Merri D. Howard Talks Enterprise Excitement

It isn't just the fans who are swept up in the pre-Enterprise anticipation, the people behind the cameras on the show can't wait for the series to launch either.

"I'm very excited. I'm very excited," Enterprise Supervising Producer, Merri D. Howard told Star Trek.com.

"Obviously, I wasn't here for The Next Generation — I started on the second season — which is very close to my heart," she said. "But this one feels like it's going to have the buzz like The Next Generation did and it's very exciting. A lot of hard work by everybody and I hope it's going to show on the screen. Scott Bakula is perfect for this and he has an audience and I'll hope he'll bring it to the show."

Howard worked as Supervising Producer on The Next Generation and Voyager and will also be working on Enterprise. What exactly is a 'Supervising Producer?' "I oversee the episode from the time the writers give us the script," Howard explained. "I budget it, then break it down with the assistant directors and the directors. I basically oversee the physical production. I'm involved in the budgeting, the scheduling, the administration duties, liaison between the director and the executive producers, casting, and making sure everything runs smoothly and all the elements from all the different departments come together."

Though Howard watches as much Star Trek as she can, she has no plans to write for the series. "I'm very much of a hands-on person, so I let those who have much more of a creative mind do that," she said. "I like the nuts and bolts of it."

More from Merri D. Howard, including her responsibilities on the set and the challenges of her job, can be found in the original interview at Star Trek.com.

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