New Star Trek hits US screens

Captain Archer commands Starfleet's very first starship

Star Trek returned to TV screens in the US on Wednesday - with a new series based one century before the exploits of Captain Kirk and his crew.

The UPN network's Star Trek: Enterprise stars Scott Bakula as the captain of Starfleet's very first starship in the year 2151.

Programme makers say that the Starfleet is just beginning to venture out in space and the ship's technology is still in its infancy.

The much-awaited series was expected to be watched by millions of fans of the long-running show, which has become a global success since it began with Kirk helming the Enterprise.

The series will be seen in the UK in 2002

Matt Roush of the US TV Guide said that the new series would be quite different from the world envisaged by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.

"These guys are like space cowboys - it's probably more like a Western than Gene Roddenberry once envisioned space to be," he said.

In the series space has been little explored and the ship's crew have to cope with the distrust of other beings.

But actor Scott Bakula said that the show's episodes will show more emotion and passion than previous intergalactic adventures - with his character Captain Archer getting a share of the emotional action.

"He's healthy and available," he said.

Bakula, known for his five-year role as Dr Sam Beckett in the Quantum Leap drama series, stars alongside Jolene Blalock as the feisty Vulcan Sub Commander T'Pol.

John Billingsley plays Doctor Phlox, Dominic Keating plays Lt Commander Malcolm Reed and Linda Park is the Ensign Hoshi Sato.

The series will be seen in the UK on Sky One, early in 2002.