Warp Five 48: Writing the Harmonica Out of the Show

North Star. As a prequel to TOS, it should come as no surprise that Enterprise would have a Wild West episode. The Original Series gave us "Spectre of the Gun," a story that played off the Shootout at the O.K. Corral. TNG even got in on the action with "A Fistful of Datas." So "North Star" made Enterprise the third Star Trek series to put on the cowboy hat, but the way it wore it was a bit different than those that came before. In this episode of Warp Five we're joined by Sebastian Prooth to talk about the NX-01's visit to a world with a Wild West motif and how the story is so true to The Original Series—but with a modern, more complex sensibility. We discuss the nature of the relationship between the local humans and the Skagarans, whether or not the clothing, guns, and even the harmonicas pull us out of the story in a time when there were no replicators. We also explore the creative elements, the supporting actors, and reasons that may explain why fan reaction to "North Star" is so mixed.   Send us your feedback! Twitter: @trekfm Facebook: http://facebook.com/trekfm Voicemail: http://www.speakpipe.com/trekfm Contact Form: http://www.trek.fm/contact   Chapters Mission Interrupted (4:03) Wild, Wild West… Again (11:50) Old-School Star Trek (14:05) Wearing the Clothes Well (21:05) Rolling with the Horses (29:21) Enterprise Finds Its Voice? (37:23) Character Points (45:07) Differing from TOS (51:42) Final Thoughts (58:24) Closing (1:04:05)