Sometimes, Star Trek: Enterprise can feel like a fever dream. While it had its great moments, it also had some really bizarre ones that topped the Trekkie "Bizarre-o-meter". And that's a lot, considering other series had salamander babies and an Irish incubus.
The crew had a lot to navigate, being some of the first people to venture out into the galaxy. It makes sense that some mistakes were made. But if any mistakes were particularly messy, it often was the romantic ones. How do they even figure out where everything goes?
Just a lot of experimentation, probably.
Well, let's talk about the worst of those experiments.
Here are ENT's 10 Worst One-Off Romances.
Tucker & Ah'Len
In one of the oddest Enterprise moments, Tucker worked with a female Xyrillian engineer for a little while, learning about their tech. While working, Tucker and Ah'Len grew close and even romantic. When their time together was ending, Ah'Len suggested they do an intimate ritual of her people before Tucker went.
Well, and then Tucker got pregnant.
Tucker and Ah'Len weren't a bad pair; their short romance was cute and well-meant. However, it's the "Tucker being a deadbeat space dad to an alien hybrid child" part that makes this romance unsettling.
Reed & No One
All fans can respect a character that's just not into romance. Tuvok similarly didn't do romance because he had a wife back home that he was devoted to. Honestly, If Reed was a character who had zero interest in anyone, neat.
However, the show has made it clear that Reed had several relationships before he got his position on the Enterprise. So why did Reed get left out on the fun romance?
If Reed liked romance, he deserved to have one and it's a huge crime that he didn't get one.
Phlox & Feezal & Tucker
Over the seasons, Enterprise fans learned that the Denobulan culture is quite different from humans. For one, they take up many spouses and have tons of children. They are not a monogomous species.
When one of Phlox's wives, Feezal, comes to visit, she is attracted to one of Phlox's crewmates: Tucker. Phlox finds her infatuation amusing, but Tucker is really uncomfortable with her advances and her relationship to Phlox.
Polyamory is hardly the problem here. Actually, the reason this one-time situation is bad is because Feezal is way too pushy about her intentions and Phlox just excuses her behavior on instead of vouching for what Tucker wants. Double standard, much?
Enterprise Crew & Risa
Risa is one of those infamous places in Star Trek lore where everybody goes to have fun and feel good. It just depends on who you are what level of "good" you're looking for. Well, in the episode "Two Days and Two Nights", all of the Enterprise crew got a little romantic with their away mission.
Archer flirted with and got knocked out by a terrorist.
Sato had an intimate night with a man from another planet.
And Tucker and Reed get lured into an alley by two attractive ladies who morph into men and mug them.
Sure, lots of hijinks, but all these romances were kind of a mess. Excluding Sato's, to be fair.
Phlox & Elizabeth Culter
So, even though Phlox has a lot of wives doesn't means he romances much. His only encounter with it on Enterprise was a medical trainee and biologist, Elizabeth Cutler. She was romantically interested in him a little, something Phlox wasn't sure how he felt about. However, by the end of the episode, he just decides to come clean about his life, his culture, and his wives.
Very awkwardly, Elizabeth just said she didn't want to be a fourth wife and they should just stay friends.
It would have been much more interesting to meet a human who wasn't intimidated by his culture and just wanted to be with him, but okay. This meaningless little flirtation happened.
Tucker & Liana
Tucker and the crew met Liana when they responded to her ship's distress call. At first, they met her and an entire crew of Kantare shipmen. While they tried to help her repair the ship, she and Tucker started a romance.
Except, they quickly learned the other Kantare weren't real at all. They were holograms. Liana and her father were the only living beings aboard the ship. Her father, Ezral, only created them to keep his daughter company.
Luckily, the Enterprise fixed the ship and they left the planet. But it was just a weird, awkward romance that didn't really need to happen.
Archer & Riaan
A true gem at first contact, Archer met the Akaali people and immediately romanced a local apothecary, Riaan. Her people were pre-warp, and the Enterprise didn't have the Prime Directive yet to tell them not to say hello. Archer thought some light cosmetic surgery was fine enough.
Anyway, Archer and Riaan's relationship just felt gross because it put the technologically advanced humans on this pedestal, acting like Akaali's people had nothing to offer the galaxy. Without anyone asking for it, it basically put Archer in this weird position of power to hold over this "backwards" woman's head like she was a fascinating play-thing. It was just kinda uncomfortable and it probably would've been better if it never happened.
Mayweather & Gannet Brooks
Despite being a main cast member, Mayweather only had one romance throughout all of Enterprise. That was his old flame, Gannet Brooks. When he left on his mission, Gannet, a news reporter, decided they should end their relationship and they agreed. years later, though, she came back into his life and told him she was still attracted to him.
Well, under the assumption that sleeping with him could get her onto the Enterprise and let her use the Enterprise as a beacon and leak secret messages. Mayweather tried to assume the best of her, that she just was doing some undercover reporting, but no. Brooks was a terrorist for the Terra Prime group.
Yikes.
Tucker & Amanda Cole
The whole thing between Tucker and Amanda was just weird. It was during his vague period with T'Pol so it made that uncomfortable, she kept on giving bedroom eyes everywhere and that was weird, and she ego-guilted T'Pol into being a bit more serious with Tucker.
Also, T'Pol hurt Tucker in a different massage session because of her jealousy.
The relationship between Cole and Tucker didn't really matter, it was just a tool used to push T'Pol and Tucker closer together. That's a pretty awful reason to insert a flirtation into a show. The writers should've just stuck to developing T'Pol and Tucker in a non-manipulative way.
Archer & T'Pol
Hands down, the worst one-time romance on Enterprise was Archer and T'Pol. In one of the most hated Star Trek episodes ever, "A Night In Sickbay", the B-Plot is about the friction between Archer and T'Pol. Horribly, Archer and Phlox blame this on his feelings of sexual tension with her. So, fans get really uncomfortable moments of him saying "breasts" at her and having weird sexy dreams.
So yeah, a bad episode has an even worse B-Plot almost-romance that goes nowhere. Fans really wish that this awful, one-off flirtation never happened. And some fans complain about Trip and T'Pol when this awful experience exists.