Enterprise Season 4 Spoilers

[VaBeachGuy 12]

Sorry, I don't have any spoilers yet. None that aren't already spoiled anyway, but if you have some lets put them all here in this thread so they won't be scattered all over the Enterprise forum.

 

Just don't forget to use the Spoiler button.

 

 

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Spoilers go in here

[Carrion 0]

This may not seem like new news to u but hey might aswell put it here for other people who don't:

 

 

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Daniel the time traveller is dying in a sick bay scene on the Enterprise

 

 

 

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The suilbon return and with them comes more threats of the dangerous Silik as they have altered the timeline while the enterprise was away in the Delphic Expanse

[Sairnath 0]

Spoilers from Scifi.com

 

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Rick Berman, executive producer of UPN's Star Trek: Enterprise, revealed to SCI FI Wire several spoilers for the upcoming fourth season, including the possible casting of original Star Trek star William Shatner (Capt. Kirk) in a familiar role. "We're still discussing it with Bill," Berman said in an interview at UPN's fall press preview in Los Angeles. "He had a terrific episode [idea], and we had a nice long lunch meeting with him a couple of weeks ago. And there's a lot of things that need to get ironed out in terms of scheduling, in terms of money. ... But he would play an incarnation of a Kirk, yes. He would not be playing another character."

[Zengo 0]

Spoiler From Startrek.com:

 

Click For Spoiler

A 22nd-century Dr. Soong, a shadow of the Eugenics Wars, a Vulcan civil war and the possible reincarnation of Surak ... these are some of the epic ideas being developed right now for the unfolding fourth season of Star Trek: Enterprise.

 

Tuesday night UPN held its annual summer party for the Television Critics Association (TCA) — like every network does — where reporters get to mingle with the producers and cast members of its various shows. This year the party took place at Shutters, a ritzy hotel on the beach in Santa Monica, on an upstairs outdoor deck overlooking the ocean.

 

Attending from Enterprise were producers Rick Berman, Brannon Braga and Manny Coto, and actors Scott Bakula, Jolene Blalock, Connor Trinneer, Dominic Keating, John Billingsley, and Linda Park with her boyfriend Tom Hardy (yes, the Picard clone from "Star Trek Nemesis"). We managed to catch up with most of them throughout the evening, but today we will bring you our interviews with the producers, and save our conversations with the actors for a later article.

 

We were particularly excited about the chance to speak with Manny Coto, who came on last season with the title of co-executive producer and is now considered a "show runner." Coto has been widely praised by the actors, his fellow producers, and fans alike for bringing a creative shot in the arm to Star Trek: Enterprise, beginning with his script for "Similitude." He had just come from the Showtime series Odyssey 5, which ended after one season, but Berman and Braga saw the show and liked his work, and after interviewing him hired him as co-executive producer.

 

We asked Coto, what unique creative vision does he think he brings to the show? "Well, first and foremost, I bring a passionate love of all things Star Trek," he said. "I've loved Star Trek since I was a little kid. When Star Trek Communicator magazine was doing a little article on me, I went through my box of old photos, and I found a shot of me at age 11 watching Star Trek on TV, with a picture of Spock on the screen. In that same box I found a comic book that I had written — I must have written this when I was 10 — and it was a Star Trek comic book, with 'Beam me up Scotty' and all this. And I realized, 'Oh my God, I've been doing this my entire life!'"

 

He attended conventions in his hometown of Orlando, Florida, and has followed the subsequent series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager, "all the way."

 

We asked Coto to elaborate on the "showrunner" role he's taken on with Enterprise. "What's been publicized, that Rick and Brannon have stepped back and I've moved in, is not exactly true. I've kinda moved in with them, so to speak, so we're all three running the show. I'm actually more in charge of writing, I guess, dealing with the writers and the 'writing room,' coming up with stories that Rick and Brannon approve or not approve, or give notes on."

 

"A lot of the stories that we're doing this season — so far, the first half of the season — are stories that I've come up with, or that Rick has come up with or that Brannon has pitched, and then we flesh them out in 'the room.'"

 

We asked if he could elaborate on some of these story ideas — especially pertaining to the recently reported guest role of Brent Spiner in three episodes. "Well, it's a very exciting arc. Brent is going to play an ancestor of Dr. Soong, the creator of Data. However, this character is more of a Dr. Frankenstein. He is not a benign individual. He has brought to life 20 embryos from the Eugenics era. So you have Soong who's leading a band of Khan Noonien Singh's, so to speak. He believes that genetic engineering was on the right track! He wants to improve humanity, and he believes that the Eugenics Wars were an aberration, that these individuals are the future of humanity. Of course he's wrong — they get away from him. They get out of control, and it becomes this three-episode saga that's kind of like 'Apocalypse Now' — Enterprise becomes kind of like a ship going up river, trying to find these individuals, with Soong on board."

 

Spiner's character will be named Arik (like "Eric") Soong. The backstory, Coto explains, begins 20 years prior to the time of Enterprise (presumably 2134), when Soong stole the 20 embryos which were secretly stored in a Starfleet facility, and brought them to term. Arik Soong is a notorious criminal, and Coto even compared him to Hannibal Lecter — "He's tried to escape many times, and he's feared, because Earth is still terrified of anything having to do with the Eugenics Wars." But his help is essential in tracking down the renegade "genetic supermen" who could ignite a war with the Klingons.

 

The adventure leads the ship to the "Borderland," which is an area of space between the Klingon Empire and the Orion Syndicate. This will be the first encounter with the Orions, and we will get to see the green "slave women" introduced in "The Cage."

 

"What I really wanted to do this season is make the episodes that I as a Star Trek fan would have to see. You know, as a fan of the original series, if I heard that they were doing the Orion slavers and the Eugenics Wars, I would have to be in front of that TV."

 

But we had to ask about the place of the Eugenics Wars in the Trek universe. In "Space Seed" it was clearly established that the Khan-led conflict occurred in the 1990s. However, in "Hatchery," Archer mentions that his great-grandfather fought in the Eugenics Wars (which would probably put them in the mid-21st century). How is Coto dealing with the chronology issue?

 

"I'm not dealing with it. There's no point. They were in the 1990s because the old series ran in 1966 and that was the future then. Clearly, we're in 2004, and there haven't been any Eugenics Wars that I know about! So, simply, the Eugenics Wars 'happened' — they happened in the past [relative to the current show]. I don't know how else to do it."

 

There is another three-episode story arc being planned for later in the season that Coto is tremendously enthused about, one that deals with a civil war on planet Vulcan. "If you've watched Enterprise and you watched the old series and Next Gen, you know that there's a difference between the Vulcans of our era and the Vulcans of later eras. Our Vulcans lie, our Vulcans are monolithic, our Vulcans are not pacifistic. What we've done is develop an idea: What if an individual appears on Vulcan who is saying to the populace that we have strayed from the teachings of Surak? This individual is like a Martin Luther. And he spawns a Vulcan civil war."

 

He nicknamed it "Vulcan of Arabia" because it's an epic story taking place almost entirely on the hot, desert planet. "It involves a Vulcan Reformation," he continued. "I'm equating the Vulcan High Command with the Catholic Church, which in medieval times strayed from the teachings of Christianity; similarly, the Vulcan High Command has strayed from the teachings of Surak. This individual wants to bring us back to those teachings, but it causes instability on Vulcan because he's preaching pacifism, he's preaching pure logic, he's preaching a return to the old ways. But, he not only believes in the teachings of Surak, he believes he is Surak. He claims that he possesses Surak's katra. Is that true or isn't it? We'll find out. But what happens is, with the instability on Vulcan, you have the Andorians trying to take advantage, and it threatens to destabilize the entire region. And of course, Enterprise will be stuck in the midst of this turmoil, and by the end of this three-episode arc, we will begin to see Vulcans approaching what they were in the later eras. We'll see the beginnings of a new Vulcan."

 

"It's gonna be a blast. I'm picturing the scene where two Vulcan armies are poised on the desert — what's gonna happen, will they or will they not fight?"

 

In this epic story arc, he also promised a subplot which will unravel into a very intriguing plot twist.

 

Of course, these ambitious plans beg the question of whether there will be enough budget to realize such imaginative visions, given reports that UPN is paying Paramount a lower license fee for the show. "The budget has gone down slightly, but it's not gone down as much as has been reported. We're not slaving under a horrible miniscule budget at all. You're not going to notice," he promised.

 

"It should be a fun season."

 

We also caught up with one of Coto's partners in crime, Brannon Braga, and got him to talk about the first story arc of the season, the followup to the cliffhanger of "Zero Hour" starting with "Storm Front" (which is in production right now). It's been rumored that this "Nazi story" will wrap up the Temporal Cold War throughline. Is that true?

 

"Our intention is to resolve the Temporal Cold War once and for all," Braga replied. "It lingered for three seasons, and we would like to finish it off in grandiose fashion, and move on to new territory. So, with these episodes, it will be the last of Daniels, and the last of all of those elements." We will see Silik and the Suliban once again during the Nazi story, but Braga added that "most likely" it'll be the last time. "It's hard to say for sure, because we're so early in the season, but our intention is to be done with it."

 

Will the identity of "Future Guy," Silik's shadowy boss, ever be revealed? "Well, we've been debating that for quite some time, and I'll leave that question open. We haven't decided yet. We have some ideas about him — or her — or it. But we haven't settled on any one identity yet. It's still a question mark. The Temporal Cold War may resolve without Future Guy's identity being revealed."

 

It's been widely publicized that William Shatner could make a guest appearance on the show. What can he tell us about that? "There have been some preliminary discussions with William Shatner, but it's so far from being resolved that I hesitate to comment because I don't want to jinx it. We so badly want it to happen, but it's so early that I don't really have much to say about it. There's interest on both ends, but Bill is on a different series [boston Legal], and we're just starting our season, and so much has to be done before it actually happens. We all have our fingers crossed."

 

Any notion yet what kind of story Shatner might be involved in if he does come on to the show? "There are some ideas floating about, but we're hesitant to commit to anything or start actively developing anything, until we know whether it's a reality," Braga said.

 

Earlier in the day, UPN held a press conference for the TCA with Les Moonves, co-president and co-COO of Viacom, and Dawn Ostroff, president of entertainment for UPN. The emphasis of the press conference was UPN's new shows and its revamped schedule in general, but Moonves — whose recent promotion puts him in charge of Paramount Television as well as UPN — and Ostroff took some time to speak about how Enterprise fits into the network's lineup.

 

Enterprise is moving to Friday at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT starting August 6, and the new episodes of Season 4 will begin October 8.

 

Ostroff commented that the Star Trek spinoff is one of the shows "that have the most loyal viewers on television," and expects the audience to follow it to Fridays. She said the season-long arc of last season "really worked well for us," but the fourth season mini-arcs "will allow people to come in and out a little more freely." She added, "We're very aggressive in 'stunt casting' this year, which I think will also bring in some viewers." She mentioned Spiner, but also noted that Golden Brooks of Girlfriends will guest star in the first few episodes. "And we're working on several other people."

 

Moonves spoke about the licensing fee cut (related story) that reportedly helped keep the show on the air. "Paramount came to us — that was before Paramount was reporting to me, so now I'm negotiating with myself," he joked, "and they made a very attractive offer to UPN to bring the show back... Obviously Paramount has a large syndication deal with Star Trek. They gave us a very attractive offer and therefore, it fit into our scheduling needs."

 

Moonves confirmed that, as Paramount chief, he would like to see Enterprise go a full seven years because of the syndication value. But as UPN chief, he has to make other considerations in the case of a show that's been seen as an underperformer for the network.

 

"If Star Trek had cost the license fee that it cost a year ago, a different decision may have been made," he said. "I can tell you right now the key, the priority goal, is building UPN." However, he believes the move to Friday for Enterprise, coupled with America's Next Top Model, is "a much better strategy. I think we'll do a much better number there with that show, and perhaps it can live for a number of years. We hope so."

[A l t e r E g o 9]

^Those are an amazing series of spoilers, next season of ENT is going to rock so hard! Thanks for bringing them over to us Zengo.

 

Oh, and everyone else as well.

Edited July 23, 2004 by Alterego

[Jack_Bauer 1]

This season looks like its going to be amazing. I'm actually really suprised Coto devulged that much. Usually they are much more secretive revealing every episode at a time. I think we'll get to see a real building towards the Federation and some quality shows.

[Carrion 0]

i got more "IGN.com"

 

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Bridging the Star Trek Gap

New producer aims to make Enterprise fit better.

 

July 22, 2004 - Things have been shaken up a bit at Paramount, and the team that brings you the fourth season of Enterprise will not be exactly the same as that of the previous three seasons.

The big change is the replacement of Brannon Braga, who up until now has been producing the show with Rick Berman. Braga is shedding the title of "show runner" to take a more executive role with Enterprise, and series writer Manny Coto (who's also written for Odyssey 5) will step up to take day-to-day control.

 

What may be good about the change is that unlike Berman and Braga, Coto is a big fan of the original series and would like to bring Enterprise more into line with Gene Roddenberry's earlier Star Trek stories. Coto told Sci Fi Wire that he would like to link Enterprise up with the original Trek and its subsequent series.

 

Coto told the website, "I'm a fan of the ... original Trek, and season four for me is going to be everything I, as an old Star Trek fan, would want to see on Enterprise, which is basically a lot of touchstones connecting Enterprise with the old series and with the Next Generation series."

 

Coto has his work cut out for him, considering all the breaks with continuity Enterprise has made under Braga's helm. One of the first things the new producer plans to address is the difference between the annoyable, conniving Vulcans of Enterprise and more honest and emotionless point-eared folks we saw in the original series and the films.

 

Coto plans to incorporate a storyline about a Vulcan "Lawrence of Arabia" who leads a revolution on Vulcan to restore the ideals of Sarek. Sarek, of course, was the legendary Vulcan master who advocated peace, logic, and emotional control to end centuries of war. This will naturally lead to changes in the Enterprise's relations with the Vulcans and serve to develop the Andorian storyline further.

 

Original series fans will also be happy to know that Coto intends to reintroduce more original alien races, such as the green-skinned Orions. Everyone who'd like to see the Gorns again, raise your hands!

 

The fourth season of Enterprise will also bring a swift end to the Temporal Cold War; a guest appearance of Brent Spiner ("Data") as Noonian Soong's ancestor; and a potential marriage engagement for T'Pol.

 

For the latest news on the Star Trek film franchise, check out our other article about a potential pre-Enterprise motion picture.

 

 

I found one prt extremly fulfilling for myself and my Older brother, the reintroduciton of the G*** and Possibly more of the Tholians.

Edited October 7, 2004 by VaBeachGuy

[chunderfish 0]

I too was surprised at how much Manny Coto revealed - perhaps a little too much happy juice? Season Four is going to be great.

[chunderfish 0]

AND.....

 

 

 

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I haven't been to source but someone told me that at Treknation there is the rumour that T'Pol is getting married (and joy of joys - not to Trip!).

 

 

^_^ :o

Edited October 7, 2004 by VaBeachGuy

[Theunicornhunter 2]

AND.....

 

 

 

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  I haven't been to source but someone told me that at Treknation there is the rumour that T'Pol is getting married (and joy of joys - not to Trip!). 

 

 

 

^_^          :o

 

Hallelujah

 

[Trinneergirl 0]

Why joy of joys?

 

 

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Sounds to me like the T'Pol wedding will be another way to push Trip down as a character and just focus on Super Archer and Integrity Free T'Pol.

 

 

[MoulinRouge 0]

Trinneergirl, you worry too much. Trip is not going to be pushed down as a character. I have access to some specific spoilers from "Home" and Trip comes out like a sweetheart. Oh and in case anyone's interested

 

 

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T'Pol does marry Koss. At least that's what my source swears will happen. It all ties in to a bigger government storyline. But Trip does tell T'Pol's mother that he loves her. He visits Vulcan with her at T'Pol's invitation. Also, though it's implied, Archer gets laid. The lucky woman is one Erika Hernandez, captain of the NX-02 to be. They do it on a mountain.

[Theunicornhunter 2]

Trinneergirl, you worry too much.   Trip is not going to be pushed down as a character.  I have access to some specific spoilers from "Home" and Trip comes out like a sweetheart.   Oh and in case anyone's interested

 

 

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  T'Pol does marry Koss.  At least that's what my source swears will happen.  It all ties in to a bigger government storyline.  But Trip does tell T'Pol's mother that he loves her.  He visits Vulcan with her at T'Pol's invitation.  Also, though it's implied, Archer gets laid.    The lucky woman is one Erika Hernandez, captain of the NX-02 to be.  They do it on a mountain.   

MR, I know you don't understand where I'm coming from but that spoiler doesn't make me feel better. For years Hollywood has been telling us that "love" is based on physical attraction - I just don't buy it. And statistics show it takes more for a successful relationship.

 

 

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Trip and T'Pol are both gorgeous people with strong personalities but that's it. In nature, character, in what they believe and value about life they are polar opposites - and opposites don't make successful relationships. So for Trip to say he loves T'Pol makes me think the writers know nothing about human nature - which I'm sure they don't.

[MoulinRouge 0]

Well, so do James Carville and Mary Matalin and they get along. Trip and T'Pol have more in common than good looks. They're both interested in science. They are both passionately loyal to their friends, one Jonathan Archer in particular. They both have strength of character and courage. Loyalty is an extraordinary trait--one which Trip and T'Pol share. They helped one another through a crisis. That helps people to bond. It's not so crazy. Carville and Matalin have less in common. Trust me.

[Ace 0]

It sounds like the next season is going to have some interesting developments. I know we're all especially looking forward to Spiner's guest-spot. :)

 

Keep adding spoilers here as you get them.

 

(Feel free to start another topic on the pros/cons of the Trip/T'Pol relationship.)

[Theunicornhunter 2]

Well, so do James Carville and Mary Matalin and they get along.  :)    Trip and T'Pol have more in common than good looks. They're both interested in science.  They are both passionately loyal to their friends, one Jonathan Archer in particular.  They both have strength of character and courage.    Loyalty is an extraordinary trait--one which Trip and T'Pol share. They helped one another through a crisis.  That helps people to bond.  It's not so crazy.  Carville and Matalin have less in common.  Trust me.  :)

I'm not talking about superflous traits, hobbies or even habits - I'm talking about core values. It doesn't matter if you like the same kind of books but it does matter if you have the same definition of right and wrong.

 

For all I know Matalin and Carville are just alike (I don't know them) they just have different bosses. Let's just leave it at the relationship doesn't work for me and I've pretty much lost interest in watching next season.

 

Too bad they didn't hire Coto sooner. While getting back to the TOS roots sounds great I'm afraid the changes might be too little too late.

[chunderfish 0]

Needless to say I'm with you UH - have you seen the stuff on the official site (and elsewhere)? I have to say Jolene has gone up hugely in my estimation for being brave enough to say she was uncomfortable with what she was asked to do last season and how she felt it totally alien to her character and that the relationship with Trip was completely unconvincing - good on her!!!

[MoulinRouge 0]

that the relationship with Trip was completely unconvincing

 

That's subjective opinion. I rather enjoyed it. <_< The way it was written was a bit....circumspect, but the chemistry is there.

[mj 7]

Very interesting spoilers! But we have to wait until October. OCTOBER!!!!

 

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I am really interested in the Vulcan Civil War arc, and what becomes of members of the current regime. I was looking forward to them having to acknowledge the strength and resourcefulness of humans after the Xindi situation was resloved. Now they may all be replaced, and I'll never get to see Sovall admit he was wrong.....

 

And let's remember that the topic of this thread is spoilers. (This is the second reminder.....)

[jdigs 0]

New Trek is Good Trek. 'Nuff Said.

[Jack_Bauer 1]

I found a new picture on Star Trek.com, looks interesting:

 

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Looks like another new uniform for T'pol. I like this one. Makes her look more like one of the crew.

[Trinneergirl 0]

According to Quills on Trek BBS

 

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T'Pol is going to marry Koss, making her the dumbest, most backbone free character ever on Trek. Also, my blood boils at the continuing pouring of c**p onto Trip. If he told the mass-manslaughtering, drugged-up user to go boil her head, it might reconcile me to this stinking fourth series.

 

To think this Enterprise started out as the best show of them all :huh:

 

Now it's Super Archer and Teflon T'Pol.

 

I'll give it few shows, then stop watching.

[VaBeachGuy 12]

We're almost there, the season will be upon us in less then 48 hours.