The Trek Nation - From Series V To Enterprise

From Series V To Enterprise

By Christian Höhne Sparborth
Posted at May 14, 2001 - 11:54 PM GMT

Over the past two years, there has been one topic that has always had fans fascinated: the next Star Trek series, initially known to fans simply as 'Series V' but over the past few months increasingly referred to as Enterprise. Now that filming for the opening episode started today, we take a look at two years of online rumours and gossip on the next series.

Phase 1: Flight Academy

During the first half of 1999, very little was known about the next Star Trek series - in fact, it wasn't officially known yet whether there would even be a next series. The first rumours dealt purely with the series' projected launch date, but from July onwards there was one concept that was eventually repeated by literally every established internet source in existence: 'Flight Academy.'

At the same time, Rick Berman and Brannon Braga denied they were developing the Starfleet Academy concept more strongly than they ever denied the prequel concept, and later reports also never referred to the two producers working on a Starfleet Academy series. Still, the very widespread presence of these rumours suggests that at least some point this concept was discussed at Paramount, even if perhaps not by the Berman/Braga creative team.

Of course, we will likely never know for certain exactly what really happened during those first months of 1999, though it seems fairly certain the first elements of the Enterprise concept were already developed during this year.

February 5, 1999 - On the very first day TrekToday was open, IGN Sci-Fi posted an opinion article looking at the various options for the next Star Trek series. Thinking we needed a good name to refer to the series in future news updates, we came up with the name 'Series V.' To our knowledge, this was the first time the term "Series V" was used online to refer to the next Trek show.
February 9, 1999 - News site Planet Riker posted a comment from one of its sources about the IGN article, which had suggested that Series V might be based around Captain Robert April. In Star Trek lore, April was the first Captain of Kirk's Enterprise, before even Christopher Pike. Planet Riker said that while a Captain Riker series had at least been considered (and rejected) by Paramount, a Captain April series was never in the running. Of course, now it turns out the producers have apparently gone even further back in time for Enterprise.
March 25, 1999 - The Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune reported that Star Trek producer Rick Berman would be ready to launch another Trek series after Voyager ended. "If Rick Berman said Voyager was the last one, I wouldn't believe him for a million dollars," the paper quoted Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine) as saying. "It's an absolute cash cow."
April 9, 1999 - Viacom chairman Summer Redstone said the company was planning to create a new science-fiction cable channel in the Fall of 2001, raising speculation that this new channel would be launched together with Series V. The plans of course never went anywhere, though the company now seems intent on making UPN a pseudo Sci-Fi Channel.
May 30, 1999 - In an interview in USA Today, Rick Berman said he didn't "expect the hiatus [between DS9 and Series V] to be more than a year." A week later, Berman told the Los Angeles Times that he didn't expect Voyager to be the only Trek show on the air for long, though he also said it was "a pretty good bet" the show would be ready to hit the air by September 2002. He added the show could also be fast-tracked to air as soon as September 2000, but of course the actual premiere will be right between those two dates.
June 3, 1999 - Established Usenet insider Dangermouse said that the Series V concept discussed at the time was set 15 years after Voyager, in the early 25th Century. The most likely premiere date was Fall 2001, and the most likely creative combination looked to be Rick Berman, Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore.
June 13, 1999 - Speaking to the Chicago Tribune, Rick Berman made the first of many comments on the feel of Series V. He said it was "going to be more dramatically different, I believe, from what we have done before... dramatic meaning it's going to be unique.... it won't be as close to the three exisiting shows."
June 23, 1999 - Ronald D. Moore left the Voyager writing staff and the Trek franchise, destroying all hope he would be developing Series V.
June 30, 1999 - The first major Series V rumour appeared online, as Jeffrey Wells at Mr. Showbiz reported that Rick Berman and Brannon Braga were working on a concept entitled 'Star Trek: Flight Academy.' The project was described as a kind of Top Gun plot revolving around Starfleet Academy, and was said to be intended as a TV pilot script or possibly even a movie.
July 7, 1999 - A Paramount spokesperson called the 'Flight Academy' rumour "bogus," and insisted that the earliest a pilot would be ready would be late 2002. Shortly therafter, Jeffrey Wells posted another report saying that he was sure this was the concept in development. "[The studio] may be denying this because Paramount execs may want to make the announcement themselves later on (or some such motive) but she's oil-slicking all the same. I double-checked with my sources Wednesday, and the story is 100 percent accurate."
July 13, 1999 - Brannon Braga talked to Cinescape about the latest rumours: "We've been chatting about a new series. We chat about a lot of things. I just can't comment on it. If I could tell you anything firm, I would, but everything's very nebulous right now. I will say to you that I don't know where that [Flight Academy] rumor started. If there is a new Star Trek series, I highly doubt if it will have anything to do with Starfleet Academy. I would be shocked if that turned out to be the next series."
August 8, 1999 - Despite the official denials, two more inside sources confirmed online that Paramount was developing a Starfleet Academy series. On Usenet, noted insider Dangermouse wrote, "I find this difficult to believe, considering the number of times Rick Berman has said "no it will never happen", but according to the memos floating around there will be an Academy series running alongside Voyager season 7 (though it won't be called Starfleet Academy)." Two weeks later, TrekWeb also reported Paramount execs were now quietly confirming the Starfleet Academy premise.
August 22, 1999 - Amusingly, a domain name speculator registered the StarTrekFlightAcademy.com domain name, and asked $2,479.51 for the domain name. A year later, the domain expired and is now again available to register for only a few dollars.
September 3, 1999 - The confusion continued, as a new interview appeared with Rick Berman, five paragraphs of which consisted of Berman denying the Starfleet Academy reports. "I can tell you definitely that I am in very involved discussions with a studio right now about what direction the next Star Trek TV series is going to go," Berman told the now-defunct Eon Magazine. "These are discussions that have narrowed to some degree, but What, Where, When – none of these things have been decided. We are in no way considering a Starfleet Academy show. A Starfleet Academy show …. if I had the time and inclination, I would describe to you why that would be a very bad idea. No script has been written, no one at Paramount is involved in any design."
September 7, 1999 - The 'other' rumour that circulated in 1999 got started today, with British site the SF Crowsnest reporting that the new series would be set aboard the U.S.S. Excellent. Though the Crowsnest was the only site supporting this concept, it still got quite a bit of online attention, which didn't die down until a few months later, when the site fabricated a Rick Berman interview to supported their Excellent concept.
October 15, 1999 - According to Rick Berman, Series V was now scheduled to premiere in Fall 2000 or early 2001.
October 24, 1999 - British SF magazine SFX became yet another source to confirm the Starfleet Academy concept. "They keep denying the Flight Academy idea, but that's the leading contender right now," the magazine wrote. "The studio wants to see something on a ship. In fact, they want the next movie on a ship with a new crew. Nothing's been firmed up. The one thing that is firm is that it'll be Rick Berman and Brannon Braga who will create it."

Phase 2: Birth of the Federation

Even if Paramount had at one point considered a Starfleet Academy series, from late 1999 onwards the most important concept was that of a prequel series, which was developed by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. Initially, the series seemed to experience some difficulties getting off the ground, after Paramount reportedly rejected the concept several times and also did audience tests for both Starfleet Academy and Enterprise. However, Rick Berman and Brannon Braga went on tweaking the prequel concept, and from early 2000 onwards the concept of a prequel Enterprise seemed to be set firmly in stone.

November 5, 1999 - TrekToday reported that a week earlier, Rick Berman and Brannon Braga had pitched a 'Birth of the Federation' concept, a Trek prequel dealing with the origins of the Federation. Though Paramount didn't immediately accept the first pitch, they did apparently find it promising enough to let Berman and Braga develop it further. Reportedly, this was the creative team's second Series V pitch, after already suggesting a 'Star Trek meets X-Files meets time-travel' pastiche several months earlier.
November 9, 1999 - Speaking at the University of California, Brannon Braga confirmed that a fifth series was "in the works," and also said that Paramount had in fact already chosen a story premise presented by Berman and himself. He said that the new show would be very different, would have "close to zero technobabble" and would be "very contemporary."
November 30, 1999 - Brannon Braga told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette he thought Star Trek might need a rest, but that with a right concept Series V would still be able to do well. Asked whether Series V would be set at Starfleet Academy or on an outpost in a remote sector of the galaxy, he said that none of the internet scenarios reflected what he and Berman had in mind. "We have been discussing a new series for many months, but the concept we have in development is so premature I don't feel comfortable talking about it," he said. "It's very different, but it captures the essence of 'Star Trek.' We both feel we have to recapture the excitement of the original series, and at the same time push 'Star Trek' forward a little bit in terms of tone and storytelling so that its not just another 'Star Trek.' "
December 1, 1999 - In the Star Trek Communicator, Rick Berman made several comments that in retrospect fit in with the Enterprise concept as we know it now. At the time, Berman said that nothing had been carved in stone, but they were very excited about the direction it was going in and were waiting on a green light to go ahead and work on a script. He couldn't yet answer a question about the time frame of the series, but did say that "if [he had his way] the show will have a title far different than any of the previous series." Of course, this now looks to be the dropping of the words 'Star Trek' from the series title, which the producers always felt limited the potential audience for other series.
December 2, 1999 - British magazine SFX reported that the fifth Star Trek series, if it were to go forward, would have Herman Zimmerman taking on set design duties. Over a year later, they turned out to be right.
December 7, 1999 - TrekToday reported that the series' concept had not yet been officially approved by Paramount, even after Rick Berman and Brannon Braga had refined and revised their pitch several times. Apparently, the studio had said it would be willing to push back the premiere date of the new series if that would be necessary to get a concept they felt absolutely confident about. Apparently, this did in fact happen, as over the next few months the producers began referring to September 2001 as the likely premiere date, instead of September 2000 or January 2001.
January 13, 2000 - Ain't It Cool News reported that Paramount had held focus group sessions to test out several Series V concepts: 'Starfleet Academy', a sort of Navy SEALS series, and 'Birth of the Federation,' which was said to be the least-developed of the three concepts.
January 15, 2000 - Brannon Braga told Cleveland Live that Paramount had given the green light to develop Series V, which he was now expecting to get on the air in January or the Fall of 2001.
January 19, 2000 - More info appeared on the contents of the focus group sessions. Three concepts were reportedly tested out: 'Starfleet Academy' and 'Enterprise,' both presented using a series of illustrations and a basic storyline, while the least-developed premise was 'Alpha Squad,' presented only on paper. 'Starfleet Academy' was said to feature Academy cadets who would also "serve on a starship commanded by a seasoned Captain" and go on training missions. 'Enterprise' was said to set in the 22nd Century and feature an interesting storyline and characters. Finally, 'Alpha Squad' would chronicle the adventures of an elite force consisting of two ships and special forces officers.
February 16, 2000 - Talking to the Star Trek Communicator, Rick Berman said that "one could make a pretty safe bet that the show would take place on a starship."
February 18, 2000 - Glen Oliver at IGN Sci-Fi reported that Paramount had now finally approved the development of Series V, selecting the prequel concept developed by Berman & Braga.
March 21, 2000 - In the first Series V news item on the restyled TrekToday, UPN president Dean Valentine was quoted as saying the network was already in talks with Paramount over Series V.
March 24, 2000 - Rick Berman said that the delay in developing Series V was mostly due to the legal wrangling over the status of UPN. He estimated they were about a month away from the scripting process, and expected an official announcement within the next three to four months.
April 4, 2000 - Brannon Braga confirmed that audience tests had been held by Paramount. "Obviously, that's true," he told the Sci-Fi Wire. "I honestly can't say a lot about it simply because I have nothing to do with it. This is something that Paramount is doing. The testing of concepts, particularly on something that's a franchise, so to speak, I understand is fairly normal procedure. They are testing various things, and I didn't have anything to do with it, and I have yet to hear about any results from it. It's real peripheral to me." Strangely enough, considering the many earlier statements to the contrary, Braga also said that no specific concept for the series had been nailed down yet, and Paramount was not pressuring them to come up with new series ideas anytime soon.
April 4, 2000 - TrekToday reported that Paramount TV Chairman Kerry McCluggage had finally approved the 'Birth of the Federation' premise, though with one important twist. The recurring villain of the series was said to be a villain from the 29th Century, who would travel back in time to prevent the Federation from being born in the first place. In the final version of the premise, the time-travel villain seems to have been dropped in favour of the Suliban, a deadly species obsessed with genetic enhancement.
April 17, 2000 - At a convention in Denver, Colorado, Trek archivist Richard Arnold was quite adamant in saying Series V would not be a 'Birth of the Federation' series, as it would be "too expensive" (due to 24th Century props not being re-used) and "too different" (which after DS9 and Voyager the studio didn't want anymore).
April 25, 2000 - TrekToday reported that Series V would feature an Enterprise we'd never seen or heard of before, set prior to the time of Robert April.
April 26, 2000 - Michael Logan at TV Guide reported that "a source close to him tells TV Guide that 'an idea seriously being considered is a prequel about the 22nd-century birth of the Federation and a 29th-century villain who travels back in time to stop it.'"
May 3, 2000 - A statement from Paramount said "Rick Berman and Brannon Braga are actively involved in creating the concept for the highly anticipated fifth Star Trek series and will begin working on the script soon."
May 8, 2000 - In an amusing interlude, British site the SF Crowsnest fabricated an interview with Rick Berman to support the Series V hoax it had been involved in creating and spreading, dealing with the ongoing adventures of the U.S.S. Excellent.
May 20, 2000 - Possibly because he had not signed his three-year TV deal with Paramount yet, Brannon Braga continued his phase of being surprisingly vague about the next series. The Series V co-creator told SFX Magazine that he thought "there's an understanding between the studio and Rick Berman that I will be co-creating the next series, but what and when that will be... your guess is as good as mine."
May 21, 2000 - In the same magazine, Rick Berman said that he wanted to develop a ship-based show that featured a strong set of recurring characters. When asked about the 'Enterprise' rumours, Berman said, "I really don't want to talk about the rumours because it's giving them credence just to talk about them."
June 8, 2000 - Rick Berman told the official Star Trek Magazine that Series V would be funnier, sexier and more contemporary in terms of production style than the last two series. He also wanted to make it more uplifting: "I would think that if anything the new series will be perhaps less dark. But, you know, that doesn't mean it's not going to have an edge to it: I think it definitely will."
June 10, 2000 - Providing a massive hint about the title for Series V, Paramount registered the domains StarTrekEnterprise.com, StarTrekEnterprise.net and StarTrekEnterprise.org. The studio owned relatively few Star Trek domain names, making this a rather significant move.
June 26, 2000 - In the latest Communicator, Rick Berman said (again) they were about four to six weeks away from starting on a script. He said the show would be set on a Starfleet vessel and would likely feature seven major characters.
July 13, 2000 - Brannon Braga signed on for at least three more years with the Star Trek franchise in a deal that was worth in the high seven figures. With the deal, he was now officially part of the Series V team.
July 27, 2000 - Trek archivist Richard Arnold said at a convention that absolutely nothing had been planned for Series V yet. He warned that this might lead to the Voyager soundstages being used by another series besides Trek, for the first time since 1977. Of course, now these sets are in fact being used for Enterprise.
September 6, 2000 - Paramount was apparently making its first preparations for the writers' and actors' strikes, which at the time were still considered a major threat. SFX Magazine reported the studio would move directly from shooting the pilot to the first episodes of the series. Only recently was this schedule reported to have changed (story).
September 16, 2000 - Brannon Braga said at a UPN party that Berman and he were now writing the pilot episode of Series V. He expected an official announcement in the next six months, which proved to be reasonably accurate guess.
November 2, 2000 - NBC, the network that aired the Original Series, was reported to be interested in acquiring Series V. The Hollywood Reporter said that Fox had also expressed an interest.
November 11, 2000 - Speaking to the Star Trek Communicator, Rick Berman said that he expected production for Series V to start in February or March of 2001 for an intended Fall 2001 release. He also said he expected some of the current production staff to move over to the next show: "I think there will definitely be some new people, but on the other hand, there are some people I have worked with for the last 13 years that are indispensable, and I'm sure that they will be coming over to the new show. "
November 13, 2000 - At a convention in England, Ethan Phillips became the first Trek actor to come out and say Series V would be set about hundred years before the time of Kirk, confirming the 'Birth of the Federation' reports. However, Phillips also said the cast would be a bit smaller than it turned out to be, consisting of 3 men and 2 women.
December 2, 2000 - Also in England, former Trek Script Coordinator Lolita Fatjo said casting for Series V was expected to begin later that month, though of course it turned out to be a few months later. She also said there was a "very high possibility" of Series V taking place before the Original Series
December 6, 2000 - Speaking to Space.com, former Trek writer Ronald D. Moore said that he had heard rumours that Series V would be a 'Birth of the Federation' show. "That's my understanding. That's the word around the studio, but I haven't heard that from anyone on the show."
January 8, 2001 - Kenneth Biller, executive producer on Voyager, said he knew what the Series V concept was but couldn't reveal it. He did reveal that a pilot script existed and the creators were waiting on the go-ahead to begin production on the pilot.
January 9, 2001 - A day later, Biller also said he thought it might be good for Star Trek if Series V would not make it to the air in the Fall, due to the strike threat. "I think a little breather would be healthy, and make the audience wait for it and want it. [...] But I don't make those decisions. Those are all studio and network decisions."
January 19, 2001 - Due to the strikes and the uncertainty over the future existence of UPN, Series V appeared to be completely on hold around this time. Ron Moore again related some rumours about Series V: "All I know is that, at the moment, [the new Trek series] is on hold, because there are questions about [the future of] UPN, questions about the strikes. At the moment, they're not casting or building sets. It's kind of in a holding pattern."
January 23, 2001 - Leaving only the WB, British SFX Magazine SFX reported that the ABC television network was also interested in aquiring Series V. However, the network was reportedly only willing to offer a 13-episode commitment, far less than it will likely get from UPN.
February 7, 2001 - Series V appeared to be moving forward again, with Rick Berman telling the Star Trek Communicator the studio was pleased with the initial pilot script and was currently reviewing a second draft. He said there was a definite possibility the series would not end up on UPN, and reiterated that the series' title might not include the words 'Star Trek.' Finally, he said he was hoping to have a mixture of old and new writers working on the series.
February 13, 2001 - The show was indeed getting ever closer, as SFX Magazine reported payroll payroll for staff on the series would start on the 19th of February. The magazine also reported space for the show was now being found on the Paramount backlot.
February 13, 2001 - When asked by the Star Trek Magazine about the show being set before the birth of the Federation, Rick Berman reacted, "I don't even want to comment on that! Nobody knows what this is about, except for a handful of people, and the concept has luckily not reached the Internet yet." Berman did say that shooting for the series was expected to start in March or April, and they were currently doing some design research. Finally, he revealed the show would feature both "aliens that we have come to know and love" and "wonderful new aliens."
February 15, 2001 - The very first official announcement on Series V was made, with Viacom saying the show would air on UPN in the Fall. In unofficial news, SFX reported that preliminary pre-production work on the series had already been carried out, and confirmed again the show would be a prequel.
February 20, 2001 - At a convention in Champaign, IL, Armin Shimerman (Quark) said that sets for Series V had already been built, though he was a bit early with that. In addition, Dark Horizons heard from "somebody-who-knows-somebody" that Paramount was planning to firm up its publicity plans by the time the Voyager finale aired, and then start leaking out some info. Of course, leaks unintentionally started getting out two weeks later.
February 22, 2001 - In a very clear sign that production was moving forward, Official Star Trek Fan Club president Dan Madsen revealed that John Eaves was working on creating the principal starship in Series V. Eaves previously designed the Enterprise-E for 'Star Trek: First Contact.'
February 25, 2001 - In addition to Eaves, the official site reported that Herman Zimmerman had joined Series V as Production Designer/Illustrator, a position he also held on 'The Next Generation', 'Deep Space Nine' and every Star Trek movie since 'Star Trek V: The Final Frontier'.

Phase 3: Enterprise

In early March, pre-production at Paramount kicked into high gear, as the studio began casting the series' lead actors and assembled the basic Series V staff. The internet rumour machine kicked into a perhaps even higher gear, with not a week going by without at least one Enterprise news item.

March 3, 2001 - Industry trade paper Broadcasting & Cable reported that "UPN and Paramount Network TV are in final discussions for the next Star Trek series, Enterprise." When we posted the news, we figured we had uncovered important new information on Series V. Little did we know that news would pale in comparison to what we would be posting a day later.
March 4, 2001 - A few days after Paramount sent out a breakdown sheet to cast the main cast for Series V, fandom was introduced for the first time to Captain Jackson Archer, Sub-Commander T'Pau, Commander Charlie 'Spike' Tucker and the rest of the Enterprise crew. At the time, shooting was scheduled to start on the 8th of May.
March 5, 2001 - In a CNN poll about the Series V concept, out of nearly 22,000 voters 58% said they were excited about the concept, 24% preferred to reserve judgement until the series aired, and only 15% said they were not excited.
May 6, 2001 - When asked about the casting sheet, a Paramount spokeswoman said the studio had "no comment at this time," but that they "might have an official statement in a few days," though it of course turned out to take a bit longer.
March 7, 2001 - Voyager staff writer Bryan Fuller said he had been asked to join the Series V writing staff, but he wasn't yet sure he would accept. At the same time, Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi) said Rick Berman had recently told her she could not appear in the new show, as it would take place "in a different timeline".
March 8, 2001 - TrekToday reported that the principal starship in Series V would look very different from the modern-day Federation ships we all knew. Apparently, one of the most important changes to the Enterprise design as it existed then was that it would lack the distinctive two warp nacelles.
March 13, 2001 - Paramount announced Michael Okuda had moved on to Series V as Scenic Arts Supervisor.
March 16, 2001 - Speaking to Trek columnist Ian Spelling, Rick Berman confirmed for the first time that Series V would be set in a different time than any of the other Star Trek series to date. He also said the show would have seven regular characters, five of which would be human, and said there would be a "kick-ass spaceship." Sets were already being constructed.
March 17, 2001 - A few days earlier, Ain't It Cool News reported that Anthony Michael Hall had been cast in Series V. It turned out they got it wrong by a margin of only one hour - Hall had in fact signed on for the new UPN series Dead Zone, which will be airing right after Enterprise next season.
March 19, 2001 - TrekToday reported Scott Bakula was in negotiations for the role of Captain Jackson Archer.
March 19, 2001 - After Paramount already registered several Enterprise domain names in early 2000, it was now discovered Brannon Braga himself had registered the StarTrekEnterprise.TV domain in October. On the same day, Slanted Fedora director Dave Scott as well as TV Guide confirmed the prequel premise, while a television executive at Bakula's talent agency said that supposed Paramount negotiations were "news to him."
March 19, 2001 - Long-time insider Mike Jonas revealed on the TrekWeb message boards that James Conway would be directing the Series V pilot.
March 21, 2001 - UPN President Dean Valentine said the network was in "deep negotiations" for Series V, which he called "extraordinary" and said would "blow people away." He expected UPN to make an announcement on the series soon.
March 29, 2001 - Science fiction news site SyFy World claimed to have posted the first Paramount test shot of the character of T'Pau, which the site said was to be played by newscaster Daljit Dhaliwal. The photo turned out to be a fake.
March 30, 2001 - Production details for Series V were pretty locked in by now, with Rick Berman telling the Star Trek Monthly Magazine that shooting for the two-hour premiere would begin in May and the studio was already working in full gear. At the time, the plan was to shoot at least the premiere and one one-hour episode before the actors' strike deadline.
April 2, 2001 - Ain't It Cool News became the first site to report that the Series V pilot would show the First Contact between humans and Klingons.
April 2, 2001 - The same day, several reports from the recent Grand Slam convention emerged. Brannon Braga, who had been expected to make some form of announcement about the series, said he was unable to comment on the series at all. Majel Barrett-Roddenberry said she did not like "the re-writing of Gene's story," though she also said she hoped Rick Berman would be able to do Gene justice.
April 3, 2001 - Brannon Braga told the Sci-Fi Wire he was ""reading the Internet rumours, with some amusement, just like everybody else" and expressed amazement at the level of detail in some of the rumours.
April 8, 2001 - For the first time, Trek archivist Richard Arnold said that Series V would in fact be a prequel. "The casting sheet is legit. But isn't it really scary that something like that reaches the media so quickly?"
April 10, 2001 - The first signs of troubles in the casting process emerged, as Ain't It Cool News reported Scott Bakula was no longer in the role for the Series V lead role.
April 13, 2001 - The Great Link reported that the series would take place before the establishment of the Federation or even the Romulan War. The site also had a casting update, saying that Doctor Phlox was the first character to be cast and that Engineer Charlie 'Spike' Tucker would be played by "an English guy."
April 15, 2001 - Another casting rumour surfaced, with the Great Link reporting former Babylon 5 actress Marjorie Monaghan was up for the role of T'Pau. Only three days later she was said to be already out of the running again, leaving "two ladies left" for the role.
April 18, 2001 - Paramount sent out a new casting call for the role of T'Pau, signalling that the search for the series' female lead was not over yet. At the same time, word came out that Paramount had in fact offered the role of Captain Archer to Scott Bakula, but the actor had not yet accepted, for reasons which at the time were still unknown.
April 21, 2001 - The official Star Trek site reported Doug Drexler had joined the Series V Art Department.
April 21, 2001 - TrekToday posted a script review of the Series V pilot episode, proving new info on the relationship between the humans and the Vulcans as well as the Klingon first contact.
April 22, 2001 - British SFX Magazine said Series V's principal starship would be "look a lot chunkier and blockier - many of the components held within later ship's streamline silhouettes will be bolted onto the hull."
April 23, 2001 - Fandom went crazy after trade paper Variety said Enterprise was expected to be officially announced in the same week.
April 27, 2001 - Scott Bakula officially signed on.... for the pilot episode of the CBS comedy series Late Boomers. Bakula was the last-minute replacement for that series' former star, Burt Reynolds, but was reported to be keeping his options open for Enterprise.
April 27, 2001 - The official site reported Michael Westmore would continue to create aliens as the Makeup Supervisor for Series V.
May 1, 2001 - Speaking at a convention, Marjorie Monaghan said she had indeed auditioned for the role of T'Pau, and hoped to find out later that week if she'd landed the part. As it turned out, she lost out to Jolene Blalock, who will likely be playing the character.
May 3, 2001 - The official site reported Voyager Supervising Producer Merri D. Howard had joined the staff of Series V.
May 8, 2001 - Shooting was postponed by six days to May 14. In addition, former Trek script coordinator Lolita Fatjo and DS9 actor Armin Shimerman (Quark) said at a convention Series V would likely be a prequel starring Scott Bakula.
May 11, 2001 - The day fandom had been awaiting for years. Paramount officially announced Enterprise, starring Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer.

Phase 4: Production

Production for Enterprise was scheduled to officially start this morning, the 14th of May. Over the next month, Scott Bakula, Jolene Blalock, John Billingsley, Linda Park , Anthony Montgomery , Dominic Keating and Connor Trinneer will be working to bring the first adventure of the Enterprise to television. We wish them and all the Series V staff members all the luck in creating yet another fantastic Star Trek show!

Discuss this articles at Trek BBS!
Add TrekToday RSS feed to your news reader or My Yahoo!
Also a Desperate Housewives fan? Then visit GetDesperate.com!

Find more episode info in the Episode Guide.

Christian Höhne Sparborth is one of the three editors of the Trek Nation, as well as of Andromeda site SlipstreamWeb.

From Series V To Enterprise

STAR TREK

CSI

ABOUT US