Star Trek: Enterprise
Prequel series set a century before the original Star Trek.
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Star Trek: Enterprise (known simply as Enterprise during its first two seasons) is an American sci-fi TV series that aired on UPN from September 26, 2001, to May 13, 2005. Created by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, it’s the sixth show in the Star Trek franchise and serves as a prequel to The Original Series. The story takes place in the 22nd century, about a hundred years before the events of that classic show, and follows the crew of Earth’s first warp-five-capable starship, the Enterprise, as they venture into deep space and meet new alien species. Paramount asked Berman and Braga to develop a new series after Deep Space Nine ended and Voyager was wrapping up.
Instead of sticking with the 24th-century setting of those shows, they chose an earlier era to explore fresh corners of the Star Trek universe. Wanting a more grounded, character-focused show, they centered the narrative on a core trio: Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula), Commander Trip Tucker (Connor Trinneer), and Sub-commander T’Pol (Jolene Blalock). The series broke several Star Trek traditions.
It dropped the “Star Trek” prefix from its title for two seasons and used a pop-style theme song, “Faith of the Heart” (sung by Russell Watson). Filming took place on the Paramount lot in Los Angeles, on the same soundstages that had housed Star Trek productions since the abandoned Phase II project in the late 1970s. The first two seasons featured mostly standalone episodes, covering topics like humanity’s early, tense relationship with the Vulcans and first encounters with familiar franchise aliens like the Klingons and Andorians.
Cancellation
To attract a broader audience, UPN pushed for changes in season three. The show was renamed Star Trek: Enterprise and shifted toward action-driven plots and a single, serialized storyline: the crew’s mission to stop a newly introduced alien species, the Xindi, from destroying Earth. In 2005, UPN canceled the series after its fourth season, despite a fan campaign to save it. This marked the first time in 18 years that no new Star Trek TV episodes were in production—a hiatus that lasted until Star Trek: Discovery premiered in 2017, another prequel set after Enterprise chronologically.
Lore & Background
Following the culmination of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and with Star Trek: Voyager scheduled to end, Paramount asked Braga and Berman to create a new series to continue the franchise. Rather than setting it in the 24th century alongside Deep Space Nine and Voyager, they decided to set it in an earlier period, allowing them to explore new parts of the Star Trek fictional universe. Wanting a more basic, relatable, character-driven series, Berman and Braga concentrated on a core trio: Captain Jonathan Archer, Commander Trip Tucker, and Sub-commander T'Pol.
The show broke with Star Trek convention in several ways. In addition to dropping the Star Trek prefix, Enterprise used the pop-influenced song "Faith of the Heart" (performed by Russell Watson) as its theme. It was filmed on the Paramount lot in Los Angeles, California, on the same stages that housed the Star Trek series and films since the abandoned Star Trek: Phase II in the late 1970s.
The first two seasons were characterized by stand-alone episodes that explored topics like humanity's early relations with the Vulcans, and first encounters with the Klingons and Andorians. Seeking to attract a wider audience, UPN called for changes for Enterprise's third season. It was renamed Star Trek: Enterprise, and was changed to focus on action-driven plots and a single, serialized storyline: the crew's mission to prevent the Earth being destroyed by a newly introduced alien species, the Xindi.
Reader's Guide
Star Trek: Enterprise is significant as the sixth series in the Star Trek franchise and the first prequel, set a century before The Original Series. It marked a departure from previous series by dropping the Star Trek prefix for its first two seasons and using a pop-influenced theme song. The show introduced the Temporal Cold War, a multi-season storyline involving time-traveling factions, and the Xindi, a new alien species whose attack on Earth drove the third season's serialized plot.
The series was cancelled by UPN after its fourth season in 2005, despite a fan-led campaign to continue it. This cancellation began an 18-year hiatus without new Star Trek television episodes, lasting until the launch of Star Trek: Discovery in 2017, another prequel and chronological sequel to Enterprise. The series explored early human space exploration, first contacts with familiar alien races, and the tensions between humans and Vulcans over withheld technology.
Did You Know?
- The Temporal Cold War storyline featured a mysterious figure nicknamed 'Future Guy' by viewers, later adopted by the writers.
- The Klingons in Enterprise have ridged makeup, unlike the smooth-headed versions seen in Star Trek: The Original Series.
More in Television series set in the 22nd century
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Star Trek: Enterprise (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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