The Star Trek Prequel Series That Could Save The Franchise
I don’t exactly love it, but as a Star Trek fan, I’ve made peace with the fact that Paramount is all-in on prequels: Enterprise, the Kelvinverse films, Discovery, Strange New Worlds—heck, after the prequel Section 31 movie, we’re getting yet another Trek origin film. I’ve given up on getting a Legacy follow-up show to Picard, but with the franchise’s future uncertain thanks to Paramount’s recent merger, it’s important to get some kind of show that can please fans and get the franchise back on track. So, here’s my pitch: it’s way past time to get an Enterprise-C series that follows the doomed adventures of Picard’s predecessor.
Yesterday’s Enterprise
So far, we have only seen the Enterprise-C in the The Next Generation episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” one of the greatest stories in the entire series. This episode revealed that the Enterprise-C was destroyed defending a Klingon outpost from the Romulans, an act that later made lasting peace between the Federation and the Klingons possible.
By the end of the episode, Enterprise-C captain Rachel Garrett is dead and Tasha Yar helps take the ship back into the past on a doomed quest that ultimately saves countless lives in the future.
A Limited Run
Now, I know what you’re thinking…if we already know the Enterprise-C gets destroyed by making a noble sacrifice, why the heck do we need a series focusing on it?
For one thing, the premise of such a series (what with its set ending and all) would allow Paramount to plan for a limited number of seasons, which may be for the best rather than waiting for them to unexpectedly cancel a new show as they did with Discovery and Lower Decks.
A Certain Appeal
For another thing, there is a certain appeal in watching everything that leads up to characters making major sacrifices—in fact, that’s a large part of why people watch Andor, whose second season leads directly into the movie where the title character dies.
It may sound illogical (sorry, Spock), but the audience is often more likely to buy into watching the new adventures of old characters when they know how the story ends.
In the case of a potential Enterprise-C series, Star Trek fans already love characters like Captain Garrett and will be automatically more interested in seeing everything that led to her ultimate fate.
Section 31
Speaking of Rachel Garrett, her character has already been recast for the upcoming Section 31 movie and will be played by Kacey Rohl. Paramount has been cagey about exactly when the film is supposed to take place, but there is currently a 12-year gap between how old Rohl is now and how old original Garrett actor Tricia O’Neil was when “Yesterday’s Enterprise” came out.
It would be very easy for Section 31 to also serve as a kind of backdoor pilot to an Enterprise-C series, introducing us to at least some of the characters who would serve on the ship.
An Unexplored Era Of Star Trek
The final reason we need an Enterprise-C series is that it would take place in a really cool part of the Star Trek timeline which hasn’t really been explored much onscreen. Such a series could show us how volatile the Cold War between Starfleet and Romulus was and show us the earliest days of the Federation’s dealings with the Bajorans and the Cardassians.
Speaking of Gul Dukat’s people, Starfleet went to war against the Cardassians about a decade after the Enterprise-C was lost, so this series could help set up this bloody conflict (which, hopefully, we’d see more of in a future show or film).
We may or may not get an Enterprise-C series, but if Paramount gives this idea the green light, it could potentially save the franchise. If nothing else, the show would be a realization of something Picard said back in “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” an episode which was arguably TNG’s finest hour. “Let’s make sure that history never forgets the name Enteprise.”
