Star Trek’s Least Appreciated Captain Returning To The Franchise?
Scott Bakula played Captain Archer on Star Trek: Enterprise, and after nearly 20 years away, the star said he's willing to return to the franchise.
Seven had been a lucky number for the Star Trek franchise from 1987 to 2000, with three consecutive spin-offs from the original series going seven seasons each. Star Trek: Enterprise was the first series to break that streak, canceled after only four seasons in 2004 and began a 13-year break between series. According to Trek Movie, Scott Bakula, star of the four-season run and captain of the Enterprise, remarked that he was open to returning to Star Trek.
In a recent appearance on a panel of the TrekTalks2 fundraiser livestream, the actor spoke about the short-lived spin-off, saying that it easily could have gone seven seasons. He believes that the shortening of the series after four seasons was due to the transition period between the end of the United Paramount Network (UPN) and the combination of them with Warner Bros., creating the CW. Scott Bakula then said that while he was happy they got four seasons of Star Trek: Enterprise, they still had stories to tell.
The Quantum Leap actor went on to answer the question of whether or not he was open to returning to the Enterprise crew in the future, something that he said he was open to doing. He commented that he had been in the industry for too long to close doors to anything; he said that he talks about things with everyone and explores all opportunities. Scott Bakula even revealed that he was open to appearing in the Star Trek animated universe, saying he had done a lot of voice work.
Star Trek: Enterprise was the first series to act as a prequel to the original, breaking off from the previous series (Deep Space Nine and Voyager) that continued the story in the 24th Century. It takes place a hundred years before William Shatner’s Captain Kirk took over the Enterprise with his crew of Spock, Bones, and others. Scott Bakula’s first two seasons in the Star Trek franchise focused on smaller and more relatable stories with human’s first interactions with Vulcans, Klingons, and other aliens.
Of course, Bakula is less known for his role as the fifth introduced captain of the Enterprise and is much more known in a different science-fiction series entirely. The actor became a well-known household name when he anchored all five seasons of the time-traveling drama Quantum Leap, where he played Sam Beckett. With the recent reboot of the popular series, there is talk about Scott Bakula returning to more than just his Star Trek roots.
Currently, there is no solid evidence of him returning to either role, as he has found himself in more down-to-Earth roles in shows like Chuck, Desperate Housewives, and NCIS: New Orleans. But with the popularity of Star Trek: Picard, and the return of Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard a full 20 years after his last appearance in Star Trek: Nemesis, fans aren’t ready to count him out. As the franchise’s most underrated and underappreciated captain, there is more than just a desire to see Scott Bakula return to Star Trek; there is a need for it.
