Source: The Great Link
Original Story: TV Zone Magazine – Issue #190
John Billingsley, who played Dr. Phlox, gives his point of view on the final episodes.
Issue #190 of the UK’s TV Zone Magazine contains an interview with Enterprise’s John Billingsley (Phlox), who wasn’t at all surprised at the show’s cancellation:
“Unless I’m totally nuts, I doubt that [the cancellation] came as a surprise to any of us. I think there was a sense of resignation on all our parts right from the get-go this season, but that certainly didn’t effect the quality of anyone’s work. In fact, ironically, this was our best season yet. We were picked up for [Season 4] primarily because it would allow Paramount to syndicate the show. Once that target was reached, it seemed highly unlikely to me that we were coming back. Still, the general mood on set remained pretty upbeat right up to the end of the shooting. I must say that I enjoyed the people I worked with, and will miss hanging out with them on a regular basis.”
John liked the final two-parter of Season 4, “Demons” and “Terra Prime”, “in part because I feel as if they smack the template around a bit. One thing that’s always bugged me about Trek is this conceit that one day we’re going to become better than human. I remember [a line about that in [“Broken Bow”]. I’ve found that to be a slightly invidious theme in Trek, and one that’s either too “Pollyanna-ish” or arrogant. This two-story arc actually had people on Earth behaving atrociously, foolishly and with prejudice. Oddly enough, that to me was a breath of fresh-air…you’re not ever going to be able to completely eradicate the impulse of hatred in some people. You can, however…[harness] such behaviour. That’s the best we can hope for.”
As for the series and franchise finale, ‘These Are the Voyages,’ “Candidly, I’d have wished for the final episode to be a two-parter. That would have allowed for a little more scope to the storytelling. So it might not be, in my estimation, as arresting an episode as the fans might have hoped for.”
“For me, personally, there’s not a great deal for Dr. Phlox to do in this story. I’d have preferred to see some of the Enterprise characters have more of an opportunity to have their own stories told a bit more. What can you do, though?”
Read more from John in the full TV Zone interview within Issue #190, which also includes John’s thoughts on the ‘In a Mirror, Darkly’ two-parter; how multi-episode arcs resulted in a better season; And the next stage of his career.
