Mostly Positive Reception For 'Broken Bow'

The latest batch of 'Broken Bow' reviews reveal a mixed reaction to the Enterprise premiere - while many critics relished the attempt to revitalise Trek, a few called it more of the same.

Now that most North Americans have had a chance to see the pilot for themselves, here's a roundup of all the latest reviews posted online, so that viewers can compare their reactions with those of the critics.

• David Segal at the Washington Post wasn't too impressed with the Enterprise debut. "Bakula gives the Captain Kirk thing his best shot, but the script is riddled with clunkers and jargon," he said. "Worse, Enterprise has a bargain-basement feel that lands just this side of camp; the space fights aren't much more convincing than PlayStation offerings. And everything is wrapped in a trite message about unity and the importance of getting along." The full review can be found here.

• On the other hand, David Bianculli at the New York Daily News seemed to thoroughly enjoy the premiere, titling his review 'Trek's New Tour De Force'. "The most special effects in Enterprise are the effects of the premise, which is inspired, and the leading man, Scott Bakula, who is perfectly cast," he said. "With those two elements in place, this new UPN series bursts out of the starting blocks as the best Star Trek series since The Next Generation." The episode is awarded three and a half stars out of four in the full review.

• Over at the New York Post, Linda Stasi was unimpressed by the new series, particularly in regards to T'Pol. "And while I'd really like to say that this is one space babe who's all Vulcan, she's not," Stasi wrote. "For one thing, she has huge space boobs, which somehow don't float away in zero gravity. For another, and I hate to be critical, she has a serious attitude problem. Given the fact that Vulcans are emotionless, I find T'Pol's superior sneering a bit jarring." The complete analysis can be found at the Post's web site.

• Mike Duffy at the Detroit Free Press thought that Enterprise would appeal to a wider audience than previous series. "From start to finish during its fine series opener, Enterprise delivers the sort of unfussy entertainment kicks that may well appeal to those who don't reside on the Planet Sci-Fi," Duffy wrote. "Let's do the warp speed again." The original article, in which the episode is awarded a score of three out of four, can be found here.

• "Enterprise's two-hour premiere is, in truth, far better than I reckoned it would be, and I rather enjoyed it," wrote Scott Feschuk at the National Post. "I can't help but wonder, however, if the show's creators have strayed too far from the Voyager model (thus alienating the hard-core loyalists) and not quite close enough to a format that will entrap new legions. Enterprise tries to be a little bit grittier. A little bit cheekier. A little bit sexier." To read more, head over to the Post's web site.

• While many reviewers praised the performance of Scott Bakula (Jonathan Archer), Rob Salem at the Toronto Star thought he was the pilot's weakest link. "Bakula's Captain Jonathan Archer, who seems to still be waiting around for another cigar-sucking Dean Stockwell hologram to show up and tell him what to do," he wrote. "Not that it's all Bakula's fault. The role is very poorly written - they've got him bringing a puppy with him onto the ship. A puppy!" The complete review can be found here.

• Howard Rosenberg at the LA Times described 'Broken Bow' as "mildly entertaining." He added that it "mostly plays rather tepidly, its occasional glints of intellect pushed far into the background by action." To read more, visit the web site.

• The San Francisco Gate's John Carman picked up on Enterprise's take-no-prisioners approach. "It doesn't lack for action," he wrote. "There's a subsequent shootout way up on Rigel 10, and a couple of attacks on the Enterprise in the premiere. Enterprise" won't easily be accused of being overly cerebral. Archer seems destined to make Capt. James Kirk look like a striped-pants diplomat." The complete review can be read here.

• "The new Star Trek series, UPN's Enterprise, beams up sexiness with surprising regularity," wrote Hal Boedeker at the Orlando Sentinel. "It goes boldly and unapologetically where dozens of series have gone before. These close encounters have a frisky dimension." Boedeker also praised the performance of Jolene Blalock (T'Pol). "Star Trek purists might not be amused, but the captivating Blalock energizes the franchise," he said. "Enterprise needs every bit of pizzazz she can supply." The full review can be found at the paper's web site.

• In his review at USA Today, Robert Bianco took a look at the series's cast. "Enterprise has surrounded Bakula with a capable supporting cast, led by Connor Trinneer as an engineer who shares a space shower with T'Pol that is sure to have the Internet buzzing," he wrote. "For comic relief, the show turns to John Billingsley as a cheery alien doctor, who loves humans for our 'charming optimism' and our egg-drop soup. So far, the only drag on the show is Linda Park as a scaredy-cat translator who jumps at every noise — a reaction that will quickly grow tiresome from a Starfleet officer." The full review, in which the episode is awarded three out of four stars, can be found here.

• The Salt Lake Tribune's reviewer said that the premiere was "entertaining," adding that "Enterprise, and captain, are worthy successors to the Star Trek logo." Go here for the full review.

• Finally, Michael Hinman at SyFy Portal was very positive about 'Broken Bow.' "I literally sat at the edge of my seat through the entire episode, and that was strange in of itself," he wrote. "Not because I am mostly objective when watching television normally, but because I already knew what was going to happen from reading the script. James L. Conway must be commended for his directorial work - and I want to see this level of varying camera angles, lighting (who would've thought we would have a white room like the sickbay on Star Trek?), and everything that made this episode as great as it was." Hinman's complete review is available to read here.

Thanks to Miri and Matthew J. Klaehn for some of these!

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