Pilot Synopsis And Guest Cast Released

Polish your boots and ready your phase pistols - Enterprise is almost upon us! For those wanting more details to tide them over until the premiere, the official synopsis for 'Broken Bow' is now available.

StarTrek.com has now opened its Enterprise TV listings section, with a description, photos and guest cast list for 'Broken Bow.' Here's how the site describes the pilot episode:

After decades of being held back from deep space exploration by the Vulcans, the human race makes its first venture into interstellar travel with Captain Jonathan Archer at the helm of the Enterprise NX-01. The Enterprise crew's mission is to return an injured Klingon — the first the human race has ever encountered — to his people. But when a villainous race of aliens called the Suliban kidnap the Klingon, Archer and his crew must make an unexpected detour into another world to retrieve their precious cargo — and stave off a dangerous diplomatic interstellar crisis.

A full list of characters in the pilot has been released for the first time. Brief biographies of all the actors can be found below:

• John Fleck as Silik - Fleck is no stranger to Trek, having appeared in the TNG episode 'The Mind's Eye' as Talibak, DS9's 'The Search, Part I' as Ornithar, 'Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges' as Koval and Voyager's 'Alice' as Abaddon. He has also had roles in feature films such as 'Crazy In Alabama,' 'The Naked Gun 2 1/2' as well as the Babylon 5 pilot.

  In the Enterprise casting sheet, Silik is described as a "physically agile" alien in his late 30s to early 40s. It also mentioned that he is "one of the leaders of the Suliban, a deadly species obsessed with genetic enhancement." Described as the "villain" of the series, Silik 's role was listed as a recurring one.

• Melinda Clarke as Sarin - In addition to her year-long role as Faith Taylor on Days Of Our Lives, Clarke has guest-starred on series such as Xena: Warrior Princess and Sliders. She has also appeared in the films 'Mulholland Falls' and 'Soldiers Of Fortune.' Sarin is most likely to be the female Suliban seen kissing Captain Archer in the promos.

• Tommy "Tiny" Lister, Jr. as Klaang - Lister Jr has acted in films such as 'Judgement Day,' and 'The Fifth Element.' He has also appeared on series such as ER and NYPD Blue. The role of Klaang is a pivotal one, as he is the first Klingon every seen by humans after he crash-lands in the cornfield at 'Broken Bow.'

• Vaughn Armstrong as Admiral Forrest - Armstrong currently holds the record for the most Star Trek guest appearances, but 'Broken Bow' is the first time he'll play a human on the franchise. Forrest is Armstrong's ninth Trek character, after playing Klingons, Cardassians, a former Borg, a Romulan, a Hirogen and a Vidiian. The actor has also guest-starred on series such as Babylon 5, Seven Days and JAG.

  Admiral Forrest is the highest ranking officer in Starfleet, and personally picked Captain Archer to command the new Enterprise. Although his character only appears in the pilot, Armstrong recently said that there's always a possibility that he would return (story).

• Jim Beaver as Admiral Leonard - Perhaps best known for his role as Happy Doug on the comedy series 3rd Rock From The Sun, Beaver has featured in roles on The Days Of Our Lives and Murder One. He also performed in feature films such as 'Magnolia' and 'Turner And Hooch.' Beaver plays Admiral Leonard, a Starfleet officer who serves directly under Admiral Forrest.

• Mark Moses as Henry Archer - Yet another actor with prior Trek experience, Moses played the role of Naroq in Voyager's 'Riddles.' He has also appeared in the feature films 'Deep Impact,' 'Platoon' and 'Born On The Fourth Of July.' The character of Henry Archer is most likely the father of Enterprise Captain Jonathan Archer.

• Gary Graham as Soval - Graham is perhaps best known to genre fans for his role as Detective Matthew Sikes on the television series Alien Nation. In addition to playing Tanis in the Voyager episode 'Cold Fire,' he has also guest-starred on series such as Crusade, JAG and Ally McBeal. Graham will apparently be playing Ambassador Soval, described by the original Enterprise casting sheet as "a wise and arrogant diplomat who has very little patience with Captain Archer."

• Thomas Kopache as Tos - Kopache has appeared on many of the best-known genre series in recent years, including all three modern Trek series, Babylon 5 and The X-Files. His Trek roles include Kira's father, Kira Taban, in the Deep Space Nine episodes 'Ties Of Blood And Water' and 'Wrongs Darker Than Death Or Night,' and Viorsa in Voyager's 'The Thaw.' More recently, Kopache appeared in the feature film, 'Stigmata.' In 'Broken Bow,' Kopache plays Tos, Soval's assistant, who shares his disdain for human culture.

• Jim Fitzpatrick as Commander Williams - A veteran actor, director, producer and writer, Fitzpatrick has appeared on series such as General Hospital and All My Children. His latest project, the television series Stealth Squad, is set to air in 2002. Fitzpatrick is assumed to play Commander Williams, described by the casting sheet as "a somewhat temperamental Starfleet officer who serves as attaché to Admiral Forrest."

• James Horan as Humanoid Figure - Horan has had regular roles on series such as General Hospital, All My Children and Another World. He's had his fair share of Trek roles too, appearing in TNG's 'Suspicions' as Dr. Jo'Brill and 'Descent, Part II' as Lieutenant Barnaby, as well as playing Tosin in Voyager's 'Fair Trade.' The actor also played the role of Ikat'ika in the DS9 two parter 'In Purgatory's Shadow'/'By Inferno's Light.' The character of the 'Humanoid Figure' is most likely the mysterious person from the future who talks to Silik in his temporal chamber.

• Joseph Ruskin as Suliban Doctor - Ruskin is a veteran actor with over forty years experience. He has also had prior exposure to Trek, having played Tumek in DS9's 'The House Of Quark' and 'Looking For Par'Mach In All The Wrong Places,' and the Vulcan Master in Voyager's 'Gravity.' Ruskin's feature film career includes roles in 'Indecent Proposal' and 'Star Trek: Insurrection,' in which he played a Son'a officer.

Interestingly, the site doesn't mention the cameo appearance of James Cromwell as Dr. Zephram Cochrane, perhaps in an attempt to keep it a secret. However, his appearance has been mentioned in reviews of the series premiere.

A clip from the episode, featuring Archer, Starfleet Admirals and Vulcan dignitaries, has also been posted. The footage is not new, as it was already included in the seven clips posted by Zap2it. A transcript can be found here.

The clip and more photos can be found on StarTrek.com's 'Broken Bow' page. Thanks to Mike for this!

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