t'pol – Trekking with Dennis

Star Trek: Enterprise Episode Re-Watch: Season 1, Episode 7: The Andorian Incident

A Star Trek-themed spoiler warning graphic

Spoiler Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Star Trek: Enterprise Seasons 1-4. Minor spoilers are also present for the following Star Trek productions: The Original Series, The Motion Picture, The Voyage Home, The Next Generation, and Strange New Worlds.

I have kind of a weird relationship with Star Trek: Enterprise, and the show’s first season in particular. I can remember listening to the radio, sometime around the turn of the millennium, when news was breaking that a brand-new Star Trek series was going to be created. But my excitement at that announcement was almost immediately dashed upon learning that it would be a prequel! Yes, I’m one of *those* Trekkies – the “oh god, not a prequel show” Enterprise-avoiders!

Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but you see my point. When Enterprise landed here in the UK in early 2002, I tuned in for the premiere, but after that, I really only watched the show sporadically while it was on the air, and I didn’t really consider myself a huge fan of Captain Archer’s adventures. It was only in the latter part of the 2000s, after Enterprise’s cancellation, that I became fully acquainted with the series; I purchased Enterprise on DVD to round out my Star Trek collection.

Promo graphic from Star Trek SNW showing the NX-01 — The NX-01 as it appears on a background graphic in *Strange New Worlds*.

I’m pretty sure that The Andorian Incident is one of the episodes I first watched on DVD; I don’t think I caught it on TV when it first aired, but I might be mixing it up with Shadows of P’Jem, its sequel/sister episode (that I hope to write up a re-watch of one day, too!). In any case, I came late to most of Enterprise, but I’ve since come to regret my snap judgement of Star Trek’s first prequel series. Enterprise told some fun, enjoyable, and very “Star Trekky” stories across its four seasons, expanded our understanding of the Federation and the wider Star Trek universe, and padded out historical events and first contact missions that other Star Trek shows only made oblique references to.

Enterprise is the show I point to whenever I hear fans (both inside and outside of the Trekkie community) use the expressions “no one’s asking for this,” or “who asked for this?” in response to a new series, film, or spin-off. If you’d asked most Trekkies in 2001 what kind of show they’d like to see, I doubt that many of us would’ve said “a prequel set a century before Captain Kirk!”, but Enterprise took that premise and did some truly wonderful things with it. It’s perhaps my biggest regret as a Trekkie that I didn’t do more to support the series during its original broadcast run, and that I misjudged it upon hearing little more than its premise.

Promo photo of the Star Trek ENT cast in S1 — Several of the main characters in a Season 1 promo photo.

I’ve been meaning to return to Enterprise for a while, and regular readers might have an inkling as to why! Almost a year ago, I had the immense pleasure of meeting Connor Trinneer – Enterprise’s Trip Tucker – at a fan convention here in the UK. Being able to shake his hand was absolutely fantastic, and ever since, I’ve wanted to dip back into Enterprise and write up my thoughts on a few of the episodes. This is the first time, in almost seven years of writing here on the website, that I’ve done one of these re-watches for Enterprise, if you can believe it! I guess I’m in danger of losing my Trekkie credentials, eh?

The Andorian Incident isn’t a “Trip episode,” though Tucker is featured as part of the away team to the Vulcan outpost of P’Jem, so I think it still works for a re-watch! This’ll be the first time, since I had the opportunity to meet him, that I’m watching any episodes of Enterprise, actually – it’s a series I enjoy, but I guess I haven’t found the time to sit down and watch any episodes for a while.

Photo of Connor Trinneer on stage at a fan convention — Connor Trinneer (left) at a fan convention in the UK in 2025.
*Photo: Trekking with Dennis*

So that’s a bit of personal background for you as we sit down to re-watch The Andorian Incident.

The Andorian Incident was the first of ten Enterprise episodes to be directed by former Voyager star Roxann Dawson. Dawson played B’Elanna Torres for all seven seasons of Voyager, and went on to direct two episodes of that series, too. She worked on episodes across all four seasons of Enterprise, which helped to establish her as a television director; she continues to direct today.

After Enterprise, Roxann Dawson has gone on to direct episodes of The O.C., The Mentalist, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, House of Cards, and Foundation, among many others. It’s always nice to see the stars of Star Trek succeed beyond the franchise, and Dawson’s TV directing career really began with Star Trek; it was Enterprise where she first directed an episode of a show that she wasn’t also starring in.

Behind-the-scenes photo from Star Trek ENT 1x07 showing Roxann Dawson, Jeffrey Combs, and a camera — Roxann Dawson on the set of *The Andorian Incident* with Jeffrey Combs.
*Photo: Star Trek Monthly via Memory Alpha*

The Andorian Incident is the kind of episode that could really only work as a prequel, and saw Enterprise taking full advantage of its prequel status. At this early point in the show’s run, the Vulcans’ attitude towards their new human allies is still being established, but we know that Earth is very much the junior partner in this relationship. The Andorian Incident expands on that a little, and also sets the stage for something Enterprise would do a lot more of over its subsequent seasons: exploring contradictions within the Vulcans and showing how their High Command, in particular, was not always as friendly or peaceful as it appeared to be.

This episode is also notable for bringing the Andorians back to Star Trek after a long absence. Andorians appeared in The Original Series and The Animated Series, as well as in background roles in The Motion Picture and The Voyage Home, but they were essentially absent for the entirety of The Next Generation era, save for a couple of very minor appearances. Early ideas for this episode may have considered bringing in the Gorn, but the switch was made to the Andorians relatively early on – and I think we can all agree that that was a great choice! The Andorians went on to play a prominent role in Enterprise.

Still frame from Star Trek ENT 1x07 showing Andorians — The Andorians have arrived!

In Journey to Babel – the TOS episode where the Andorians first appeared – their animosity toward the Vulcans had been established, and The Andorian Incident picks up that thread in a way that feels natural. This is our first look at the pre-Federation conflict between these two powers, and we get some interesting bits of lore and background that help build up the early days of the Federation – and both races’ roles within it. That’s exactly the kind of story that only a prequel (or a flashback, I guess) can really tell, which is what I meant when I said that this is a great example of Enterprise fully taking advantage of its place in the timeline and leaning into that.

The animosity between the Vulcans and Andorians needed to have more of a reason than “just because,” but if there was ever going to be a believable narrative pathway to get them – and Earth – to one day work together, it was incredibly important for stories in this era not to make out either faction to be irredeemably awful and villainous, and for me, I think The Andorian Incident stays on the right side of that line. That isn’t to say that the Andorians or Vulcans come across as particularly *nice*, but rather there’s room in the way their conflict is depicted to see how, one day in the future, humanity and Earth could help bring it to an end.

Still frame from Star Trek ENT 1x07 showing T'Pol and an Andorian — T’Pol with an Andorian soldier.

Let’s talk briefly about Enterprise’s other regulars – the ones who didn’t go on the away mission.

Hoshi and Travis don’t get very much to do in this episode; I think they really only get a few lines each. It was interesting, though, that Hoshi was the one selected to operate the transporter – Reed’s first-ever time transporting, I think I’m right in saying. You’d think that Enterprise would’ve had a dedicated transporter officer, or that the role would’ve at least been delegated to an engineer! Still, it gave us a couple of cute moments in the transporter room as Reed and his security team prepared to beam down.

This episode also saw Reed sitting in the captain’s chair, being left in command of Enterprise in lieu of Archer, T’Pol, and Tucker. Reed’s role is more notable, really, for how the away team discussed him – Archer and Tucker both agreed that Reed wouldn’t wait indefinitely before launching a potentially deadly rescue operation.

Still frame from Star Trek ENT 1x07 showing Reed on the transporter pad — Reed got a turn in the captain’s chair… and a turn being transported.

Dr Phlox got a fun scene with T’Pol near the beginning of the episode. After agreeing to divert Enterprise to P’Jem, T’Pol shares a meal with Dr Phlox in Enterprise’s dining area, and Phlox philosophises about the nature of being an outsider aboard a human ship, as well as why T’Pol may be reluctant to appear at an important site to the Vulcans in the company of humans. It was a nice little scene, and I think it says a lot for T’Pol at this early point in the show’s run, as well as shows that she has a bond (of sorts, anyway) with Dr Phlox.

This conversation takes an interesting turn, with Phlox and T’Pol discussing the Vulcan motto “infinite diversity in infinite combinations,” and what exactly it means in the context of Enterprise’s mission. Unfortunately, in the years since The Andorian Incident aired, the word “diversity” has become a little contentious – even among some Trekkies – so I’m not sure how well a scene like this would land today! Still, as an homage to what Star Trek is and has always aimed to be, as well as an exploration of the Vulcans and T’Pol’s thoughts on serving aboard a human ship… I liked it. It was a cute scene, and Phlox helping himself to part of T’Pol’s meal showed a friendliness and familiarity between them.

Still frame from Star Trek ENT 1x07 showing T'Pol dining with
Dr Phlox — T’Pol dines with Dr Phlox.

Since we’re talking about the start of the episode, I do want to flag up one thing that I don’t think worked especially well. The very short scene leading into the opening titles showed the Andorian squad’s arrival at P’Jem… but then later, after Archer and co. arrived, it was kind of treated as a bit of a surprise that the monastery had been invaded and attacked. I can’t help but feel that this little opening scene could’ve been cut or moved, making the revelation of the Andorians’ presence a surprise to us as the audience, not just the characters in the show.

It’s not the biggest deal in the world, sure. But, given how The Andorian Incident presented the away team’s arrival at P’Jem and encounter with the Vulcan elder, I think it could’ve been a bit more exciting or entertaining if *that* had been the moment where we learned what was really going on; a surprise ambush by the Andorians could’ve been a fun reveal instead of something we already knew was bound to happen.

Still frame from Star Trek ENT 1x07 showing T'Pol, Shran, and the ambush — The ambush.

I liked the design of P’Jem – inside and out – though I would say, unfortunately, that some of Enterprise’s early 2000s CGI doesn’t hold up quite as well a quarter of a century later! That’s not a problem unique to this series by any means; just look at the Star Wars prequels, which were also released around the same time, for plenty of other examples of CGI that just wasn’t quite ready for prime-time.

The biggest CGI/green screen offender, in my opinion, comes at the very end of the episode; Archer and co. stepping through the doorway into the Vulcan observation post has aged quite poorly. The exterior shots of the P’Jem monastery, the shuttle taking off, and shots of the NX-01 in space are all vastly superior by comparison. Is it the end of the world? No. And partly it’s because, in 2026, we’re watching on bigger, better screens; in standard definition in 2001-02, these shots probably looked a lot better! However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that a lot of similar shots in the movies and across the TNG era, which relied more on physical models, props, and even matte paintings, have stood the test of time a lot better. A subjective take, sure, but one I stand by!

Still frame from Star Trek ENT 1x07 showing T'Pol and Archer discovering the listening post — Not a great visual effect, at least in my opinion.

In terms of physical sets and props, The Andorian Incident does a lot better. The monastery – despite being built entirely on a sound stage – manages to feel ancient, with a kind of “Mediterranean” vibe that reminds me a little of Ancient Greece or perhaps Italy. I really did get the sense, as the away team arrived, that this was an old, isolated, religious outpost – something absolutely crucial to keeping the episode’s biggest revelation a secret until the right moment.

Many of the statues, reliefs, icons, and other props also looked pretty great inside the P’Jem monastery, and again, that sensation that this is both an ancient and holy place was present throughout. The cobweb-covered transmitter was also a fun prop, and I liked Trip’s line about having “never met a radio he couldn’t fix!” Several props seen in The Andorian Incident were either recycled from episodes in the TNG era or would go on to be re-used in future Enterprise stories.

Still frame from Star Trek ENT 1x07 showing Trip holding a torch in front of a mummy — Trip meets another resident of P’Jem…

Jeffrey Combs is legendary within the Star Trek fan community! Combs has played nine different roles (or more, if clones, holograms, and alternate-timeline characters count separately) across four different series, including the iconic Weyoun on Deep Space Nine. And The Andorian Incident brings him back to play the role of Shran, the Andorian leader. Shran would go on to be another recurring role for Jeffrey Combs; his second-biggest after Weyoun.

I fear my judgement of Shran is coloured by his subsequent appearances; he’s just such a fun character, and his relationship with Archer develops across the show’s run in a truly entertaining way. In this first appearance, Shran seems to get off to a rough start – he’s almost Klingon-like in his aggression, torturing prisoners, beating Archer or ordering him beaten, and seeming to be completely unreasonable in his demands. However, the episode’s final moment reveals that Shran and the Andorians are right: there really is a listening post hidden beneath the monastery. And while that doesn’t mean that Shran was right in *everything* he did… it certainly reframes how we’re meant to understand his character.

Still frame from Star Trek ENT 1x07 showing Shran with Reed — This episode set up Shran for a recurring role.

Those final scenes show the beginnings of an understanding between Archer and Shran – and, by extension, between humanity and the Andorians. This is what I was talking about a moment ago: this is how we start to build a narrative pathway for the Andorians to become founding members of the United Federation of Planets. And it’s ironic – deliberately so – that humans and Andorians get off to such a rocky start! It doesn’t do anything to take away from or minimise the Andorians’ roles in episodes set a century later, like Journey to Babel. But it does add context, background, and – I would argue – extra believability to stories like that.

A good prequel does exactly this. It deepens our understanding of the way the Vulcans, humans, and Andorians interact, provides context that could explain lingering mistrust or ill-feelings, and makes sure we understand that there’s blame to go around. The Andorians were aggressive, mistrusting, and treated their prisoners awfully. But the Vulcans lied – to their enemies *and* their supposed friends – and used a religious site as cover for a military installation. I guess we can appreciate why Ambassadors Shras and Sarek had a hard time getting along!

Still frame from Star Trek TOS 'Journey to Babel' showing Kirk, Sarek, and Shras — Ambassadors Sarek and Shras with Captain Kirk a century later.

The Andorian Incident also does a lot to further the complex and occasionally tense relationship between Captain Archer and T’Pol. Having expressed her feelings about serving aboard a human ship earlier in the episode, T’Pol has to confront Archer’s doubts about her loyalty when they’re in captivity. She disagrees with Archer’s plan to have Reed lead a rescue mission to the monastery, but makes it clear that she will obey his orders – even if those orders, in her view, put Vulcan lives and a Vulcan holy site at risk.

At this point in the show’s run, T’Pol hasn’t had many opportunities to demonstrate that she’s a team player, and given his contentious relationship with the Vulcans in general, we can kind of understand Archer’s point of view here. It’s not always easy to step back and completely set aside dozens of other episodes which add to the Archer-T’Pol dynamic or to T’Pol’s evolving relationship with humans – both of which are parts of her character arc that Enterprise handled well. But if we *try* to keep in mind how early in the series this takes place, and how much growing Archer and T’Pol still have to do to fully trust one another, I think the scenes between them work. We feel Archer’s barely-concealed resentment toward the Vulcans in moments with T’Pol and while being “interrogated” by Shran, and we also feel T’Pol’s righteous indignation at Archer’s implication that she’d go against his orders or side with the Vulcans against him.

Still frame from Star Trek ENT 1x07 showing T'Pol, Archer, and a blanket — T’Pol and Archer.

For Tucker, The Andorian Incident is a chance to show off his friendship with the captain – I like some of their little moments of banter together both before and during the away mission – and his technical prowess. We don’t get a complicated sequence of him repairing the old transmitter, nor a lot of technobabble about what’s going on, but just the fact that he could take ageing, decrepit technology and get it to work well enough to send a signal back to the ship is impressive. Tucker is very much in the Scotty mould: a miracle-worker!

Tucker is also the one who figures out the layout of the tunnels at the P’Jem monastery, which later enables Reed and his team to get the drop on the Andorians. The scene of the large Vulcan relief exploding was incredibly cool, and it was brought to screen exceptionally well. It’s not totally unique in Star Trek, of course – see The Final Frontier’s jail-break scene, among plenty of other similar moments – but I really liked it here. And it was a fun excuse to return to one of the Star Trek franchise’s ubiquitous underground caves and caverns! Seriously, a lot of planets seem to have something like that, eh?

Still frame from Star Trek ENT 1x07 showing an explosion — The Vulcan sculpture gets blown up!

One thing Enterprise did well, especially in these early episodes, was conveying that sense of exploration; that space really was “the final frontier,” full of wonders and dangers to encounter. And for me, The Andorian Incident is among those stories. We continue the trend of seeing humanity as the junior, less-experienced partner to the Vulcans, hammered home by the fact that Archer and co. don’t even know who the Andorians are. And we get the sense that space is bigger and more dangerous than they could’ve expected, as seen by the Andorian attack on a seemingly-peaceful Vulcan monastery.

At the same time, The Andorian Incident is a great prequel: linking up with events in The Original Series in a big way, doing a lot to establish the Vulcan-Andorian conflict and cold war, while also setting the stage for a more peaceful future and the founding of the Federation. We also learn that there’s clearly more going on with the Vulcans than meets the eye, while giving T’Pol her clearest opportunity yet to demonstrate – to us as the audience as much as to Archer – that she’s on the side of Enterprise and the humans, even if that brings her into conflict with the Vulcan High Command. This arc would pay off in a big way in the seasons ahead.

Still frame from Star Trek ENT 1x07 showing Archer — Archer discovers the listening post.

I’d forgotten just how abruptly The Andorian Incident ends. Although the story started here would be picked up later in the season in Shadows of P’Jem, the final moments of this episode seem to wrap up very quickly. We don’t see Archer and the away team returning to Enterprise, nor Shran’s ship departing the planet. The Vulcan listening post is exposed, Shran is handed the sensor data, and then… that’s it. While this storyline will be continued, the episode itself kind of just ends, and that’s a bit of an odd feeling.

All in all, though, I like The Andorian Incident. We met Shran for the first time, Archer and T’Pol shared a blanket, and the Vulcans turned out to be sneaky little so-and-sos! It’s a fun episode in its own right, as well as an important one for Star Trek’s fictional history. It’s one of the episodes that really justifies Enterprise’s prequel setting and place in the timeline, stepping back in time to add context and detail to historical events but without treading on the toes of stories set a century or more later. That isn’t always easy to get right – and Enterprise could mess this up, too – but when it works… it works.

Still frame from Star Trek ENT 1x07 showing Archer, T'Pol, and Tucker at the monastery door — A fun episode of *Enterprise*.

I hope this has been a bit of fun. I’d been meaning to revisit Enterprise for a while, even before I got to meet Connor Trinneer, because it’s been a while since I last sat down and just enjoyed an episode or two of Enterprise. And in Star Trek’s big sixtieth anniversary year – and Enterprise’s landmark quarter-of-a-century milestone anniversary year, too – it seemed like the right moment! Here’s hoping it won’t take *another* seven years for me to get around to doing another one of these re-watches!

If you missed them, I’ve done a few other re-watches this year. When Starfleet Academy was on the air, I went back to revisit The First Duty – the Academy’s first big on-screen appearance in The Next Generation. Then I re-watched The Original Series’ second pilot, Where No Man Has Gone Before. And I’ve also re-watched The Royale from TNG’s second season, which was my personal “first contact” with the Star Trek franchise. Earlier this year, I had the fantastic opportunity to meet William Shatner – Captain Kirk himself – at an event here in the UK. And, as I’ve noted a few times already, I met Enterprise’s Connor Trinneer last year at a Star Trek convention.

Click or tap any of those links to check out those re-watches and other articles, and stay tuned! I’ll have more to say about Star Trek before long. Thanks for joining me for this re-watch, and as always… Live Long and Prosper, friends!

Star Trek: Enterprise is available to stream now on Paramount+ in countries and territories where the platform is available. The entire series is also available on DVD and Blu-ray. The Star Trek franchise – including Enterprise and all other properties discussed above – is the copyright of the Skydance-Paramount corporation. This article contains the thoughts and opinions of one person only and is not intended to cause any offence.

Strange New Worlds Episode Pitch: “Cardassia Prime”

Mon 24.03.25Dennis

Spoiler Warning: There are spoilers ahead for the following Star Trek productions: Deep Space Nine, Enterprise, Lower Decks, and Strange New Worlds.

Today I’d like to try something a little different. Rather than talking about Star Trek stories that we’ve already seen, I want to write a “pitch” of my own Star Trek episode. This is a story that I think would be a great fit for a future season of Strange New Worlds – or even to celebrate Star Trek’s upcoming sixtieth anniversary. I came up with the idea a couple of years ago, and I’ve already talked about it more than once here on the website.

In brief, what I wanted to create was a Star Trek story that brings together elements from different parts of the franchise – specifically the three different eras in which Star Trek shows have mostly been set (the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th Centuries). Combining these different parts of Star Trek results in what I think would be a really enjoyable episode, one which fans of different Star Trek shows could appreciate. Bringing these different elements together could be a fantastic way to celebrate Star Trek as a whole, too, and with the sixtieth anniversary coming up, part of me hopes that Paramount has planned something along the same lines.

Still frame from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 showing Captain Pike. — Let’s create our own adventure for Captain Pike!

A couple of notes before we get started. Despite the title, this is not an “official” pitch! I’ve never had any official contact with Paramount or the creative team behind Strange New Worlds, and although I enjoy writing and have worked on websites, marketing material, and video games in a professional capacity in the past, I’m by no means a scriptwriter or creative type myself. This “pitch” is just for fun; it’s a concept that I think would make for a great Strange New Worlds episode… but it’s one that will certainly never be made.

And as I always say: this is all just one person’s take. If you don’t like this idea and think it wouldn’t work as an episode of Strange New Worlds, that’s totally okay! The Star Trek fan community is big enough for people to have very different opinions about what does and doesn’t make for a fun story. This is one that I think could work well – but I won’t be offended if you disagree!

Photo of Gene Roddenberry with a model of the USS Enterprise c. 1970s. — Gene Roddenberry in the early 1970s.

So let’s get started by talking about the different elements I’ll be including. This episode, which I’m giving the working title of Cardassia Prime, will bring together characters and factions from three different parts of the Star Trek franchise. Representing the 23rd Century we of course have Captain Pike, Spock, and the rest of the crew of the USS Enterprise! But they aren’t the only familiar faces who’ll be making an appearance this time.

Strange New Worlds is set a century after the events of Enterprise, but with the long lives of several Starfleet races (and even humans in this era) it’s always seemed plausible to me that some characters may still be alive. I wanted to create a story in which an Enterprise character came aboard Captain Pike’s ship – and the most obvious choice has always been T’Pol.

Still frame from Star Trek: Enterprise Season 3 showing T'Pol (with old age makeup). — An elderly T’Pol, as seen in the *Enterprise* Season 3 episode E².

T’Pol was the NX-01’s first officer, science officer, and Vulcan attaché, serving under Captain Archer during that ship’s missions of exploration and first contact. She stood by Archer’s side during the Xindi conflict, and played a role in changes to the Vulcan government in the 22nd Century, too. She was also instrumental in the creation of the United Federation of Planets. Everything we know about Vulcans tells us that there’s a high likelihood of T’Pol still being alive in the mid-23rd Century; both Spock and Tuvok lived exceptionally long lives, so there’s no reason to think T’Pol wouldn’t. She could even still working for the Federation or Vulcan government in some capacity as of the time Strange New Worlds is set.

I’ve taken this as a starting point for T’Pol and given her a job similar to Spock’s in The Next Generation two-part episode Unification. For the sake of this story, we’ll say that T’Pol – who played a major role in deepening the alliance between humans and Vulcans that ultimately led to the creation of the Federation – has since taken on an ambassadorial, diplomatic role for the alliance, and it’s in this capacity that she joins Captain Pike’s ship.

Still frame from Unification (Star Trek: The Next Generation) showing Spock. — T’Pol’s job as a Federation ambassador and diplomant will be comparable to that of Spock’s in *Unification*.

What I’d love to see here, beyond the main thrust of the episode’s plot, is the interaction between an older T’Pol and the younger Spock. As the first Vulcan to work extensively with humans and serve aboard a human starship, T’Pol will surely have pearls of wisdom to impart, and may even look at Spock very favourably as someone following in her own footsteps. Although we’re dealing with two cool, logical Vulcans, I think there’s the potential for some genuinely emotional moments between T’Pol and Spock.

T’Pol will present Captain Pike with his new orders shortly after coming aboard: the Enterprise is to proceed to a region of space where a Federation colony vessel has accidentally caused a diplomatic incident by straying into a star system claimed by an unknown alien power. T’Pol’s orders are to defuse the situation and prevent it from escalating into a conflict; Pike’s are to get her there at top speed and do whatever she needs him to do to make it happen. We could see, in the opening act of the episode, T’Pol arriving aboard a Vulcan shuttle similar to the one used by Spock in The Motion Picture, as I think that would be a neat little callback and a fun visual presentation.

Still frame from Star Trek: The Motion Picture showing Spock's warp shuttle. — T’Pol could arrive aboard the Enterprise on a shuttle like this one.

The alien power at the centre of the story will be revealed to be the Cardassian Empire – as you’ve probably already figured out from the title! The Federation colony vessel was apprehended while attempting to scout planets in a star system that the Cardassians claim as one of their own, and this will be how the Federation and Cardassians made first contact – something that has never been depicted or explained on screen before.

By creating this backstory of the initial contact between the Federation and Cardassians, one in which war will be barely averted thanks to the efforts of T’Pol and Captain Pike, I think we can lend a bit of perspective to stories in The Next Generation and especially Deep Space Nine. We’ll uncover another chapter of Federation-Cardassian relations, and show that things got off to a rocky start – perhaps lingering ill-will from this incident even contributed to the border wars that we know the Federation and Cardassians fought in the years before The Next Generation.

Crop of the cover of the comic Star Trek: Defiant showing a Cardassian with several Cardassian spaceships in the background. — The Cardassians will be this episode’s antagonists.
*Image Credit: IDW Publishing/Paramount*

Because the Cardassians haven’t been seen in detail in Star Trek’s modern era, I think a lot of fans will be thrilled to welcome them back to the franchise. By setting up the Cardassians as the episode’s adversaries, we continue the theme of seeing them as an enemy that was present in Deep Space Nine, but by making the Federation colony ship the one to have made a mistake, we give them at least the barest bones of motivation for acting the way they do toward Starfleet and our heroes. These are not one-dimensional, “evil-for-the-sake-of-it” baddies, and they are able to be negotiated and reasoned with.

In fact, this episode won’t be violent. Captain Pike won’t have to whip out his phaser – or if he does, he won’t have to fire a shot. In true Star Trek style, communication, understanding, and cooperation will be the order of the day, and once it becomes clear what happened – that the colony ship inadvertently entered space claimed by the Cardassians – a pathway will be present that leads to a peaceful resolution. It will take all of T’Pol’s century of experience to avert a conflict and get these negotiations over the line, but it will be possible. Spock will have a role to play here, too.

Still frame from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 showing Spock. — Spock will join forces with T’Pol.

As a faction we spent so much time with in Deep Space Nine, we know a fair amount about how the Cardassians operate. They’re secretive, militaristic, and can be xenophobic. They fiercely defend their territory, have no qualms about conquering and subjugating others, and have a rigid legal code in which guilt is usually presumed.

But with more than a century of experience under her belt, T’Pol will be able to find a peaceful solution. Neither side wants war, and it’s ultimately going to be in both parties’ best interests to resolve the current situation peacefully – though both Starfleet and the Cardassians will stringently monitor their borders from this point onwards!

Still frame from Star Trek: The Original Series showing the Romulan Neutral Zone on the Enterprise's main viewscreen. — This episode will establish the Cardassian-Federation border.

In terms of the structure of the episode itself, I think I’d open with a short teaser in which Captain Pike, Spock, and perhaps other members of the bridge crew are preparing for the arrival of an ambassador. They’d be wearing their finest dress uniforms as the shuttle arrives, and there’d be an “honour guard” similar to the one seen in Journey to Babel. When T’Pol is seen for the first time, that’s when the opening titles would kick in. The next sequence would see Pike assign Spock as T’Pol’s aide while she’s aboard the ship, leading to some scenes between them in which we’d get the aforementioned bonding while en route to Cardassian space.

Spock would be curious about T’Pol; she’s somewhat of a legend in his eyes, as one of the first Vulcans to work so extensively with humans, and he sees parallels to his situation. There’s almost a kind of hero worship in the way Spock views T’Pol – something Chapel or Una might tease him about if they have a moment together later in the episode!

Still frame from Star Trek: Enterprise Season 2 showing T'Pol sat at a table. — T’Pol.

As the Enterprise arrives in this new star system, the ship would be confronted by at least one Cardassian vessel. I’d want this ship to look like a stripped-down Galor-class vessel; different enough to be distinct, but similar enough in style and shape that it would be recognisably Cardassian for returning fans. I’m no graphic designer (as you can probably tell) but I think it’s important given the type of story we’re crafting that the design of the new ship is similar enough that it could reasonably be part of the same Cardassian Union that we’re familiar with.

The same would be true of the Cardassians’ uniforms. I wouldn’t want an exact duplicate of the Cardassian armour that debuted in The Next Generation, but as above with the way their ship looks, uniforms/armour would need to be familiar enough that a returning fan could recognise it and understand that it’s part of the same faction – just from an earlier era.

Still frame from Star Trek: Lower Decks showing a Cardassian spaceship. — I’d like the Cardassian ship to be reminiscent of the Galor-class but without being identical.

The Cardassian leader would angrily tell Pike to leave the system, threatening the Enterprise before abruptly ending the communication. Pike would then summon T’Pol to the bridge, letting her take the lead when it comes to speaking to the Cardassians. Long-range scans would be able to detect the colony ship – but it’s under guard, and the Cardassians aren’t going to just let the Enterprise rescue it without putting up a fight. Not wanting to trigger a war – and perhaps thinking back on his experiences in the episode A Quality of Mercy – Pike would talk with La’an and Una about a backup plan… just in case T’Pol’s negotiations fail.

At this point, we’d learn that the Cardassians have long been aware of the Federation – but because of how closed-off their society is, they chose to spy from afar rather than make contact. This revelation would be unsettling; Spock would remark that the Cardassians know far more about them than they do about the Cardassians, leaving them at a disadvantage in either combat or communication.

Still frame from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine showing a former commander of Terok Nor on a viewscreen. — The Cardassians’ first message would be abrupt and aggressive.

T’Pol would refute this, saying that she’ll use the Cardassians’ assumptions about humans, Vulcans, and the Federation to undermine their claims and turn things to her advantage. Hailing the Cardassians again, T’Pol and Pike propose face-to-face negotiations; these will take place not aboard the Enterprise, but aboard the Cardassian ship. T’Pol will represent the Federation, bringing with her Spock as an aide, Sam Kirk as an anthropological expert, and Uhura to help with any translation or communication issues.

As the away team heads to the transporter room, Pike convenes a meeting of the remaining senior officers. Pelia will bring Scotty along to the meeting, which is to further explore a backup plan – rescuing, if necessary, T’Pol and the away team as well as the impounded ship. La’an and Scotty will work on a tactical/engineering assignment to bring down the Cardassian ship’s shields; Pike wants to keep something in reserve in case things go off the rails.

Still frame from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 showing La'an. — La’an will be paired up with another legacy character this time!

The interior of the Cardassian ship will probably have to be just one room to keep the budget down, but with the AR wall I’d hope it could be a decently-sized space with a table for the two delegations to sit at. In keeping with the design philosophy we discussed above, there should be enough familiar elements to be recognisably Cardassian but without being a carbon copy of something from Deep Space Nine. I’m thinking of a familiar Cardassian computer display, perhaps doorway arches that are reminiscent of those aboard DS9, and similar lighting and colour schemes.

The Cardassian leader will argue that, under Cardassian law, the colony ship has been rightfully impounded and they have no plans to release it. They were guilty the moment they entered the system, and the Cardassians believe in the presumption of guilt. Unless T’Pol can actively prove their innocence, he plans to send the crew and colonists to a labour camp and seize the ship.

Still frame from Star Trek: The Next Generation (Chain of Command) showing three Cardassians sat at the Enterprise-D's briefing room table. — The Cardassian delegation will insist that the Federation colony ship violated their laws.

There will be some difficulty with the universal translator at this point, so the conference will go into recess. Uhura will be confused; the translation stopped working for no reason and she can’t figure out why. Spock begins to examine their equipment, but T’Pol will reveal the ruse: she deactivated the translator to give the team a bit of extra time to prepare a defence.

T’Pol will contact Pike, asking him to scan the system for any sign of a Cardassian presence or any kind of beacon or subspace buoy that could’ve warned the colony ship to keep away. Pike promises to do so and sets the crew to the task. With the translator “repaired,” T’Pol can begin her defence.

Still frame from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 showing Uhura at her post. — Uhura will have a role to play in the away mission.

T’Pol will argue that the colony ship couldn’t have violated any law as there was no way to tell that the Cardassians have laid claim to this apparently-empty system. There are no Cardassian settlements, no space stations, and no obvious military presence. To any passing ship, the system appeared empty, and the colony ship was well within its rights to enter the system and begin performing scans.

The Cardassians will dispute this, saying that ignorance of the law is not an excuse for breaking the law. The colony ship entered their system, that is beyond dispute. Furthermore, by conducting scans, the ship could’ve been spying for the Federation, trying to discover Cardassian military secrets. T’Pol remarks that, just because that’s how the Cardassians operate, it doesn’t mean Starfleet behaves the same way. She appeals to the Cardassians’ knowledge of Vulcans, reminding them that Vulcans are incapable of lying; if she swears the colony ship wasn’t spying, then it wasn’t.

Promo photo for Star Trek: Enterprise Season 4 showing T'Pol. — T’Pol will use the Cardassians’ knowledge against them.

Pike contacts the away team, confirming that there’s no way the colony ship could’ve detected any Cardassian presence in the system. The Cardassians left no warning, no buoy enforcing their claimed border, and no indication whatsoever that they considered this empty system to be their territory. T’Pol thanks Pike for the information and adds it to her argument. She then chastises the Cardassians for arresting the crew of the ship without cause, and suggests that, if the captain won’t release the colonists, she’ll take the matter directly to the Cardassian government.

The Cardassian captain is clearly rattled by this idea, as he wants to solve the matter himself. Seeing the potential for a career-ending incident, he backs down – but insists that the Enterprise and the colony ship leave the system immediately. T’Pol agrees, noting that the system will be declared off-limits to future Federation vessels heading this way. She adds that, now first contact has been made, it would be logical for both the Cardassian Union and the Federation to designate a formal border; the Cardassian captain nods, and the away team departs.

Still frame from What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine showing Gul Dukat (in HD). — Despite the Cardassians’ attitude, a peaceful resolution will be possible.

Back aboard the Enterprise, Scotty and La’an have struggled to find a way past the Cardassian ship’s defences; Scotty remarks that their ship is almost a perfect match for the Enterprise in terms of weapons and shields; a shooting match between them could go either way. Even with Ortegas’ fancy piloting, the vessels would still be evenly matched if a fight were to break out.

With the situation now under control, the Cardassians release the colony ship. Pike gets confirmation that the crew and colonists are all accounted for an unharmed, and the two ships depart the system. First contact with the Cardassians was eventful – but fortunately, non-violent.

The original matte painting which represented the Cardassian homeworld in The Next Generation and/or Deep Space Nine. — Cardassia Prime – the original matte painting.
*Image Credit: Frogland Archive/Heritage Auctions*

In her cabin, T’Pol would be sending a final message to Federation HQ before preparing to disembark. Spock enters, telling her how he appreciated getting to work with her on this assignment – and he will escort her to the transporter room. T’Pol gives Spock some words of advice on working with humans – but as she stands on the transporter pad, she gives Spock a smile before dematerialising. Spock finds this “fascinating,” and the credits roll.

Obviously I didn’t write any dialogue; this is an outline or concept rather than a full script! But I hope I’ve been able to communicate the broad strokes of what this Cardassia Prime episode would look and feel like.

A photograph of the original filming model of a Cardassian Galor-class spaceship. — The original Galor-class studio model.

My objective was to bring together elements from the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th Centuries, tying together all three of Star Trek’s “main” eras with one narrative arc. This storyline would also avoid treading on the toes of anything previously established in Star Trek; unlike Strange New Worlds’ introduction of the Gorn, for example, or Discovery’s redesign of the Klingons, the history of how the Cardassians and Federation made first contact has never been so much as mentioned. All we know for sure is that, as of the mid-24th Century, there had been a conflict of some kind situated on the border. This story would foreshadow that in a way, while also connecting events in the 24th Century to this earlier time period.

We absolutely could flesh out this story a lot more. In my head, the negotiation sequence is quite tense and takes up much of the middle and latter part of the episode. T’Pol and the Cardassian captain – who could be played by an actor who previously had a role in Deep Space Nine – would talk around each other for several minutes, and there’d be a real sense that she and the away team were in danger. I also wanted to make sure that Pike and the other characters back on the ship weren’t just sitting on their hands – though there could be a lesson there, I suppose!

Still frame from What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine showing Marc Alaimo. — I’d love to bring back a familiar actor from the *Deep Space Nine* era (Dukat actor Marc Alaimo pictured) to play this episode’s Cardassian captain.

I was a little hesitant to put this story treatment together for one primary reason: Jolene Blalock, who played T’Pol in all four seasons of Enterprise, had seemingly retired and hadn’t expressed a wish to return to the role. However, Blalock was convinced to reprise her role (albeit in voice form only) in Lower Decks, so I no longer feel it’d be impossible for Strange New Worlds to bring her back for a role like this.

Given the show’s place in the timeline, it’s not completely implausible to think one of the NX-01’s human crew members could still be around – Dr McCoy lived long enough to attend the launch of the Enterprise-D, after all! But given that they’d all be over 100 years old by the time of Strange New Worlds, it seems less likely that any of them would be as involved in Starfleet or as active. We could do something like Relics, bringing in a character who’d been in some kind of stasis for a long time, but when I considered all of the ways to include a character from Enterprise, the most logical choice was T’Pol.

Promo image for Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5 showing T'Pol. — T’Pol recently appeared in *Lower Decks*.

So that’s my “episode pitch!” I hope you didn’t get too attached to it, because it’s never going to be produced. Still, it’s fun to speculate and fantasise, and with Star Trek’s sixtieth anniversary approaching, I’d really love to see at least one episode that really celebrates different aspects of the franchise’s history. Since Star Trek returned to the small screen there have been plenty of moments where characters or factions from past iterations of the franchise have appeared – and that’s fantastic. I haven’t heard much about a potential sixtieth anniversary crossover or special episode, though, and realistically if something like that is gonna happen, production will need to begin fairly soon.

In 1996, Star Trek made a splash for its thirtieth anniversary! Deep Space Nine created the wonderful Trials and Tribble-ations, splicing the new and old footage to transport the cast into a classic episode of The Original Series. And some fans tend to overlook the equally enjoyable Flashback, which saw Captain Janeway and Tuvok pay a visit to the USS Excelsior under Captain Sulu’s command. I was a massive Trekkie back in ’96, and I remember the UK’s official Star Trek magazine ran a special edition for the anniversary. I think I still have my copy in the attic somewhere… I wonder if it’s worth anything?

A sketch of the NX-01 Enterprise, cropped from a StarTrek.com wallpaper. — The NX-01 from *Star Trek: Enterprise*.

We’ve veered off-topic somehow! To get back on track, I’d love to see an episode like my imagined Cardassia Prime as part of Star Trek’s sixtieth anniversary celebrations. A story which brings together different parts of the franchise, including a character crossover, feels like the perfect way for the franchise to celebrate all things Star Trek and to write a “love letter to the fans.” I’m glad that I was able to finally put (metaphorical) pen to paper and share the bare bones of this idea with you.

Strange New Worlds’ third season is coming up later this year, so I hope you’ll stay tuned here on the website for my take on the show’s real episodes when they arrive! Until then, I hope this has been a bit of fun. Thanks for joining me on this adventure with Captain Pike and the crew!

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Seasons 1 & 2 are available to stream now on Paramount+ in countries and territories where the service is available. The series is also available on DVD and Blu-ray. The Star Trek franchise – including Strange New Worlds and all other properties mentioned above – is the copyright of Paramount Global. This article contains the thoughts and opinions of one person only and is not intended to cause any offence.

Strange New Worlds Season 2 Theory: Where’s Pike Going?

Sun 18.06.23Dennis

Spoiler Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Seasons 1 and 2. Spoilers are also present for the following Star Trek productions: The Original Series, Discovery, The Next Generation, and Enterprise.

Strange New Worlds Season 2 is off to a good start! The show returned to our screens this week with The Broken Circle – but the episode was noteworthy for the disappearance of one Captain Christopher Pike. As I said in my review of the episode, for the season to begin without him was a particularly bold move for what we once called “the Captain Pike show!”

Captain Pike set off on a journey of his own to help Una Chin-Riley – a.k.a. Number One. Una was arrested at the very end of Season 1, with her Illyrian heritage and genetically-modified background having somehow been exposed to Starfleet. As we know from earlier iterations of the franchise, genetic engineering is banned in the Federation, and lying on one’s Starfleet application – especially about race or species – can be grounds for expulsion.

But how does Pike plan to help Una? And for our purposes today: where might he be headed? It’s possible we’ll learn more about this before the episode airs – if photos are released that show Pike on a particular planet, for instance. But at time of writing all we know is that Pike has departed for destinations unknown – somewhere away from Earth on “the far side of the quadrant,” at least three days’ travel by shuttlecraft. He’s seeking out a mysterious, unnamed, female ally. And you’d better believe that I have a few ideas about where Pike could be going!

As always, some important caveats! First of all, I have no “insider information,” and I’m not trying to pretend that anything discussed below can, will, or must be part of Strange New Worlds. This is theory-crafting and speculation from a fan, and nothing more. Secondly, this is the entirely subjective opinion of one person, so if you hate all of my ideas, or if I don’t include your pet theory, that’s okay! There’s plenty of room in the Star Trek fan community for different ideas and points of view.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s jump into the list.

Destination #1:
Talos IV

Could Pike be about to violate Starfleet’s General Order 7 by returning to Talos IV? Discovery’s second season gave us an updated look at Talos and the Talosians, and it’s possible that Pike may seek out their help and advice in order to save Una. The Talosians are incredibly powerful – hence the regulation banning all contact with their world – and may be able to use their illusory powers to aid Una, to convince the panel at her court-martial to rule in her favour, or even to help her escape. Talos IV could even become a shelter or home for Una.

Pike has a connection with the Talosians following the events of The Cage and Discovery’s second season, and he’s uniquely-placed to work with the Talosians. It could even be possible that Una will be forced out of Starfleet and will seek a new home on Talos IV, potentially being there to welcome Pike after his accident. Such a storyline could pave the way for Una’s departure from the show – and for Spock to step up and assume the role of First Officer.

Destination #2:
Vulcan

An older T’Pol from an alternate timeline.

Who could Pike be looking for on Vulcan? Who might be able to help Una get around Starfleet rules and regulations? How about an aged T’Pol, the first Vulcan to work alongside humans in space? I really love the idea of Strange New Worlds bringing an Enterprise character into one of its stories, and as a long-lived Vulcan T’Pol has always stood out as the most logical choice. This could be a fun way to tie together two parts of the Star Trek franchise.

It would be a blast to learn more about T’Pol’s life after the events of Enterprise and the founding of the Federation. Did she continue her scientific work? Perhaps she took on a different role as a kind of ambassador. She could be held in high esteem as a respected elder statesperson, and her intervention on Una’s behalf could be the deciding factor in Una being able to remain in Starfleet. T’Pol also has experience with the Illyrians.

Destination #3:
Vulcan (again)

Season 1 reintroduced T’Pring, Spock’s betrothed. T’Pring worked with Vulcans whose emotions led them to commit criminal acts, and part of her role involved chasing down escapees and fugitives. As someone with experience in a somewhat relevant field, perhaps T’Pring might have some insight into Una’s case that Captain Pike believes could be useful.

This would be a different way to bring T’Pring back into the story. Rather than working closely with Spock, she could be assigned to Una’s case, working with her and Captain Pike. She and Captain Pike know one another at least a little, so it’s at least possible that he might value her judgement and believe that she could be of assistance.

Destination #4:
Rigel VII

Rigel VII (or an illusion of it) as it appeared in *The Cage*.

We caught glimpses in one of the Strange New Worlds Season 2 trailers of a planet that looked suspiciously like Rigel VII. It’s primarily for that reason that I’m including it on this list! But it’s possible that Pike may have met someone on Rigel VII who he believes is capable of helping Una – maybe a human settler or colonist rather than one of the planet’s aggressive Kalar warriors!

We don’t know a great deal about Rigel VII, nor what Pike was doing there prior to the events of The Cage. But with a return to the world potentially on the cards this season, it would be a mistake to rule it out at this stage.

Destination #5:
Starbase 11

There’s someone at Starbase 11 who could potentially fit the bill for being someone capable of defending Una: Areel Shaw. In The Original Series first season episode Court Martial, Shaw was the prosecutor who handled Kirk’s case. As a woman, and someone involved in Starfleet’s legal division, Shaw could be the person Pike is looking for.

This could also be the way Kirk is introduced. We know Kirk will appear this season, and we know from The Original Series that Kirk and Shaw were romantically involved a few years prior to the events of Court Martial. Perhaps Kirk will prove instrumental in setting up Pike’s meeting with Shaw – or will contribute, somehow, to Una’s defence.

Destination #6:
Illyria (or the Illyrian homeworld)

Una’s status as an Illyrian is what landed her in trouble in the first place. The Federation’s ban on genetic engineering also indirectly caused an entire colony of Illyrians to be wiped out, as the colonists wanted to purge themselves of their genetic engineering in order to apply for Federation membership. How will the Illyrians view this rather bigoted perception of their culture? Could an Illyrian be the key to Una’s defence?

I like the idea of Pike visiting Una’s homeworld and potentially meeting members of her family. We could learn why Una sought to join Starfleet and pose as a human instead of going into space on an Illyrian vessel, perhaps. Or there could be consequences for Captain Archer’s actions in Enterprise. And such a story could be an interesting analogy for how we view and interact with different cultures with different values out here in the real world.

Destination #7:
The USS Cayuga

Alright, that’s not the USS Cayuga – but it’s the same class of starship!

The USS Cayuga is under the command of Captain Batel – the person who arrested Una. At the beginning of Season 1, she and Captain Pike appeared to be in a relationship of some kind, though she was soon ordered away to the Neutral Zone to begin her mission. Although Captain Batel was the one who ordered Una’s arrest, she did so reluctantly while following orders, and may be sympathetic to her cause.

It’s possible that Captain Pike will visit the USS Cayuga to enlist Captain Batel’s support for Una’s defence. We don’t know a lot about Captain Batel – perhaps she was once a lawyer or legal expert before being given her own command. It would be fun, in some ways, if the person responsible for Una’s arrest could also prove key to her defence!

Destination #8:
Somewhere entirely new!

I find myself saying this often on theory lists like these, but modern Star Trek has often wanted to chart its own path instead of relying on what came before. Whether we’re talking about characters, ships, storylines, or destinations as in this case, “something brand-new” is always a very likely contender!

Although we’ve had a bit of fun speculating about Pike’s possible destination, the truth is that it wasn’t something that The Broken Circle really set up as being a huge mystery. He could have mentioned the name of the person he wants to visit, or said his destination out loud – but it wasn’t strictly necessary for the story of the episode, and The Broken Circle didn’t really linger over this point for very long at all. In short, what I’m saying is that all of this theory-crafting and speculation could amount to nothing!

So that’s it!

We’ve looked at a few possible destinations for Captain Pike, and considered a few people he might be intending to seek out.

If I had to pick a favourite – a fantasy, really – I’d pick T’Pol. I just love the idea of bringing someone from Enterprise into Strange New Worlds, giving someone from that show an epilogue and catching up with them and their life years after we last saw them. Is it the most likely possibility? Well, no. And there are several reasons why. But as a pure fantasy idea, I think it could be brilliant.

Which option is the most likely is an awkward question on theory lists like these! But I guess I’d say that Captain Pike going to a brand-new location, or at least seeking out someone we’ve never met before, feels like the most likely course of action.

Regardless, I hope this was a bit of fun. It’s possible that a teaser or photos from the upcoming episode may reveal what’s going on with Captain Pike before we see it – but it’s also possible that this minor mystery will be kept under wraps until Thursday. I guess we’ll find out! Given that Pike is the captain of the Enterprise and Strange New Worlds’ main character, his absence this week was notable, and the fact that his destination was left unexplained prompted this bit of theory-crafting.

As a final note: I always like to end these theory posts by saying that I do this just for fun. I enjoy writing, I enjoy Star Trek, and spending more time in this world is an escape and an enjoyable distraction for me. But for some folks, fan theories can become frustrating or unenjoyable, especially if they get very attached to a plausible-sounding theory that ultimately doesn’t pan out. I have no “insider information” and I’m not trying to claim that anything suggested above can, will, or must be part of Strange New Worlds Season 2. I fully expect the season to go in wildly unpredictable directions!

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Seasons 1-2 are available to stream now on Paramount Plus in countries and territories where the service is available. The Star Trek franchise – including Strange New Worlds – is the copyright of Paramount Global. This article contains the thoughts and opinions of one person only and is not intended to cause any offence.

Five main characters from Star Trek’s past that I’d bring back

Sat 20.03.21Sun 13.11.22Dennis

Spoiler Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Star Trek: Picard Season 1, Star Trek: Discovery Season 3, and for other iterations of the franchise.

This is going to be the first part of a short two-part series in which I look at a few significant characters from past iterations of Star Trek that I would love to see return. Rather than tying these characters to a specific series, film, or ongoing project, this list is more general. I’m not advocating, for example, for any of these characters to necessarily appear in Picard or Strange New Worlds, but rather to return to the franchise at some point, when a suitable story could be written.

*The Original Series* Season 2 cast (without George Takei).

It goes without saying that practically every major character (at least those who weren’t killed off) could be brought back in some capacity, and with the franchise continuing to expand I think it’s increasingly likely that we’ll get some significant moments where characters reappear. For the sake of this list I’m not counting characters who are starring in shows that are currently in production, so I’ll be limited to characters from The Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, and the films.

*The Next Generation* cast in Season 4 – plus Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan.

By my count there are 42 characters across those five series that we could call “major” – i.e. they regularly had their names listed in the main credits, and weren’t considered guest stars or just recurring secondary characters. This time I’m picking on just five, and my usual caveat applies: I don’t have any “insider information!” This is just a short list of characters that I think could be fun to bring back in some capacity, nothing more.

Of the 42 characters that occupied major starring roles in at least one season of the five aforementioned shows, I’m excluding five: James T Kirk from The Original Series, Data and Tasha Yar from The Next Generation, Jadzia Dax from Deep Space Nine, and Trip Tucker from Enterprise. All the exclusions are for the same reason: those characters have died in-universe. While there could be convoluted ways to bring back alternate versions (such as we saw with Sela, for instance) the original character can’t return after death.

Though it may be controversial, I don’t believe that the death of an actor necessarily excludes a character from returning. The Kelvin films recast the entire main cast of The Original Series, and Star Trek: Picard recently recast a couple of legacy characters as well. So characters whose primary actors have passed away are still in contention.

Now that we’ve laid down the ground rules, let’s take a look at my choices.

Number 1: Chakotay

This one is inspired by the return of Seven of Nine in Season 1 of Picard. I’ve written about this before, but Seven’s return to Star Trek was cathartic for me, because the passage of time allowed her to be a very different, more emotional, and much more human character than she ever was in Voyager. Seven was sometimes annoying and difficult to root for, especially toward the end of Voyager’s run, and basically the reason was that she’d always seem to “reset” after learning what should have been a big and important lesson in how to be human. It made her character bland and repetitive. But we’re not here to talk about Seven of Nine!

Chakotay didn’t have a lot to do in Voyager, despite being the first officer. There were a handful of episodes in which he was given a storyline, but a lot of the time he was just a presence, someone there for other characters to bounce ideas off or to tell Captain Janeway he didn’t recommend she do something we all knew she’d end up doing anyway. In short, bringing back Chakotay is something I would see as a chance for his character to get a Seven of Nine-like “redemption,” with some genuine development and a significant storyline.

One thing Voyager touched on briefly but never really explored was the way Chakotay felt about the deaths of the Maquis. The episode Extreme Risk focused on B’Elanna as she struggled to come to terms with what happened to their former colleagues, but Chakotay never really got a similar moment. As part of a larger story looking at the aftermath of the Dominion War, learning what happened to the Maquis’ colonies in the aftermath of that conflict could include Chakotay, as one of those worlds was his home.

We could also learn that Chakotay was allowed to remain in Starfleet following Voyager’s return to the Alpha Quadrant, and may even have been given his own command. Given that Voyager quite quickly dropped the Maquis angle, I’m not sure this is the route I’d go down because it doesn’t seem like it offers a lot of development or growth potential for his character, but it’s a possibility.

The final few episodes of Voyager’s seventh season saw a burgeoning relationship building between Chakotay and Seven of Nine. With Seven now a recurring character in Picard, and with the possibility of her entering into a relationship with main character Raffi, we could potentially explore what happened between Seven and Chakotay. Voyager’s finale certainly suggested that he had strong feelings for her, even after her death in that timeline.

Unfortunately, for reasons that aren’t especially clear, the producers of Voyager lost interest in – or didn’t know what to do with – the “one ship, two crews” concept that had been part of the show’s inception. Chakotay and the rest of the Maquis were absorbed into the crew by midway through Season 1, and while lip service was paid to Chakotay’s Maquis past at numerous points, I think that’s one aspect of his background that would be ripe for exploration. In any 24th or early 25th Century story that looked at Bajor, Cardassia, and the aftermath of the Dominion War, I’d spend at least an episode or two considering the legacy of the Maquis, and Chakotay could play a major role in such a story.

Number 2: T’Pol

I’ve mentioned T’Pol before in relation to Strange New Worlds, and that series is certainly one where we could see her crop up. Because of Enterprise’s place in the timeline, unless Star Trek plans on returning to the 22nd Century for some other story, there aren’t many characters who could realistically still be active and able to play a major role. The 23rd and 24th Centuries (as well as Discovery’s 32nd Century) are where current Star Trek projects are focused – and I have to say I think that’s the right call. Enterprise was an interesting experiment, but I see no pressing need to return to the 22nd Century at this stage.

The story I’d include T’Pol in would go something like this: she’s a senior Federation ambassador by the mid-23rd Century, and accompanies Captain Pike on a diplomatic mission. The mission would make first contact with a race we met in The Next Generation era, such as the Cardassians. We’d thus tie together all three of Star Trek’s eras in one story! I think an episode like that would be incredibly rewarding for longstanding fans of the franchise; a “love letter” to the fans.

But there are many other roles T’Pol could occupy. Having spent so long with humans during those early days of humanity striking out into space, she could prove an invaluable guide or advisor to a young Spock. Whether Spock is “the first Vulcan in Starfleet” is a point of contention without an obvious answer, but even if he wasn’t it’s clear that the Vulcans continued to operate an independent fleet into the 23rd Century, and thus Vulcans serving in Starfleet seem to have been rare. T’Pol is well-placed to be a kind of mentor to Spock for this reason.

However, both of those story concepts take T’Pol out of her usual scientific role, and perhaps a story could be devised which would be better-suited to her career as a scientist. I’m still thinking of a 23rd Century story, but one which perhaps requires high-ranking Federation scientists to work on a mystery or puzzle.

Number 3: Dr Pulaski

I’ve never met a fan of The Next Generation who likes Dr Pulaski as much as I do. I understand why she wasn’t popular with fans, replacing Dr Crusher after one season and especially because of her early run-ins with Data that amounted to anti-android bigotry. But where Dr Crusher could be fairly bland, Dr Pulaski had a really strong personality that shone through.

On another occasion we’ll talk about Dr Pulaski and how her introduction in Season 2 of The Next Generation was an attempt to shake up the new series and bring in a Dr McCoy-type character. But for now I want to consider how she could return, and what sort of role she could have.

Picard Season 1 missed an opportunity to bring back Dr Pulaski – or another medical officer from The Next Generation like Alyssa Ogawa – in the second episode. Picard receives bad news from a doctor he knew while serving aboard the USS Stargazer, Dr Benayoun. This was a new character created for Picard, and if I’d been writing it I might have chosen to bring back Dr Pulaski at this moment instead. I don’t know if that was ever suggested, because it’s well-known that actress Diana Muldaur didn’t have a great time working on The Next Generation. But it would have been neat to see!

One series that has been doing great with references to less well-known parts of canon is Lower Decks, and perhaps that means Dr Pulaski would be a good fit to return there. I don’t know if Diana Muldaur is still working, nor whether she’d be well enough or willing to reprise the role. But it was at least a little sad that Dr Pulaski was dropped in The Next Generation Season 3 with no explanation. There’s scope, I feel, to learn what came next for her – even if the character has to be recast.

Almost any medical story or story involving characters from The Next Generation Season 2 could see Dr Pulaski return, and of course Star Trek: Picard has to be the prime candidate of the shows currently in production. She could, for example, be one of the chief medical officers assigned to help the surviving ex-Borg now that they’re (presumably) under Federation protection. Or how about this: in a storyline that clearly shows how much she’s changed her attitude to synthetic life, she could be the head of a Federation medical team sent to Coppelius to help the synths. This would cement her “redemption” from her earlier interactions with Data, and would perhaps provide a suitable epilogue to her role in The Next Generation Season 2.

Number 4: Benjamin Sisko

Captain Sisko is probably the character whose return I’ve touted the most! Because of the unique nature of his disappearance in the Deep Space Nine finale – vanishing into the realm of the Bajoran Prophets – he could return literally anywhere, in any time period. The Prophets don’t experience time in the same linear manner as humans, so they could send him to a point in his future, his past, or anywhere along the Star Trek timeline.

This is why I’ve proposed Sisko as a character who could appear in Picard, Strange New Worlds, and Discovery – because he could be sent back by the Prophets at any moment in time. I would argue he would have more to do in a story set in the late 24th or early 25th Centuries than he might in the 23rd or 32nd, but in any story that brought back Bajor, Sisko could play a major role.

He could also be part of a story looking at the aftermath of the Dominion War, at Cardassian relations with the Federation, and of course at Deep Space Nine itself. I think Sisko has the potential to be a useful character too. If he joined the story right at the moment of his return to normal spacetime, he could potentially be a point-of-view character, and an excuse for a film or episode to dump a lot of exposition that could otherwise feel clunky and out-of-place. This would be done under the guise of other characters bringing Sisko up to speed on what he’s missed – and we could catch up on galactic affairs right along with him!

Of all the characters on this list, Sisko is the one whose story feels the most unfinished. There was almost a cliffhanger ending to his role in Deep Space Nine, with a tease that one day he’ll be coming back. Whether we’ll ever see that on screen is another matter, of course, and Avery Brooks has seemed less willing to reprise the role than some other Star Trek actors. But you never know!

Number 5: Montgomery Scott

It would be relatively easy for Scotty to crop up in Strange New Worlds as a junior engineer – or in any other 23rd Century series, for that matter. But that’s not really what I’m proposing this time. That idea has merit, and I think I included Scotty in one of my character ideas lists for Strange New Worlds. However, this time what I’m suggesting is Scotty in the 24th Century.

Relics, the Season 6 episode of The Next Generation, established that Scotty had been kept alive in a form of transporter stasis of his own devising for over eighty years, finally rematerializing when the crew of the Enterprise-D encountered his crashed ship. After working briefly with Geordi La Forge, Captain Picard, and others, Scotty was given a shuttle and set out to explore the new century on his own. We would later learn in 2009’s Star Trek that Scotty had gone back to work, developing a method of “transwarp beaming” that became important to the plot of that film.

After that, however, what became of Scotty is a mystery. He had initially intended to retire, so did his stint with Starfleet continue? Or did he resume his planned retirement in the 24th Century, catching up on the eight decades of galactic history that he’d missed? He reunited with Spock, apparently, and it’s at least possible he would have been able to visit the elderly Dr McCoy as well.

Scotty offers a “coming out of retirement” story, perhaps prompted by some horrible event or disaster that requires an engineering solution. We could learn, for example, that he’d worked alongside Geordi La Forge in preparing the Romulan rescue fleet, or even that he was helping to rebuild the Mars shipyards after the attack by the Zhat Vash. Those are two ideas based on events from Picard Season 1, but of course there are many, many other ways Scotty could have contributed to Starfleet and the Federation in the late 24th Century.

So that’s it… at least for now. The second part of this short series will look at five secondary or recurring characters who I also think could be fun to bring back!

With so many ongoing and upcoming Star Trek projects occupying different places in the timeline, there really is scope to bring back almost any major character, and I hope the creative team don’t feel constrained! As a Trekkie I think I’d be happy with literally any of them making an appearance, though of course it would have to make sense in-universe as well as not be offputting for casual viewers.

The cast of *Enterprise* during Season 1.

We mentioned the episode Relics, and I think that story manages to walk that line exceptionally well. For fans of The Original Series, Scotty’s return was an amazing treat. But for folks who weren’t familiar with the older series, his inclusion in the episode still managed to make sense. The story was well-written, and while knowing more about who Scotty was and where he’d come from certainly added to it for Trekkies, it didn’t put off casual viewers by demanding a lot of knowledge of Star Trek canon. That’s the kind of model any future episode, film, or story that brings back a character should try to emulate.

We can also point to If Memory Serves, from the second season of Discovery. That episode began with a short recap of the events of The Cage, establishing what happened to Captain Pike on Talos IV, who the Talosians were, who Vina was, and so on. By beginning an episode which features a returning character with a clip or compilation of their past Star Trek exploits, almost any character could be integrated into an ongoing production.

The *Discovery* Season 1 cast (without Wilson Cruz).

The Star Trek franchise has been running for over five decades, and has a huge roster of wonderful characters. The fact that there are too many to put on the list – or the fact that the list could literally include every single one – is testament to the quality of the franchise and the creative teams who’ve contributed to it over the years.

Stay tuned for the next part in this series, where I’ll look at five secondary or recurring characters who I’d also love to see come back!

The Star Trek franchise – including all series mentioned above – is available to stream now on Paramount+ in the United States and other territories where the service exists, and on Netflix in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. The Star Trek franchise – including all properties mentioned above – is the copyright of ViacomCBS. This article contains the thoughts and opinions of one person only and is not intended to cause any offence.