Visitors to the Star Trek sets are not uncommon; special guests, to either observe production or participate on camera, have been a semi-regular occurrence over the years. "X-Men" director Bryan Singer and Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane are just two recent entertainment industry names that spring to mind as special guest extras that appeared on "Star Trek Nemesis" and Star Trek: Enterprise respectively. The franchise — let's be honest — appeals to a vast and diverse audience. Sports stars, politicians, and even astronauts have been amongst the lucky few to either make it on to the set or appear in an episode. Recently, in the waning days of the last season of Enterprise, one of the final special guest extras to make an appearance on Enterprise was Flaming Lips bass player and co-founding member, Michael Ivins.

Early in February, during the filming of "Demons," the Enterprise production crew welcomed Michael, along with band manager Scott Booker and his wife, Jennifer. The story begins a while back when Scott met Connor Trinneer by chance in a Los Angeles restaurant. The pair hit it off immediately and remained in contact. Later, when the opportunity arose to do a day's work on the show, Scott and Michael jumped at the chance to become immortalized in one of entertainment's greatest franchises. Michael, as a member of the Flaming Lips, had appeared on other TV shows such as Beverly Hills 90210 and Charmed, but this was his first foray into a non-performing role.

"It's good to know that in our small way we are going to be part of what could potentially be the 'History of the Future,'" noted Ivins. "Roddenberry's — and later producers' — optimism for what the human race could become is important to look at in the present, considering what's going on in the world these days. We do understand this is entertainment, but great stories like this can help us face our own sense of ethics and morality. Enterprise, DS9 and Voyager explored war, religion and love in ways that few shows have before or ever will."

Michael and Scott, both big Star Trek fans, have been known to do things like correspond via e-mail using Trek terminology. (We know this from the Trivia section of the band's Web site, where Michael also lists Star Trek as one of his favorite shows. Scott kindly links to STARTREK.COM from his own Hellfire management Web site.)

For a band who has made some wonderful music videos over the years, as well as being in the middle of producing their own feature, "Christmas on Mars," they aren't complete strangers to the filming process. The main difference being that this experience offers them a role on a show that represents something larger than any one person or idea. And, one could argue, when you are doing something purely for yourself, it can become more like work; when you do something as part of a lifelong dream, the experience becomes something entirely different. Scott, Michael and Jennifer all got a taste of what it's like to work on a Star Trek show and to live that other life for a day.

The troop slipped right into their roles, as well as costumes. "We came into the studio on February 10 to be fitted for our uniforms," describes Scott. "The people there were great — we were fitted into outfits that were made from old Russian Army tents (I believe). It wasn't that bad, I expected it to be far worse. They had to cut one down to fit my wife since she's just 5 foot 4 inches tall!

"Our call time on Friday was 7:30 a.m. — pretty tough for us rock 'n' roll types — but we were all so excited we didn't care," he continues. "Michael, Jennifer and I were all staying at the Hollywood Roosevelt, so it was just a few blocks away. We got over to the studio lot — we'd actually been there to film the band on an episode of Charmed a couple years ago — and made our way into the costumes and then headed over to Stages 8 and 9."

The Enterprise production crew is notorious for running a tight ship, and the visitors found this out early. "They put us to work right away," continues Scott. "LeVar Burton was the director, which was pretty exciting for us and Connor was there all day, which is great because we're buddies with him and his wife Ariana."

The trio was soon engaged by the director in their respective roles. "They had Michael running some mining gadget for the initial scene we were in and I was shooting a laser at the wall with my wife walking by with some tool. We were thrilled; it was the first scene of the day and we were right in front of the cameras!"

Scott, Michael and Jennifer also got to know the practice of the retake and multiple set ups. "Well, it just kept going on and on," says Scott. "We kept hearing them on the walkie-talkies 'bring Connor's friends over here' and they kept putting us in front of the cameras. Very exhilarating!"

The visiting Lips crew got schooled — call it Acting School 101 — as Scott elaborates: "At one point LeVar had to motivate Michael in a scene with the miners getting upset over the Federation being formed. He also showed me how to move the rocks in such a way that it looked realistic. Then I had a moment where I was pretending like I was speaking to an alien. Connor came up and told me exactly how to do it. I felt like a real actor ? for a minute!"

Their experience with Enterprise did hit a poignant note, as Jennifer Booker points out. "Our participation in the Enterprise episode was a bittersweet experience. We received word of the show's cancellation on the same day we were told we would be extras." The day, however, will live with Jennifer and the others for a long, long time. "While at the studio I couldn't believe I was seeing all the sets for real, bookcases lined with all the Star Trek scripts, racks and racks of everything anyone has ever worn on Star Trek, and LeVar Burton directing us! But how sad to think it will no longer be there after all these years and how sad to see so many behind the scenes people preparing to say goodbye after making Star Trek their lively-hood since The Next Generation.

"Well, it was a blast anyway!" concludes Jennifer.

A blast, that is, in spite of the long shooting day. "We were there until 8:30 that night," noted Scott. "Afterward, we went back to the hotel, showered all of the muck off of us (mining is hard, dirty work!), and headed over to Connor's to have a glass of wine in celebration of our Enterprise acting experience."

"I really want to thank everyone at the show for being so hospitable to us," says Scott graciously. "We really felt welcome there. A special thanks goes out to Connor for making this happen for us. He really outdid himself in making us feel at home and letting us be a part of Star Trek history in our tiny little way. It really is a huge thing for Jennifer, Michael and I — we really appreciate it!

For those unfamiliar with the greatness of the Flaming Lips, we urge you to check out their Web site (below) to listen and explore. Mere words do not do them justice as the Lips must be experienced first hand. For example, their Las Vegas-set video for "Do You Realize" is dreamlike, beautiful and simply unforgettable. They are as original as any band still signed to a major label (Warner Bros.) can be, while never losing the sense of fun in their weirdness.

Look out for the trio's Star Trek: Enterprise debut on Friday, May 6 when "Demons" airs on UPN.

Thanks to Scott Booker for photos and additional material.