Enterprise's Controversial Nude Scene Aired At The Worst Time Possible
By Daniel Kim
While sexuality isn't a foreign concept to the franchise — Kirk (William Shatner) might be one of the horniest characters ever written — "Star Trek: Enterprise" embraced eroticism as one of its foundational narrative pillars. According to "The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years: From The Next Generation to J. J. Abrams," an oral history book edited by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross, "Enterprise" turned to sexuality as a last-ditch effort to save the show. "There was an effort to make the show sexier," writer and producer Chris Black said. "There was a component of that show that was supposed to be sexy."
Audiences generally liked the direction "Enterprise" chose but never tuned in en masse. That lack of viewer retention inspired UPN to push the envelope even further. Costume designer Robert Blackman confirmed that, when the show was in danger of cancelation between Seasons 2 and 3, T'Pol's clothing became tighter and more revealing, a change that Jolene Blalock vocally detested. Conversely, co-creator and executive producer Brannon Braga defended the new uniform as a natural creative decision.
All this to say that "Enterprise" was already in a tricky place before "Harbinger" aired. Perhaps the Super Bowl made it trickier, perhaps it didn't. Further installments in the Star Trek universe might still struggle to thread the needle regarding sexual content, but at least Alice Eve is proud of her "Star Trek Into Darkness" NSFW scene.
