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“Star Trek: Lower Decks” has truly become a delightful treat for any dedicated Star Trek enthusiast. It’s filled with references to Trek canon, features various starships, and even brings back classic crew members. The characters themselves inject humor and depth into the franchise. If a fifth season is on the horizon, it promises to continue this trend, including a potential rehabilitation of a somewhat maligned part of Trek history.
When it comes to Star Trek series rankings, there’s a fairly unanimous consensus among fans regarding “Enterprise.” It typically finds itself towards the bottom, representing a challenging period in which the franchise seemed to lose some of its mainstream cultural relevance. This series, set before the original Star Trek, shifted towards American jingoism rather than the more utopian themes of its predecessors.
Generally, “Enterprise” isn’t a topic that gets discussed at length. However, Mike McMahan, the showrunner for “Star Trek: Lower Decks,” hopes to change that with the animated series. Of course, this hinges on finding a compelling reason to do so.
McMahan explained, “It’s hard to get Enterprise, because Enterprise is so proto, it’s so before TOS. It’s so tempting because it feels like TNG and that’s the world I play in and I love Enterprise. That’s been the hardest, but I think in season 5 I figured out – if the deals work out, there is some Enterprise love in season 5.”
This is intriguing. McMahan is correct in pointing out that “Enterprise” poses a challenge due to its setting being a full century before the era of the original Star Trek’s Captain James T. Kirk. The Original Series, The Next Generation, Voyager, and Deep Space Nine all exist within a relatively close timeframe, making them part of lived history for many potential characters.
“Enterprise” doesn’t fit in as easily. However, a guest appearance by Scott Bakula might not be entirely out of the question. He has expressed openness to revisiting “Enterprise,” and even a brief role as a hologram or something similar would be a delightful nod. Something more substantial in terms of lore would also be intriguing.
Despite my own mixed feelings about “Enterprise,” I’m pleased to see it being celebrated. While it may not stand as the pinnacle of sci-fi series, it still holds a place in the rich tapestry of Star Trek’s legacy, and “Lower Decks” has been touted as a tribute to every facet of Gene Roddenberry’s visionary franchise.