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When Star Trek: Enterprise was cancelled in 2005, after four years, I recall frustration and confusion. The series had its loyal fans, and losing a Star Trek series was something difficult to swallow. In hindsight, however, the cancellation was a turning point in the franchise's history. Truly, I think now that it was a blessing in disguise.
I mean, the series ending was the first time since 1987 that Star Trek did not appear on television, so the franchise could start anew and set itself up for a new generation of tales. According to Daily Star Trek News, one of the creators of the show, Brannon Braga, said,
"I don't see it as a cancellation, I see it as more of a gestation."
These words echo in my mind today more than ever. The hiatus provided Star Trek with time to reflect, rest, and return with fresh eyes. What was originally a sour loss proved to be the franchise's necessary reboot.
The reasons for cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise: A combination of factors
Star Trek: Enterprise was burdened with quite a few challenges that ultimately resulted in its cancellation following season 4. The major reason for its demise was low viewership, which had gradually declined throughout the show. Enterprise was expensive to make, around $1.25 million an episode, and by season 4, it was no longer financially viable for the UPN network. Much as fans like me loved the show, the ratings just were not there to justify its continuance.
Besides the financial limits, there was also a sort of inevitability of franchise wear. As Star Trek had been a fixture on television since The Next Generation debuted in 1987, it was felt that the universe had been thoroughly explored. In terms of creativity, the franchise wasn't doing much better in terms of re-inventing itself, and the perpetual flow of shows was starting to get sparse.
The television series Star Trek had been the dean of science fiction on television for several years, but by the early 2000s, it was clear that the franchise needed a break.
Franchise fatigue and a break
All could see that the world of Star Trek was exhausted. Brannon Braga's declarations that the franchise needed a break are reflective of a common opinion that many have. The constant presence of Star Trek on TV left no room for exploring new territories. By the year 2005, the show had been in our lives for nearly two decades.
While there was still demand for the franchise, it was clear that the creative minds required some time to step back and reassess the path the story must take. The cancellation of Enterprise was a relief to the franchise to catch its breath after this creative exhaustion. It had been the first time in nearly 20 years that there was no new Star Trek on television.
Without the burden of weekly episodes, there was space for contemplation, and above all, for rebirth.
The hiatus: A turning point
The gap that followed when Enterprise was cancelled gave Star Trek a chance to incubate in a manner that would not have been possible had the franchise continued uninterrupted. By not having a constant need to keep producing, the producers were able to withdraw and reassess what Star Trek could do.
The gap allowed the franchise to be reconfigured in 2009 with the J.J. Abrams film that presented a reimagining of the Star Trek universe. The movie acted as an introduction for new fans and also helped in the rejuvenation of the franchise. Furthermore, success from the re-launch facilitated the preparation for new series such as Star Trek: Discovery (2017) and Star Trek: Picard (2020), which would return to TV with a different strategy, accepting modern-day serialization and improved production values that the outdated network model of Enterprise was never capable of.
The break provided room for experimentation and risk-taking that would be required to move on to the next phase of the franchise's heritage.
Accessibility to a new generation of fans
Before the hiatus, Star Trek was commonly described as an intimidating universe, one composed of decades of history and dense continuity that could be intimidating to new fans. The 2009 reboot provided a tight, slick introduction to new viewers, however. In a sense, Enterprise's cancellation served to make this reboot possible.
If Star Trek had continued as previously, it's difficult to see how the show could have been introduced to a new audience without the continuity break provided by the reboot. For me and the fans, the reboot was a breath of fresh air. While it honored the past of the original Star Trek, it also seemed to be trying to gain over new fans.
In retrospect, Enterprise's conclusion enabled the franchise to grow in a manner that wasn't held back by decades of accumulated conventions, which probably made Star Trek more attractive to the audience who were unaware of the franchise's history.
Evolution of storytelling and technology
The post-Enterprise era also witnessed humongous shifts in the consumption of television. The on-demand revolution and the streaming revolution totally transformed the face of television itself. Shows such as Discovery and Picard were scripted with these new viewing patterns in mind, producing shorter, serialized seasons that would be more appealing to viewers now.
The high-production-value, big-budget model would have been difficult to produce under the limitations of the network system that Enterprise established. This technology shift, along with the artistic redo created by the break, enabled Star Trek to mature and innovate in ways that it never could before.
The new show adopted more adult-oriented storylines, richer characterization, and more complex storylines that better suited the era during which they were produced. Such changes were critical to keeping Star Trek up-to-date for audiences today.
Adopting creative risk-taking
Maybe most notable in the post-Enterprise development is the franchise's need to get creative. The more recent Star Trek series have found a more grown-up way of telling stories and characters. The tone has ranged everywhere—Discovery went dark and serialized, and Picard toyed with the introspective older Jean-Luc Picard.
These shows have tried out various styles, themes, and formats, too, which wasn't as prevalent during Enterprise's later seasons. Although Enterprise had moments of brilliance, its inability to find a balance between tradition and innovation on a regular basis kept it from fully crossing into new story ground.
Finishing up the series enabled Star Trek to expand its canvas with how it wrote stories, from Discovery's much more serialized storytelling method to character-based storytelling in Picard and Strange New Worlds.
In retrospect, the cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise in 2005 was apparently a setback to the franchise, but it was obvious that this was a needed turning point. The franchise was creatively and commercially stagnant. The hiatus provided the kind of creative soul-searching and experimentation that Star Trek required to remain current in the 21st century.
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Eventually, the hiatus gave rise to a creative rebirth for the franchise. The 2009 relaunch, Discovery, Picard, and the new Strange New Worlds series exist in large part due to the hiatus that came after Enterprise was canceled. The franchise was able to grow, discover new fans, and adopt new storytelling formats that made Star Trek a cultural touchstone of the future. Enterprise's demise was, indeed, the start of something greater—and for the future of Star Trek.
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