Star Trek Is Not Dead, Producers Declare

Contrary to most media reports, which in last week's season premiere reviews had dire things to say about the future of Star Trek, Enterprise is alive and well, according to a Chicago Tribune writer.

Maureen Ryan, one of few professional critics to praise "Storm Front, Part One" (story), wrote in the Tribune that Enterprise is "still alive and kicking", noting that while many prominent newspapers were writing about the show's likely cancellation, "'Enterprise' got good last season. Really good."

New executive producer Manny Coto told Ryan that he was tired of seeing articles reciting the same information about the potential fate of Star Trek, though he said he understood fan resistance to prequels as he felt some of the same resistance to the new Star Wars films after loving the original trilogy. On the other hand, Brannon Braga said that while he concedes the validity of some complaints about the execution, the concept of a prequel was and remains sound.

"We could have put [the series] further in the future...but then, what, are the spandex uniforms tighter?" asked Braga, who admitted that there does seem to be an impression that Star Trek has worn out its welcome. "We have a hard-core group of fans," he stated. "The question is, is that enough to keep a show on the air financially?"

Meanwhile, star Scott Bakula (Archer) protested that he believes the third season of Enterprise to be as good as any other Trek series or other shows on television. Bakula complained about the fans as well as the professional critics, saying he was particularly disgusted by the bashing of Braga and Rick Berman that he has seen on Star Trek online sites. ""Why are you spending energy and time on 'Enterprise'? Move on to other shows," the actor recommended to unhappy fans.

To read more, including Braga's assertion that plans for future Star Trek incarnations are on hold while the new executive officers (including former CBS and UPN chief Les Moonves) settle in at Viacom, see the original article here.

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