Executive producers Rick Berman and Brannon Braga bring the iconic Star Trek universe to
UPN for a fifth installment. Set midway through the 22nd century – 100 years before
Captain James T. Kirk helmed the famous starship – “Enterprise” explores the history of
intergalactic upheaval that eventually leads to the formation of The Federation. The
combination of science fiction, action / adventure and compelling stories of collective
bravery and individual heroism remain true to the spirit of one of popular cultures’ most
formidable brands.
Before its first show aired, the Star Trek newsgroups started warp-speeding into the new
series’s territory. It even has its own newsgroup called alt.tv.star-trek.enterprise
which appears to have more posts than the older Star Trek newsgroups.
“Enterprise” is a prequel to the original “Star Trek” series. “Enterprise” takes place
during the early pioneering days of deep space exploration when interstellar travel is in
its infancy and the United Federation of Planets is still decades away. Unlike the
seasoned, sometimes unflappable officers of the 24th century, the crew of Enterprise
exhibits a sense of wonder and excitement, as well as a little trepidation about the
strange things they will encounter.
Scott Bakula (“American Beauty,” “Quantum Leap”) helms the talented ensemble cast as
Captain Jonathan Archer. He is the prototype for all Starfleet captains to come and is
making history with every light year. As with each incarnation of the franchise,
“Enterprise” pushes the edge of the visual envelope with the kind of state-of-the-art
special effects that have made “Star Trek” a global phenomenon.
Jim Wright, a dedicated Star Trek viewer, enjoys the special effects and the new “older”
Enterprise. “It's got the Starfleet feel,” Jim says, “but it's also a recognizable
extension of current Earth (e.g., U.S. military) technology and style. It's sufficiently
advanced to be believable, but not so advanced as to wonder why it took 200 years to reach
the level of sophistication we saw on TNG, DS9 and Voyager.”
The series also stars Connor Trinneer as Chief Engineer Charles Tucker III, Jolene Blalock
as the Vulcan Sub Commander T’Pol, Dominic Keating as Lt. Malcolm Reed, Anthony Montgomery
as Ensign Travis Mayweather, John Billingsley as Dr. Phlox and Linda Park as Ensign Hoshi
Sato.
At the moment, Hoshi Sato is Jim Wright’s favorite character. He explains that “she's
representative of most of humanity at this point in Trek history. Well educated, an
expert in her chosen field, but ill-suited to life in space. She, more than any other
character, represents
Earth's present, and the challenges of adapting to this dawning era.”
If Jim could change any part of the episodes aired so far, he would pursue a “More
realistic dialog. Some of it still has that "Trek" feel, and not in a good way.
Characters like Hoshi Sato and Trip Tucker are better defined and dialogued than most, but
Archer's lines are too often wooden.”
How does Jim feel about “Enterprise?” “So far, I'm impressed,” he explains, “The stories
are geared more towards human solutions and human perspectives, and less toward a reliance
on technological shortcuts to plot resolution. Some of the characters are likeable, but they
aren't cookie-cutter perfect as so many of the 24th-century crews were. This is a
species with a significant amount of growing-up to do, making the mistakes that the
‘future’ series learned from.”
‘Future’ series, like “Star Trek: Voyager,” which recently ended its seven-year run on
UPN, was the latest in a successful franchise that was created in 1966 by Gene
Roddenberry. Other series include the immensely popular “Star Trek: The Next Generation”
and “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.” The phenomenon has also spawned an animated series,
more than 150 novels, ten motion pictures, fan publications, theme park attractions and
much more.
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"Enterprise Flies Once Again...or Before Again"
