that plan backfires.
Stand Out Line: As far as I know there are no species in the galaxy that have mastered the art of mixing romance and vocation. This is one ailment that is universally unbeatable; you'll have to suffer through it.

3- Affliction/ Divergence
The story of how the Klingons lost their head turtles. Not to be missed.
Stand Out Line: When I asked you to bring me a subject for dissection, I assumed he would already be dead.

4- In A Mirror Darkly Parts 1 & 2
We get one last glimpse through the looking glass with this two-parter. It's crammed full of Star Trek references and homages and just about every part of it is perfectly done.
Stand Out Line: Will you kindly die? 

5- Demons/ Terra Prime
Alright, you'll notice that I haven't written about the Enterprise series finale prior to this post. That's because, like a lot of people who loved this show, I don't feel that the episode did the series justice. Instead, this last arc gracefully ties up a lot of what we care about in terms of long-term story lines. Each character has something meaningful to do and the Tripp/T'Pol relationship arc is given a beautiful, true moment. Archer's speech at the end is a heartfelt very, very Trek.
I advise you to simply stop here.
Stand Out Line: This is the thirty-second planet I've set foot on! 

Runners Up:

Borderland/ Cold Station 12/ The Augments
This is the Augment arc. If you want to see Data romp around with some Khan-esque jerks, you'll get plenty of that here.

Stormfront Parts 1 & 2
Space Nazis and Star Trek and mobsters have had a long history. This one joins all three for a layer cake of Trek tropes that totally works.

Alright, I know, I know. I've pretty much stayed the course with five essentials and two runners up but I just couldn't this time. The mini-arcs in season four of Enterprise are too intertwined AND too good to miss. So just... watch them all. If you're REALLY hard up, watch the Mirror episodes and the Demons/Terra Prime arc. They're lovely.

That's it. That's my last Essentials list. I hope you've enjoy them. I hope they've helped. I know I've loved creating these posts for you. I'll miss it.