Summary
My favorite parts ofStar Trek: Strange New Worlds' crossover were the callbacks to Scott Bakula’sStar Trek: Enterprise. Directed by Jonathan Frakes, and written by Kathryn Lyn and Bill Wolkoff,Star Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 2, episode 7, “Those Old Scientists” broughtStar Trek: Lower Decks' Ensign Bradward Boimler (Jack Quaid) and Ensign Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) to the USS Enterprise commanded by Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount).Strange New Worlds' crossover was a tribute toStar Trekfans, and, surprisingly,a loving ode toStar Trek: Enterprise.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' crossoversaw Ensign Brad Boimler travel through a time portal, where he’s stranded aboard Captain Pike’s 23rd-century Starship Enterprise. Soon, Ensign Beckett Mariner also bumbles through the time portal, and Captain Pike and his Enterprise crew’s dilemma becomes how to send the Starfleet time travelers back to the 24th century. The unexpected answer comes fromStar Trek: Enterpriseand the 22nd-century pioneering voyages of Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) and the NX-01 Enterprise become the key to Mariner and Boimler going home. Best of all, it turns outCaptain Pike and his crew loveStar Trek: Enterpriseas much as I do.
Star Trek Strange New Worlds Season 2 Episode 7 Crossover Ending Explained
Ensigns Boimler and Mariner from Star Trek: Lower Decks cross over into Strange New Worlds, but how do the get home, and do they harm the timeline?
I Loved Every Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Crossover Callback To Scott Bakula’s Enterprise
Captain Pike looks up to Captain Archer
I loved how the means to send Ensigns Beckett Mariner and Brad Boimler back toStar Trek: Lower Decks' 24th century were ingeniously dependent onStar Trek: Enterprise- and Boimler’s fanboyish knowledge of Captain Archer’s NX-01 starship. The time portal on the planet Krulmuth runs on horonium, a rare alloy the NX-01 Enterprise’s hull was built out of. Boimler and Mariner realized that Captain Pike’s Enterprise contains horonium from its namesake, the NX-01. Thus,Enterprise’s legacy from Archer’s ship to Pike’s saved the day.
22nd century
2151-2161
23rd century
2259 onward
24th century
2380 onward
I was also heartened by how much love and hero worship was shown by thecharacters ofStar Trek: Strange New WorldstoStar Trek: Enterprise’s crew. Captain Pike was inspired by Captain Archer, one of his heroes. Similarly, the USS Enterprise’s helmsman, Lt. Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia) looks up to the NX-01’s pilot, Ensign Travis Mayweather (Anthony Montgomery), and, of course, Ensign Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) models herself after the original Enterprise Communications Officer, Ensign Hoshi Sato (Linda Park). Theconnective tissue between Archer and Pike’s Enterprises has never been clearer.
Maybe the best gag inStar Trek: Strange New Worlds’crossover is Lt.La’an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) deadpanning,“I love grapplers.“La’an refers to the NX-01’s device that predated Starfleet’s invention of tractor beams.Strange New Worldsdelivered themost sincere acknowledgment ofStar Trek: Enterprisefrom modernStar Trekyet.It meant a lot to fans like me who championedEnterpriseduring its original network run on UPN, and watched Scott Bakula’s prequel unfairly maligned as"the show that killed the franchise.”
AfterEnterprisewas canceled in 2005, there was no newStar Trekon TV for 12 years untilStar Trek: Discoverypremiered in 2017.
Star Trek Acknowledges The Importance Of Scott Bakula’s Enterprise
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' crossover is thelatest and best example ofStar Trekreassessing the true importance of Scott Bakula’sStar Trek: Enterpriseto the greater franchise. As a 22nd-century prequel disconnected fromStar Trek: The Original SeriesandStar Trek: The Next Generation’s eras, it was easy to dismissEnterprise, especially since it was the only Rick Berman-producedStar Trekseries to run 4 seasons instead of 7. ButEnterprisegot an expected shout-out in J.J. Abrams’Star Trek(2009), which referenced"Admiral Archer’s prized beagle,“establishing thatStar Trek: Enterpriseis the foundation of bothStar Trek’s Prime and Kelvin Timelines.
Star Trek: Lower Decks' jokes referencing Enterprise were always welcome.
Star Trek Beyondwent even further in acknowledgingStar Trek: Enterprise, with thevillain Krall (Idris Elba)revealed as a formerEnterprise-era Captain and making the movie’s climactic hero ship the NX Class USS Franklin.Star Trek: Lower Decks' jokes referencingEnterprisewere always welcome, and theStar Trek: very Short Treksepisode “Holograms All The Way Down” saw Connor Trinneer reprise Commander Trip Tucker for the first time sinceEnterprisewas canceled. All of this led the way forStar Trek: Strange New Worldsto fully give Captain Archer and his Enterprise crew their just due.
What’s Preventing A Scott Bakula & Star Trek: Enterprise Comeback?
Odds are against an Enterprise reunion
Star Trek: Enterprise’s main castis alive and well, so what’s keeping them from coming back for a reunion?A few factors are holding back the return ofStar Trek: Enterprise.One issue is that, despiteEnterprisebeing reassessed by audiences in the 19 years since the prequel was canceled, Paramount+ may not believe the fan interest is fully there to reviveEnterprise. Another problem is the wayStar Trek: Enterpriseended, and how would it make sense to reunite the entire crew 20 years later? Yet these are creative problems that can be tackled if the will to bring backStar Trek: Enterpriseis there.
Connor Trinneer and Dominic Keating are keepingStar Trek: Enterprise’s flame going with their podcast,The D-Con Chamber.
Although many ofEnterprise’s actors like Connor Trinneer, Dominic Keating, John Billingsley, and Anthony Montgomery remain active on theStar Trekconvention circuit, Scott Bakula and Jolene Blalock have moved on fromStar Trek. However, while Blalock is seemingly retired from acting,Bakula’s recent appearance onThe D-Con Chamberpodcast and attendingStar Trek’s Peabody Awards celebration indicates Scott hasn’t leftStar Trekbehind. While some sort of live-action or animatedStar Trek: Enterprisereunion would be fantastic, I’m glad homages likeStar Trek: Strange New Worlds’crossover show thatStar Trek still has faith of the heart.
