Star Trek: Enterprise’s finale episode adopted an ambitious but divisive approach to wrapping up the show, but the presence of elements fromStar Trek: The Next Generationmade the installment more worthwhile.All four seasons ofStar Trek: Enterprisechronicle Starfleet’s formative years as Scott Bakula’s Captain Jonathon Archer took the Enterprise NX-01 deeper into space than humanity had ever ventured. Set at the earliest point in theStar Trektimeline,Enterpriseneeded to carefully consider its storylines so it didn’t clash with in-universe eventsthat hadn’t yet happened.
Of course,Star Trek: Enterprisewasn’t the first show to be presented with this challenge, as prequels had existed in various franchises for years already. That said,Star Trekboasts a huge amount of lore, andEnterprisecontributed a lot of new characters, settings, and canonical occurrences to the iconic sci-fi universe. So, it was a little confusing when otherStar TrekTV showsset afterEnterprisenever acknowledged the pivotal adventures of Captain Archer and his crew. Clearly aware of this, the show’s final installment took it upon itself to try and correct this quirk.
“These Are The Voyages…” Finally Allowed TNG To Acknowledge Star Trek: Enterprise
The Next Generation ended 7 years before Enterprise began
Without the existence of Archer’s ship,Star Trek: The Next Generationwould have unfolded in a very different 24th century. Regardless, none of the original storylines introduced inStar Trek: Enterpriseare acknowledged by thecast ofThe Next Generationin any of its seven seasons. While this is understandable because of the order in which the shows were produced, it does still result in more than a little canonical dissonance. Thankfully,“These are the Voyages…” recalled Jonathon Frakes to the role of Commander William T. Rikerin a very meta crossover finale forEnterprise.
Marina Sirtis also returned as Counselor Troi in “These are the Voyages…”
“These are the Voyages…” is far more than just a finale forStar Trek: Enterprise, but also serves as a companion piece to aStar Trek: The Next Generationseason 7 episode called “The Pegasus.” Riker is watching the events of Archer’s final mission as a simulation on the USS Enterprise-D’s holodeck. While there is a lot to say about how weird this decision was from a writing perspective, it does at least prove thatthose inTNGknew all about Captain Archer’s endeavorsand everything his crew did for Starfleet, which was impossible whileTNGwas on the air.
It would be unfair to nameThe Next Generationas the onlyStar Trekshow to unavoidably ignoreEnterprise.Deep Space NineandVoyagerfaced the same strange phenomenon, as didThe Original Series.Frakes' presence in “These are the Voyages…” was an interesting way to fix the problemforThe Next Generation, but it also kind of stoleEnterprise’s chance to finish on its own terms, as it lacked the flash-and-blood versions of Archer’s crew and only showed their photonic counterparts. Plus, it came with the worrying suggestion that all ofEnterprisewas just a holographic flashback.
Star Trek Has Made Enterprise More Important 20 Years After Its Hated Finale
Modern Star Trek has obviously found it far easier to pay homage to Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterpriseremains the franchise’s only show to be set in the 22nd century. As such, it hasn’t been possible to directly revisit that period, butStar Trek’s modern era has made sure to keep reminding everyone of Captain Archer’s exploits. Starting withStar Trek: Discovery’s debut first season in 2017,characters and events fromEnterprisehave been dropped into the scripts on a relatively consistent basis. As aStar Trekfan, this has been a very satisfying pattern, and makes up for the older shows' inability to do the same thing.
No other project has givenEnterprisemore attention thanStar Trek: Lower Decks. The animated comedy is self-referential to theStar Trekfranchise at large, andEnterprisehas received its fair share of tributes.
Archer himself is referenced inStrange New Worlds' first episode, as it’s revealed a class of Starfleet vessel has been named after Bakula’s character. However, of all thenewerStar Trekshows,no other project has givenEnterprisemore attention thanStar Trek: Lower Decks. The animated comedy is self-referential to theStar Trekfranchise at large, andEnterprisehas received its fair share of tributes - includingthe return of Jolene Blalock as T’Polin the show’s final season. In short,Star Trek: Enterprise’s finale started something very cool by combining it withStar Trek: The Next Generation.
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Star Trek: Enterprise acts as a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, detailing the voyages of the original crew of the Starship Enterprise in the 22nd century, a hundred years before Captain Kirk commanded the ship. Enterprise was the sixth series in the Star Trek franchise overall, and the final series before a twelve-year hiatus until the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery in 2017. The series stars Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer, with an ensemble cast that includes John Billingsley, Jolene Blalock, Dominic Keating, Anthony Montgomery, Linda Park, and Connor Trinneer.
Star Trek: The Next Generation follows Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his crew aboard the USS Enterprise NCC-1701D as they embark on interstellar explorations, seeking out new worlds and civilizations.
