Making sense from Nazi nonsense, "Storm Front" Parts 1 & 2 entertained if only by ending both the Temporal Cold Bath and Daniels. Sweet! "Home" developed Columbia's Captain Hernandez to some degree but the real plus was meeting T'Pol's mother. By now the season was finding its stride. The Augments arc, starring Brent Spiner as an earlier Dr. Soong, was ambitious in scope yet never ponderous. "Borderland" brought us a long-awaited look at the Orion Syndicate. "Cold Station 12" let the sympathy deteriorate for the genetically enhanced while "The Augments" wrapped it all up tidily.

Then came the Vulcan arc beginning with a visit to "The Forge," a sehlat-inhabited desert haunted by Surak's F'ing Katra. "Awakening" was more or less filler but "Kir'Shara" left the Vulcans with their dignity and logic restored. (Why kill off T'Pol's mother though?) The inventor of the transporter was introduced in "Daedalus," which was intriguing enough but the plot never quite materialized. The bottle episode "Observer Effect" was clever enough yet in my opinion would have worked better had the antagonists not been revealed as Organians.

Finally! Four years into the series arrives the Birth of the Federation arc starting with "Babel One." The back-and-forth between the Andorians and Tellarites alone were worth the ticket, and the follow-up show "United" left no doubt as to the direction of the series at that point. "The Aenar" didn't really finish the arc so much as complement it, but I liked it all the same. Shran just doesn't make for bad television! Then came the Klingon arc, "Affliction" and "Divergence," in which we learn why some foreheads have ridges and others don't. This was somewhat over-the-top yet I enjoyed the romp entirely (with John Schuck a very pleasant surprise). "Bound" was weak and probably the only S4 episode I don't care to view again (featuring Orion Slave Women, that's saying alot!).

I can't say enough good things about the "In a Mirror, Darkly" arc. (Funny how good Enterprise episodes often take place elsewhere, like these two and "Twilight"). The Gorn was not as well done as the Tholian, yet the starship-jacking of Defiant is absolutely must-see Trek. "Demons" and "Terra Prime" were supported by some superior acting but the spirit was out of the by-now cancelled series. The less said about "There Are The Voyages" (except for the worthy signoff at the end) the better.

Easily this was the best season for the cast and the show, leaving plenty of promise. This show should not have been cancelled!