Honestly, if you told a Trek fan in 2005 that we’d still be obsessing over the NX-01 crew twenty years later, they’d probably have laughed you out of the room. It was the "black sheep" show. The one that "killed" the franchise for a decade. But time is a funny thing in sci-fi.
The actors in Star Trek Enterprise didn't just play roles; they survived a transition that nearly broke the Trek legacy, and looking back, their performances have aged like a fine vintage of Saurian brandy.
Scott Bakula and the Captain Archer Dilemma
Scott Bakula was already a legend when he stepped onto the bridge. Quantum Leap made him a household name. But Archer was different. He wasn't the suave philosopher like Picard or the swashbuckling Kirk. He was basically a guy trying to fly a souped-up engine with a few torpedoes attached.
People called him "stiff" back in the day. Now? We see a guy who was genuinely terrified of the vacuum. He was a neophyte. Bakula has been vocal about why he took the gig—it was the "100 years before Kirk" hook that sold him. He didn't want to follow the icons; he wanted to be the reason the icons existed.
Lately, there’s been a ton of buzz about a "President Archer" series. Bakula has been spotted at conventions like STLV 2025 and on Today talking about it. He calls it a pipe dream, but the fact that he’s still pitching the idea of Archer as the first Federation President shows how much he still cares. He’s not just cashing a check.
The T'Pol Friction: What Jolene Blalock Really Felt
If you want to talk about "doing a character dirty," let's talk about Jolene Blalock.
She was a massive fan of the original series. She knew Vulcan lore better than some of the writers. And yet, she was stuck in a catsuit doing "Decon" scenes that were... let’s be real, pretty cringe-worthy.
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Blalock has been incredibly honest in interviews over the years about her frustration. She hated that T’Pol was written as "desperate." She wanted her to be a mentor, a rock of Vulcan logic. Instead, the writers gave her a drug addiction subplot and a romance with Trip that she didn't think made sense for the character's culture.
"The concepts are amazing. The issue is the dialogue. I personally believed that T'Pol should have more of her Vulcan culture." — Jolene Blalock.
She basically stepped away from the limelight after the show. She married a billionaire and mostly stays out of the Hollywood grind, which is why you rarely see her at the big autograph tables. But her performance? It’s arguably the most nuanced Vulcan portrayal we’ve ever had, precisely because of the internal conflict she brought to the set.
The Shuttlepod Duo: Trinneer and Keating
While the show was airing, the "triumvirate" was supposed to be Archer, T'Pol, and Trip. But the real-life bromance between Connor Trinneer (Trip) and Dominic Keating (Malcolm Reed) is what has kept the fandom's engine humming lately.
They launched The Shuttlepod Show, a podcast where they interview old castmates and producers. It’s been a revelation. You get to hear the actual dirt. Like how Michael Dorn (Worf) directed an episode and a producer tried to claim Bakula hated him—which turned out to be a total lie.
Keating is exactly like you’d expect: energetic, a bit neurotic in a charming way, and fiercely protective of his time on the show. Trinneer, meanwhile, still has that "aw shucks" Southern charm that made Trip the heart of the series. They’ve turned their shared experience of a "failed" show into a thriving community.
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The "Crumbs" for Hoshi and Travis
It’s a bit of a sore spot for fans that Linda Park (Hoshi Sato) and Anthony Montgomery (Travis Mayweather) didn't get much to do.
Montgomery has been on the record saying he wasn't happy with how Travis regressed after the first season. The guy was a "Space Boomer." He grew up on cargo ships! There was so much story there that never got told.
Linda Park, however, has stayed busy. She’s done Bosch, plenty of theater, and even some voice work. In the "In a Mirror, Darkly" episodes, we finally saw what she could do when the writers let her off the leash. Empress Sato was a vibe. It’s a shame we only got that version of her in the mirror universe.
John Billingsley: The Most Intelligent Man in the Room
Then there's Phlox. John Billingsley is a force of nature.
He didn't know much about Trek when he started. He just played Phlox as a guy who was genuinely happy to be there. Off-camera, Billingsley is a massive advocate for social justice, running the Trek Talks telethon for the Hollywood Food Coalition.
He’s one of the few who will tell you straight up: he doesn’t do "offer only" anymore. He’s back to auditioning because he loves the craft. He’s also one of the funniest guys on the convention circuit, usually found making self-deprecating jokes about the three hours of makeup it took to get into those Denobulan ridges.
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Why You Should Care Now
The actors in Star Trek Enterprise were the bridge between the old-school syndicated era and the high-budget streaming world we live in now. They did 26 episodes a year. That’s insane. Bakula has called that schedule "stupid" because it exhausted everyone and diluted the quality.
If you're looking to dive back into the NX-01 era, here is the best way to do it:
- Watch the "Shuttlepod Show" on YouTube. It reframes the whole series through the eyes of the people who actually lived it.
- Look for the "Mirror Universe" episodes. If you want to see the actors truly having fun, start there.
- Support John Billingsley’s charity. It’s the best way to see the "Star Trek" spirit in action in the real world.
The show might have ended on a sour note with that holodeck finale, but the cast? They’ve more than earned their place in the stars.
The next time you're scrolling through Paramount+, give Enterprise another shot. You might find that the "stiff" captain and the "cold" Vulcan were actually just ahead of their time.
Keep an eye on the 2026 convention schedules; with the 60th anniversary of the franchise coming up, rumors of a limited return for some of these characters are only getting louder. Don't be surprised if "President Archer" becomes more than just a fan theory.