The Enterprise production team went on location for the first time this season, but only up the Hollywood Freeway a few short miles to Universal Studios, to film a Western-themed episode that put some of the NX-01 crewmen in cowboy outfits and on horses.

The dusty "Western Town" portion of the Universal backlot was the primary location of "North Star." The script, written by consulting producer David A. Goodman, has Enterprise discovering settlements of humans on a Delphic Expanse planet, living a 19th-century Wild West existence. Visiting the town in local garb, Captain Archer learns they're descendents of a wagon-train group abducted three centuries ago (i.e., late 1800s) by a race called the Skagarans, who enslaved them to build a colony on this planet. The humans revolted and essentially took over the colony, relegating their former oppressors to second-class status. Archer must now figure out what to do about these Earthlings trapped out of time.

In recent chats with STARTREK.COM, Scott Bakula described "North Star" as having "the earmarks of being a very classic Star Trek, sci-fi episode" (09.22.03 transcript). "We end up in the Old West, complete with hangings and six-guns, and what makes the episode interesting is the relationships between the humans on the planet and the Skagarans," he later added (10.01.03 transcript).

Veteran director David Straiton was in charge of the shoot that spent five of its seven-day schedule at Universal. The backlot settings included the main Western Street and various side streets, a Livery Stable, Schoolhouse and Saloon. The exterior Western Streets saw the bulk of the action, and even included a sequence where Archer decides it's time to reveal himself by arriving in a shuttlepod. A few angles were shot to allow for a flying pod to be optically inserted later, but an actual Shuttlepod set piece was brought in and deposited in the Western town for the actors to step out of. Fans and "air movers" were used to kick up a cloud of dust to give the effect of the shuttle landing.

The town was filled with several dozen "townsfolk" — extras dressed in period costumes — going about their business in some scenes and reacting to the bizarre events in others. There were also a number of "Skags" (Skagarans), including a few children, that the makeup people had to produce, involving a few simple prosthetics. A total of 12 horses were used, handled by five wranglers. In one scene Trip Tucker and T'Pol ride a horse together, but due to safety considerations they were doubled by stunt people in some of those shots. In fact, throughout the shoot numerous safety meetings were held concerning working around animals, and also about the use of firearms on set, since there was a fair amount of old-fashioned gunplay. The stunt crew was particularly important in this show, with numerous dangerous moves to perform such as one where a character takes a bullet and falls out of a horse-drawn buckboard. As usual, Vince Deadrick Jr. supervised.

The first and last days of the schedule were shot back in the comfort of home at Paramount, where soundstage sets included a Jail Cell and certain exterior night settings. Principal photography officially concluded Tuesday, but the production immediately went into B-unit the next day to shoot Bridge and other ship scenes, overlapping with the first day of the next episode ("Similitude" directed by LeVar Burton), sending the actors literally back and forth between two soundstages and two scripts. (But they're professionals, they're used to it.)

The large guest cast includes Emily Bergl as the lovely "Bethany," a local teacher who helps Archer understand the situation on the planet. Bergl appeared in the Sci-Fi Channel miniseries "Taken," and has also been seen in Gilmore Girls, Providence and other shows. "Sheriff MacReady" is played by Glenn Morshower, who has been in Star Trek several times before, including "Peak Performance," "Starship Mine" (ST:TNG), "Resistance" (ST:V) and "Star Trek Generations." James Parks was "Vel" in "The Chute" (ST:V), and here he plays "Deputy Bennings."

This is director Straiton's third episode of the season, taking it on literally back-to-back with "The Shipment" (two episodes prior). Writer Goodman's previous credits include "Judgment," "Precious Cargo," and the Futurama Trek-parody episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" (which, by the way, included references to "Spectre of the Gun" ... coincidence?).

"North Star" is tentatively scheduled to air on UPN November 12. More information can be found at its Episode Detail page.

Please note: All production and story information is subject to change.