Still reviewing all the great panels held over the weekend TREKtalks2 Fundraising live stream event. The event ended with a rare appearance from Scott Bakula.of Star Trek: Enterprise The star doesn’t give many conventions or Star Trek interviews, but he did show up to support former co-star John Billingsley. Hollywood Food CoalitionBakula touched on some of the same issues we covered in last week’s article. TrekMovie interview with Billingsleyand offered hope that he would actually return to the role of Jonathan Archer.
How enterprise I was able to run 7 seasons
One of the issues Bakula discussed was his perspective. enterpriseIt was canceled after four seasons due to UPN issues. He notes changes in his Viacom-owned network from 2001 to his 2005. enterprise was on the air, confirming his belief that if the show had been distributed through syndication, the show would have rivaled the seven-season run of the three previous Star Trek series ( next generation When deep space nine):
If we had been syndicated we would have had an easy 7, easy breezy. But the nature of network television…it was just another animal. There have been a lot of changes in the network hierarchy as well as Paramount. And we were there at some kind of unlucky time. Yet, thankfully, I have to say that we have four seasons. But hey, I wish I had done more. Sure, there were more stories to tell and more places to go, but it just didn’t work out.
You can’t point the finger at one person or another. There were so many elements to the beginning of UPN and transition to it. [UPN President] Dean [Valentine] leave [in 2002]And only the Paramount employees left. Many champions associated with Star Trek have left over the course of four years. It was a strange time, a volatile time. But we got through it. And there was a moment that only lasted 3 years, so I’m very happy to have reached 4 years. That would have been really unfortunate.
A year later enterprise was canceled and the UPN no longer exists. This network combined with WB to form CW, a joint venture between CBS and Warner Bros. Only a handful of former UPN shows have moved on to The CW. Veronica Mars It’s the only scripted drama to do so.
Embrace Return to Trek
When asked if he would follow in the footsteps of Patrick Stewart and other Star Trek veteran actors and return to the role of Jonathan Archer, Bakula was open to the idea. Say you’ll listen to him if you call:
I’ve been doing this for far too long to say never or no to anyone. I talk about things with everyone. So sure.
He also showed he’s open to following other legacy actors by lending his voice to the animated Trek show:
I’ve done a lot of animated voice-over work and animation, so I enjoy it. But I appreciate that it’s called “Legacy” instead of “Old Trek”. It’s very good.
Bakula’s willingness to return to Trek may come as a surprise to his former enterprise John Billingsley who co-starred last week told trek movie At least as a regular, he didn’t see it happening.Bakula made big news last year when he chose not to participate in the NBC reboot breakthroughso he has a history of saying no.
Scott spoke generally about how the Star Trek franchise continues to make new shows and explained why he thinks the franchise is still relevant:
Sadly, the reason it remains relevant is that much of the same problem still exists on our planet. I didn’t even get to the point where I understood… it came straight out of Trek’s playbook. And we had to work it out on this planet first, but apparently judging by how we live with each other, we’ve come a long way since then. Therefore, their stories are relevant and poignant. And they are parsed in all these different incarnations, but worth it. I’ve always loved Treks. because you are covering it with the things of the universe. it’s a beautiful one. It’s not yet.
Excited to see new fans discover enterprise
The actor was also happy to know that people are still discovering enterprise Through streaming:
When we were in the middle of making the show, and when we finished the fourth season, we all talked about wanting the show to be more appreciated as time went on. I feel like I’ve accomplished so much in the last four years, especially in my opinion, in the last two and a half years. Elements of Xindi and elements of 9/11 merge the writer’s brain, heart and heart. We have always had hope. we have done a lot of good work. Excited.
Bakula noted the show’s spirit of inquiry as something he’s particularly proud of.
I love that spirit of the show. That’s what we were aiming for from the beginning. I liken it to the original show. And there were its positives — my character had all that forward and that kind of Wild West aspect, but at the same time, let’s do something for humanity. let’s get it out Let’s do our best together with other people. He didn’t go out with a lot of chips on his shoulders about who he would or wouldn’t trade with. I think he was pretty much free sailing after he got over the Vulcan thing. I was really, really happy with where we ended up on the show.
watch full Click here for the TREKtalks panel,if you can, Donate to the Hollywood Food Coalition.
catch up on the news about Star Trek Universe on TrekMovie.com.