Will Star Trek: Enterprise be back for a fourth season or won't it? According to the latest rumour doing the rounds, Archer and company will return, but without a full season order.

Sources reportedly told SyFy Portal the UPN network has decided to bring Enterprise back for 12 episodes for the 2003-2004 television season, with the option to renew the series for a full 24-episode season.

Such an order is standard practice in television for freshman series, with networks often giving a 13-episode commitment to a series with the option of picking up a further nine episodes. This is sometimes also applied to continuing shows which are "on the bubble" in order to give them a second chance at finding an audience or increasing the existing one.

Enterprise certainly qualifies for the "on the bubble" moniker this season, with the latest issue of TV Guide including the series in an article entitled "These shows might not go on". The publication cited "network insiders" as its source, highlighting Enterprise's declining ratings as the reason for possible cancellation.

In February, CBS chairman and UPN overseer Les Moonves said he hadn't decided whether Enterprise would be on the fall schedule. "[I]t's 'All right. How do we build Wednesday better?'" the executive said. "'Does it include Enterprise?' Very possibly. 'Does it not?' Possibly as well." Moonves said that as an alternative to cancellation, Enterprise could move to Friday evenings.

The fate of the latest Star Trek series will likely not be known until UPN officially unveils its fall schedule on May 20 in New York. Several fan-run campaigns have been set up to muster support for the show, including The Enterprise Project, which has placed two ads in the Hollywood Reporter in support of the show, and SaveEnterprise.com.

Please note that this information has not been officially confirmed by Paramount Pictures and until such time you should treat it as you would any other rumour. The original news can be found here at SyFy Portal. Thanks to Craig Morris for the TV Guide news!

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