nterprise, UPN's fledgling Star Trek prequel, found its space legs during a maiden voyage last year that ended in a cliffhanger dealing with the Temporal Cold War. As season two gets underway Sept. 18, the cast and crew expect the characters to grow, the stories to go farther and the early Trek mythology to deepen. UPN has ordered 26 new episodes for the second season; production has already begun.
Among other things, expect the crew to leave the ship more, more action, possibly a little romance, maybe a few more revelations about who or what is behind the Temporal Cold War and more backstory about the Federation and its early history. There will also be a few surprises, producers promise.
The show's creators and executive producers, Brannon Braga and Rick Berman, and cast members Connor Trinneer (Cmdr. Trip Tucker), John Billingsley (Dr. Phlox) and Anthony Montgomery (Ensign Travis Mayweather) took a moment to speak candidly with Science Fiction Weekly about their first year and the upcoming second season. Enterprise will continue to air on UPN Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Brannon Braga, what can we expect in the second year?
Braga: We're trying to improve on the first year. We were very excited about the first year. We were very happy with the response. But there are always certain little things that you'd like to make better. And so we kind of started off the first year with those goals.
And we want to keep doing what we've been doing, but I think there were a few times when we fell into some ... old Star Trek traps, and we want to avoid those. We've got a great part two to the cliffhanger, ["Shockwave, Part II,"] which we were very pleased with, and that's terrific.
What traps are you speaking of?
Braga: There were just a few episodes ... usually the ones that come somewhere around Christmastime, when we're really, really tired, [in which] maybe [we] fell into some familiar patterns, you know? You think of ... really, really inventive fresh episodes on Enterprise, like "Shuttlepod One," [with] the two guys trapped on the shuttle, or others like it, and ... there were others that we weren't as happy with, like a show called "Oasis," or "Sleeping Dogs," which was one about Klingons. And then another one about holograms.
They just weren't fresh enough. And we really want to try to make this season as perfect as it can be. We want to capitalize more on the fact that it's a prequel. We want to have a season that maybe has even more action than it had last season. And we want to just keep the creative juices flowing. I know that sounds very general. We're just kind of getting back.
What will you be doing with the Temporal Cold War arc?
Braga: We like the way it's going. We're kind of just parceling out tantalizing bits of information. I will say that every time we do it, we're going to take it a step further. And part two of the cliffhanger, we're going to learn some really interesting things about what Archer [Scott Bakula] and Enterprise's role might be in the formation of the Star Trek universe. And then beyond that, we're going to wait a while and then come back to the Temporal Cold War. But we're not going to do it too much. We want it to be a kind of an ongoing element.
Will you deal with the birth of the Federation?
Braga: Well, the birth of the Federation will be hinted at in "Shockwave II." It will be hinted at. And in the back of our minds, that's something that may play a part in the series. We're not sure to what extent, but we definitely begin to hint at such far-reaching things in that episode.
In the first season, you hinted at the beginnings of the Prime Directive.
Braga: Yeah, the Prime Directive. We're in no rush to come up with rules for this crew. But we want to continue tapping into the prime directive and those kinds of things as the season goes on. But they just got their toes in the water. They just got out there. We don't want to rush things.
The fans have been up in arms about the show's fiddling with Trek continuity.
Braga: They shouldn't be up in arms, because we've been very careful. The continuity is airtight. Believe me. We know. We know.
It's been reported that the Romulans will figure in the second season as well.
Braga: I think I can say without getting into too much trouble that very early in the season we will have our first brush with the Romulans. But I also will say, because of [Star Trek:] Nemesis, the movie, which is coming out [Dec. 13], we don't want to step on Nemesis' toes, which is the Romulans of Picard's time. But Capt. Archer will have a very lethal brush with the Romulans early on.
You'll also be doing more with the Vulcans?
Braga: One of the things we realized early on, when we were doing this series, that there was a chance to make the Vulcans really interesting again. Not since the original series have the Vulcans played a major role in Star Trek, and although Tuvok on [Star Trek:] Voyager was an intriguing character, he was all by himself. And the Vulcans are really a paradoxical species, especially on this show, in that they are very enlightened, and consider themselves to be enlightened, but they're really kind of screwed up, too. I mean, they have all the wonderful paradoxes that humans have, in that we're striving to be better people, but we have all this baggage. And we really enjoy the Vulcan element of the show in the first season, and it matured into something I thought was really interesting. So we're going to continue with that.
In fact, I believe the second ... episode will be a big [Vulcan] episode, ["Carbon Creek,"] which actually takes place in the 1950s, and we learn that first contact with Zefram Cochrane actually wasn't the first time Vulcans had been on Earth. And the High Command has this secret thing that they're trying to cover up. It's not the Roswell crash. It's before Roswell. And we're not going to overdo it, hopefully, but we do want the [Vulcan] thing to continue. And some fans have said, "Oh, these aren't the Vulcans that we're used to." But I don't see that as a violation of continuity. This is a century before. I think it's interesting, rather than portraying Vulcans that are very much like they were in Kirk's time, why not show that they're right along with humans in trying to get their [stuff] together, you know? And I think they make good foils for each other. ... Part of the pilot, they're antagonists. And that definitely will keep going.
Is there one particular member of the cast that maybe you feel didn't get enough attention last season?
Braga: When you have a cast of seven people, you're always looking to do stories with everybody. And just by sheer chance, stories come when they come. And I think Phlox is definitely a character that we'd like to explore more, and Mayweather, and then maybe Reed [Dominic Keating] and Hoshi [Linda Park]. But I think Phlox and Mayweather are the two you're going to see a little more of.
Do you have new writers this year?
Braga: We have a new writer named John Shiban, who was one of the executive producers on The X-Files, and he's aboard. And he's writing episode three, ["Minefield,"] which is a dynamite episode, which is a big Reed episode, where he gets stuck to the hull. We run into a minefield, and one of the mines gets stuck on the hull, and he's pinned under the mine. And so the whole show takes place on the hull of the ship. ... He's been a real infusion of creativity and a breath of fresh air.
You'll be shooting more of the show on location?
Braga: This is a show that's about exploration, and too often on, say, Voyager, it was standing sets. We've got to get to strange, new worlds on this show. I mean, that's what it's all about. And though it's difficult to produce those kinds of shows, I think you're going to see a ... mix that leans more toward getting to the exploration and getting off the ship and going to planets and going to alien ships and stuff like that.
What will happen with Capt. Archer?
Braga: I think it's time for Archer to get his space legs a little more. And Rick and I have discussed this at length going into the season. We would like to see Archer start to really get it together. ... We still would like to see him struggling, making mistakes. In "Shockwave II," he's basically on trial. This whole mission's on trial. So I think season two, he's really got to prove himself. He's really got to take command and figure out how to do this right. Because he made a few blunders last year. And this year, we're hoping that we see a guy who really starts to fulfill his potential as a captain. And what that means, I have no idea.
Rick Berman, will we see any crossovers with other Trek series, given that the Temporal Cold War affords such an opportunity?
Berman: There's no plans of that bridging into the other series right now, certainly not [Star Trek: The] Next Generation, which is the only other series that's involved in anything, with the movies. ... [But] you might see some crossover stuff, it's possible.
Anything this season?
Berman: It's possible.
Connor Trinneer, when we talked to you last year, it was all new to you. How does it look to you now?
Trinneer: The first year, I was sort of pleasantly surprised by the opportunities I was given in playing Trip, and that they sort of, I think, understood his voice or had a good idea about Trip's voice and gave that character, my character, some great storylines.
Not being given the information about what's going to happen this year, I guess the thing that I would like to see happen would be I'd like to see how he gets his foot caught in his mouth all the time, [and that] have a consequence. I would like to see an episode where he finds himself having to come to terms with the fact that he just sort of blurts stuff out and flies by the seat of his pants and gets caught by it. ... The pendulum swinging back in the direction of balance would be a nice thing, I think.
Your character was very active. What's it like to play someone so intense all the time?
Trinneer: Well, as an actor, I think if you get a job you want ... You want the story to be focused around what you're doing. And it can't be that way with the number of folks we have on the show. And you've got to trade off. But yeah, just give it to me. I'd love to have it. I mean, yeah, give me the piano, I'll carry it on my shoulders. I'd love to do it. Anything they throw at me. Like the second or third episode, I was pregnant. And I took that as a great acting challenge. And I would appreciate, invite, encourage, those sort of scenarios: ... different extreme situations [in which to] put that character, and that I can therefore find as an actor, through my own craft, ways in which I can use my imagination to bring those to life. ... I hope that I've given them the leeway and that they're allowing my character the leeway to have new experiences and ... not to just be the firecracker engineer who insults whatever alien shows up on the ship.
After a year, what is the reality of being part of the Trek universe?
Trinneer: The only difference is in familiarity, really. ... Having done a number of conventions and met the fans, and having seen certain documentaries that portray fans in a certain light, is it the reality? ... [In] 99 percent of the scenarios, [fans have been] very respectful and very low-key. And I have appreciated that a lot. Because I'm low key and I don't, I don't want to grandstand. I'm not that kind of guy. And it's actually been a surprising experience in the sense that it's been normal. People walked up and said, "You know, dude, I like what you're doing." Very quietly, say at a bar or something. So having spent the year not knowing what to expect, finding out the reality, I've been pleasantly surprised.
It seems like there's a couple possibilities for some sort of romantic relationships to blossom among the crew?
Trinneer: Well, I mean, it's the show. Granted, I think somewhere down the line, the core members of the show at some point will get together. It seems to be how that works. I have no idea how that's going to go. Honestly, I have no opinion on how it's going to go. We as actors, we as people, get along very well. I really, really like everybody that I work with. It's a great work environment. But in terms of how the characters are going to interact and relate as the hopeful seven-year progression makes itself a reality, that I don't know.
John Billingsley, how has your first year as Dr. Phlox turned out?
Billingsley: It's been great. I didn't really have any expectations, particularly. So I can't say it met them or didn't meet them. But I've had a great time. ...
I've been doing a few conventions. I've actually gotten to know a number of the fans. And everybody's been extremely pleasant. I certainly haven't had any negative encounters with anybody. And as to the "You're in it for life" deal, I guess you'd have to ask me at the end of my life what it meant. But right now, I'm just having a blast.
What can we expect for Dr. Phlox in the second season?
Billingsley: I'm sure that there will be some revelations. I know that ... [there's] an episode ["A Night in Sickbay"] with Scott and myself, for reasons I don't yet know, we are in the sickbay together. I think it may have something to do with the captain's dog, who is ill. So it's sort of an Odd Couple episode. I think it's revealed that I have a very long tongue. That's about all I know. But I assume we might learn a little bit more about Dinobula.
Do we ever see Phlox's wives?
Billingsley: I always tell to people, in hopes that if I say it often enough, it'll come true. I would like my wife, Bonnie [actress Bonita Friedericy] ... introduced as all three of my wives. That all of the women on Dinobula look like her. That would be fun. And that would give her a lot of episodes, and we'd have more residual checks coming into the home.
Anthony Montgomery, what's it been like for you now that you have one year under your belt?
Montgomery: Incredible. Incredible. It was an incredible ride, and I learned a lot about myself as a person, as an actor. I felt that I had a lot of growth over the last year, and I look forward to whatever's to come.
What's coming up for Travis Mayweather next year?
Montgomery: Travis got beat up a bunch. But he did get off the ship. I'd like to see him off the ship again. ... I'd like to meet his family, see if he has any siblings.The "boomer" family. They have seven people that they have to carve stories around, so eventually they'll work it all back in. But I don't want it to just be about his life as a boomer. I mean, I want to know about that, but let's see what else we can have Travis do. Again, I'll go do this, probably, for the next seven years, so I hope your readers don't get bored, because I'm going to say the same thing. I want Travis to keep growing. And he did grow over this last season. I look forward to whatever's next.
What's been the most surprising thing for you about being part of Trek universe?
Montgomery: That I was not as overwhelmed as I could have been. ... Because you don't get a job that has five-and-a-half to six million viewers a week that are going to watch, regardless. It was a learning curve, the entire year, the entire time. I did my first convention. And it was wonderful. I had a great time at Grand Slam. The fans are fantastic. I got warned about that. And I got warned about Trekkies from people who aren't Trekkies. "Oh, well, what about those fans?" You know nothing about those fans. When I actually did a convention, it was wonderful. They were great.
People have described the ovation from the fans at a convention as a huge wall of love.
Montgomery: That's exactly what it is. ... We walked out [onstage], and I was like, "Hey, how you guys doing?" And they erupted. And I was like, "Oh my god." From that moment on, I had a great time on stage. And we had fun. I took pictures of the audience. I have them up on my Web site. It was great. It was great.
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