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How characters could have been handled better?

I instantly pictured Jason Isaacs doctor from Event Horizon when you said that which would have been much better than this silly one note character we got
That would have been an amazing piece of casting!

Also, you've got me wanting to go an watch Event Horizon again, not watched it in ages!
 
If we have to stick within the confines of the characters and set-up we got, I'd look at doing something like this:

Captain Jonathan Archer: An older, more experienced and grizzled officer, he didn't need nepotism or pilot training to get him where he is. The NX-01 is his third command, having spent a number of years as Captain of a pair of escorts/frigates assigned to safeguard Earth and her colonies, during this time he has made a number of first contacts with other races (most of which have gone favourably) as well as shown his tactical prowess. When hand-picked for this prestigious new ship, he is surprised and a little uneasy about the amount of scrutiny his actions will be under, but seeing it as a force of good, something to make Starfleet more than just a defensive/military force, he takes the opportunity to embrace being an explorer.

Sub-Commander T'Pol: Assigned by the Vulcan High Command as the NX-01's Communications and Diplomatic Officer, she is an accomplished mediator, linguist and sociologist, as well as being one of the VHC's best and brightest officers on Earth. Almost 70, she has had a long and diverse career, including time spent as an Intelligence Officer, as such she has a diverse range of skills to draw upon. Part of her orders is to monitor the human crew and report back on their actions, especially is they prove to be counterproductive to Vulcan objectives.

Lt. Commander Charles "Trip" Tucker III: He is pretty much as he is in the show, though maybe tone done the "Southern-isms". He's a brilliant engineer, supervised the work on the NX-01, but hasn't been very far away from Earth-held space, so is keen and eager to get out and explore, as such he is sometimes a little awestruck by what he finds out there.

Lieutenant Malcolm Reed: A hardy Mancunian (so none of that stiff upper lip and overly polite British crap), his family have a long and proud military service, his mother is a MACO General, so his decision to enter Starfleet has caused a rift that hasn't been healed. He likes things very strict and regimented, but thanks to influence from Archer, Trip and Mayweather he begins to loosen up and learns how to enjoy life a little more. When the MACO contingent comes aboard, he butts heads with Major Hayes but this takes a turn when the pair end up sleeping together, though Hayes' later death will be a source of pain and remorse for him.

Lieutenant (jg) Travis Mayweather: The twenty-something Boomer who has been to more worlds and travelled more light-years than any of the other humans onboard, he is a font on knowledge and tall tales. Though this is his first posting his vast experience and exceptionally piloting skills saw him jump the rank of ensign entirely. Despite his vast wealth of experience he is still a young man and often lets his enthusiasm and exuberance get the better of him.

Ensign Hoshi Sato: The Chief Science Officer. Though young and inexperienced, she is brilliant (even outshining a few Vulcans) with a vast knowledge of numerous scientific fields, but has yet to really find her voice. All she has wanted her whole life is to get out into space and explore, though the realities and dangers prove to be a little much for her at times, but she is determined to tough it out and prove she has what it takes and doesn't want to let Archer down--especially after all the faith he has placed in her.

Doctor Phlox: Again a character who is pretty much how he is in the show, though I would say make him weirder, how he approaches situations or looks at things from a very different perspective, to give the humans on the ship a unique POV that they would never have considered.

I love all your ideas, but Reed especially. That change in accent alone would have changed his character entirely, from a snobbish overseer to a commoner who clearly worked his way up to this position, and shouldn't be underestimated.
 
If I had free reign of characters but had to stick to the Earth Starfleet/Pre-UFP setting then I might go for something along these lines:

Captain Indira Sholi: Martian-born human woman of Indian-British origin, in her mid-late 40s. Among the first class of the newly formed "Starfleet", she graduated in the top 5% and has made being in space her life. Despite the initial intent of Starfleet being primarily to defend Earth-held space, as she rose through the ranks and gained more prestige and sway (thanks to her sharp tactical mind as well as her ability to foster positive relations with other species) she has taken a vocal stance for Starfleet to be more, for humanity to truly take its place as an interstellar species and get out there and explore, instead of just dipping their tow in to test the waters. Due to the persistence of Sholi and others, Starfleet Command opted to expand their horizons, and when the NX-01 was commissioned her name was at the top of the list for candidates to lead the mission. She believes in leading from the forefront, almost always going on landing parties (especially those that involve first contacts) and embracing the role of being a trailblazer and explorer.

Commander Hunter McCain: Sholi's right-hand man and Chief of Security. The two have served together for a number of years and have a close bond, she is affectionately known as Auntie Indie to his children and his husband call her Hunter's "work-wife". Since they have been through so much, they know how one another thinks and have formed a solid and dependable team, though when she asked him to join her on the NX-01 he was hesitant as it would mean so much time away from his family, but they were the ones to persuade him to take the post, turning down a command of his own to be a part of such a monumental mission. When the excrement hits the fan he is a force to be reckoned with, but off the clock he is a warm and welcoming man who puts all at ease.

Sub-Commander T'Pol: A concession made to the Vulcan High Command by Starfleet Command was to permit them to have a representative onboard, to provide them with their knowledge and advice, as well as access to the extensive database the VHC possesses. She fills that role as well as being the ship's Navigator, making the most of Vulcan star charts and her expertise in cartography, mathematics, and astrogation. Though she may appear cold, detached and utterly logical, she has held a great fascination of humanity and all that they have accomplished is such a short space of time, having been almost at the point of decimating their world and one another.

Lt. Commander Charles Tucker III: Still in as Chief Engineering Officer. He is pretty much as he is in the show, though maybe tone done the "Southern-isms". He's a brilliant engineer, supervised the work on the NX-01, but hasn't been very far away from Earth-held space, so is keen and eager to get out and explore, as such he is sometimes a little awestruck by what he finds out there. [What can I say, the producers made a damn good character]

Major Thyris th'Shar: Following Sholi's adept handling of first contact with the Andorians a few years earlier, great strides has been made in forging new working relationships with them, as such they were given the chance to have a representative on the NX-01 to help solidify their good public relations. Th'Shar was appointed as the Chief Science Officer. Though far from a great supporter of the Andorian-Earth relationship, as well as having great misgivings about the Vulcans, he is one of the Imperial Guard's best scientists (his superiors also see it as a test, if someone like him can get along with the primitive humans and condescending Vulcans then anyone can).

Lieutenant (jg) Travis Mayweather: The ship's Helmsman, he often tells about how he learned how to fly before he could walk. The twenty-something Boomer who has been to more worlds and travelled more light-years than any of the other humans onboard, he is a font on knowledge and tall tales. Though this is his first posting his vast experience and exceptionally piloting skills saw him jump the rank of ensign entirely. Despite his vast wealth of experience he is still a young man and often lets his enthusiasm and exuberance get the better of him.

Lieutenant (jg) Hoshi Sato: Her uncanny ability to pick up new languages and perform translations faster than the universal translator made her Sholi's only choice for Chief Communications Officer. Despite her rank, she hasn't spent any time on starships, having been assigned as an instructor or translator on Earth, as such the dangers and realities of life in space prove to be a little much for her at times, but she is determined to tough it out and prove she has what it takes and doesn't want to let Sholi down--especially after all the faith she has placed in her. [Again not really all that different from what was on the show, Hoshi was a character I also liked, though with some more consistency here]

Doctor Phlox: Again a character who is pretty much how he is in the show, though I would say make him weirder, how he approaches situations or looks at things from a very different perspective, to give the humans on the ship a unique POV that they would never have considered. [See Trip and Hoshi]

I love all of your ideas. Phlox would work much better just as a human; that actor doesn't seem right for a really out-there alien.

The non- white female captain from the Mars colony is PERFECT. And having the security cheif be gay and have a "lower class" English accent would be a great buck against stereotypes, while also just a much more fun character. He and Trip could relate on having backgrounds stereotyped as lower class.

As an Andorian fan I also love the Andorian officer.

Aside from better diversity, my other lament of "Enterprise" was how none of the human characters besides Mayday felt like they belonged in a sci-fi. You got on top of that with your off-world born captain.

I would add:
  • Hunter McCain lived through the Eugenics Wars, WWIII, or both. He provides, via stories he shares with his shipmates and flashback scenes, development on these historical events.
  • Another character has a disability that is not yet curable as it will be by TNG, but is more manageable than it was in the 20th Century--perhsps with a small cyborg implant (a la Anastasia Targus from "Star Trek: Borg"). Through this character we see how medicine stands in the 22nd Century. Or maybe they just have a prosthetic limb.
  • An Augment, who was born/made before the ban on Augmented humans. He or she deals with the prejudice and distrust of being associated with Khan.
 
I would add:
  • Hunter McCain lived through the Eugenics Wars, WWIII, or both. He provides, via stories he shares with his shipmates and flashback scenes, development on these historical events.
  • Another character has a disability that is not yet curable as it will be by TNG, but is more manageable than it was in the 20th Century--perhsps with a small cyborg implant (a la Anastasia Targus from "Star Trek: Borg"). Through this character we see how medicine stands in the 22nd Century. Or maybe they just have a prosthetic limb.
  • An Augment, who was born/made before the ban on Augmented humans. He or she deals with the prejudice and distrust of being associated with Khan.
This would still be set from 2151, so McCain would need to be well over a century old to have gone through the Eugenics or Third World War. I would think a time travel story or two could shed light on them, but in an ideal world I'd drop anything relating to the TCW and just focus on a group of explorers making humanity a driving force for change in the quadrant.

A disabled character would be interesting to see, though just what that would be is hard to really judge, as they would still have to meet certain requirements for military service. Cybernetic enhancements/implants sounds far too advanced for mid-22nd century. An artificial limb would always be an option but it would really do much for the character, DS9 already dealt with the trauma and recovery of losing a leg (I doubt the ENT writers could've managed it as brilliantly), whilst if it was something they'd had for a while then it's basically Picard's heart--a part of him but barely comes up nor does it really impact the character in any meaningful way.

Augmented humans has again already been touched on in DS9. I definitely would veto a story like they made in S4 (some things, like smooth-headed Klingons, should remain a mystery) but perhaps something along the lines of a human settlement where genetic engineering had become the norm (after it was banned on Earth) might be an interesting way to explore the topic, throw in Starfleet worries about the a legion on Khanite superhuman soldiers, mysterious attacks on Earth assets in nearby sectors and the prospect of a human civil war, it might have some good scope.
 
This would still be set from 2151, so McCain would need to be well over a century old to have gone through the Eugenics or Third World War.
What about being a veteran (junior officer at the time) of the Kzinti wars?
Lieutenant Malcolm Reed: A hardy Mancunian
How about Reed has a incredibly thick cockney accent?

To the point that sub-titles routinely appear at the bottom of the screen whenever he speaks.
 
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What about being a veteran (junior officer at the time) of the Kzinti wars?How about Reed has a incredibly thick cockney accent?
I would definitely have the Kzinti as their recurring big bad (until the Romulans reared their heads), abandon the Klingons for one series.

To the point that sub-titles routinely appear at the bottom of the screen whenever he speaks.
Or whatever accent Dick Van Dyck was trying to do in Mary Poppins :lol:
 
While some of the audience may have found it iffy, I always though it would have been interesting to have an alien as the Captain for both the Enterprise and significant character. It would have been an interesting contrast given the 4 human captains from the prior series and would have been fitting for a crew that would eventually help lay the groundwork for the Federation.

There could have been some interesting exploration from a largely Terran crew working under a non-human; they wouldn't be bigoted or resentful but it would be a process of both the CO and those under them having to gradually understand each other over time. Maybe there would be one senior crewman (like the navigator or communications officer) that's had a friendship with them prior to the ship's launch and would provide the initial insight into their character, with the Captain initially being a more guarded and ambiguous character initially.

Moreover I think there would have been real potential if this was not in fact the Earth flagship (at least not at first). That status belonging to Enterprise's sister vessel means there's so many places to go with that. Perhaps that ship is the one far more emblematic of Starfleet's focus and support with Enterprise's launch having been pushed forward by the parties that will one day become the UFP. Beyond the obvious point that both ships could come into (non-violent) conflict given their separate but occasionally intersecting missions. Maybe Enterprise itself has to make due with lesser resources because its initially not considered as critical as the other.

Also if there was a Vulcan presence on board like T'Pol, I think there's value in challenging viewer expectations them. She could be a brilliant science officer or engineer... who from the very beginning also struggles with emotional suppression far more than most Vulcans (and making her question if her assignment on Enterprise is because of her status). Thus while there's an uncharacteristic low key warmth and/or charm to her early on given her origins, there's also an emotional volatility present that she and on occasion the crew would have to deal with. Build a long term character arc out of that with her ironically becoming better at emotional control while surrounded by non-Vulcans.

Finally it would be have been fascinating if we saw more of the senior officers leading and dealing the individual teams below them. Take the concept of Lower Decks and use that to flesh out the secondary characters and allow the show to contrast the types of leadership the main characters have.
 
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