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I have a confession to make. I'm cheating on Enterprise. Not on Wednesday nights at 8, when my entire family gathers around the television to watch; but the VCR in my bedroom is taping merrily away, and on Thursday nights, I watch That Other Wednesday Night Genre Show.

And it's not because I love Superman. It's certainly not because I think Smallville has strong female characters. No, I tape Enterprise's rival on the WB because I'm in love with Lex Luthor...and his father. They're such wonderfully tortured souls, so twisted yet somehow so appealing. Given the fantasy nature of the show, they seem very real.

Star Trek needs villains like that. Smart, sophisticated villains who seem admirable at times...like the original series Klingons, who were never as brutish as they were described but quite cunning, or like Blade Runner's replicants who look just like us. The Borg are too mechanical for identification, the Hirogen too vicious; thus far the Suliban remain too enigmatic. The Xindi have promise, but I don't like the fact that the humanoids are portrayed as the moderates on their council keeping the extremist animal-like races in check.

Tonight I will tape the Kryptonite bullets while I watch the Beauty and the Beast episode of Enterprise. And tomorrow, I will get to see Lex, that sexy beast, on video.

Trek BBS Today

Below are some of the topics currently being discussed at the Trek BBS:

-Who was the meanest character on Voyager?

-Of all the supporting characters, which of Deep Space Nine's non-regulars did you like best?

-It's the Star Trek Bible! Literally!

More topics can be found at the Trek BBS!

Trek Two Years Ago

These were some of the major news items from mid-October 2001:

• Keating Recalls 'Enterprise' Casting
  Dominic Keating was not certain that he was right for the part of Enterprise armoury officer Malcolm Reed. "I might not be exactly what they thought they were looking for," he said, "but I know I can give them something which will make them think, 'He fits the bill, he's going to look great on the ship with the other people'."

• Takei: Typecasting Is A Double-Edged Sword
  "When you're associated with a show that's enormously popular, and has the kind of longevity that Star Trek has, you discover that Hollywood producers are notoriously unimaginative," George Takei (Sulu) told an interviewer. "They see you as that character, rather than as an actor." However, he added, association with Star Trek gave him many financial opportunities and afforded him the chance to use his exposure to present a positive image to the community.

• Stars Talk 'Enterprise' Philosophy
  StarTrek.com posted interviews with many members of the cast and crew of Enterprise, who cited parallels with the original series and the realism of the drama as the sources of its appeal. "You got guns, you got aliens, you got a really fast ship, and you don't know where you're going to go from day to day," said Connor Trinneer (Trip Tucker), while executive producer Brannon Braga discussed the element of fear that real travelers would probably experience.

More news can be found in the archives.

Poll Results

Below are the results of the most recent TrekToday poll:

Several Trek alumni are appearing onstage now or in the near future. Would you most like to see: Patrick Stewart in 'The Caretaker' 34.7% - (316 Votes) I'm holding out until Shatner does 'Hamlet' 26% - (237 Votes) Kate Mulgrew in 'Tea At Five' 23.4% - (213 Votes) Casey Biggs in 'Shakespeare in Hollywood' 4.8% - (44 Votes) Rene Auberjonois in 'Sly Fox' 4.7% - (43 Votes) Gates McFadden in 'The Shore' 3.9% - (36 Votes) Robert Beltran in 'The Big Knife' 2.3% - (21 Votes) Total Votes: 910

Please vote in our new poll and rate "Exile" once you have seen the episode.

Today's Television Listings

Tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, UPN will show Enterprise's "Exile". Here's the official synopsis of the episode:

A powerful telepath makes contact with Hoshi and offers to help Enterprise find the Xindi ... for a price.

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