Summary
- Star Trek: Enterprise revived the significance of the Andorians, a classic Star Trek alien race, after years of being background characters.
- The Andorians gained prominence in Enterprise, thanks to charismatic performances and updated visual effects, evolving from antagonists to allies of Captain Archer and humans.
- The influence of Star Trek: Enterprise led to the continued presence of the Andorians in subsequent Star Trek series like Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks, showcasing their growth and importance across different timelines.
Star Trek: Enterprise finally made a classic Star Trek alien race, the Andorians, matter after 34 years. Enterprise was a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, which introduced the Andorians. A century before Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) first hosted Andorians on the USS Enterprise, the pioneering 22nd-century voyages of Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) and the NX-01 Enterprise encountered numerous Andorians who were both friend and foe, primarily Commander Thy'lek Shran (Jeffrey Combs) of the Andorian Imperial Guard.
The Andorians first appearance was in the Star Trek: The Original Series season 2 classic, "Journey to Babel." When a delegation of Andorians was among the species aboard the USS Enterprise en route to the Babel Conference, an Andorian named Thelev (William O'Connell) tried to destroy the Enterprise and murder Captain Kirk. Andorians made a few more TOS appearances, but they were really just background characters in the Star Trek movies and in a pair of token cameos in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Perhaps Star Trek's producers at the time felt the blue-skinned and antennaed Andorians looked too silly and were considered a relic of the 1960s Star Trek. But all that changed thanks to Star Trek: Enterprise.
