Star Trek Advertised Enterprise By Having A Klingon Knock Out A Hater
"Star Trek: Enterprise" debuted on September 26, 2001, the sixth official "Star Trek" series since the debut of Gene Roddenberry's original in 1966. "Enterprise" came right at the end of a massive "Star Trek" renaissance that saw the 1987 debut of the massively successful "Star Trek: The Next Generation," the 1993 debut of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," the 1995 debut of "Star Trek: Voyager," and the release of "Star Trek: Generations," "Star Trek: First Contact," and "Star Trek: Insurrection" in theaters. The glut of "Star Trek" was a dream for TV programmers who would often schedule entire blocks of the franchise merely to puff up their docket. Personally, this author recalls a time when "NextGen," "DS9," and the original series would run back-to-back-to-back on certain weeknights.
The Sci-Fi Channel, now called Syfy, also leaned heavily on "Star Trek" when it launched back in 1992. "Star Trek" reruns became part of the nascent cable station's bread and butter, ensuring that audiences would have access to the franchise almost 24 hours a day. Indeed, there was a time in the late 1990s when it seemed that sci-fi channels and Viacom-associated TV affiliates played almost nothing but "Star Trek." The property perhaps stood on the precipice of being overexposed.
It was in that spirit that Space, the CTV Sci-Fi channel in Canada, chose to advertise the then-upcoming "Enterprise" with a "Star Trek"-hating fanboy whining about how there was just too much "Star Trek" in the world. A sixth series, the protagonist of the commercial said, was one toke over the line, as there weren't enough Trekkies in the world to justify the overwhelming volume. Cleverly, the whiner is socked in the face by a Trekkie dressed in full Klingon regalia.
The ad
The ad sees an angry young man wearing a "NO MORE STAR TREK" t-shirt and carrying a clipboard knocking on the door of a suburban home. An old woman answers and the angry hater requests that she sign his petition, asking Space to stop running so much "Star Trek." The old woman listens politely as the bitter young man complains that Space is already running four "Star Trek" shows in a row, and that the only audience for such a thing is comprised of basement-dwelling nerds. "They wear stupid costumes," he raves, "go to conventions, and call themselves 'Captain' and stuff! It's gotta stop!"
The old woman says that she won't sign his petition, but that her adult son, Gary, will. She calls Gary, and he emerges from the house dressed as a Klingon, complete with forehead makeup and a long wig. Gary immediately punches the hater in the face, causing him to fall backward. "P'takh!," he yells, a common Klingon insult. Gary's mom then turns to him and yells, in Klingon, that he fights without honor and that he must return to his quarters.
The announcer then implores audiences to get ready for more "Star Trek," as "Enterprise" debuts in a few days.
Despite the 1990s glut of "Star Trek," many sci-fi fans felt like a cat in a sunbeam. This was a time when they could remain comforted at all hours, happy to be warmed by their favorite space opera. Was Space showing too much "Star Trek?" For many, there was no such thing. Whining about "Star Trek" would only invite punches to the face by angry Klingons.
Too much Star Trek?
Modern Trekkies have been similarly spoiled by a second "Star Trek" renaissance. When CBS All Access launched in 2017, it debuted "Star Trek: Discovery," the first "Star Trek" TV series since the cancelation of "Enterprise" in 2005. "Discovery" was merely a statement of intent by Paramount to put all of its eggs in the "Star Trek" basket. In the next four years, the streaming service (eventually called Paramount+) debuted "Star Trek: Short Treks," "Star Trek: Picard," "Star Trek: Lower Decks," "Star Trek: Prodigy," and "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds."
There was a brief window when all six of these shows seemed to be in production simultaneously, and Paramount announced plans for even more "Star Trek" shows. One can imagine an advertisement for Paramount+ wherein a "Star Trek"-hating nerd tried to start an online petition declaring that there was too much "Star Trek" in the world, only to be punched out by Jet Reno (Tig Notaro). Despite the number of "Star Trek" shows, however, seasons had been reduced from their '90s heyday of 26 episodes to a streaming standard of 10-13. Ultimately, the number of raw "Trek" hours was about the same as in the 1990s.
Of course, a hater didn't need to take out "Enterprise" or the Second "Star Trek" Renaissance. The former suffered from poor ratings in a post-9/11 world and was canceled after four seasons. More recently, the streaming model has proven difficult to make profitable, and Paramount can no longer afford to make as much "Star Trek" as it did, which has led to it canceling most of its shows (as of this writing, "Strange New Worlds" and the upcoming "Starfleet Academy" are the only ones with a definite future).
Sad to say, that guy in the "NO MORE STAR TREK" t-shirt got his way.