How would you re-imagine and reboot Enterprise?

Should’ve been Wrigley’s Pleasure Planet.

 

No photon torpedoes, less reliable transporter, no Dear Doctor episode, a Klingon encounter that matches Picard's mention in TNG better, add Alpha Centauri, get the writers from season 4 involved from the beginning...

 

My ideas would be to make their ships more primitive than what we got in the original. Not saying there should be no transporters but make them a lot slower and more risky to use. Stop making it look like all tech from the 24th century is functionally already there but with other names implying more 'primitive' versions (polarized hull plating instead of shields, photonic torpedoes instead of photon torpedoes, phase pistols instead of phasers, etc - I liked there being no tractor beams yet). No Temporal Cold war or other enemies that apparently were huge threats in the 22nd century and foundational in ultimately giving the impetus to found the Federation, but never even referenced in the 23rd or 24th centuries. There's enough material in telling the story how the Federation came to be (Romulan threat, complicated and strained relationships between Romulans, Andorians, Humans, and Tellarites before they eventually came to trust one another) to make the invention of entirely new enemies unnecessary.

 

I often enjoy these threads, seeing what some others come up with. I've re-imagined ENT a lot before in similar threads, so I'll do a reboot instead.
-It takes place after the Earth-Romulan War and the founding of the Federation.
-I really liked the refit Enterprise that might have seen made it to the series in a later season. So, the refit would be the hero ship class. But the hero ship itself would not be the Enterprise. It would be the Columbia, with Captain Erika Hernandez in the lead role.
-I would combine new Columbia characters with ENT characters (looking mostly here at Mayweather, Hoshi, and Phlox). Recurring would be Admiral Archer who slides into the role that Admiral Forrest had on ENT.
-Though I liked the idea of Captain Reed from Trek lit, though I would have him be more an ambiguous ally from Section 31, a recurring character.
-T'Pol would be the Earth ambassador to Vulcan, after Soval. (I would keep the idea that she's half-Romulan and use that later on). Also, Shran would be a recurring character, captain of his own Federation Starfleet vessel.
-Major recurring villains would be the Kzinti and Tholians. Other challenges would be the Nausicaans, Suliban, and the Syndicate. I might also just create a new villain (s) as well.
-While the Romulans would not be major players in the reboot, they would sometimes factor in behind the scenes, and I would seek to do more to build up the Remans.
-The Klingons would not be a major factor in the series either. I would just chalk that up to them fighting amongst themselves.
-Future Guy being future Archer would happen for this series.
-I would also return to the Mirror Universe to see what Mirror Hoshi was up to.
-I also would use this series to connect more dots. There are a lot of Motion Picture, Kelvinverse aliens, among others that are out there to be fleshed out and explored and I would have Columbia make first contact or interact with a lot of them.
-Also, I would canonize the Daedalus-class in live action.

 

I would contact The Badger and have him do this:

https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/starship-enterprise-broken-bow-alternate-version.90084/

 

This is how I would've done it.

 

I'd take a different tack.

If I was going to a prequel I would have done a Pike/Enterprise show with Spock and Number One. Maybe keep a few legacy characters like Uhura, Chapel and M'Benga?

The Aenar are interesting so I'd have one as the chief engineer maybe?

For other characters I'd go back to Roddenberry's original outline for The Cage. Ortegas is an interesting name for a helm officer.

I think fans would really like this show. I just can't think of a good title for it. Strange as it seems, titles for New shows are not something that often figure into my world.

Or Worlds.

 

Its tough for me, because I liked Enterprise a lot, but I am probably approaching this differently (at least time-wise) than most of you - the only series I watched Live, when it aired, was TOS. It wasn't until Enterprise came out that I was allowed to watch another ST show live. Lets just say my ex is my ex for a reason, shall we? Anyhow, seeing Enterprise filled with with nostalgia, feeling the same way I did when I was a kid watching the original on TV. The other shows I saw bits and pieces of over the years, but couldn't 'get into' them. For example, when I saw Worf, I was like, "thats not a Klingon!". So my taste might be different than most, because of my circumstances.

As for what I would change? Thats hard for me, because of the above. I think I would show more of how Archer gets other species onboard for the Federation (I can think of at least two he opened negotiations with that the Vulcans either hadn't encountered, or had too much trouble dealing with). So, while be an explorer like the original show, focus more on strengthening the relationships he created, instead of quickly running off to the next 'planet of the week', which was the one major failing of TOS. One of the big problems with most ST shows is that amazing discoveries/tech they find one week are completely forgotten about next. DS9 may have changed that somewhat, but Voyager seemed to have jumped right back into that original trap (there were over-arching, multi-episode plots, but at the same time, it was very much a 'species of the week' show). Also, find abetter, consistant system for warp speed/travel. I think Enterprise may have been getting there, but didn't get the chance. I hated the way Voyager did warp speed ('10' is infinite? WHY? When we KNOW there are other methods of FTL travel that can go fast than Warp 9.99999+?) Maybe if Voyager hadn't dropped the ball, we wouldn't have all these newer shows having to create 'magical space drives' to go faster. However, I still like Voyager, because it really gave us that old-scool TOS explorers fee (and even brought back some of the corniness, for better or worse).

Enterprsie was going in the right direction, and I would have gone even grittier*, showing how the brand new UFP needed to make as many new friends as possible, to get as much new tech as possible, because they were basically in an arms-race with the Klingons & Romulans (and whoever else). Oh yeah, and please readdress the First Federation at some point. I know Kirk found them first, but that didn't stop Enterprise from pooping on other canon (and it would have been an easy fix - the FF were a secretive lot). I'd also save Tucker - say that what Riker saw was the 'official story', but in reality, Tucker was brought into Section 31 for a special assignment. Let T'Pol and him get their happy ending in a new final episode. And bring in Sarek, Spock's father, because he was at the first Khitomer Conference. And ignore EVERYTHING from shows that came after Ent./Voy. - I don't like any of that stuff and consider it 'Delta canon' at best.
Oh, and explain why, at some point toward the end, they started stuffing their consoles with molten styrofoam rocks. LOL

*Like the Battlestar Galactica remake grittier - I feel like Ent. tried for that, but it was a swing and a miss.

 

I used to think Scott Bakula was totally wrong for Archer when the series was airing. Especially in season 1, when the character is supposed to have an undercurrent of resentment towards the Vulcans, I just didn’t think it worked and Bakula didn’t look comfortable in the role.

Watching it back now, he’s great once they found their lane for the show in seasons 3 and 4.

 

• Maybe use the XCV-330 Enterprise.
• Give it a more realistic feel, by making the interiors like the interiors of modern spacecraft, like the ISS. I think it did this pretty well, but had room for improvement.
• Set up more things for the future (like the Borg, the Augments, etc.).
• Some more time spent on Earth or planetside, to give a sort of exploration-y feel. Like they're not just doing space battles.
• More Tellarites, Kzinti, Tholians, Xindi as allies after the Xindi arc
• Get rid of the awful "timeline resetting sequence". It would be instantaneous. As a physics student, that hurt to watch.

 

I honestly was not a fan of the temporal stuff. We've seen that in every series and to me it undermines the timeline's importance. I would have had more focus on exploration.

 

I'll start.

1. The lead ship wouldn't even be named Enterprise.
I'm fine with either. But call it Star Trek from the beginning.

2. I'd give it a more retro, 70's space-age sort of look.
The "industrial" look was one of the few things the show got right. I'd have leaned further in that direction, actually. That and the practical uniforms.

3a) No Klingons.
Not unless they were willing to do as Picard said: "disastrous" contact and decades of war.
b) No Borg, Ferengi, or Organians, Suliban, or Temporal Cold War.
I liked the way the Borg were handled, but yeah. Chuck out the rest. Especially the TCW.
c) No phasers (phase cannons), photon torpedoes (photonic torpedoes), or transporters.
Oh, HELL, yeah. Phasers were tolerable, but transporters should have been a scary tech that powerful enemies used. And adding photonic torpedoes (for the same weapon set as would be used 200y later) were the final technological insult.

4. Equipment would be suitably rudimentary and clunky. A 'tricorder' would be a large (shovel sized) handheld sensor attached to a full-on computerized backpack.
Not a bad idea, actually. Have it carried by a redshirt.

6. By 2151, there would be well-established human colonies on Alpha Centauri.
Yes.

7. The Vulcans would not be oppressive, angry, annoying twats.
Less so, anyway. Being diplomatic is only logical.

9. Space would be vast, and scary. No starbases, and the first crew are the farthest men and women from home, with no help readily available. Lots of travel time implied.
Yes. And returning to Earth is extremely difficult as a result.

12. Andorian and Tellarite first contacts would be major story arcs.
I like this idea. Instead of the TCW guy yapping "Federation" this and "Federation" that, see the groundwork laid in a meaningful way.

13. No visiting Risa in the 22nd Century.
Have "Two Days and Two Nights" take place on another planet. One with a seedier reputation. They could discuss Risa at the end, that it exists, but it's hundreds of LY away.

14. The Orion pirates would be major bad guys. The green slave girls would NOT be retconned into being the masters. Wokescolds begone!
I like both the idea and the sentiment. It's Ok to feature aliens who are still sexist pricks.

15. Weapons would be lasers, projectile weapons, and missiles tipped with nuclear warheads when the big guns needed to come out. Hand weapons would be connected to larger energy packs worn on the belt- again, the rudimentary, 'clunky equipment' concept. Energy rifles would be connected to cyclotron packs worn like a backpack.
Disagree. A weapon that is not handy and quick is impractical. I'd rather have an old style gunpowder-fueled sidearm like a Glock 17 or a Beretta M9 than a futuristic energy weapon that needs a backpack to power it. Maybe instead have lasers that have realistic beam effects.

17. Dr. Phlox might come aboard in S2.
I like this idea. The original ship's Doc gets killed off, and they can't write back to Earth for a new one: they're years from home, and no other human W5 ship exists yet. They meet up with Phlox, who joins them a la Neelix.

18. No Vulcan crewmembers.
Maybe add one or two the way they did Phlox: mid voyage. They could be the only survivor(s) from a ship Enterprise rescued, and happen to include a skilled science officer. But they either wear Vulcan robelike garments, or the same blue jumpsuits as everyone else.

20. Last but not least (cue thunderous reverb).... NO TIME TRAVEL!!!
Well... time travel is kind of a Trek tradition... but still, have it be an isolated event, no annoying TCW.

21. One from me. Have the discussion of the future "prime directive" occur after the cogenitor incident, rather then in "Dear Doctor", which simply focuses on Phlox interacting with the crew.

 

I'll add one that I think needed more emphasis:
Have a dedicated diplomatic officer. Not the captain, or the first officer, but someone who take information from Vulcans if needed and work it in to first contact scenarios. Yes, the captain can give speeches but have a diplomat who actually authorizes this stuff, rather than the off the cuff informal way of Archer that came across as someone trying to bluff (badly) in poker.

 

I don't want a re-boot of "Enterprise". I don't want a re-boot of anything. If the Trek franchise has to resort to re-boots, then it might as well declare itself over.

 

There's nothing wrong with a reboot.

 

Reimagining a long-running ongoing series cuts off the potential for new stories in that universe and complicates the lore by giving audiences a new contradictory set of events to remember.

 

I was thinking maybe Wrigley's Pleasure Planet, but it would probably be too early for that as well. Maybe the planet that would become Wrigley's.

Valid point.

Have the initial mention in "Dear Doctor" like it happened, then a WAY more serious discussion after "Cogenitor."

 

The "Enterprise" would have been named "Dauntless" and wouldn't have looked like someone broke the "Akira" model and put it back together wrong.

 

Great minds think alike. See below, OP, second paragraph.

https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/the-long-sleep-alternate-enterprise-era.283132/#post-11721380

 

Make Archer a older man, late forties to mid fifties. The Enterprise isn't his first large ship command, nor is deep space exploration something new for humanity, Archer has experience in interstellar space, exploration, combat, diplomacy, first contact, and trade. The Enterprise is however larger and faster than any ship he has ever commanded.

The ship needs a first officer. Not T'pol (covered later), nor the ship's engineer who ordinarily would be in engineering and "out of the loop." The purposed first officer would be regular and a new character.

Reed would be the ship's sensors/weapons senior officer, separate there would have been a recurring character of the ship's security officer, a young ensign or a lieutenant junior grade. Perhaps this could be Mayweather's role instead of the helm. To be honest the actor had the physical build for the part. And the ship would have a small security/soldier contingent, Eight or so.

Hoshi i would make a civilian, I like the idea that maybe a quarter of those aboard the Enterprise would not be Starfleet. Maybe most of the sciences, cooks, some of the support personnel are civilians. I think of Phlox as a civilian.

Make clear that the majority of Starfleet people are enlisted, the helmsperson on the bridge would be enlisted, most of the engineering crew, security, Reed's weapons team.

Lose the decontamination gel rubbing scenes, I get that they were going for sexy, but that didn't work.

The ship has missiles with optional chemial explosives or "atomics." Other weapons would be charged particle beams (which explains why we can see them in a vaccum) and short range gattling guns (because gattling guns are cool).

Tucker remains unchanged, why mess with perfection?

I liked the Suliban, even with removing the cold war I think they would have continued to be interesting.

What would the series have been about during the first half to the first season that would have held the audience interest? And would that audience have stayed after the major change in the show's format?

Like they were during both TNG and DS9?

A policy that should have been put in place outside of TOS, and been strickly observed through to the current Star Trek.

T'pol is a officer in the Vulcan "starfleet" and is attached to Archer's command as a advisor. She is not in the ship's chain of command, can't give orders to the ship's crew, and isn't in any way a part of Starfleet.

Paragraphs my friend, paragraphs.