Star Trek Host: Welcome to today's STARTREK.COM chat with Scott Bakula. We will be talking about the most recent episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise with Scott. Be sure to ask questions about some of the episodes you may have seen recently, such as "Twilight," "North Star," "The Shipment," "Exile" and "Impulse." Scott is here at the studios today doing some "looping" or "ADR," which stands for "Automatic Dialogue Recording." This is a process where, when the filming is complete, the actors go into the recording studio and replace any dialogue that may have been recorded poorly during production.

Scott Bakula: Hello, everybody!

Star Trek Host: Don't forget to check out "Similitude" tonight on UPN. Note: "Similitude" has been singled out by Scott as one of his favorite episodes to date.

Star Trek Host: The promos make it look like Trip will be killed. Is that true? What will Archer do without his friend and chief engineer?

SB: I couldn't possibly answer that question and ruin the episode for anybody. But know that it's a great, great episode. There's a lot going on. We'll talk about it after the episode.

Star Trek Host: What was the significance of the title "North Star"?

SB: I don't know that. I think it might have been lost in the script. I think it had something to do with the wagon train, but I really don't know. Ask Rick and Brannon.

Star Trek Host: Did you draw on other Western movie heroes for Archer's behavior and demeanor?

SB: Not in particular. I've done a few Westerns, played a few different characters. This character was more about trying to blend in with the town-folk in their attitude and physicality. So I wanted to just keep a low profile.

Star Trek Host: This episode had a different style to it — camera angles, lighting, character movement. Did you find this interesting and did it present any challenges?

SB: I thought [director] David Straiton did an incredible job of getting all the departments to create an atmosphere that really set the episode apart. All of the wardrobe and stylistic filming techniques just made it more fun for me. He had a clear vision, and he got to do it.

Q: I just finished watching "North Star a few nights ago. What was it like to dress for a Western, as opposed to the usual Starfleet uniform?
robmeister

SB: It takes a lot longer, and the spurs make you loop a lot more, because like the song, they do "jingle jangle."

Q: Was "North Star" filmed on a lot or off-site?
Trekkieted

SB: "North Star" was filmed on the backlot of Universal, my old stomping ground. I even knew some of the tram drivers.

Q: Well, "Twilight" was absolutely stunning, amazing, exciting and had a breathtaking outcome. Will we get anything twisted like that again in the future?
SKa

SB: There are many twists and turns coming for the rest of the season. Some that I know already, and many that I'm not aware of yet. But I will guarantee that there are some strange and bizarre happenings on the way in the Expanse.

Q: What has been your favorite episode this season?
Multitronic

SB: My favorite episode that I've seen is probably "Twilight." But I haven't seen "North Star" yet, which I'm very anxious to see, and I haven't seen "Similitude" yet, which could give "Twilight" a run for its money.

Star Trek Host: You had to play Archer as a 60-year-old man. How did you prepare mentally and physically to show him at that age?

SB: Well, there is such a small difference in when you're playing someone who's five to twenty years older than yourself. It's a real challenge. Obviously we did some hair and makeup changes, but I chose — because of my time on the planet and my days spent with T'Pol — to not let my aging process go too far. I felt that obviously not captaining the ship anymore, my stress level had dropped to zero and I'd obviously been eating, sleeping and resting well for many years. I figured T'Pol had me doing Vulcan Yoga poses and hiking, and drinking broth, so I chose to age very little.

Star Trek Host: The visual effects in "Twilight" were stunning, blowing up Earth and then the attack on Enterprise. Does it affect your work as an actor, knowing that those kinds of feature-film-class effects are going to be there to support your character's actions?

SB: Well, I think the effects are so incredibly wonderful, they add so much to what we're doing, that we've come to — I hate to say this — but to expect them to be mind-blowing and mind-boggling. They do nothing but make us look better.

Q: Is there any ad-libbing from you and Jolene in "Twilight"?
Xeen

SB; No. There is no ad-libbing in deep space.

Star Trek Host: And just how "familiar" had they become in the intervening twelve years ...?

SB: I wish I could remember.

Star Trek Host: Did anyone mention the historical references in that episode? "Rosemary's Baby" and "Ceti Alpha V"?

SB: I think we decided that we only get to watch films from Paramount's library, because I think it's free, or we get a deal.

Star Trek Host: Next week's episode is "Carpenter Street." In this episode, you travel back to the year 2004. Do you feel that Star Trek tends to rely too much on time travel for story ideas?

SB: Well, I think that they successfully introduced the idea of time travel in this franchise very well through the Suliban and their mysterious leader, and then crewman Daniels. So it doesn't seem to be coming out of thin air. Obviously it's something you want to be careful of, and yet at the same time I'm told that the fans love the time travel episodes, and there's certainly an effort on Rick and Brannon's part to write things that they hope the fans will love.This particular journey back in time is very grounded in story. It could have been back to any time in Earth's history, just coincidentally, they picked today.

Q: How was portraying Earth a year from now in "Carpenter Street"? Did it present challenges?
DataLore

SB: No. I think one of the reasons that they picked 2004 is that, in terms of production value, it was easily accomplished. And the other reason is, I think, because the episode deals with germ warfare, and that certainly is a relevant topic today.

Q: Mr. Bakula, in the third season, which episode did you have the most fun shooting? Thank you so much! Archer rules!
tripster47

SB: It's a toss-up, but I'd say probably the Western, "North Star." I only wish that I could have had an opportunity to ride instead of driving the buggy. "Twilight" is a close second.

Q: I really liked the episode "North Star," I was wondering if you were ever inspired as a child by such Western greats as John Wayne?
TychoPraxis

SB: Huge fan of Westerns. I very clearly remember seeing "How the West Was Won" on a huge screen. I think it was one of those Cinerama screens years ago, and just being blown away by the whole majestic quality of the Wild West. But I love all Westerns — "Shane" is one of my favorite Westerns of all time. And one of my favorite original Star Trek episodes was the Western at the OK Corral — "Spectre of the Gun."

Q: Is Porthos in this episode ("Similitude")?
P0rth0s

SB: Yes! Porthos is in "Similitude." We broke the show-biz taboo; I'm working with a dog and a kid.

Q: In a previous chat, you mentioned that "Similitude" was one of the best episodes to be done so far. What do you believe makes this episode an especially good one?
tripster47

SB: One of the great elements of tonight's show is that it takes a Star Trek look at cloning and the ethics of cloning. It creates a lot of conflict and drama between myself and Dr. Phlox, as well as a complicated story that hopefully will surprise and delight you.

Star Trek Host: Can you tell us more about "Impulse"? This was like a zombie-horror movie. How much fun was it to punch that zombie repeatedly?

SB: Well, of course you never really hit anyone, so it's always a matter of staging things to look as real as possible. Certainly at that moment in the episode where I'm grabbed and end up fighting with that zombie in close quarters, there was a certain amount of gratification and frustration that came out of Archer. The odd thing was, there's an overwhelming sadness around the whole episode because these poor Vulcans have been taken over and are out of control. And we couldn't help them.

Q: Greetings, Mr. Bakula! We are seeing more facets in Captain Archer's personality this season. Is it getting tougher to play Archer as he experiences new peoples in his quest to find the Xindi?
casiopia

SB: Well, as is true with any person in life, your experiences alter your approach to others and the challenge is always trying to hang on to the elements that make you you. And Archer is being tested in the Expanse on so many levels. He's going to places in his psyche that he never dreamed of going, and he's not through yet. The Expanse has changed him for ever, and hopefully, at the same time, when we come of out it, some of the old Archer will still exist.

Q: Mr. Bakula, I get the impression from this season's episodes that you are personally exercising more creative input beyond the portrayal of Captain Archer. Any truth to this assumption?
ekalnats

SB: I don't think any more than I have in the past. I think Rick and Brannon and I started this season all on the same page in terms of where we felt the character should go, and could go in the Expanse. And that we all wanted to push Archer and challenge him to make choices and face issues that would change him.

Q: Mr. Bakula: One of my favorite scenes with Captain Archer was in "Anomaly," where we were introduced to "airlock Archer" during the interrogation. Will we continue to see more of this side of Archer, willing to bend and possibly break the rules to get the job done?
Alcibiades

SB: There are more instances of that coming up. There are elements of that in tonight's episode, "Similitude," and I'm aware of some situations coming up a few episodes from now that will really surprise people.

Q: In the original Star Trek series the United Federation of Planets (UFP) was already established. Will future Enterprise episodes deal with how this came about?
Dave

SB: My understanding is that the Federation is an idea that will somehow be explored in our franchise. When that will happen, and how it will happen, I'm not sure of.

Q: Do you think that Enterprise has stayed true to the Star Trek timeline already created?
David

SB: Well, I think that's been a huge challenge for the writers, and I don't pretend to be an authority on Star Trek lore, so I've had to trust that as best they could. Given the challenges of the prequel — and telling good stories — the writers have done their best to pay attention to the history, not disappoint the fans, and still tell great stories. They're very respectful of Mr. Roddenberry's vision and the history of the show. And they bend over backwards to try and stay in line.

Q: Will we ever see "tribbles" on Enterprise?
Jenn

SB: Didn't we already have one?

Q: "Exile" was a very heart-wrenching episode, almost a Beauty and the Beast sort of tale. The set was dark and somber as well. What was the mood like during filming of that episode?
casiopia

SB: Well, I wasn't around for a lot of Linda's side of the story, but I felt that both she and our guest star, Maury Sterling, did a wonderful job. I thought Maury did a wonderful job with creating a character inside that mask that was sympathetic and dangerous all at the same time. And I always love everything that Linda does.

Star Trek Host: In the scene where Tarquin impersonates Archer to convince Hoshi to stay, did you approach your performance any differently (since it wasn't really Archer)?

SB: Yes, I did. You'd have to go back and look at the scene again, but there were subtle things that I tried to put in that obviously wouldn't give the idea away, but might on second viewing give that scene a little more depth. Obviously the job was to play the scene just like it's Archer.

Star Trek Host: The upcoming "Chosen Realm" (airing January 14, 2004) deals with some very topical issues. What can you tell us about it?

SB: Well, "Chosen Realm" has to do with a species that's been dealing with what we think is religious fanataicism, with regard to the spheres. And it turns out to be about something quite different than that. But it has to do with, in many ways, similarities to the situation in the Middle East.

Q: Captain, I am a US Marine myself. How do you feel about the MARINES [MACO] on your ship now?
USProperty2002

SB: Well, they've helped us numerable times. It's probably one of the best decisions I made to bring them along. You'll see in upcoming episodes that they complicate some of the stories, so it'll be interesting to see how you like them then.

Star Trek Host: Now that you are halfway through this season (13 episodes shot) how does this season compare to the previous two?

SB: Well, it's probably the hardest season in terms of production and schedules and difficulty in terms of getting the episodes onto the screen. But I think overall, it's the most rewarding, and certainly the response from all of you, the fans, has been overwhelmingly positive. So the hard work feels worth it.

Star Trek Host: STARTREK.COM would like to offer our sympathies to the cast and crew of "Enterprise" for the recent loss of guest star Kellie Waymire (Ensign Cutler) and to her family and friends. Kellie passed away suddenly last week.

SB: I have to take off now, but I appreciate you all taking the time to log in and chat with me. It's been a lot of fun, and makes me feel more connected to the fans.

I also want to say that the entire cast, crew, and staff of Enterprise was deeply saddened by the loss of Kellie Waymire recently. For those of us who knew her, she was a beautiful, talented, and gifted young lady. She had a beautiful spirit and we all deeply miss her, and we've lost a shining star in the Enterprise family.