I have been a fan of Star Trek for as long as I can remember, but I wasn't around when the original series aired and only caught it in reruns, many years later. So, when it was announced that there would be a series set before the original series, I was there. The first season was pretty good, nothing outstanding, but it introduced us to the new crew and stories such as the Temporal Cold War. It is the events of that cold war that lead us into the lackluster second season.

This season, is not terribly good, there is a lot of a "been there done that" kind of feel to it. There are a bunch of stories that seem so familiar, the only difference is the faces. The real problem is that there are a few standouts, and there quality stands in stark contrast to the persistent mediocrity that surrounds it.

There is a pair of episodes, right at the beginning of the season, which stand out in my mind. They play like one continuous story, despite being very different episodes. The first is called "Minefield." It is a rather tense story when the Enterprise enters a minefield, which blows up a good section of the saucer. This leads to a confrontation with a new, unseen, foe, the Romulans. This is all while Reed is outside trying to detach a mine that had attached itself to the hull. This is followed up by "Dead Stop." This follows up on the damage suffered in the prior episode, they find an automated repair station, but at what price? This pairing was excellent at building some consistency and getting into some of the characters.

Other notable episodes include "Carbon Creek," where T'Pol tells a story about a trio of Vulcans who land on Earth in the 1950's. There is "The Catwalk," where the entire crew is forced to take refuge in one of the warp nacelles, this created an interesting personality clash episode. "Stigma" introduces us to the mind meld, it's effects, and how the practice is frowned upon, in a story that has shades of the AIDs problem.

There are two other episodes that have an impact on Trek lore. One is "Regeneration" which brings the Borg into the Enterprise fold, and is a direct sequel to the events of Star Trek: First Contact. Borg are found frozen in the Arctic, but soon enough, they wake up, make some new friends and take off with the Enterprise in pursuit. This episode opens up some potential continuity holes, but it is also interesting to see how this meeting sets up future encounters. The other episode is the season finale, "The Expanse." This episode completely changes the direction of the show and sets up the entire third season. It brings in the real world tale of terrorism into the fictional Trek-verse. It opens with a probe firing a beam that kills millions. It turns out to be a pre-emptive strike from an as yet unknown alien race, this sends Archer and crew into unexplored and unpredictable space.