Behind the Scenes: The Surprising Reason William Shatner Never Made a Guest Appearance on Enterprise Revealed by Star Trek Producer

Summary

William Shatner's guest appearance on Star Trek: Enterprise didn't happen due to financial disagreements between his team and the studio.

Shatner suggested a two-part episode idea centered around the Mirror Universe, but the studio deemed his requested compensation to be excessively high. The missed chance for Shatner to be a part of Enterprise is now seen as a regrettable "What If?" moment in Star Trek history.

In a recent interview on The Shuttlepod Show in 2022, Star Trek executive producer Rick Berman shed light on the missed opportunity for William Shatner to make a guest appearance on Star Trek: Enterprise. Berman attributed the decision to financial considerations, stating that the budget simply couldn't accommodate such a high-profile guest star. Unfortunately, this meant that the intriguing idea of Shatner meeting Captain Jonathan Archer and the crew of the NX-01 Enterprise, potentially in the Mirror Universe with Shatner playing the Mirror version of Captain James T. Kirk named Tiberius, would never come to fruition. According to Berman, Shatner's proposed Enterprise story was rumored to involve a time travel plot that ultimately led to the creation of the Mirror Universe.

I attended a meeting with Bill, who was a fellow cast member from the movie "Star Trek" Generations. He contacted me one day and suggested having lunch together. I decided to invite Manny Coto and Brannon Braga to join us. During our lunch with Bill, an idea was brought up, either by Bill himself or someone from his team. The idea involved a clever two-part episode in which Bill would make an appearance.

We quickly outlined the concept and presented it to the studio. They reviewed it in general terms and expressed their approval. However, the situation took a turn when either Bill's agent, lawyer, or someone from his team contacted us. Without going into specific figures, the amount they proposed was significantly higher than what the studio was willing to consider.

William Shatner's Proposed Star Trek: Enterprise Story Explained

Rick Berman did not go into detail about William Shatner's planned appearance on Star Trek: Enterprise, where he was supposed to play the Mirror Kirk, Tiberius, in collaboration with writers Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens. Showrunner Manny Coto apparently liked Shatner's idea and even explored the Mirror Universe in the fourth season. However, there were rumors that Rick Berman suggested a different storyline, revealing Shatner as the NX-01 Enterprise's unseen Chef, but Shatner did not approve of this idea.

One of the main reasons for Shatner not guest-starring on Star Trek: Enterprise was likely due to financial disagreements. In a podcast called The Shuttlepod Show, Rick Berman compared Shatner's demand for compensation to an unrealistic request for Marlon Brando to play the role of Dr. Tolian Soran in Star Trek Generations. The amount requested by Brando's team far exceeded what Paramount was willing to pay. It remains a regrettable missed opportunity and a "What If?" scenario to think about Shatner joining Star Trek: Enterprise ten years after Captain Kirk's demise in Star Trek Generations.

Source: The Shuttlepod Show