Sometimes I feel like I’m part of the minority who actually enjoyed Enterprise. Sure, there were some stinkers but the world was incredibly interesting and in Series 3 / 4 I really felt like it scratched that Trek lore itch for me.
If Enterprise was to be rebooted for a series 5, perhaps on Paramount+ or another streaming service, what would it look like? I don’t think Jolene Blalock would come back but I’m sure Scott Bakula could be convinced as well as most of the other actors.
I would really hope they keep the early 2000s aesthetic of the NX-01 and all of the retro low-tech gear, perhaps show a gradual transition into the aesthetic of Strange New Worlds. You could mix in some time shenanigans to explain why things look different than they did in TOS and make some fun callbacks, like In A Mirror Darkly.
There’s a lot of room to move before the series finale happens - or you could just retcon it and present it as a deep cover-up. So many opportunities! I want to hear this community’s opinions!
I adore it. Archer is probably my favorite series Captain, but that comes from my love of Scott Bakula & Quantum Leap more than the series writing. I think it’s an underrated show, and was dragged down due to it’s strange choice of music and intro sequence.
You’d have to do a time skip given the actors’ age.
The main focus could be Lorian - the son of T’Pol and Trip. He had appeared in an ENT episode from an alternate timelines.
The background could be that T’Pol used Trip’s DNA to get pregnant with Lorian (Dr. Phlox hints some science is required for Humans and Vulcans to reproduce in Lorian’s ENT episode, for reference). She always wanted to be a mother and chose Trip as a logical donor.
Since T’Pol and Trip had a psychic link, it’s possible he appears to her in a form only she can see. Similar to Dr. Balter & Six in BSG. Or Al in Quantum Leap. T’Pol spends her later career as a science expert, being called from planet to planet solving mysteries.
T’Pol struggles with grief in her own way and questions whether seeing Trip is a sign of mental illness or rather that Trip somehow lives on, truly, through her. They’d even argue about it. She doesn’t tell anyone, but the show could drop red herring hints about it. Perhaps Trip reveals something T’Pol didn’t know, only for the audience to be revealed that information was always accessible.
Meanwhile, Lorian gets his first commission on Enterprise and climbs the ranks. Because he’s mixed race, he deals with a lot of prejudice along the way. The story could get a lot more detailed, revealing separatist movements, even amongst some Starfleet members wishing to leave the Federation. Lorian balances the idealistic image of a hero Starfleet father he never knew - with the realities of being part of a pluralistic society that’s still learning to accepting new cultures and overcome it’s biases.
More of a spin-off, really.