Star Trek’s Controversial 56% RT Flop Is Only Getting Better Amid Recent Streaming Success

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Despite a rocky start and early cancellation, Star Trek: Enterprise is gaining popularity and critical praise thanks to streaming. The sixth Star Trek series wasn’t initially as well-received as others, but as it approaches its 25th anniversary, viewers and critics are starting to see the show in a new light.

Paramount Pictures, the company behind Star Trek, has launched a dedicated channel on Pluto TV – a free streaming service – specifically for the show Enterprise.

Although the Enterprise channel is temporary and will end on January 31st, its return shows the show has become more popular since it originally stopped airing in 2005.

Star Trek: Enterprise Premeired With the Deck Stacked Against It

Enterprise Was the First Star Trek Show To Be Canceled Prematurely Since 1969

By the time Star Trek: Enterprise launched in September 2001, the Star Trek franchise was starting to feel stretched thin. Paramount had been consistently releasing new Star Trek content since Star Trek: The Next Generation first aired in 1987. Although many of the people working on the shows wanted a break after Voyager concluded, the studio insisted on continuing production.

As a lifelong Star Trek fan, I remember Enterprise getting a lot of flak when it was on. People were really upset about it showing an Enterprise ship way before Kirk’s time – they felt it messed with the established timeline. And honestly, there was some truth to the complaints that a lot of the stories felt too similar to things we’d already seen in The Next Generation and Voyager. It just didn’t always feel fresh, you know?

By its third season, Enterprise started to improve with the introduction of the Xindi storyline. Although it didn’t satisfy all critics, this arc featured more original and well-written episodes. The show’s fourth season was even better, and many fans consider it one of the best seasons in the entire Star Trek franchise, even though the final episode was divisive.

In 2005, Paramount canceled Enterprise because of poor viewership. This marked the first time a Star Trek series had been canceled due to ratings since the original series ended in 1969. While fans attempted to save the show, their efforts weren’t successful. Those who disliked Enterprise saw its quick cancellation as confirmation that it wasn’t a quality program and deserved to be off the air.

Time Has Been Kind to Star Trek: Enterprise

Streaming Helped Star Trek: Enterprise Find a Wider Audience

Over time, Star Trek: Enterprise has gained a better reputation. When Star Trek moved to streaming services in the 2010s, Enterprise was included, and like Deep Space Nine before it, this allowed many viewers to revisit the series. As a result, a lot of people discovered it was a genuinely good show.

Subsequent Star Trek series and films have further solidified Enterprise‘s popularity with fans. The films set in the Kelvin timeline, as well as the newer Star Trek shows, have both made references to Enterprise. These productions consistently emphasize that Captain Archer and the Enterprise played a vital role in humanity’s initial ventures into space, and shows like Discovery and Strange New Worlds demonstrate exactly how.

A Dedicated Star Trek: Enterprise Channel Is Proof It’s Time Has Come at Last

Hopefully, Enterprise Will Receive A Regular Pluto Channel

While some people still aren’t fans, most of the Star Trek community now appreciates Enterprise, flaws and all. Though it didn’t last a full seven seasons, Enterprise was important for the franchise because it explained the origins of the world seen in the original Star Trek with Kirk and Spock.

Pluto TV dedicating a channel to Star Trek: Enterprise, even for a limited time, is great news for fans. Other Star Trek series have enjoyed similar treatment, so it’s fitting that Enterprise gets its turn. Hopefully, this temporary channel will pave the way for a permanent one, giving viewers a chance to revisit or discover this often-underrated show.

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2026-01-21 14:59