I won't normally be discussing each episode individually as I go through the chronology, but I will from time to time where I feel it's appropriate. Since this is the first episode, I felt it only suitable to do so here.
Ah, the beginning.
The first thing I noticed while Watching "Broken Bow" is that this is a unique story of humanity's future. The not-all-too-distant future at that. We pick up the story about 140 years from now. From this episode we know that in that time a man by the name of Zephram Cochran invented an engine able to travel at faster-than-light speeds, and that as a result humans have made contact with an alien race known s the Vulcans. We also know that these Vulcans have held back humanity's technological and exploratory ambitions in what they believe to be our best interests (very well told through the first scene of young Jonathan Archer and his father). Nonetheless, in the past 100 years we have all but eliminated war, hunger and poverty. As Trip says in the episode, "that's no small potatoes"!
This is a fair amount of back story, but it is told here in a way that isn't too complicated, and gets the viewer on track pretty quickly.
What stands out the most, even from the first 15 minutes of the episode is that this is an optimistic view of our future as species. The scene with Archer and Trip inspecting the ship from on board the shuttle really plays to that wonder. It's hard not to get caught up in the possibilities of what this "boldly going" might bring.
Sure, for long time fans and the noobs alike, there's plenty to nitpick about this initial outing into the Star Trek universe if you want to. It's not perfect. The whole "Future Guy" thing doesn't pan out, as we know, but the concept at the beginning isn't all that bad. In fact, when viewed as a true beginning and not as a prequel, it's an enticing bit to know that these characters have a stake in something that will truly change humanity's (and the galaxy's) future. You want to know more right away. Other nitpicks include the decon-room scene with Trip and T'Pol (really?), and the fact that the last two acts of the episode don't quite carry the wonder of the first (although the action sequences and special effects are all pretty good). All-in-all, this is a worthy opening into the Trek Universe.
This "Star Trek" thing is a nice change of pace from pretty much every other futuristic sci-fi tale out there. Keeping in mind this aired in 2001, a bright vision of our future televised so soon after 9/11 is pretty powerful stuff. Time to see where it all goes from here! ;)
Next: "The Early Adventures of the Enterprise". Stay tuned!