We’ve finally circled this ship back around to continue our show spotlight blog series again! You remember these. The A Star to Steer Her By hosts pick our three favorite minor or one-off characters from a Star Trek series and slap them in this list. We’ve already covered The Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager, and it’s finally Enterprise’s time to shine!
We give Enterprise a lot of shit on the podcast and in this blog, but it does boast some decent guest characters in its ranks! Some of them we only see in one episode and some of them recur a handful of times, but they all make an impression that proves to be among the highlights of that show. Whether they are laying the groundwork for established lore (this is a prequel series after all) or telling their own stories, these characters almost make Enterprise worth a look. Almost. Check them out below and listen to our discussion on this week’s podcast (get from there to here at 57:53) as you reflect on this long road with us.
Chris’s picks this time around are all performers that we are spellbound by. These actors give that je ne sais quoi to characters who are instantly intriguing, get your attention, effect an emotional response, and all begin with the letter S! There’s a new face with an exotic way of saying “John” who is just a delight to watch. There’s the familiar face of a Trek veteran doing his usual stand-up job under new and exciting makeup. And there’s literally the same face of an existing character in a role that goes deeper than ever. We like these faces a lot!
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Caitlin – When you’re feeling blue
Sim
Shran
Jhamel
We’ve got the blues after watching these characters, sometimes emotionally and sometimes coloristically. And sometimes in that more suggestive definition of the word whenever Connor Trinneer is onscreen, hubba hubba. Caitlin usually shows her affinity for characters who play with her heartstrings a little in this exercises, so it’s no surprise to see Trinneer’s stunning performance as a slightly different doomed character here, as well as the most charismatic Andorian you’ll ever meet, and one of our first Aenar members who reveals a very interesting new dimension to our blue-skinned allies.
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Ames – Against every instinct
Mestral
Degra
Charles
My picks for this go-around are all individuals who subvert the expectations of their own cultures, for better or for worse. Usually for worse because that’s what makes for good television. Compelling storytelling puts characters into situations where they have to make a choice, and these are people who make strong choices. They will push against Vulcan logic to experience other cultures and maybe find love, will oppose their own people to do what’s right during the Xindi War, or will learn to come out of their own shell in a society that oppresses their gender. Resist, baby, resist!
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Jake – Experts in their fields
A.G. Robinson
Kollos
T’Les
Jake’s favorite characters bring some level of experience and authority to their scenes, making them magnets for the eyes whenever they’re on screen. Imagine how much more interesting this show would have been if we’d had a more nuanced captain character instead of nepobaby Archer; imagine how a Klingon lawyer doing the honorable thing would affect his society if he didn’t end up in prison for it; and imagine how Vulcan would react to one of its scientists advocating for a logical revolution if their corrupt leaders hadn’t gotten her killed. These are characters with meat!
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Will we have as fun a time next week when we continue on in this exercise and pick out our favorite Enterprise villains? Find out by following along to this blog to catch all our Star Trek chatter. Make sure you’re also watching along with our coverage of Discovery episodes over on SoundCloud or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also share with us who your faves are over on Facebook and BlueSky, and come down with a case of the blue-skin blues with us.
