George Takei thought Enterprise was a disastrous failure

George Takei has always wanted a Captain Sulu series

George Takei has made it clear on several occasions that he wanted an Excelsior series that focused on the exploits of Captain Sulu, and he thought such a series would have been, his words, “a galactic success.”

According to a report from Trek Movie which quoted an interview Takei had with IF Magazine [provided link no longer active], he said the fans also wanted such a series. And even though, after the release of Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country which showed Sulu’s promotion to Captain, there “was a flood of letters from every corner of the world,”  Paramount chose to go in another direction.

"“There was a flood of letters from every corner of the world advocating for this Excelsior series and then Paramount suddenly decided they didn’t want fan advice or participation and went ahead and did what they wanted to anyway with ENTERPRISE; which was a disastrous failure.”"

George Takei had issues with Star Trek: Enterprise

Takei said the higher-ups did what they wanted to do, and, instead of an Excelsior series, they chose to move forward with Enterprise, “which was a disastrous failure.” But The Undiscovered Country aired in 1991, and Enterprise didn’t premiere until ten years later. During that ten-year span, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine debuted and ended as did Star Trek: Voyager. So there was plenty of time for Paramount to decide on a Captain Sulu series, and honestly, who knows why Paramount chooses the series it chooses and decides to leave behind others?

But, most importantly, Enterprise wasn’t a disastrous failure. Though it wasn’t as successful as some of the other series, it did air for four seasons, and now, on streaming channels, new fans are discovering the series. In addition, the actors from Enterprise remain very popular at Star Trek conventions as has the demand for a follow-up movie, a return to the series, and/or a series reboot.

While not every fan liked Enterprise, the series garnered a fair share of award nominations and wins in its four-year run. It was nominated for seventeen Creative Arts Emmy Awards, winning four of them. It received sixteen nominations at the Saturn Awards with Jolene Blalock taking home two of those awards. Several of the awards and nominations were based on the visual effects and special visual effects. In 2002, Enterprise won the ASCAP (The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) Film and Television Music Award for Top Television Series, and it took home two Visual Effect Society Awards.

Enterprise only lasted four seasons (98 episodes), but some of the most popular cult classics lasted four seasons or less. It’s not the amount of seasons that makes a series a success; it’s the quality of the stories and whether or not people are still watching it years and years down the road. That’s what made Enterprise a successful series.