How Hoshi Actress Linda Park Feels About The Star Trek: Enterprise Finale

Paramount

The final episode of "Star Trek: Enterprise," called "These Are the Voyages..." (May 13, 2005), was met with controversy when it first aired and still isn't particularly beloved to this day. "Enterprise," it should be recalled, was one of the least popular of the "Star Trek" shows to date, lasting a mere four seasons while its three immediate predecessors lasted seven seasons each. At the end of the show, the makers of "Enterprise" felt a panicked need to wrap up the series in a neat little bow, as well as find a way to tie the series into extant "Trek" lore at large. 

As such, the premise for "These Are the Voyages..." felt strained. The episode added bizarre bookend material set in the year 2370 during the events of the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode "The Pegasus," depicting Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) using a holodeck to recreate the events "Star Trek: Enterprise" so he could essentially watch the series finale himself. The holodeck conceit robbed any of "Enterprise" fans of any sense of finality, as Trekkies now only saw holographic recreations of the "Enterprise" crew as Riker wanted to see them, and not the "real" versions. "Enterprise," which initially debuted with its own identity, became an adjunct of "Next Generation." It wasn't very satisfying. 

Also, even the holographic recreation mucked with the "Enterprise" timeline, as Riker fast-forwarded the series six years to the end of the original Enterprise's journey, skipping over many years of stories. "Voyages" felt rushed and fan-servicey, and not in a positive way. Linda Park played Ensign Hoshi Sato on "Enterprise," the ship's plucky translator, and she was interviewed in 2010 by StarTrek.com about "These Are the Voyages..." It seems that Park feels a little bit ambivalent about the finale. On the one hand, she didn't really like the way the story was handled. On the other hand, though, she enjoyed making it because of the personal relationships she had developed with cast members of "Star Trek: The Next Generation." 

Paramount

Park has expressed consternation in the past about how Hoshi never had much of an opportunity to interact with her crewmates, and that the few stories Hoshi was given involved her being isolated from all the other characters. As such, she never had a chance to develop any kind of inter-character relationships or prove herself as a valuable part of the ensemble. 

The script for "These Are the Voyages..." didn't solve any of those problems, and Park said she "did feel like an extra in a 'TNG' story," but, she added, she didn't mind. It seems that, behind the scenes, Park had had many interactions with several of the "Next Generation" cast members, so having a crossover with "TNG" was, at the very least, personally edifying. She explained:

"We hadn't bonded with any of the other casts, really, except for the 'Next Generation' cast. It was for a couple of reasons. Marina [Sirtis] and I ended up doing a small movie together, so I knew her previously. Michael Dorn and I were friends, and we had the same publicist for a while. Brent Spiner had been on a few episodes, and he was so funny and wonderful. LeVar Burton had directed the show. There was a lot of crossover even before the finale had happened, and so we welcomed them with open arms because they were like friends coming to hang out some more." 

Sirtis, of course, played Counselor Troi on "Next Generation" and the film Park and Sirtis made together was the 2006 thriller "Spectres." Michael Dorn played Worf on both "Next Generation" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," while Spiner not only played Data on "Next Generation," but also an ancestor of Data's, Arik Soong, on a notable multipart "Enterprise" episode. LeVar Burton played Geordi La Forge on "Next Generation," and also directed 29 episodes of various "Trek" shows, including nine of "Enterprise." It was all one big happy family. 

Paramount

Park noted that Frakes was also a pleasant presence on set. Frakes hadn't directed any "Enterprise" episodes, but has directed 23 episodes of other "Star Trek" shows, as well as two "Star Trek" feature films, so he had sort of achieved elder statesman status. Having the vibe of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" running through the set of "Enterprise," Park said, was an amazing experience. Indeed, it didn't much matter that the script wasn't satisfying. Park added: 

"Jonathan had directed some episodes, too, and he's such a fun guy. I felt like it was ... not a finale that you'd hope and dream for, but it was a fun finale for an actor just to be on because there were great friends around." 

After "Enterprise" was canceled, a four-year period elapsed with no "Star Trek" at all, as well as a general feeling that the franchise would never return. Many Trekkies were at peace with this, as they had just enjoyed a solid 18-year period of four shows and six movies to tide them over. "Enterprise" was given a fond farewell, unable to find an audience in a post-9/11 world. In 2009, J.J. Abrams made a rebooted "Star Trek" feature film, but it didn't feel like the genuine article to old-school Trekkies; it was too full of mayhem and high-octane action. "Star Trek" returned to the small screen in 2017 with "Star Trek: Discovery," and a new renaissance began. Frakes began directing again, and many of the new shows featured heavy references to old ones. Park hasn't yet returned to any of the new "Star Trek" shows, but there's every reason to believe that she might.