Star Trek: Enterprise Is Packed With Nude Scenes The Creators Still Regret

The "Star Trek" franchise has never shied away from including its share of sex appeal, but "Star Trek: Enterprise" took things to the next level by having its characters strip and give each other gel-soaked massages in decontamination chambers. The show's creators wanted to capitalize on T'Pol's (Jolene Blalock) looks after seeing the positive reaction to Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) on "Star Trek: Voyager." However, they have since admitted that they're slightly embarrassed by some of the decisions they made regarding "Enterprise."

"There was an effort to make the show sexier. Obviously, every show has that character. 'Voyager' had Seven of Nine, and Jolene was Jolene. This striking actress in a tight outfit," writer and producer Chris Black said in an interview for the oral history book "The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years: From The Next Generation to J. J. Abrams." Among the revelations he shares is the fact that he believes the decontamination scenes were a little too much.

Black also noted that the "Enterprise" actors weren't fans of these scenes, presumably due to the writers' obvious goal to titillate viewers, even if it was at the expense of logical storytelling. And they weren't the only people to feel this way about the show.

"Star Trek: Enterprise" takes place long before the events of other shows and films in the franchise, during a time when Starfleet technology was less advanced. As such, there's arguably a valid reason for having the crew strip down and shower following their missions. That said, executive producer Manny Coto believes the gel massages overshadow the moments of potentially justified partial nudity, as he revealed in another interview from the aforementioned book.

"I thought they were silly; it was less about the obvious attempt to get hot bodies on there, but are you really going to be decontaminated by spreading this gel all over your body? It doesn't seem like a very efficient way to decontaminate. I would rather have them strip and get hit by a beam. Not, 'We're going to spread gel all over each other.' What if you missed a spot?"

It seems that the show's creators wanted to push boundaries and attract viewers who craved scantily clad bodies on their screens. However, the decision to sexualize "Enterprise" also upset a fair number of Trekkies.

Chris Black's comments reveal that T'Pol was created with the idea of having a character with sex appeal in mind. This element of "Star Trek: Enterprise" isn't lost on the fan base either, and some viewers have an issue with it. Redditor u/slo_mo-urad thinks the show exploited Jolene Blalock by having her wear minimal clothing and enter decontamination chambers, noting that these scenes are tough to watch.

Other Redditors, including u/jandrese, added that they were open to the prospect of a more adult-oriented "Star Trek" series when "Enterprise" premiered. However, the show was too risque and lowbrow for their tastes, something they feel was more akin to the entertainment found on Skinemax at the time. "It was such naked pandering I felt embarrassed for the show."

Despite these criticisms, though, another Redditor concedes that "Star Trek: Enterprise" is ultimately a product of pop culture from the 2000s, even if some of its content is questionable, especially by modern standards. "The early 00s were a weird time where networks were experimenting with pushing boundaries. Plus, the powers that be were desperately trying to lure a younger demographic to the show," they stated, succinctly summarizing why the series displayed so much more skin than any other "Star Trek" project.