Lost Potential: A Star Trek Crossover Dream

Star Trek: Enterprise, led by Scott Bakula, nearly achieved a monumental feat: a crossover event uniting the crews of Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. This ambitious plan was envisioned for a seventh season of the prequel series, which was ultimately canceled after four seasons by the United Paramount Network.

The Precedent: “Trials and Tribble-ations”

Star Trek has a history of innovative crossovers. To commemorate the franchise’s 30th anniversary in 1996, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 5, episode 6, “Trials and Tribble-ations,” seamlessly integrated Captain Benjamin Sisko and his crew into The Original Series’ classic “The Trouble With Tribbles.” During this adventure, Sisko even encountered Captain James T. Kirk, unaware that he had saved Kirk’s life from an exploding Tribble.

The Unpitched Season 7 Concept

At Trek Talks 5, a fundraising event for the Hollywood Food Coalition, Star Trek: Enterprise producers and writers revealed a previously unpitched concept for season 7. Garfield Reeves-Stevens explained their idea: “We had a story we never pitched, but we thought of…an ideal episode would be to have one last battle of the Temporal War. And it involves the Enterprise crew going back to the K-7 space station while Kirk’s crew is there and Sisko’s crew is there.”

A Temporal Collision

The Reeves-Stevens’ pitch involved sending Captain Jonathan Archer and the NX-01 crew forward a century, coinciding with a time-traveling mission from Captain Sisko’s DS9 crew. The goal? To resolve a plot connected to Enterprise’s ongoing Temporal Cold War. This would have brought all three crews together at Space Station K-7.

The Unresolved Temporal Cold War

Executive producer Brannon Braga had previously discussed continuing the Temporal Cold War storyline. He stated that it “was definitely something that Manny and I talked about continuing, and picking it up again in season 5.” The storyline was abandoned before the identity of “Future Guy” – hinted to be Jonathan Archer himself – could be revealed.

A Missed Opportunity

The prospect of these iconic crews converging at K-7 is considered a significant loss for fans. While maintaining the timeline would likely require Archer’s crew to remain undetected, the potential for interaction between the captains was immense. Had Star Trek: Enterprise reached a seventh season, these episodes would have aired between late 2007 and spring 2008.

Imagining the Impossible

Fans are left to imagine a scenario where Space Station K-7 is overrun with Tribbles and time-traveling Starfleet personnel. The unfulfilled pitch represents a tantalizing glimpse into what could have been a truly classic Star Trek moment.