Long-Awaited Redemption: Enterprise Reignites Fan-favorite Star Trek Alien Race Like Never Before
Enterprise's groundbreaking episode breathed new life into Star Trek's Andorians, giving them the significance they deserved after 34 years Hemmer's portrayal in Strange New Worlds added further depth to this iconic alien race
Summary
Star Trek: Enterprise revived the significance of the Andorians, a classic Star Trek alien race, after years of being background characters.
The Andorians rose to prominence in Enterprise due to captivating performances and enhanced visual effects, transforming from adversaries to companions of Captain Archer and humanity.
The impact of Star Trek: Enterprise resulted in the Andorians continuing to appear in subsequent Star Trek series such as Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks, demonstrating their progression and significance across various timelines.
Star Trek: Enterprise revitalized the prominence of the Andorians, a beloved alien race from the original Star Trek series, after a long hiatus of 34 years. Serving as a prequel to the iconic series, Enterprise delved into the 22nd-century explorations of Captain Jonathan Archer and the crew of the NX-01 Enterprise, who encountered a significant number of Andorians, including Commander Thy'lek Shran of the Andorian Imperial Guard, both as allies and adversaries.
The Andorians first appeared in a memorable episode titled "Journey to Babel" in season 2 of the original series. In this episode, a delegation of Andorians joined a group of various species aboard the USS Enterprise, en route to the Babel Conference. However, one of the Andorians named Thelev attempted to sabotage the Enterprise and assassinate Captain Kirk. While the Andorians made a handful of appearances in the original series, they were often relegated to background roles in the Star Trek movies and only made brief appearances in Star Trek: The Next Generation. It is possible that the producers of Star Trek at that time deemed the visually distinct blue-skinned and antennaed Andorians as too comical or outdated, reminiscent of the 1960s Star Trek era. However, Star Trek: Enterprise changed this perception entirely.
Enterprise Made Star Trek’s Andorians Finally Matter
In Star Trek: Enterprise season 1's episode "The Andorian Incident," the Andorians made a significant comeback. Led by Shran, a team of Andorians invaded the Vulcan monastery on P'Jem. They believed that the Vulcans were spying on their homeworld of Andor from P'Jem, leading to repeated attacks. The Vulcans pretended to be innocent, but Captain Archer and his crew discovered that they were actually villains. They found a secret facility in the catacombs beneath P'Jem that the Vulcans used to spy on the Andorians.
Jeffrey Combs delivered charismatic performances as Shran, and the updated makeup, costumes, and visual effects made the Andorians' antennae convincingly prehensile. This resulted in the Andorians becoming popular guest stars in Star Trek: Enterprise, making several return appearances. Throughout the series' four seasons, Shran and the Andorians went from being antagonists to unlikely allies of Captain Archer and the humans. Enterprise also established the Andorians as founding members of the United Federation of Planets and introduced the Aenar, a subspecies of Andorians. Shran's character was so successful that it was rumored he might have joined Archer's crew if a fifth season had been made.
Star Trek's Andorians After Enterprise Include Strange New Worlds' Hemmer
Star Trek: Enterprise played a crucial role in establishing the significance of the Andorians, who had been introduced 34 years earlier in Star Trek: The Original Series. They continue to play a prominent role in Paramount+'s Star Trek series. Lieutenant Hemmer, the Aenar Chief Engineer aboard Captain Christopher Pike's 23rd century USS Enterprise, was introduced in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Hemmer, who was blind, gruff, yet wise and lovable, became the mentor of Cadet Nyota Uhura. Despite being destined to die in season 1, Hemmer unexpectedly gained immense popularity among fans and made subsequent appearances in season 2.
In Star Trek: Lower Decks, Ensign Beckett Mariner embarked on a romantic relationship with an Andorian named Jennifer. Initially, Mariner had a dislike for Ensign Jennifer Sh'reyan, her neighboring bunkmate on the USS Cerritos. However, their relationship developed throughout season 3. The Andorians' journey from Captain Archer's turbulent interactions with Shran in the 22nd century to Hemmer becoming the Chief Engineer of the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and the inclusion of numerous Andorians like Jennifer in Starfleet during the 24th century, was made possible because of Star Trek: Enterprise revitalizing the significance of the Andorian race.
