Trek is History: new Star Trek series insights

Have you been busting a gut to know what the pilot for the new Trek series, Enterprise is going to be about?

Well, the lucky denizens of the US of A will find out on September 26th, when the first episode - Broken Bow - is due to hit the Box. As for the UK and the rest of the civilized world? Who blooming knows? (Sky One have picked up the series, though).

As we leaked many issues ago, this Trek is being set in the pre-Federation days, about 90 years after the events shown in the 'First Contact' Trek movie. Star Fleet exists, but only as an Earth Government controlled force.

Apparently the Broken Bow of the pilot title is a region in Oklahoma, USA, where, we kid you not, humanity gets to meet its first Klingon. Said knobbly faced warrior is on the run from a race called the Suliban, who are being controlled by an evil force from the future (does anybody smell universe crossover potential here?).

The Sulibans are 'shapeshifters' - but not in the Odo camp, apparently. Of course, all 'shapeshifters' are instantly tagged as bad guys ... ever since the 1950s and those movies with pods, and thus it is in Enterprise.

Our source in Paramount told us that the time traveling baddies backing the Sulibans are fascist Terrans from the alternative mirror universe, trying to alter history so that the Earth follows a more aggressive path which will leave it in control of the galaxy in the mirror universe, rather than at the mercy of The Dominion, Cardassians, Borg, Klingons, Romulans etc.

These human supremacists don't want the soft liberal peace and love Federation of Kirk and the Next Generation's universe coming into fruition, and are planning to push it down a route which will leave the Earth absolute master of a million worlds.

It's not clear if this bunch are from the main mirror universe or a side-line mirror universe, as some of the suggestions from our man at Paramount seem to be that the time travellers are descendants of Khan-like warlords ... heavily enhanced by genetic engineering. This is the future they want for humanity ... turning everyone into Bashir-like geniuses (even if the poor old normals don't want super-powers).

The hero of the new series, Captain Jonathan Archer, is given the job of transporting the Klingon home - but the Enterprise gets tricked by the shapeshifters en route, and they abduct the wounded Klingon agent from the ship.

While tracking the kidnapped Klingon down, the Enterprise and its crew get embroiled in the time traveller/Suliban's plot to weaken the Klingon Empire by causing a civil war.

The general ambiance of the pilot seems to have been done very well. They have gone for a more primitive feel ... kind of NASA meets Trek.

As the production designer Zimmerman recently told TV Guide, "Along with all the metal, you'll find a lot of leather and plastic, just enough touches to relieve it from being sterile. There's also color in the graphics on the screens, so it's never going to be a dull picture."

For instance, they have transporters, but nobody trusts them because they keep on killing people every now and then. No Universal Translators either ... so they have to carry crew linguists on the ship.

There's a nice range of aliens on the ship, including T'Pol, the Vulcan science officer, and Phlox, an alien doctor. This is pre-Federation of course, so most of them are there as attached officers from friendly powers, or hired mission specialists.

Well, only a few more weeks to go for the hordes of the Trekless fans out there. Personally speaking, we can't wait.

For a new QuickTime Movie clip of the Enterprise series, click here.

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Silly02. 01/09/2001
I thought returning to the past would do for Trek what Phantom Menance did for StarWars ... e.g. screw it up. But the more I see of the new series background, the more I think it might just work!

African Joe. 01/08/2001
Don't worry, this new series of Trek is going to plumb new depths of terribleness ... just you wait and see.

sBox 01/08/2001
Scott Bakula? Can anyone say "Major League" failure?

Ziggy! Al! BAKULA! 05/08/2001
Ohhhh babay, ENTERPRISE SHALL OWN THINE ARSE!

richard 05/08/2001
I can't wait for the new star trek i think its going to be awsome:)

K. Murphy 05/08/2001
For the record, the town of Broken Bow is old cotton country in the Red River Valley of southeast Oklahoma -- lots of rolling hills, meadows, woods, fields, creeks and so on. And gets very, very hot in the summer. A vagrant wandering through Broken Bow once shot dead a gas-station attendant who would not let him have a drink from his water hose. When asked why he killed a perfect stranger, the drifter replied: "Because it was too damn hot." Perfect place for Klingons.

Sean 05/08/2001
Sounds lame - the Klingon angle should have been more intense with plenty of blood-letting.

James 05/08/2001
At this point the new Trek has great potential.As long as they leave out the mind control.

mindless 05/08/2001
hmm story/background looks decent, and the trailer looks good (but doesn't show more than eyecandy). the truth is in the product. the potential is there, but we'll only know when we see it.

sirant 05/08/2001
Oh come on you gloomy Gilberts! Trek is Trek I look forward to enjoying the new series to the fullest. To all those who would judge it before they even see it, "Scotty, beam that man into a wall"

dcsmrgun 05/08/2001
It'll be ok if they can keep the Quantum Leap jokes down to a minimum. Looking forward to it!

Boomer 05/08/2001
It may not be much of a Star Trek, but it's all we've got so we'll watch it religiously.

Mozai 05/08/2001
Ah, the first season of each new Star Trek series has always been stinky. Wait and see.

False Prophet 05/08/2001
I have my own reservations, but would it not be prudent to observe the outcome before passing judgement?

BillyTheKat 05/08/2001
so they're starting with a time travel episode? have these people no creativity left at all?

qglyph 01/01/2002
I'm thinking Spocks' grandfather and Kirks too! How about Dr. McCoys crotchity Grandmother! All possibles ...

Damon 01/01/2002
Well I have seen the first two episodes and I have to say that I LOVE IT!!!! But I'm looking for an e-mail address I can send to the Intro people because the Music in the Intro to the show SUCKS!!! I'm sorry but it just does not fit Star Trek.

Anon 01/01/2002
Hmmm. Stupid Friggin Intro God It Makes Me Want To Vomit An Eternity Of Evil Vile Disgusting Horribleness Plz Someone Help Them Find A New Theme Song.

Blacky 01/01/2002
Vulcanization... Hot hot hot ...

The (almost) MightyRob 20/02/2002
Ho hum. Another cash-cow Star Trek franchise, eh? It has a few promising aspects, but overall I'm not impressed.