Star Trek: Enterprise
From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference
(written from a Production point of view)
| Enterprise (2001–2003) Star Trek: Enterprise (2003–2005) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbr.: | ENT |
| Created by: | Rick Berman Brannon Braga |
| Studio: | Paramount Pictures |
| Original network: | UPN |
| Production dates: | 2001–2005 |
| Original run: | 26 September 2001–13 May 2005 |
| Episodes: | 97 (4 seasons), 1 is feature-length (split into two parts for reruns) |
| Timespan: | 2151-2155, Stardate 47457.1 (2370) |
 | |
 The cast in Season 3 | |
Star Trek: Enterprise is the fifth live-action TV series set in the Star Trek universe and the sixth in total. Created by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, and based upon Gene Roddenberry's classic 1966 Star Trek (and its subsequent spin-offs), Enterprise was a "prequel", set a century before the time of Kirk and Spock. The series followed the voyages of the first starship Enterprise and mankind's first steps into the "final frontier". Initially titled without the Star Trek prefix, Enterprise ran an abbreviated four seasons. The series debuted in 2001 on the United Paramount Network. Cancellation of the series occurred in 2005.
As of 2009, Enterprise is the only Star Trek production whose continuity does not necessarily have two separate timelines that run parallel due to the events of the 2009 film reintroducing the crew of James T. Kirk.
- Main Title Theme (seasons 1-2)file info
- Main Title Theme (seasons 3-4)file info
- Where My Heart Will Take Me lyrics (composed by Diane Warren, vocals by Russell Watson)
- Alternate Main Title Themefile info (used in episodes "In a Mirror, Darkly" and "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II", composed by Dennis McCarthy & Kevin Kiner)
Contents |
[edit] Summary
Enterprise was set in the 22nd century, at a time before the Federation and while United Earth was just becoming a player in interstellar politics.
Like its predecessor, Star Trek: Voyager, Enterprise aired on UPN, rather than in first-run syndication like TNG or DS9. Initially, the ratings for Enterprise were as strong as those for Voyager, but the new series steadily lost viewers, and was finally canceled after its fourth season.
Numerous factors contributed to the demise of Enterprise. Due to its setting, the show was perhaps doomed from the start to step on the toes of previous canon and fanon, provoking the ire of the core Star Trek fan base. Enterprise may also have taken a ratings hit because viewers that used then-new digital video recorders were not yet included in official counts.
Enterprise accomplished a number of technical firsts for the Star Trek series, including the first episode aired in high-definition, "Exile", and the first episode produced entirely with digital video equipment, "Storm Front".
[edit] Basic plot
Launched in the year 2151, the NX class starship Enterprise, (the first of United Earth's advanced warp five vessels) was at first on temporary assignment. Though years of preparation still lay ahead, the ship was unexpectedly put into service when a Klingon national crash-landed on Earth, putting the entire planet at stake should he not make it back to his people. Under the command of United Starfleet Captain Jonathan Archer, son of the famed scientist Henry Archer, the crew of Enterprise succeeded in their mission, but found themselves surrounded by deeper mysteries. Warranting the extension of their assignment into a full-blown mission of deep space exploration, the crew of the Enterprise set off into the unknown, taking with them a Vulcan science officer (or chaperone) named T'Pol and a Denobulan doctor named Phlox.
Enterprise's first years were rocky; while the ship made contact with such species as the Suliban and the previously mentioned Klingons, such contact was not peaceful. In its first two years alone, the ship's crew found themselves in armed conflict with a range of species from the Tholians to the Coridan to the Borg... and things only got worse. By its third year in space, an alien species known as the Xindi brutally attacked Earth, killing millions.
The NX-01 was dispatched to a remote and previously uncharted area of space known as the Delphic Expanse in order to prevent the Xindi from completing their ultimate goal of destroying Humanity. While the ship was successful, after nearly a year in the Expanse, the ship suffered severe damage and many losses.
Upon returning home, Enterprise served a more diplomatic role in the service of United Earth, easing relations between the Vulcans, the Andorians, and the Tellarites, and paving the way toward a Coalition of Planets, an alliance that would eventually lead to the founding of the United Federation of Planets. Though still often tumultuous, Enterprise continued its mission of exploration as well, bringing Humans in contact with even more new worlds and new civilizations.
Throughout its ten year voyage, the events of Enterprise shaped the next generation of space exploration. Enterprise was truly the first to "boldly go where no man had gone before..."
[edit] Main cast
- Scott Bakula (as Jonathan Archer)
- John Billingsley (as Phlox)
- Jolene Blalock (as T'Pol)
- Dominic Keating (as Malcolm Reed)
- Anthony Montgomery (as Travis Mayweather)
- Linda Park (as Hoshi Sato)
- Connor Trinneer (as Charles Tucker III)
Star Trek: Enterprise was the only Star Trek series to complete its run without a change in cast, neither the premature departure of a cast member, nor the addition of new characters at midpoint (though rumors suggest the addition of Jeffrey Combs as Shran was planned for the scrapped fifth season).
[edit] Production crew
- Rick Berman - Co-Creator, Executive Producer, Writer
- Brannon Braga - Co-Creator, Executive Producer, Writer
- Chris Black - Co-Executive Producer, Writer
- Manny Coto - Co-Executive Producer, Writer
- John Shiban - Co-Executive Producer, Writer
- David A. Goodman - Supervising Producer, Writer
- Ken LaZebnik - Supervising Producer, Writer
- Mike Sussman - Producer, Writer
- Alan Brennert - Producer, Writer
- André Bormanis - Executive Story Editor, Science Consultant, Writer
- Alan Kobayashi - Graphic Designer
- Dawn Velazquez - Producer
- Gene Roddenberry - Creator of Star Trek
[edit] Episode list
[edit] Season 1
ENT Season 1, 26 episodes
[edit] Season 2
ENT Season 2, 26 episodes
[edit] Season 3
ENT Season 3, 24 episodes
| Title | Episode | Prodno. | Date | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Xindi | 3x01 | 053 | Unknown | 2003-09-10 |
| Anomaly | 3x02 | 054 | Unknown | 2003-09-17 |
| Extinction | 3x03 | 055 | Unknown | 2003-09-24 |
| Rajiin | 3x04 | 056 | Unknown | 2003-10-01 |
| Impulse | 3x05 | 057 | Unknown | 2003-10-08 |
| Exile | 3x06 | 058 | Unknown | 2003-10-15 |
| The Shipment | 3x07 | 059 | Unknown | 2003-10-29 |
| Twilight | 3x08 | 060 | Unknown | 2003-11-05 |
| North Star | 3x09 | 061 | Unknown | 2003-11-12 |
| Similitude | 3x10 | 062 | Unknown | 2003-11-19 |
| Carpenter Street | 3x11 | 063 | Unknown | 2003-11-26 |
| Chosen Realm | 3x12 | 064 | Unknown | 2004-01-14 |
| Proving Ground | 3x13 | 065 | 2153-12-06 | 2004-01-21 |
| Stratagem | 3x14 | 066 | 2153-12-12 | 2004-02-04 |
| Harbinger | 3x15 | 067 | 2153-12-27 | 2004-02-11 |
| Doctor's Orders | 3x16 | 068 | Unknown | 2004-02-18 |
| Hatchery | 3x17 | 069 | 2154-01-08 | 2004-02-25 |
| Azati Prime | 3x18 | 070 | 2154-01 | 2004-03-03 |
| Damage | 3x19 | 071 | Unknown | 2004-04-24 |
| The Forgotten | 3x20 | 072 | Unknown | 2004-04-28 |
| E² | 3x21 | 073 | Unknown | 2004-05-05 |
| The Council | 3x22 | 074 | 2154-02-12 | 2004-05-12 |
| Countdown | 3x23 | 075 | 2154-02-13 | 2004-05-19 |
| Zero Hour | 3x24 | 076 | 2154-02-14 | 2004-05-26 |
[edit] Season 4
ENT Season 4, 22 episodes
| Title | Episode | Prodno. | Date | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Storm Front | 4x01 | 077 | Unknown | 2004-10-08 |
| Storm Front, Part II | 4x02 | 078 | Unknown | 2004-10-15 |
| Home | 4x03 | 079 | Unknown | 2004-10-22 |
| Borderland | 4x04 | 080 | 2154-05-17 | 2004-10-29 |
| Cold Station 12 | 4x05 | 081 | Unknown | 2004-11-05 |
| The Augments | 4x06 | 082 | 2154-05-27 | 2004-11-12 |
| The Forge | 4x07 | 083 | Unknown | 2004-11-19 |
| Awakening | 4x08 | 084 | Unknown | 2004-11-26 |
| Kir'Shara | 4x09 | 085 | Unknown | 2004-12-03 |
| Daedalus | 4x10 | 086 | Unknown | 2005-01-14 |
| Observer Effect | 4x11 | 087 | Unknown | 2005-01-21 |
| Babel One | 4x12 | 088 | 2154-11-12 | 2005-01-28 |
| United | 4x13 | 089 | 2154-11-15 | 2005-02-04 |
| The Aenar | 4x14 | 090 | Unknown | 2005-02-11 |
| Affliction | 4x15 | 091 | 2154-11-27 | 2005-02-18 |
| Divergence | 4x16 | 092 | 2154-12 | 2005-02-25 |
| Bound | 4x17 | 093 | 2154-12-27 | 2005-04-15 |
| In a Mirror, Darkly | 4x18 | 094 | 2155-01-13 | 2005-04-22 |
| In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II | 4x19 | 095 | 2155-01-18 | 2005-04-29 |
| Demons | 4x20 | 096 | 2155-01-19 | 2005-05-06 |
| Terra Prime | 4x21 | 097 | Unknown | 2005-05-13 |
| These Are the Voyages... | 4x22 | 098 | 47457.1 | 2005-05-13 |
[edit] The would-be Season 5
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A fifth season of Star Trek: Enterprise was never produced, since the show was officially canceled on 2 February 2005. The producers, however, had already devised numerous plans for future seasons, which could have started airing by September 2005. Most information is based on comments by producer Manny Coto.
- A Kzinti episode had been suggested as a prequel to TAS: "The Slaver Weapon", which progressed as far as a "rough rendering" of a Kzinti starship, commissioned by writer Jimmy Diggs. The story was titled "Kilkenny Cats." [1]
- An episode had been discussed where the Enterprise crew encountered a previous alias of Flint. (citation needed • edit)
- Manny Coto has stated that, had the series been given a fifth season, the recurring character of Shran may have joined the crew of Enterprise, as an "auxiliary or an advisor" [2] [3]
- At the 2009 VegasCon, Coto suggested that two big themes of the season would have been to show "origins of the Federation" and "whispers of the Romulan war". Consequently, the Romulans would be the major villains of the season, although other species may have appeared in the mini-arcs. Brannon Braga noted that he and Rick Berman had considered making "Future Guy" a Romulan. [4]
- Plans existed for an episode showing the construction of the first starbase, most likely in the Berengaria system. First hints to that episode were already given in "Bound". [5]
- Enterprise was due to revisit (actually previsit) the cloud city Stratos on Ardana showing the formation of the two castes seen in TOS: "The Cloud Minders". [6]
- Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) might have been seen as well: an 80-page teleplay for a two-hour drama introducing Guinan to the NX-01 crew and centering around Hoshi Sato was submitted for Season Five, entitled "The Treatment" (Writer's Guild-East Registration R18220-00) and written by Rhett Coates. The script was sent on 1 February 2005 and registered by the Writer's Guild on 11 April, two months after the series had already been canceled. The story features Guinan under the assumed name of "Madam Claranna" and serving as acting personal assistant of the head of the United Earth Space Probe Agency. It also would have introduced Skon, father of Sarek and grandfather of Spock (referenced in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock). The story included many tie-ins to TOS and TNG, more background information about Guinan, an explanation as to why Vulcan delayed helping Earth in its warp drive program, the introduction of the newly-established starship-design designation call-letters NCC (referenced in the teleplay as "Naval Construction Contract"), and Hoshi's prime motivation for creating the linguacode translation matrix (as mentioned in "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II"). A scene early on in the story was written as a special nod to Gene Roddenberry (and to fans): a Capellan woman sings a song called "Remember Me" [TOS theme - but slowly, as a love-theme] in the space station lounge. The author envisioned Chase Masterson to play the role - and named the character "A'tee-el" as a reversal of actress Masterson's DS9 character name, Leeta. Coates wrote two story synopses on two different TrekUnited forums; the first reads as follows:
- Enterprise NX-01, docked at an alien space station [or newly-established star-base], is to undergo a systems re-fit with a new technology called LinguiTran, recently created by one of Henry Archer's former students, Madam Pres. Shaka Almashad (of the United Earth Space Probe Agency). While work begins, an error in translating an alien language results in a horrifying medical [condition] regarding crewman Hoshi Sato, forcing the crew and their guests to face a controversial moral issue that tests everyone's faith in their future, and that may also decide the fate of an entire species - and Hoshi's life. Tempers begin to flare as the situation worsens, with a developing threat to the lives of everyone aboard the ship. Finally, an unexpected and shocking twist to their dilemma, with a revelation about the origin of life, could either spell doom for everyone or - depending upon their actions - bring an optimistic and hopeful outcome to what is otherwise a harsh subject topic.[7]
- His second synopsis reads as follows:
- Guinan and Skon visit Capt. Archer's starship Enterprise, and try to help avert a 22nd century moral issue disaster when a dangerous, unborn fetus -- still in it's mother's womb -- makes it's own choice if it will live or die. HOSHI is the one with the "creature" inside her (the story's pivot character), and the way the story pans out is what instigates her decision to perfect the Linguicode Translation Matrix. (You'll have to see the story to understand exactly why.....) Everyone is thrown into a fit (the entire NX-01 crew goes nuts), and Reed nearly has a nervous breakdown for thinking he caused the incident. T'Pol and Phlox go up against the Captain in the "moral issue" part, and even Section 31 comes into play. This one is a story I think the fans will truly enjoy, particularly when references are made to future 'Treks (TOS and TNG) that should be obvious to us, but not to anyone in the story except Guinan.....[8]
- Further planned topics included the Enterprise finally visiting Phlox's homeworld, Denobula. A return of Section 31, which had its last appearance in "Terra Prime", was planned as well. (citation needed • edit)
- Furthermore, revisiting the mirror universe, which had already been shown in "In a Mirror, Darkly", and possibly featuring Hoshi Sato being empress of the Terran Empire had also been discussed. At the 2009 VegasCon, Coto revealed that one idea was to spread four or five episodes through the season, as a kind of "mini-series inside a series". He stated it was his "big regret" at not getting a chance to do so. [9]
- Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens pitched a story with Alice Krige as a Starfleet medical technician who makes contact with the Borg from Season 2 ("Regeneration") and becomes the Borg Queen. [10]
- Writer/producer Mike Sussman hoped to have T'Pol finally meet her father, and reveal to the audience that he was in fact a Romulan agent who had posed as a Vulcan officer prior to faking his own death. The suggestion that T'Pol was half-Romulan would have shed light on her affinity for Humans as well as her interest in experimenting with emotions. (Information provided by Mike Sussman)
- In a 2009 interview, Welsh writer/producer Russell T Davies, showrunner of the British series Doctor Who, said that he had considered doing a crossover between Doctor Who and Star Trek, but the latter was canceled before the idea could be pursued.[11]
[edit] Related topics
- ENT performers
- ENT recurring characters
- ENT directors
- Composers
- Paramount Stage 8
- Paramount Stage 9
- Paramount Stage 18
[edit] Background
Perhaps the most controversial of all the Star Trek spin-offs, and certainly the most polarizing, Enterprise was created in the hopes of revitalizing the Star Trek franchise, ratings for the previous series, Star Trek: Voyager, having waned near the end. Intended to be more modern, with characters far from Gene Roddenberry's 24th century Utopian Humanity, Enterprise was situated in one of the least explored eras in the Star Trek universe and a time only 150 years from present day.
The producers - under the guidance of Roddenberry's successor, Rick Berman - sought to set the series apart from those that had come before, creating nearly every set, prop and costume anew and tending toward a more encompassing, "you-are-there" style of storytelling.
According to recent comments made by Executive Producer Brannon Braga in discussions with fans at TrekMovie.com, Berman's original idea for the series was to have the entire first season set on Earth as Humanity's first-ever warp starship was constructed. This was soon decided to be too far removed from the style of the franchise as a whole, and so the premise was redrafted.
The series was the first to incorporate lyrics into its opening theme song (unused lyrics did exist for the original series' fanfare); it also did not include the words Star Trek in its title until the third season episode "Extinction".
Despite these departures, Enterprise producers also borrowed heavily from the classic series, using the triad of characters, Archer, T'Pol and Tucker in much the same way as Kirk, Spock and McCoy.
It was their intention to bring Star Trek back to its fundamental concepts of exploration and "cowboy diplomacy", with Scott Bakula as Captain Archer, a far more Kirk-like commander than previous Star Trek headliners.
While not pushing too far into miniskirts and frequent interspecies mating, Enterprise was nevertheless touted as being far sexier than any of the other Trek spin-offs, embodied by Subcommander T'Pol - whose bare backside was featured in the episode "Harbinger", though edited out in some markets.
Premiering on 26 September 2001 with a strong opening, the two-hour pilot "Broken Bow" garnered a 9.9 overnight rating and a 15% share. Ratings, however, declined over the next few seasons, dipping to an average 2.5 million viewers an episode.
As early as the second season, rumors of the show's imminent cancellation pushed the producers to find new directions to take the series. Beginning with the series' third season, Enterprise adopted a darker tone and a more violent arc, in some ways mirroring the post 9/11 sentiment.
While many critics were impressed with the new pull of the series, ratings remained low, and the show was canceled at the end of its fourth season. Despite the protests and a hoped-for fan-funded fifth season, production of Enterprise ceased at the conclusion of the 2005 television season.
Enterprise's opening title sequence is notable, featuring the Enterprise OV-101 shuttle, named in real life in honor of Star Trek, an interesting paradox. Also used in the sequence: a clip of Zefram Cochrane's ship, the Phoenix, from Star Trek: First Contact, and the real-life animated footage of the Mars rover.
Enterprise was nominated for five individual Saturn Awards, won an ASCAP Award in 2002 for "Top TV Series", was nominated for seventeen Emmy Awards, winning four, and two episodes were nominated for Hugo Awards.
Enterprise was the first series to air in high definition. It was produced in 1080i with Sony HD cameras starting in Season 4; the first 3 seasons were filmed with traditional 35mm film cameras (which were then transfered to digital for broadcast) [12].
The wrap party for Enterprise was held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Boulevard on Wednesday, April 13, 2005 at 7:00 PM. The notes "Dress Festive" and that cocktails, dinner, and a DJ are available are on the invitation. The introduction featured the following text: "This Mission May Be Over But Let's Get The Party Started! Paramount Network Television invites you and your guest to journey back in time at the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and glimpse the future in the newly-launched Theodore Restaurant and Lounge. Let's commemorate the final voyage of Star Trek: Enterprise".
[edit] Video games
As of this writing, only two official video games from the Enterprise-era have been released. They are: Star Trek: Encounters, and Star Trek: Legacy. However, these two games are not true Enterprise games. The two games cover all five Star Trek shows, not simply Enterprise. However, Enterprise mods have been used in other Trek games. Fans have made mods designed to include both the Enterprise and the mirror universe NX-01 in Star Trek: Armada II, as well as other games.
[edit] Elite Force
One of the mods made for the popular Star Trek: Voyager: Elite Force game is the "NX-01 Mod". The mod is set during an episode of Enterprise, and uses voice clips from the show for its cut scenes. In the mod, the player assumes the role of Malcolm Reed, and must stop a force of Klingons from sabotaging Enterprise's warp core. Unfortunately, this mod has since been abandoned and remains unfinished.
[edit] Temporal Cold War
Another mod that is no longer active is the Halflife 2 engine mod, Star Trek: Enterprise - Temporal Cold War. However, this mod features none of the original actors.
[edit] Syndication
With four seasons, Enterprise reached syndication less than a year after its cancellation, in some markets airing multiple times a week. However, with the 40th anniversary of Star Trek, Enterprise was replaced in syndication by "remastered" versions of classic TOS episodes on 16 September 2006. Nevertheless, the Sci-Fi Channel and HDNet are airing the series.
The first three seasons are also available on the Xbox Live Marketplace (currently US only), a premium service offered with the Xbox 360. Each episode costs about two to three US dollars, and are available in both standard and high-definition widescreen. Two part episodes are broken up into two separate episodes and must be purchased separately.
[edit] Media
[edit] External links
- Star Trek: Enterprise at Wikipedia
- Star Trek: Enterprise at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
- Star Trek: Enterprise at the Internet Movie Database
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| Star Trek: The Original Series • Star Trek: The Animated Series • Star Trek: The Next Generation • Star Trek: Deep Space Nine • Star Trek: Voyager • Star Trek: Enterprise |
