As a writer who primarily covers the Star Trek franchise, I chat with fans on social media quite often because I enjoy the different perspectives and opinions they offer. Recently, I was in a comment section when someone said the reason Star Trek: Enterprise got canceled was because of Scott Bakula's "weak acting and his inability to lead a cast."
"Infinite diversity, infinite diversity!" I muttered to myself, knowing Enterprise was the victim of the shift in upper echelon UPN management, as new executives weren't interested in backing it. While it's true the ratings weren't what the network wanted to see and that was the other main reason for the cancellation, this discussion made me wonder what another season of Star Trek: Enterprise might have looked like.
What character arcs might we have seen? Would Trip Tucker have lived? Let's visit an alternate timeline where Enterprise got a fifth season and what this unique prequel might have looked like.
The addition of Jeffery Combs Combs as a permanent cast member
After Enterprise finished its run in 2005, some rumors floated in Star Trek circles that Jeffery Combs, who played the courageous and contrary Andorian commander Thy'lek Shran, might have joined the cast full-time if not for the cancellation. Combs, who'd guest-starred not only in Enterprise but Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, had excellent chemistry with Bakula and his character of Captain Archer.
It's interesting to ponder what Shran's position on the NX-01 Enterprise would have been. Would he have worked in the security division because of his experience with the Andorian military? Any role that kept him on the bridge and flinging verbal barbs at Archer would have been beautiful!
Upgrades to Enterprise
Starfleet history reveals that ship refits occur frequently. This makes sense when considering the technological advancements in the field at the time. Had Enterprise lasted one or more seasons, season 5 may have opened with an updated ship.
When it came to self-defense in the first four seasons, the best the NX-01 had was polarized hull plating. The shields that would protect later versions of Enterprise were still many years in the future, but the refit might have included upgrades to the shielding system that supported the polarized hull plating.
A lighter, more positive tone
Some critics say that one of Enterprise's flaws was its grim tone. During the post 9/11 years, when the fourth season of the show aired, enemies like the Suliban and the Xindi reflected the anxieties of the time, especially the theme of invisible enemies.
After the end of the Xindi War, would the show have undergone a tonal shift at the start of season 5? With the Federation's growth (which we might see if Star Trek: United gets greenlit), there would've been a greater chance to heal from all the damage the war caused.
A reveal that Trip Tucker's death was faked
Some fans, myself included, believe that what we saw in the holodeck program Commander Riker played may not show things as they truly happened. While Trip died a hero, it's possible that either he or others, such as Section 31, faked his death for a mission that will probably always remain unrealized.