That was the intent of the creators of that show, to make the Enterprise what it could actually be in the real future, a sort of submarine in space. It felt real in the sense of the crew members ducking under support structures constantly, as well as new tech being NOT a given, it was trial and error and ingenuity, which I imagine you have some experience being in the Navy!
I certainly "get" that they sometimes ventured off mission in order to introduce sexual tension and T'Pol catsuit jiggle factor, but that was a grab for ratings similar to introducing 7 of 9 to Voyager.
Even with that garbage, Enterprise was (mostly) well written and executed. It certainly deserved a 5th season to explore the Romulan War era of ST.
When Trip and T'Pol's baby died, I sat watching silently as tears coursed down my face. I'm not ashamed, the show elicited an emotional response that I could relate to.
Anyone reading this thread, watch all of Enterprise with no prejudgement, and render a verdict. And you will receive applause if you skip the final drek episode. It was ended so badly, the actors could not bring themselves to participate fully. If you watch the final episode, you will see some bitter acting at the mistreatment of the characters and story line in a rush to end it and put all past episodes in the Enterprise D data banks as a historical archive for Riker and Troi to play with.
Since CBS is all about the D (dollar), they could do worse than resurrect Enterprise, if only for a season, to fill in the blanks and see where everyone on the crew wound up after the mission ended, or the gallant crew being integral in the Romulan War.
Heck, Captain Archer should be made Admiral and pick up from the last scene after the Federation is created. Give him back the Enterprise, bring Tripp back, and let Tucker and T'Pol have a successful union that brings forth the first human/vulcan protege. There could be a spinoff in the future regarding the successful and triumphant pairing that gives us the very first human/vulcan offspring.
