Star Trek : Enterprise Star Trek : Enterprise ( originally titled Enterprise until Season 3 ) is the fifth live - action TV series set in the " Star Trek " universe and the sixth in total . Created by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga , and based upon Gene Roddenberry ' s classic ( and its subsequent spin - offs ) , " Enterprise " was a " prequel " , set a century before the time of Kirk and Spock . The series followed the voyages of the first starship and mankind ' s first steps into the " final frontier " . Initially titled as simply " Enterprise " , the series ran an abbreviated four seasons . The series debuted in on the United Paramount Network replacing . It was cancelled in . As of , due to its placement in the " Star Trek " timeline , " Enterprise " is the only " Star Trek " production whose continuity is not affected by the events of the 2009 film reintroducing the crew of , making it the only TV series in the " Star Trek " universe to remain in continuity in both the prime and alternate realities . Summary . Perhaps the most controversial of all the " Star Trek " spin - offs , and certainly the most polarizing , " Enterprise " was created in the hopes of revitalizing the " Star Trek " franchise since ratings for the previous series , , had waned near the end . Intended to be more modern , with characters far from Gene Roddenberry ' s 24th century Utopian Humanity , " Enterprise " was situated in one of the least explored eras in the " Star Trek " universe and a time only 150 years from present day . " Enterprise " was set in the 22nd century , at a time before the Federation and while United Earth was just becoming a player in interstellar politics . The producers – under the guidance of Roddenberry ' s successor , Rick Berman – sought to set the series apart from those that had come before , creating nearly every set , prop and costume anew and tending toward a more encompassing , " you - are - there " style of storytelling . According to comments made by Executive Producer Brannon Braga in discussions with fans at , Berman ' s original idea for the series was to have the entire first season set on Earth as Humanity ' s first - ever warp starship was constructed . This was soon decided to be too far removed from the style of the franchise as a whole , and so the premise was redrafted . " Enterprise " , like before it , featured numerous story arcs throughout its run . Story lines included the Temporal Cold War and the Xindi arc that took up the show ' s entire third season . The series was the first to incorporate lyrics into its opening theme song ( unused lyrics did exist for the original series ' fanfare ) ; it also did not include the words " Star Trek " in its title until the third season episode . Like its predecessor , , " Enterprise " aired on UPN , rather than in first - run syndication like TNG and DS9 . Premiering on with a strong opening , the two - hour pilot garnered a 9 . 9 overnight rating and a 15 % share . Ratings , however , declined over the next few seasons , dipping to an average 2 . 5 million viewers an episode . As early as the second season , rumors of the show ' s imminent cancellation pushed the producers to find new directions to take the series . Beginning with the series ' third season , " Enterprise " adopted a darker tone and a more violent arc , in some ways mirroring the post 9 / 11 sentiment . While many critics were impressed with the new pull of the series , ratings remained low , and the show was canceled at the end of its fourth season . Even so , " Enterprise " accomplished a number of technical firsts for a " Star Trek " series . It was the first series to air in , with being the first episode to air in that format . It was produced with third - generation Sony HDTV cameras starting in Season 4 ; the first 3 seasons were filmed with traditional 35mm film cameras ( which were then transferred to digital for broadcast ) . The series was also the first to be produced in widescreen format . " Enterprise " was nominated for five individual Saturn Award s , won an ASCAP Award in 2002 for " Top TV Series " , was nominated for seventeen Emmy Award s , winning four , and two episodes were nominated for Hugo Award s . Plot summary . Launched in the year 2151 , the starship " Enterprise " , ( the first of United Earth ' s advanced warp five vessels ) was at first on temporary assignment . Though years of preparation still lay ahead , the ship was unexpectedly put into service when a Klingon national crash - landed on Earth , putting the entire planet at stake should he not make it back to his people . Under the command of United Starfleet Captain Jonathan Archer , son of the famed scientist Henry Archer , the crew of " Enterprise " succeeded in their mission , but found themselves surrounded by deeper mysteries . Warranting the extension of their assignment into a full - blown mission of deep space exploration , the crew of " Enterprise " set off into the unknown , taking with them a Vulcan science officer ( or chaperone ) named T ' Pol and a Denobulan doctor named Phlox . " Enterprise " s first years were rocky ; while the ship made contact with such species as the Suliban and the previously mentioned Klingons , such contact was not peaceful . In its first two years alone , the ship ' s crew found themselves in armed conflict with a range of species from the Tholian s to the Coridan to the Borg . . . and things only got worse . By its third year in space , an alien species known as the Xindi brutally attacked Earth , killing millions . The NX - 01 was dispatched to a remote and previously uncharted area of space known as the Delphic Expanse in order to prevent the Xindi from completing their ultimate goal of destroying Human ity . While the mission was successful , after nearly a year in the Expanse , the ship suffered severe damage and many losses . Upon returning home , " Enterprise " served a more diplomatic role in the service of United Earth , easing relations between the Vulcans , the Andorian s , and the Tellarite s , and paving the way toward a Coalition of Planets , an alliance that would eventually lead to the founding of the United Federation of Planets . Though still often tumultuous , " Enterprise " continued its mission of exploration as well , bringing Humans in contact with even more new worlds and new civilizations . Main cast . " Star Trek : Enterprise " was the only live action " Star Trek " series to complete its run without a change in the cast . also didn ' t have a change in the main voice cast during its two seasons . Opening credits . The for " Star Trek : Enterprise " contained a number of images referencing modern - day as well as historical exploration and space travel leading up to the launch of " Enterprise " NX - 01 in 2151 , including the " Enterprise " OV - 101 shuttle , named in real life in honor of " Star Trek " . Also used in the sequence is a clip of Zefram Cochrane ' s ship , the " Phoenix " , from " Star Trek : First Contact " , and the real - life animated footage of the Mars rover . Two versions of the opening title sequence were created , one for the prime " Star Trek " universe to the tune of " Where My Heart Will Take Me " which was seen at the beginning of the majority of episodes , and the other which documented the rise of the Terran Empire in the mirror universe episodes and which was done to an instrumental . Episode list . Season 1 . ENT Season 1 , 25 episodes : Season 2 . ENT Season 2 , 26 episodes : Season 3 . ENT Season 3 , 24 episodes : Season 4 . ENT Season 4 , 22 episodes : Notes . The wrap party for " Enterprise " was held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel , 7000 Hollywood Boulevard on Wednesday , April 13 , 2005 at 7 : 00 PM . The notes " Dress Festive " and that cocktails , dinner , and a DJ are available are on the invitation . The introduction featured the following text : " " This Mission May Be Over But Let ' s Get The Party Started ! Paramount Network Television invites you and your guest to journey back in time at the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and glimpse the future in the newly - launched Theodore Restaurant and Lounge . Let ' s commemorate the final voyage of Star Trek : Enterprise " " . Video games . Only two official video games using the " Enterprise " era have been released – " " , and " " . However , these two games are not true " Enterprise " games , as they cover the franchise as a whole . Syndication . With four seasons , " Enterprise " reached syndication less than a year after its cancellation , in some markets airing multiple times a week . However , with the 40th anniversary of " Star Trek " , " Enterprise " was replaced in syndication by " remastered " versions of classic TOS episodes on . Episodes are available on CBS . com and its sister site TV . com . Netflix online streaming subscribers can also view episodes . The first three seasons are also available on the Xbox Live Marketplace ( currently US only ) , a premium service offered with the Xbox 360 and Xbox One . Each episode costs about two to three US dollars , and are available in both standard and high - definition widescreen . Two part episodes are broken up into two separate episodes and must be purchased separately . All seasons are also available on the iTunes Store and on Amazon Instant Video in both standard and high - definition widescreen . Media . Music . " Archer ' s Theme " . " Archer ' s Theme " is an instrumental piece of music used over the closing credits . It was composed by Dennis McCarthy . The theme was originally intended to be played over the " opening credits " of the show . McCarthy , having also composed the theme for , wrote the piece in a style reminiscent of the later Star Trek series . Even though the piece opens with a subdued but recognizable version of Star Trek theme fanfare ; McCarthy wrote it in keeping with the spirit of the show to be overall less classical and more modern instrumentally . The producers ' decision to use " " Where My Heart Will Take Me " " in its stead was a controversial decision that the producers made in an attempt to make the series appeal to an audience wider than that of existing " Trek " fans . Altogether four different versions of end credits were used in the show . In the pilot episode , " Broken Bow " , an instrumental version of " Where My Heart Will Take Me " , also known as " Faith of the Heart " , was used . In the following episode , , " Archer ' s Theme " is heard in a different arrangement . In addition , there is a different closing theme in the double feature , , reprising this episode ' s unique opening credits music .