Zap2it: ‘Enterprise’ Actor in ‘Roswell’ Crossover
Thanks to 2_NGUYEN, Ron and anyone else who sent this in :)There are spoilers below..
‘Enterprise’ Actor in ‘Roswell’ Crossover
Wed, Sep 19, 2001LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) – As reported at the end of August, UPN’s new series “Enterprise” (premiering Wednesday, Sept. 26) and new acquisition “Roswell” (season-premiering Tuesday, Oct. 9), are planning a crossover episode. In the final shakeout, it’s less that producers had originally envisioned, but more than they first thought possible.
According to “Roswell” executive producer Ronald D. Moore (who previously worked on the “Trek” spin-off series and a couple of the movies), the concept first pitched in the writers’ room was rather more elaborate than the final version of “Secrets and Lies,” which has teen alien Max (Jason Behr) auditioning to play an alien on “Enterprise.””We were working on the stories,” says Moore, “and we had a story that was bringing Max to Los Angeles anyway, and we knew that we wanted to mine that. It’s, ‘OK, bring the character to L.A. and have fun with it.'” “It was Russel (Friend) and Garrett (Lerner), who wrote that episode, who pitched it in the room. The notion was to do a crossover … having Max brush up against the entertainment industry. There was just something irresistible about the core idea of it all, which was to have an alien try out for the role of an alien. At one point, the story was bigger — he was going to get the role, be on the stage, put on the pros! thetic.” “But cooler heads prevailed, so it became a much simpler, smaller gag. So now it’s the right size, because it’s a single scene, a single gag.” The first thought was to have “Enterprise” star Scott Bakula, who plays Capt. Archer, play himself, reading with Max in his audition for a “Enterprise” episode being directed by “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Trek” feature-film star Jonathan Frakes. In reality, Frakes, who is one of the executive producers of “Roswell,” would be directing the crossover episode in addition to his cameo appearance. But, according to Frakes, Bakula declined for creative reasons. Said Frakes at the time, “He thought it was too early to break the fourth wall.” The “Roswell” gang then shifted to plan B, which was to have the audition scene feature only Frakes and Behr. In the final analysis, Frakes is still there, but so is “Enterprise” cast member John Billingsley, who plays alien Dr. Phlox.”It went through a few permutations,” says Moore. “We had problems scheduling the two shows so the actor could make the crossover. It got really com! plicated for a while, but eventually it worked out.” Billingsley, though, will not be wearing his Phlox makeup or costume. “No,” says Moore. “The scene isn’t set up that way. It’s a casting scene, and he’s the guy that’s reading with Max, as himself.” “It’s a cool little bit, but it is a little bit. Max is on his way from A to B, and, along the way, this happens. It’s not a major plot point. It was a fun side trip.” According to Moore, “Secrets and Lies,” the series’ fourth episode, is set to air Tuesday, Oct. 30.Asked in August if Frakes might actually direct an “Enterprise” episode at some time, that series’ executive producer, Brannon Braga, replied, “I would love him to. He’s a big feature-film guy now, so I don’t know if he’d be interested. But I would be honored if he’d come over here and direct an episode. I think that’d be great. Maybe I’ll give him a call.” And of “Roswell,” Braga says, “It’s actually a very good show, if people would take the time to check it out. It’s very well-written.”