Star Trek: Enterprise: John Billingsley’s hilarious script ideas that were rejected

Since Star Trek: Enterprise ended too soon, many script ideas weren’t used; however some were rejected before cancellation

John Billingsley, who served as the ship’s doctor onboard the Enterprise, was one of the most interesting characters. Regrettably, he didn’t get enough screen time; however, that’s to be expected in an ensemble show. Still, Billingsley had a couple of amusing suggestions for his Dr. Phlox character that would have given him more face time on Star Trek: Enterprise, but they were rejected outright.

Dr. Phlox’s tapeworm embraces the Enterprise

Billingsley had lost some weight in Season three  and he offered the idea that Dr. Phlox had a tapeworm that had to be removed out of a certain orifice. The tapeworm was so long it had to be tossed out of an airlock, but that wasn’t the last the Enterprise would see of it as it wrapped itself around the ship, trapping the entire crew. Billingsley admits that he goes for gutter humor, and this one, well, it’s understandable why the producers turned it down.

Dr. Phlox lookalikes take over the ship

The Enterprise picks up a distress call from a Denobulan ship, and, of course, immediately offers assistance. They find that everyone aboard the ship looks exactly like Dr. Phlox, but that’s where the similarities end. All of these lookalikes are slovenly.

"“My other idea was they should pick up a Denobulan ship in distress and everyone on the ship look exactly like me. But they are all real slobs. They leave their empty dishes lying around. They scatter clothes everyone.”"

This one would have been fun to see. Dr. Phlox rarely got upset, but I can imagine seeing so many of his fellow Denobulans destroying Enterprise with their bad habits would have set him off. Imagine a battle between Phlox and all of these lookalikes not to mention Captain Archer’s reaction. What a missed opportunity!

Okay, so maybe the first one definitely wouldn’t have worked, but the second idea, I would have been onboard for that one!