Star Trek: Enterprise's Controversial Nude Scene Aired At The Worst Time Possible
In February 2004, "Star Trek: Enterprise" released Season 3, Episode 15 — "Harbinger." The story centers on growing romantic tension between T'Pol (Jolene Blalock) and Trip (Connor Trineer), culminating in the star-crossed couple having sex. No sexual activity is simulated onscreen, but there is brief nudity before the scene shifts. The shot depicts T'Pol from behind as she removes her robe, exposing her bare back and a cheeky hint of what's below. While this might appear tame compared to more modern media, the episode caused a significant stir in the Star Trek community as the franchise hadn't previously included anything like it. Many believed Star Trek went too far. Worse still, "Harbinger" aired 10 days after the infamous "wardrobe malfunction" at the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show.
For those who don't know, the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show ended with Justin Timberlake tearing Janet Jackson's outfit and exposing her right breast on live TV. The event bears no direct connection to Star Trek, but it colored the conversations surrounding televised nudity for the immediate and foreseeable future. Regardless, the U.S. FCC guidelines dictated that networks could censor content that lacks "serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value." For either or both reasons, there are two edits of "Harbinger." The first version, which aired in America at the time of the episode's original release, crops the nudity so that only T'Pol's back is seen. The second version, which aired in Canada and is now included with "Enterprise" on all streaming sites, leaves the nudity untouched.
Star Trek: Enterprise embraced sexuality to boost ratings
While sexuality isn't a foreign concept to the franchise — Kirk (William Shatner) might be one of the horniest characters ever written — "Star Trek: Enterprise" embraced eroticism as one of its foundational narrative pillars. According to "The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years: From The Next Generation to J. J. Abrams," an oral history book edited by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross, "Enterprise" turned to sexuality as a last-ditch effort to save the show. "There was an effort to make the show sexier," writer and producer Chris Black said. "There was a component of that show that was supposed to be sexy."
Audiences generally liked the direction "Enterprise" chose but never tuned in en masse. That lack of viewer retention inspired UPN to push the envelope even further. Costume designer Robert Blackman confirmed that, when the show was in danger of cancelation between Seasons 2 and 3, T'Pol's clothing became tighter and more revealing, a change that Jolene Blalock vocally detested. Conversely, co-creator and executive producer Brannon Braga defended the new uniform as a natural creative decision.
All this to say that "Enterprise" was already in a tricky place before "Harbinger" aired. Perhaps the Super Bowl made it trickier, perhaps it didn't. Further installments in the Star Trek universe might still struggle to thread the needle regarding sexual content, but at least Alice Eve is proud of her "Star Trek Into Darkness" NSFW scene.