Summary
- J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies respected the impact of Star Trek: Enterprise and included numerous references to the prequel series.
- The USS Franklin, from the era of Scott Bakula's Star Trek: Enterprise, played a significant role in Star Trek: Beyond, showing a continuation of the franchise's timeline.
- The inclusion of references to Enterprise in Abrams' films demonstrates that the show's legacy was acknowledged and ensured, despite being criticized as the downfall of the franchise.
The USS Franklin plays a key role in the climax of Star Trek: Beyond and it originates from the era of Scott Bakula's Star Trek: Enterprise. The J.J. Abrams Star Trek movies were an attempt to relaunch the franchise in theaters after it had fallen out of favor on the small screen. Abrams' first movie, 2009's Star Trek was released four years after the final episode of Enterprise aired, and for a time it appeared that the big screen would be the new home for Gene Roddenberry's beloved sci-fi franchise. Although J.J. Abrams' Star Trek was a reboot of the original 1966-1969 run of Star Trek: The Original Series, it was incredibly respectful of what had immediately come before it.
Abrams' Trek movies honored how Enterprise positively impacted the Star Trek franchise with numerous references to the prequel series. When Cadet James T. Kirk (William Shatner) first met Montgomery Scott (Simon Pegg) in the movie, Scotty had been sent to Delta Vega after losing iral Archer's beloved beagle. It's quite extraordinary that Abrams' Trek confirmed that Archer lived well into his hundreds, presumably being aged between 140 and 145 at the time of Scotty's unfortunate transporter accident. However, this was far from the only reference to the era of Scott Bakula's Jonathan Archer, as proved by the use of the USS Franklin in Star Trek Beyond.
USS Franklin In Star Trek Beyond Explained
In Star Trek Beyond, the USS Enterprise was destroyed over the planet Altamid by Krall a.k.a. Captain Balthazar Edison (Idris Elba) and his forces. Separated from their crew, Captain Kirk, Scotty, and Ensign Pavel Chekov (Anton Yelchin) were brought back together aboard the USS Franklin by another of Krall's escaped prisoners, Jaylah (Sofia Boutella). As the first of Starfleet's warp 4 starships, the USS Franklin NX-326 was a forerunner to Captain Archer's warp 5-capable USS Enterprise NX-01. Commanded by Edison, a veteran of both the Xindi and Romulan wars, the USS Franklin disappeared in 2164, 90 years prior to the events of Star Trek Beyond.
Speculation about the Franklin's disappearance was rife among the fledgling Federation, as Starfleet sought to explain the loss of Balthazar's ship and crew. While some believed that the Romulans were responsible for the Franklin's disappearance, others pinned the blame on the giant green hand of the alien that claimed to be the Greek god Apollo in Star Trek: The Original Series. In reality, the USS Franklin potentially encountered a wormhole and crash-landed on Altamid, never hearing from the Federation again. This abandonment turned Balthazar into an embittered and vengeful enemy of the Federation, finally attempting to carry out his revenge after he encountered the crew of the Enterprise.
Star Trek: Enterprise Is Canon In J.J. Abrams Star Trek
The attack on the USS Kelvin that created Star Trek's Kelvin timeline occurred 72 years after the events of the hated Star Trek: Enterprise finale. The timeline divergence means that everything that happens in Enterprise is canon in J.J. Abrams' movies. It's why there are so many references to the events of the Scott Bakula show in the J.J. Abrams-produced Star Trek movies. For example, Captain Edison was a former member of the United Earth's Military Assault Command Operations division, who regularly featured in episodes of Enterprise.
Given that Star Trek: Enterprise was long seen as the show that killed the franchise, its continuity with Star Trek: Beyond disproves this. Given the apparent apathy toward the series, it would have been all too easy for the Abrams' movies to completely ignore the adventures of Captain Jonathan Archer and his crew. By including references to this history, Abrams' Star Trek movies ensured that the unfairly maligned Star Trek: Enterprise's legacy was assured.
