The most prominent cast of Star Trek: Enterprise gets ranked.
Star Trek: Enterprise is 20 years old today. The show was the last in the golden era of Star Trek television, which started with the Trek revival series, The Next Generation, kept going into the first spin-off with Deep Space Nine, then into the second spin-off, Voyager, and lastly into Enterprise, the first prequel series of the franchise.
Each show had its purpose, with Next Generation resetting the franchise, Deep Space Nine focusing more on the routine life of a static space station, then, of course, there was Voyager who recaptured the idea of the original and was essentially given a seven-year mission to explore a new part of the universe.
Then there was Enterprise, the show that was created to tell the story of the Federation’s birth. How did it all begin? That was the purpose of Enterprise, the last Star Trek series to air on broadcast television.
The characters the show created left a mark on many fans, while others from the show left a giant size crater when it was all said and done. Not every character was perfect, some were under-developed, others showed just as bright as any in the franchises’ history.
That’s why we’re ranking them, to add context to their impact. Quick note, not every major character will be on the list, just the core cast and a few characters who recurred during the show. We think we got the most noteworthy. Also, just as a reminder, this is a personal opinion. You don’t have to agree, this is just one’s opinion. You’re free to make your own list if you have any major concerns regarding this one.
11. Daniels
Daniels, played by Matt Winston, was a Temporal Cold War operative from the future. That may sound cool, but his entire character arc was centered around convincing Jonathan Archer to fight a time-war from his time and providing him with information on how to do it. A war that Archer may have in fact started.
Allegedly.
Daniels was fine but the big issue with Daniels, besides the lack of depth given to his character, was that his storyline is easily the worst part of the show.
The Temporal Cold War arc was both obsessed over and not developed enough, popping up randomly, like a side quest in a video game. It was how the series launched, with Enterprise having to deal with the mysterious future man’s associates, the Suliban. The Suliban ranked right up there with the Ferengi among the worst villains Star Trek has ever created. They were just sucky lizard ninjas.
Somehow, despite the Temporal Cold War being one of the least popular ideas that Star Trek ever created, the show never gave up on the concept and in turn Daniels. The character appeared eight times in the series, across all four seasons. One of only a handful of characters to appear in a recurring role in every season of Enterprise.
Thankfully, it did help get us to the Storm Front two-parter in season four, a pair of episodes that are underrated in the history of Enterprise, if not Star Trek as a whole. That was, however, the only saving grace of Daniels and his nonsense.
10. Admiral Maxwell Forrest
Admiral Maxwell Forrest was the flag officer in charge of the NX project, the original design model for the U.S.S. Enterprise. As such, he oversaw the project in alignment with the Vulcan High Command. It was this combination that ultimately agreed to put Vulcan officer T’Pol on the Enterprise to provide Captain Jonathan Archer with a point of contact of sorts with the Vulcans, and to allow the Vulcans to monitor the ship and its progress.
Aside from the fact that fact and that it was Forrest who picked Archer to captain the ship, his character didn’t serve much purpose within the series, other than as exposition to set up the events of a story.
He had no real backstory, no real history and it was Forrest’s actor Vaughn Armstrong who essentially came up with the backstory for the character. Armstrong imagined Forrest as a guy who worked his way up from engineering to working on the NX project.
It’s no surprise the character had no backstory or history to him, as he was never supposed to be a recurring character after he appeared in the pilot. By the time his last appearance rolled around in the Forge, he had appeared in 14 episodes.
The most interesting about his character was that he was named after Star Trek original series actor, DeForest Kelley.
9. Soval
Soval was one of the more prominent Vulcans in the series. He was the Vulcan ambassador to Earth, but before then he was involved in the conflict with the Andorians, serving as an intelligence officer.
While Soval wasn’t a very beloved character, he was shockingly very complex. Far more of an antagonist for the Enterprise crew, Soval was never truly a villain, just a pain to deal with. That made him fall further down the list than others did, mostly due to his general annoyances. His usual involvement with the series was unextraordinary except for two things. First, he looked like Mr. Smith from the Matrix but if Mr. Smith was a Vulcan, and secondly, his involvement with the Andorians.
The conflict he brought with him in any Andorian-centered episode was entertaining as heck. Soval’s actor, Gary Graham, seemed to be at his best when he was paired up with veteran Star Trek actor, Jeffrey Combs.
While they didn’t share much screentime, the episode that features their more epic encounter, season two’s “Ceasefire”, remains among the series best, in part due to Graham and Combs.
Soval was the focal point of revealing many mysteries behind Vulcans, like their paranoia and historical disrespect of other species. It showed that Vulcans, at least in the time of Enterprise, weren’t the fully evolved creatures we’d come to find out. They had their secrets and Soval was the introduction to that.
8. Dr. Phlox
John Billingsley brought a lot to love to Dr. Phlox, the Denobulan doctor who oversaw the health and wellness of the Enterprise crew. He was warm, inviting, charming and a perfect mix of sweet and sincere. The character popped the most in episodes involving Jonathan Archer, most notably the episode “A Night in Sickbay” when he jokingly tells Archer that Porthos, Archer’s pet dog, will end up taking on traits of a chameleon after Pholox used a specific medical treatment to save the dog’s life.
He was very whimsical and stood his ground firmly and admirably when it came to his ethics as a physician. He worried about the health and wellbeing of everyone on board, even if it came at a cost to himself. He developed a solution to negate himself if the nanomachines injected into his system by a Borg drone started to take over.
The problem with Phlox was, essentially, that he was way too open about his life. The whole Denobulan race felt really shoe-horned, unnecessary, and at times creepy. They were a species that had several mates, who themselves had several mates, and so on, but only ever saw them every so often. They also had faces that puffed out like a pufferfish, and oh yeah, they were a genocidal race of murderers.
While the episode that featured this specific Denobulan revelation was a very good one (“The Breach”) it further showed just how bizarre of a race the Denobulan’s were. At one time they were an entire race of Dr. Mengele’s.
Phlox was cheery and interesting when he was a side character but most of the Phlox-centered stuff wasn’t all that impressive and often times quiet icky. If I never have to see a Denobulan spine again it’ll be too soon.
7. Malcolm Reed
This may be controversial, but Malcolm Reed was someone I found very hard to like. He was the armory officer aboard Enterprise and took his job very seriously, maybe due to the fact he came from a family of Naval officers who served with the British Royal Navy.
That part is interesting but Reed was dry and rather uninteresting at times. You always knew what he was going to say.
While he was a part of the main cast of characters, like some of the cast, not a lot was given to him on his own. He was usually partnered with Charles “Trip” Tucker in all of the shenanigans and incidents that Tucker was involved in but he didn’t seem to have the same emotional depth that Trip had, despite being in many of the same scenes together.
That doesn’t mean that he wasn’t integral to the plot of episodes, he was, but it was rarely ever that he ever took center stage during them. Admittedly, the lack of depth in some of the characters is an issue the fans of the show and franchise constantly point towards, so it’s not just Reed.
Fans aren’t wrong about that critique, but while Reed was oftentimes domineering or argumentative, there was a charm that came forth through Dominic Keating’s portrayal. He added a bit of realism to the series, as undoubtedly there’d always be someone far more serious than they needed to be on a ship like the Enterprise, and in this case, Reed was that guy.
6. Hoshi Sato
You could arguably rearrange Malcolm Reed, Hoshi Sato, and the fifth entry on this list in any order you want and you won’t really have too many people arguing with you. The biggest folly of the show was the underutilization of these three characters. Hoshi was played by Linda Park, and Park brought a presence to the character that frankly deserved far more time to take center stage than the character actually ended up getting.
Hoshi was a linguist specialist and served as the first point of contact with many of the known and unknown aliens that the Enterprise dealt with. This set up a ton of possible story arcs for the character. Did we get any of them?
Not really.
What gets Hoshi higher on the list than others, is that she had a few really interesting episodes where she took point and got to show her complex personality. In “Civilization“, we saw her go undercover, and if that wasn’t enough to show you how delightful Park was as Hoshi, there’s the Enterprise’s trip to the Mirror Universe, which arguably gave us one of the better characters in the show.
Hoshi was also a pioneer. She ended up being one of the first characters in the franchise’s timeline to use a transporter. In the episode “Vanishing Point”, Hoshi gets scrambled a bit in the transporter, which causes her to fade out of existence. She’s then forced to face off with aliens who are undetectable to the naked eye.
It set up a great moment for Archer when he was compelled to call Hoshi’s parents to explain to them the dire situation their daughter was in. It was one episode that really did Hoshi some serious justice. There just should’ve been more.
While Hoshi should’ve gotten more time, her character was enjoyable and layered. Fans still remember the time she went a little to Gordon Ramsey when it came to her cooking. Fans wanted to see more of that side of Hoshi. The side that made her relatable.
5. Travis Mayweather
This one will get some heat, I’m well aware of that. To many Travis Mayweather is considered “boring” and even his actor Anthony Montgomery laments how little was explored of his character. Admittedly, he’s not wrong. Mayweather deserved far more than he was given, and had the show gotten a fifth and sixth season, the show might have actually given him the opportunity to explore the character far more.
That said, Mayweather was easily one of the better parts of the show for me. Unlike the rest of the crew, even the captain, Mayweather always had this sense of optimism and joy for exploration. There was pride and excitement in his voice just about whenever he spoke. The way Montogmery made use of his lines and his ability to express awe of what he’s seeing and dealing with made him very likable.
One of his better episodes that focused on him and his story was “Horizon” in season two. In it, Mayweather has to return to his family, who worked and lived on a ship belonging to the Earth Cargo Service. They hauled materials all across the quadrant and the hope was that Travis would take over for his father as the captain of the ECS Horizon.
The episode did a great job showcasing Mayweather’s enjoyment of exploration and his sense of duty. His professionalism was clearly inherited from his father and while it isn’t always stated why Mayweather behaves as he does, it’s clear that he learned at a young age from his father how to behave on a starship.
It’s part of the reason why Mayweather is usually the most professional among the bridge crew and why he remains a personal favorite.
4. Thy’lek Shran
Yup, you knew he was coming. Thy’lek Shran is an Andorian Imperial Guard and one of the main points of emphasis in the Andorian and Vulcan clashes. He’s usually leading the charge, and his distrust of anyone outside of his fellow soldiers is obvious from the get-go. Yet, he takes a liking to Jonathan Archer, who he feels is honest and honorable.
This of course leads to the two having a bond of sorts, with Shran constantly taking little jabs at Archer by calling him “Pink-Skin“. Sharn’s dry wit and sense of nobility made the character into must-see television for fans of the franchise. The character’s appearances increased greatly as the series went on, going from three episodes in the first two seasons, to five in just season four alone.
A move that was done due to the popularity of the character.
He was so well-liked among the fanbase that a rumor claimed there were plans in place to further expand his role for season five had there been one. With talks going from him being a series regular, to a potential permanent fixture on the show. Of course, that never happened and fans wept openly over the decision to cancel the series.
Part of the appeal of Shran wasn’t just the Andorian attitude, but the man who brought it to life; Jeffrey Combs. Combs, counting all the versions of Weyoun, has played or will play 18 different characters in the history of Star Trek to date.
That’s not counting the voice acting credits for video games, either. He appeared in three of the four golden era series, with credits on Enterprise, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager. He’ll return to the franchise once again in Lower Decks.
Combs’ portrayal of Shran was a big reason why fans were so eager to see the character. It’s hard to say that anyone would’ve captured the essence of Shran as well as Combs did.
3. Charles “Trip” Tucker
The second-highest-ranking member of a starship is rarely the chief engineer but in the case of Enterprise, Charles “Trip” Tucker was just that. As the second in command of all the Human Fleet officers and crew aboard the Enterprise, the only person who had more sway than him was the Captain himself. And T’Pol depending on the day.
Trip, named as he is due to being the third man to carry the name Charles Tucker after his father and grandfather, was one of the cooler characters on the show. Not in a Fonzie way, but in an attitude way. While he could grow frustrated on occasion with things didn’t go his way, he was far more interested in the adventure and discovery of other customs and cultures than many would give him credit for.
He was kind and compassionate and cared about those he served with, remaining loyal to a fault. He was open to new cultures but he was not afraid to get dirty. For instance, that time when he threatened to assault a trio of Denobulan scientists he was sent to rescue, who refused to leave until their work was done. Weeks from that point.
He wasn’t a dolt but he was at times too good-intentioned for his own good and sometimes that bit him in the backside. Like when he got robbed on Risa alongside Malcolm Reed. Like with many on this list, it wasn’t just the writing that made the character so well-liked, but the actor too. Connor Trinneer, the man who played Trip, deserves all the credit for making the character as beloved as he is.
Tucker’s kind but stern sensibility made him a crowd favorite and was a character that everyone rooted for; which is why the series finale still angers fans to this day.
2. T’Pol
It’s hard to create a Vulcan character, have them stand out, and somehow not get them compared to Spock. It’s a difficult challenge that Voyager and Enterprise tried to take on to varying degrees of success. Part of the issue of trying to bring a Vulcan to life is making them unique but knowing you can’t have them express emotion.
This was the struggle with Tuvok on Voyager, but despite that, they did an admirable job making Tuvok seem unique among Vulcans. T’Pol on the other hand was wholly unique. While she was just as monotoned as the rest of the Vulcans in the series, she was much closer to being her own person than any other Vulcan had been after Spock.
She had a sense of warmth and desire to help Jonathan Archer, usually being a voice of reason. There were even times she’d let her emotions out, albeit briefly, when around Archer. He served as a safe place for her, even if she wouldn’t admit it, as seen in “The Seventh”.
T’Pol was also very progressive in her beliefs, which breaks from the Vulcan norm (at least at the time). She trusted Archer, as much as if not more than anyone else she knew. She didn’t want to belittle those who believed in the practice of mind melds, even when doing so could’ve saved her reputation. She believed in peace with the Andorians and made a real effort to fit in with her colleagues aboard Enterprise, even though her own people viewed them as largely hopeless.
She even embraced the ability to drop some dry wit on people without breaking stride. The most iconic moment of this came after she was done telling Trip Tucker and Archer the story of her great-grandmother and the events of Carbon Creek. Excited, the duo asks her if the events of hte episode really happened, but T’Pol just states she told them “a story”, as they had asked her to do, and slyly implies the whole thing was made up. Of course, the two guys start laughing, but T’Pol sits there, knowing the truth about everything.
It may have been without a display of emotion but it was nonetheless a sarcastic retort.
While there may have been some issues with portraying the character, Jolene Blalock did an excellent job and endured herself to the Star Trek audience during her run on Enterprise as T’Pol. Her character may not have had the most immediate impact but now two decades later, the character stands out as a true reason to check out the show.
1. Jonathan Archer
Jonathan Archer not only captained the first Enterprise and United Earth starship, but he was also one of the founding members of the Federation, being on hand to sign the Federation Charter of 2161. It makes all sorts of sense to build a show around him when you realize he was essentially the George Washington of the Federation.
Archer as a character was forced to be not just an explorer but a soldier and a politician at a time when alliances weren’t in abundance and distrust were everywhere. Even among the Vulcans and humans. He was given command of the first NX vessel but was saddled because of the Vulcan distrust of humans, the assignment came with a Vulcan babysitter. A babysitter he initially didn’t want, let alone like. Yet, through it all, he ended up earning the trust of T’Pol as well as her respect. Together, with the rest of the crew, they helped broker peace between two warring alien races (Vulcans and Andorians), all while becoming one of the founding pieces of the Federation.
Part of the appeal of Archer wasn’t just the fact he was the first to do many things but the fact that he was a man of principles when he didn’t need to be. There were no doctrines, just his moral code, which would serve him very well. While Jean-Luc Picard defied order after order and James T. Kirk laughed at the Prime Directive, Archer often refused to compromise who he was or what he believed. He’d often stand his ground when things got dicey and would stick to his own principles and morals to help solve problems. It’s why Shran always trusted him because he knew Archer would not betray his own internal morality no matter who he was dealing with.
Archer was brought to life beautifully by sci-fi legend Scott Bakula, and it’s hard to think of a better person who would’ve been able to fill the shoes of Archer any better. Bakula was always an actor who was able to bring a gentle touch and an abundance of nobility to each of the characters he plays. Something that shines through with Archer.
It’s fair to say that anyone could’ve brought Archer to life, but Bakula made Archer a legend.