“Chosen Realm” 20th-anniversary reflections

The Enterprise crew already knows that there is something unusual about the spheres scattered around the Delphic Expanse, but the extent to which some locals hold them sacred comes into focus when they bring aboard of a group of aliens who find scientific examination of the globes to be paramount to sacrilege. As these extremists attempt to commandeer the ship, Archer and his crew learn that they are in conflict with a rival group who view the spheres in a slightly different way, with extraordinary consequences for their shared home world.

In this episode of Warp Five, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 20th-anniversary retrospective that takes you through all of Star Trek: Enterprise, one episode at a time. In this installment, we continue Season 3 with “Chosen Realm” as we discuss its real-world parallels and how it ramps up the mystery of the Expanse while propelling us into the second half of the season.

Chapters

Intro (00:00:00)

One of These Things Is Just Like the Others (00:01:39)

Pacing the Reveal (00:05:17)

Holy Objects (00:07:26)

That's So Trivial (00:17:11)

Tension Between Religion and Science (00:23:42)

The Maturing of Jonathan Archer (00:32:13)

Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:34:35)

Closing (00:36:46)

Hosts

C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

Production

C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer)