Make An Enterprise Animated Series Already, Star Trek

Star Trek: Enterprise needs to be revived as a Star Trek animated series. The first Star Trek prequel series, Enterprise (its original title) was created by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, and aired on UPN for 4 seasons from 2001-2005. Set in the 22nd century, Enterprise chronicled the pioneering voyages of the NX-01, the first Starship Enterprise commanded by Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula).

A far cry from the low-rated whimper Star Trek: Enterprise ended with, the prequel series has grown more popular in recent years, finding a more appreciative audience thanks to streaming on Netflix and Paramount+. Star Trek on Paramount+’s series have also brought back numerous Star Trek legacy characters, including the entire cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation in Star Trek: Picard season 3. A happy result is that fans want to see more Star Trek legacy characters. The cast of Star Trek: Enterprise making a comeback is at the top of Trekkers’ wish list, and the best way to make it happen today is with an animated series.

Star Trek Should Revive Enterprise As An Animated Series

Animation is the best way for Enterprise to continue

The topic of Star Trek: Enterprise making an animated comeback has been broached before, including at ST-SF: Trek To San Francisco, where Enterprise actors Dominic Keating and Connor Trinneer answered a fan’s question of whether they would be willing to return in an animated series with an immediate and simultaneous, “Yes!” As reported by TrekMovie, Keating followed up by extolling the virtues of animation for Star Trek actors:

Animation is fun to do. You can show up in your shorts and tee shirt. Ask the Lower Decks people.

There are numerous benefits to Star Trek: Enterprise continuing in an animated series. As a cartoon, an Enterprise revival could circumvent the fact that the cast is now 20 years older than when the series began. The controversy of Connor Trinneer’s popular Commander Trip Tucker being killed off could be easily hand-waved. Voicing animation is also far less of a time commitment for Enterprise‘s actors so that even the very busy Scott Bakula could find time to voice Captain Archer. The fact that voice-overs can be done from anywhere may also be what tempts Jolene Blalock, who has retired from acting, to return as T’Pol. Animation is also far cheaper to produce than live-action Star Trek.

Star Trek: Prodigy Proves An Animated Sequel Works For Voyager

If it works for Voyager, it can work for Enterprise

Star Trek: Prodigy introduces a plethora of beloved new young characters, but the Netflix animated series is also a stealth sequel to Star Trek: Voyager. Along with bringing back Kate Mulgrew as both Hologram Janeway and Admiral Kathryn Janeway as a main character, Star Trek: Prodigy‘s main story revolves around the missing Captain Chakotay (Robert Beltran). Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 goes even deeper, with The Doctor (Robert Picardo) joining the series aboard the new USS Voyager-A. Prodigy season 2 promises to touch upon even more of Voyager and the greater Star Trek lore.

The biggest excitement caused by 2023’s Star Trek: very Short Treks was the episode where Connor Trinneer voiced Trip Tucker. This was, essentially, a proof of concept that a Star Trek: Enterprise animated series would be welcomed. While Star Trek: Voyager is woven into Star Trek: Prodigy, an Enterprise animated series could easily pick up where the live-action UPN series left off and do the stories planned for Star Trek: Enterprise season 5 like setting up the Romulan War, a return to the Mirror Universe, and Shran (Jeffrey Combs) joining the NX-01 crew. The sky would be the limit for Star Trek: Enterprise as an animated series, and all Paramount+ has to do is give it a green light.

Star Trek: Enterprise is streaming on Paramount+.