See Also: 'Zero Hour' Episode Guide

The final moments of Star Trek: Enterprise's third season left online critics completely flummoxed. But what about the other 41 minutes of "Zero Hour"? Read on to find out what Internet reviewers had to say:

• For TrekWeb's O. Deus, "Zero Hour" was a mixed bag. He said the episode's "strongest scenes are those that rest on the tension leading up to the actual attack on the Weapon" and praised Jeffrey Coombs' turn as Shran which provided some of the episode's "coolest moments". However, he was also highly critical of the writing by executive producers Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, describing the Sphere storyline as "mostly pointless" and the final cliffhanger as "sheer lunacy". The episode was awarded a score of 8 out of 10 in the complete review.

• Xenolone at Enterprise Power Rankings seemed fond of the shock appearance of the Evil Alien Nazis: "The shock-ending was actually the best part of 'Zero Hour' for me." Here's an excerpt from his review:

  Now, I love Enterprise. But of the three season finales thus far, 'Zero Hour' is the worst. It's not even the most intriguing. Compare space-Nazis to the Delphic Expanse... one's a freaky place where physics do not apply, Klingons fear to tread, Vulcans go crazy, and aliens are preparing to destroy Earth; the other is an ex-Buffy vampire seeking employment in the 1940s. It's not that Nazis can't make for great villains...but there's nothing new there. One of the great aspects of season 3 was that the Xindi were new.

  Read more from Xenoclone at his Enterprise Power Rankings web site.

• "If this is the best they can do after a roller-coaster year promising of a bad-ass payoff, then Enterprise should be cancelled," was the assessment of Guy Gardener at TrekPulse. "There's nothing surprising or inventive about the resolution to the Xindi Weapon/Sphere Builders storyline." He gave props to Linda Park (Hoshi Sato) for her performance, but "Zero Hour" was only rated 2.8 out of 5. The complete analysis can be found at this page.

• Although like many reviewers, Monkee was somewhat taken aback by the twist ending, she said "there's no denying that it was a terrific end to the arc". Here's an excerpt from her analysis:

  The two stories are well told, and well edited. The episode jumps between Enterprise and Degra's ship in an exciting way. The special effects blow you away. Enterprise is an attractive, polished show in this respect. The action is tense, and keeps you at the edge of your seat. Most importantly, though, it's balanced with some nice character moments, something the show has been doing well lately.

  "Zero Hour" received a mark of 9 out of 10 at Monkee's Place.

• Over at LowerDecks.com, Morbo gave the season finale a score of 8 out of 10 for being "solidly enjoyable episode". He said the regular cast members were "at their peak", with Linda Park and Jolene Blalock (T'Pol) singled out for particular kudos. As for that ending, Morbo said he liked it: "I suspect it'll go down in the annals (giggle) of Star Trek lore as either one of the best cliff-hangers, or one of the worst cliff-hangers." The full review can be found at LowerDecks.com.

• "'Zero Hour', is fast paced, high energy, and well plotted," wrote Michael Marek at the Great Link. He admitted the twist ending left him "stunned". Here's an excerpt from the analysis:

  "Zero Hour" uses the A/B story format that has been a staple of Star Trek for years. Unlike most such episodes, neither subplot feels like it gets less attention than the other does. Each subplot, Archer and the weapon and Enterprise at the sphere, is balanced with each other and internally. Archer and Hoshi have some moments of introspection, as do Trip and T’Pol. But in spite of the unforced scenes of character development, "Zero Hour" is very high energy, racing to its climax, right before the last commercial break.

  The episode was awarded a score of 4 out of 5 in Michael Marek's complete review.

For a completely different take on the episode, over at Television Without Pity, Keckler has posted a recaplet of "Zero Hour" until her complete snark-filled, tongue-in-cheek recap goes live.

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