See Also: 'The Expanse' Episode Guide

Rick Berman revealed that next season will see Enterprise take on an entirely new mission after an alien attack devastates North America.

In a TV Guide interview scheduled for publication in the May 10 issue, Berman said, "What we are about to do is a first for Star Trek...there has never been a Trek series built around a specific mission and specific stakes."

In the case of Enterprise, in the May 21 season finale, "The Expanse", the mysterious Xindi send a probe to Earth that devastates everything between Florida and Venezuela. The Xindi have obtained information that Earth will destroy their home world centuries in the future, and have decided to strike first.

"In the past, our captains have had the general mission to explore outer space," noted Berman. But on Enterprise, the future of mankind may rest with NX-01 crew: "It's up to Captain Archer to go there and stop them from destroying us altogether."

As previously reported, Enterprise (which will be "retrofitted for war"), is set to head into a dangerous area of space known as the Delphic Expanse to track down the Xindi. According to the magazine, voyagers who enter this area of space "meet a shocking and grisly fate": "Their bodies become anatomically inverted (skin on the inside, organs on the outside), yet they somehow remain alive."

TV Guide also reports on several other developments for next season, ranging from the first use of photon torpedoes in Starfleet history to a new outfit and hairdo for T'Pol.

The issue, which features Smallville stars Tom Welling and Kristin Kreuk on the cover, will be on newsstands May 5.

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