It was a very confining production for the Enterprise cast the last two weeks. They spent most of the time either huddled together in very cramped sets, or walking around the regular sets in their bulky environmental suits.

When a "neutronic storm" (saturated with "radiolytic isotopes" — i.e., really lethal) approaches Enterprise at a warp velocity faster than the ship can escape, the crew is forced to take shelter for several days in "The Catwalk" — the term Trip Tucker uses to describe the maintenance shafts running the length of each nacelle, which are the most heavily shielded parts of the ship. Besides cramming 83 crewmembers into those tight compartments, Captain Archer also grants refuge to a group of aliens who aren't great company, and worse, are hiding a potentially dangerous secret.

The eight-day schedule began Wednesday, October 23, and ran through last Friday. The first three days were spent on standing sets — such as the Bridge, Ready Room, Engineering, Corridor, etc. — but in many of those scenes, the sets were lit for "emergency lighting." On Friday, every scene shot also involved smoke works. At various times, Scott Bakula, Connor Trinneer, Jolene Blalock and Dominic Keating donned those orange EV suits just to wander around their regular haunts, because of the hazardous radiation flooding the ship in the story.

The following week was spent almost entirely in the "Catwalk" sets built for this episode in two soundstages. They were identified as "Catwalk-3," "Catwalk-5," etc., as well as "Catwalk-Command" (a temporary command compartment) and "Catwalk-Infirmary" (Dr. Phlox's temporary Sickbay). They were loaded with all the regular cast members along with as many as 20 extras at a time in NX-01 uniforms, and the guest star aliens. The two beagles who portray Porthos — Wendy and Breezy — also spent two days in the Catwalk sets, and had to endure smoke works and "turbulence."

Most of the guest cast in this episode have been in Star Trek before. Danny Goldring plays the "Alien Captain" (from the Takret System) — he was the Nausicaan Captain in last year's "Fortunate Son" and the Hirogen Nazi Commandant in Star Trek: Voyager's two-part "The Killing Game," along with other parts. Brian Cousins, the "Alien Lieutenant," was in Star Trek: The Next Generation as the rogue Borg "Crosis" in the two-part "Descent," and the Romulan "Parem" in "The Next Phase." Scott Burkholder ("Tagrim") was "Lt. Comm. Hilliard" in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's "When It Rains..." and Aaron Lustig ("Guri") was a Banean Doctor in Voyager's "Ex Post Facto." Elizabeth Magness reprises her role in "Minefield" as an unnamed crewmember with a few lines of dialog.

"The Catwalk" was written by Mike Sussman and Phyllis Strong, who also scripted "Dead Stop" earlier this year and five episodes last season, along with several for Voyager. The episode is directed by Mike Vejar, who also helmed last week's "Marauders" and three from last season, and a list of others from TNG, DS9 and Voyager. This is the fourth time Vejar has directed a Sussman/Strong script.

"The Catwalk" is tentatively scheduled to air December 18. To correct our last Production Report, "Precious Cargo" is now scheduled to air December 11.

For more information about the second-season episodes, visit the Synopses and Cast & Crew sections of Production News.

Please note: All production information is subject to change.

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