It’s been fifteen years since the premiere of Star Trek: Enterprise, which means this is the second longest new Trek drought since the original series debuted in 1966.
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We’ve gone fifteen years without a new Trek series debuting on TV, but maybe that’s a good thing for the franchise…
Yesterday marked fifteen years since Star Trek: Enterprise aired for the first time, which means this is the longest drought without new Trek on TV that we’ve ever gone through, besides the time between Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation.
It’s not surprising that it’s take a while to get Trek back on television, after all Star Trek: Enterprise wasn’t a big hit. Enterprise and Voyager are certainly Star Trek, and I love them for that, but they are also my least favorite Trek series.
The problem with Voyager and Enterprise in my opinion can really be summed up in Seven of Nine and the decontamination gel. I love Jeri Ryan and I think she did an amazing job as Seven of Nine, I even like the character of Seven of Nine, the problem is the reason Seven of Nine joined the show. You knew right away when you saw Seven’s slinky catsuits that she was on the show as a sex symbol. And those decontamination gel scenes in Enterprise, come on, that was just an awful ploy.
It’s not that having a little sex in a show is bad, it’s just that Star Trek was never about using sex or gimmicks to get viewers. Trek was about telling great science fiction stories and conquering real issues through those tales. The story was the focus of TOS, TNG, and DS9. In Enterprise and Voyager the story seemed to be less important, getting viewers from whatever means necessary was the key.
So in my opinion Star Trek had gone down a bad bath with Voyager and Enterprise, so perhaps this break is what the series needed. I’m hopeful that Star Trek Discovery can bring back the magic and tell meaningful stories that engage and inspire.
Star Trek: The Original Series is wonderful, and Star Trek: the Next Generation is wonderful, but they clearly represent two different eras in Star Trek on TV; maybe this time was what was needed to enter a third?
Recommended reading for all Starfleet personnel:
An interview with the creator of the Klingon and Vulcan languages
Roddenberry Foundation offers $1 Million Dollar Prize
A legal scholar’s take on Star Trek vs. Star Wars
HIlarious Star Trek Beyond cast Dubsmash video compilation
New edition of The Star Trek Encyclopedia coming in October
Nebulas look like the Enterprise
What do you think? Are you sad Trek has been off TV for this long? Tell us about it on Facebook or in the comments below.