'Enterprise' Gearing For Take-Off

If anticipation fuelled starships, Enterprise would have been launched into the stratosphere by now. With the premiere still over two nail-biting weeks away, the series has continued to generate a healthy dose of media coverage.

This week's special Fall preview edition of TV Guide featured a profile of the series, together with the above shot of the cast out of costume. Rating the series a ten out of ten on its Buzz-0-Meter, the magazine expressed its enthusiasm for the Enterprise.

"Beam us aboard," the article said. "We have yet to see the two-hour pilot, but after perusing the script, we're primed for a blast. We like that this ship and crew are prototypes for what's to come. Not all the equipment works, not everyone is at ease in space or among aliens. As in the best science fiction, what lies ahead is pure adventure."

According to Enterprise co-creator Brannon Braga, this is exactly what the series sets out to achieve. "We wanted to have all the fun and wonder of Star Trek but without the stodginess," he told the magazine. "We wanted a crew that hasn't seen and done it all in space so that viewers can watch Star Trek through fresh eyes. You walk a fine line in doing this because there's a certain amount of cheesiness that Trek fans like and expect. But you must take a fresh approach."

The Florida St. Petersburg Times also included a few comments on Enterprise in their preview of the upcoming season. Rating the 'buzz factor' as "high," Eric Deggans wrote that "much as some may hate Star Trek, the next installment in the 30-year franchise always bears watching. Will it survive? With a built-in fan base and better timeslot, this Enterprise can expect smooth sailing."

Fans in the United Kingdom haven't been left out of the loop either, with the news that the series will premiere February 26th 2002, according to the Great Link. During last night's showing of Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, Sky One showed the a second promo for the series.

The trailer was very similar to the 'Boy' promo run by UPN, complete with backing by The Calling. According to Cyfy Pulse, the Sky One version featured some additional dialogue from Admiral Forrest."Today we're about to cross a new threshold," he says, addressing assembled dignitaries. "For nearly a century, we've waded ankle-deep in the ocean of space...now it's finally time to swim."

Post-production work on Enterprise is now also in full swing, with British opera singer Russell Watson having reportedly already recorded the series's theme song.

According to a report on Ananova, Watson recorded the song, entitled 'Faith Of The Heart,' backed by a 45-piece orchestra.

The song, performed by Rod Stewart on the 'Patch Adams' soundtrack, will feature on Watson's latest album, 'Encore,' to be released on October 9th.

Please note that this has not yet been officially confirmed by Paramount and until then should be treated as you would any rumour. The original article can be found here at Ananova.

In yesterday's article on Brannon Braga's appearance at the Las Vegas con, it was reported that the producer said "we did make one mistake in the premiere episode that wasn't caught until it was too late so I'll apologize now. We mention a Klingon Bird-of-Prey."

However, convention attendee Todd Felton sent word that Braga actually mentioned that the slip in the episode was a Klingon Warbird, not a Bird-of-Prey. This apparently met with a collective "Oooh" from the audience.

The Bird-Of-Prey was originally established as a Romulan ship in the Original Series episode 'Balance Of Terror.' According to the Star Trek Encylopedia, the first draft of 'Star Trek III' featured Kruge stealing a Romulan Bird-Of-Prey to track down Kirk. However, when the Romulan element was removed from the script, the ship was still referred to as a Bird-Of-Prey, thus giving the Klingons a new class of ship. Despite this, it has never been established that there is such a thing as a Klingon Warbird.

Thanks to Chris Howell at the Great Link, Miri, Ian Cullen, Todd Felton and 'Praetorian Guard' for this!

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