USA Today reports that a third year of shrinking audiences means potential cancellation for UPN's "Star Trek: Enterprise", making the 2004/2005 TV season the first season in 17 years without a first-run "Star Trek" series.
Longtime Trek executive producer Rick Berman however doesn't believe the end is here - "Right now, I'm optimistic the show is going to be picked up for a fourth season...As to whether it could use a rest for a while, that's a valid question. I think, eventually, Star Trek will be taking a breather".
UPN likely won't reveal Enterprise's fate until it announces its fall slate next week, one marketing expert saying "The pivotal question is really how UPN sees the Star Trek franchise within its total strategy going forward".
Viewership is off 43% from its first season, and the series suffered its lowest-rated regularly scheduled original episode in April. This comes despite general approval of the new direction the show has taken this season although quite a few claim it's too little too late.
Berman's plans for next year if it should go ahead are interesting - "My feeling is that ENTERPRISE will probably not go back to the first and second season job of simple exploration of space. I think there will be missions, but not missions that are anywhere as lengthy as what we have done with this 25-episode Xindi arc. I think that we will probably be dealing more with smaller arcs, maybe arcs of three, four or five shows. We see season four being as different from season three as season three was from season two".
This year's season finale (airing May 26th) is hedging it bets according to <a href="http://www.trekweb.com" target="_blank">Trekweb</a> with star Scott Bakula recently indicating to a convention crowd that "[In] one of them, we get back to Earth. One of them, we don't get back to Earth. And one of them, the ship gets back to Earth and I'm not alive"
Berman and two other producers also are in "very early discussions" about another Star Trek feature film. It would be a prequel, but not related to Enterprise, he says although it's VERY early days yet.
Thanks to 'JW', 'Steve' & 'Gustavo'
