STAR TREK ENTERPRISE: The First Few Episodes!

It’s become an unintended tradition at TIAH Blog to compare a newly discovered sci-fi TV series to good old sixties favorite LOST IN SPACE.

The tradition began when I compared newly discovered contemporary series LOST to LIS in THIS POST.

I won’t spend nearly as much effort constructing such a relationship between LOST IN SPACE and STAR TREK ENTERPRISE, but I will draw some parallels between the first few episodes of each.

In the first episodes “The Reluctant Stowaway” (LIS) and “Broken Bow” (ENT), events on Earth spur the launch of the Jupiter II and Enterprise NX-01 to great fanfare.

Week Two: Both the Jupiter II and Enterprise NX-01 encounter derelict spacecraft. “The Derelict” (LIS) and “Fight or Flight” (ENT). Misunderstandings due to the inability to communicate result in near disaster for both ships.

Week Three: Both the Jupiter II and Enterprise NX-01 land on their first alien planets. Okay, the Jupiter II crash lands in very dramatic fashion, and the Enterprise NX-01 does not land (NO Starship Enterprise actually lands!) but uses a shuttlecraft. “Island in the Sky” (LIS) and “Strange New World” (ENT). Strange planetary phenomena abound in both cases.

Ah, but then there’s Week Four! "Unexpected" (ENT). Incidental contact with an alien female by Chief Engineer Trip Tucker, results in Tucker becoming pregnant! Talk about “Where No Man Has Gone Before”!

On LOST IN SPACE, Doctor Smith has adopted or been transformed into lots of weird identities: Cowboy Gunslinger, Middle Eastern Caliph, Clown Puppet, Hippie, and even a Living Stalk of Celery… But even Doctor Smith would probably draw the line at THIS! “Oh, the pain!”

Thus, endith our parallel! Probably for good!

And, if not “for good”, then probably “for the best”!