Jonathan Frakes Reveals One Of Star Trek’s Biggest Disappointments
The last episode of Star Trek: Enterprise, “These Are the Voyages” was widely disliked by fans due to its focus on the Next Generation cast instead of the titular crew. As a result, fans felt deprived of closure for the show they had been following diligently for four seasons. According to Jonathan Frakes, who guest-starred in the episode as William Riker, that was one of the show’s biggest missteps.
Jonathan Frakes regrets the direction chosen for the series finale of Star Trek: Enterprise, which he guest starred in as his Star Trek: The Next Generation character, Will Riker.
Speaking to TrekMovie, Jonathan Frakes said he understands that Star Trek: Enterprise fans didn’t want to see the show turned into something. “It was sold as, ‘Oh, come on and do the episode, it will be a Valentine to the fans’ — it wasn’t a Valentine to the fans. The fans didn’t want to see us,” the actor explained.
“The more I think about it, the more I hear from fans about it in particular, it may not have been the best choice we’ve made on Star Trek. Again, they’re not all home runs. It’s just unfortunate that that was the last episode of that show,” Jonathan Frakes continued about the Star Trek: Enterprise finale.
“Scott Bakula was such a mensch about it, but all these other Trek shows went seven seasons. Nobody wanted to be on a Star Trek show that didn’t get to go to seven. And the inherent insult in having characters from another series that had done well come in to essentially close the books on his episode — it just felt so wrong to me.”
-Jonathan Frakes on Star Trek: Enterprise
Additionally, producer Brannon Braga previously admitted that some of Star Trek: Enterprise cast was very upset that that folks from The Next Generation would be on their show. Despite the discourse, Jonathan Frakes says that Scott Bakula, who played Captain Jonathan Archer, was professional about the whole thing.
Star Trek: Enterprise
“Scott Bakula was such a mensch about it, but all these other Trek shows went seven seasons. Nobody wanted to be on a Star Trek show that didn’t get to go to seven. And the inherent insult in having characters from another series that had done well come in to essentially close the books on his episode — it just felt so wrong to me,” Jonathan Frakes continued about the Star Trek: Enterprise.
The Story Of Star Trek: Enterprise
Created by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, Star Trek: Enterprise (often simply referred to as Enterprise) aired from 2001 to 2005. It was the fifth live-action series in the Star Trek franchise and serves as a prequel to the original Star Trek series, taking place about 100 years before the adventures of Captain Kirk and his crew.
Set in the 22nd century, Star Trek: Enterprise follows the early days of interstellar travel and the formation of the United Federation of Planets. The show focuses on the Earth starship Enterprise NX-01, captained by Jonathan Archer who leads a crew on humanity’s first long-range mission to explore strange new worlds and seek out new life and civilizations.
The primary cast of Enterprise included Jolene Blalock as Sub-Commander T’Pol, a Vulcan officer serving as the ship’s science expert and second-in-command. Connor Trinneer played Commander Charles “Trip” Tucker III, the chief engineer and close friend of Captain Archer. Dominic Keating starred as Lieutenant tactical and armory officer Malcolm Reed.
Linda Park appeared as Ensign Hoshi Sato, the communications officer and linguistics expert. Anthony Montgomery portrayed Ensign Travis Mayweather, the helmsman, responsible for navigating the ship through space. John Billingsley played Phlox, the ship’s Physician. Each episode also featured a supporting cast which included various talented actors.
Throughout its four-season run, Star Trek: Enterprise explored the challenges faced by the early Starfleet as they encountered various alien species, faced hostile encounters, and learn to adapt and cooperate with new cultures. It also delved into the development of the Warp 5 engine and the origins of various franchise technologies and lore.
However, Star Trek: Enterprise received mixed reviews, with some praising its exploration of Starfleet’s early days and others criticizing its perceived lack of innovation compared to previous Star Trek series. Despite being canceled after four seasons, the show has developed a dedicated fan base and has been appreciated by many for its exploration of the Star Trek universe’s early history.
All four seasons of Star Trek: Enterprise are streaming on Paramount+.
