See Also: 'Horizon' Episode Guide

The upcoming "Horizon" will cast a new light on Enterprise's under-utilised helmsman, Travis Mayweather, actor Anthony Montgomery said recently.

Speaking with the Star Trek Communicator's Rich Handley (via TrekWeb), Montgomery described the April 16 outing as a seminal episode for his character. "It's not just big, it's huge. You get to meet more of my family; I'm not going to give a bunch away because I want people to tune in. You see more than just the pleasant Travis you've seen. You see the inner workings of the machine, and it was wonderful."

In the episode, Mayweather returns to his parents' cargo ship, the E.C.S. Horizon, only to discover his father has recently passed away. "Horizon" features the first appearance of the helmsman's mother, Rianna, and his brother, Paul, played by Joan Pringle (One on One) and Corey Mendell Parker, respectively.

While visiting his former home, Mayweather begins to realise what he's been missing out on during his tour of duty on Enterprise. "It was really a touching episode for me," Montgomery said. "You get a feel of how hard it was for Travis to leave the family and join Starfleet."

The actor also had the chance to stretch his acting muscles — literally — in "The Breach". In the episode, Mayweather, Trip and Reed must rappel down a rock face to rescue some trapped Denobulan geologists, something which had Montgomery wondering where his character had the time to learn these skills.

"He was born and raised on a cargo ship! It's not like he had a holodeck to practice on, so when did he learn to rock-climb. When did he get the angst to go out and do all these thrill-seeking things? Mayweather is the 'thrill seeker' of Enterprise. I myself have to find the happy medium, but Travis is very proficient at these things!"

To read the complete interview, pick up issue 143 of the Star Trek Communicator. Alternatively, excerpts are available here at TrekWeb.

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