It has been seven years since Paramount has launched a new Star Trek television series. This season UPN premiered its new… and old series. Enterprise, which carries no Star Trek designation in the title of this series, I suspect so that they can attract new viewers without the connotations of this being Trekkie (and if you saw the movie Trekkies you know what I mean), takes place between the events of Star Trek (TOS) and Star Trek: First Contact. While the idea is to rediscover the fun of the classic series without the lofty self-righteousness of ST: TNG and ST:V or the dark brooding tone of ST:DS9 (probably the best of the previous new Star Trek series), the biggest obstacle to overcome for this show is how to make the common elements of space travel, which we the viewer take for granted, fresh and exciting. It is already apparent in the opening episode that we really are in familiar territory again. The casting of Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer is a step in the right direction. He has the same space cowboy quality that made Kirk a great captain and the leadership presence of Picard. In addition, placing a Vulcan on the bridge who does not always see eye-to-eye with her captain and is not afraid to express this is another. Another somewhat distracting feature of this show is the ship. We are supposed to believe a ship that looks more advanced than Enterprise D is the ancestor of Kirk’s Enterprise (especially since in ST: TNG “Relics”, a computer recreates the original Enterprise to look like the 60’s version of the ship). But special effects aside, this show has potential to entice hard-core Trek fans as well as lure new ones to the franchise. At the risk of sounding cliché, I hope Captain Archer and his crew will, “live long and prosper.”