I remember how hearingStar Trek: Enterprise’s theme for the first time was shocking back in 2001. Created by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga,EnterprisewasStar Trek’s first prequel series. Set in the 22nd century, a hundred years beforeStar Trek: The Original Series,Enterprise(its original title minus ‘Star Trek’) was about the pioneering voyages of Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) of the NX-01 Enterprise, the first starship to bear that name.
Airing from 2001-2005,Star Trek: Enterprisewas canceledafter 4 seasons on United Paramount Network (UPN). I was an early adopter ofEnterprise, and I watched all 4 seasons on UPN.Enterprise’s ratings were low for a variety of reasons, and manyStar Trekfans decided to skip the prequel series. In the last decade, thanks to streaming on Netflix and Paramount+, audiences have begun to rediscover and reassessStar Trek: Enterprise. Yet a general dislike forEnterprise’s theme song remains. Still,if you weren’t watching UPN on June 16, 2025, you didn’t experience the shockof hearing “Where My Heart Will Take Me” for the first time.
Enterprise’s Theme Song Was A Huge Shock When It Aired In 2001
It was a true Star Trek “Wait, what?!” moment
Less than three minutes intoStar Trek: Enterprise’s premiere, “Broken Bow,” the opening credits began with the now-familiar lyrics,“It’s been a long road… Getting from there to here…“I would guess that my jaw wasn’t the only one that dropped watchingEnterprise’s opening titles set to “Where My Heart Will Take Me” sung by Russell Watson. The syrupy track accompanied the dazzling visuals of ships named Enterprise throughout history, the human race becoming astronauts, and the launch of the NX-01 Enterprise. It was - and remains -unlike anyStar Trekopening credits before or since, and it was puzzling to experience for the very first time.
Star Trek: Enterprise Cast & Character Guide
Star Trek: Enterprise introduced new faces to the prequel series set a century before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series.
Star TrekTV series' opening titles are usually set to grand orchestral themes composed by luminaries like Jerry Goldsmith.Enterprisehad a pop song and one that was adapted from the moviePatch Adams, to boot.Enterprise’s creators, Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, wanted something different for the prequel and chose “Where My Heart Will Take Me” becausethe lyrics lent themselves to the spirit of human exploration. Berman and Braga have takenflak from fans forEnterprise’s themeever since, and the song generally remains derided, although someStar Trekfans (myself included) admit to liking or even loving “Where My Heart Will Take Me.”
Enterprise’s Theme Song Immediately Confirmed It Was A Very Different Star Trek Show
Enterprise broke the Star Trek mold
Star Trek: Enterprise’s main titles were a clear signal that the prequel would be unlike any otherStar Trekseries that came before. After producing hundreds of episodes ofStar Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, andStar Trek: Voyager, plus threeTNGmovies at that point, Rick Berman and Brannon Bragahoped to tell different kinds ofStar Trekstories withEnterprise.Theoriginal concept forEnterprisewas even set on Earth before UPN demanded a more traditionalStar Trekshow. But Berman and Braga tried to breakStar Trek’s mold as much as possible.
One UPN idea thatStar Trek: Enterprise’s producers vetoed was having a boy band perform in every episode.
From Captain Archer and his crew wearing baseball caps, to Archer bringing his beagle Porthos with him into outer space, to the NX-01Enterprise’s primitive grappler technology, lack of shields and phasers, and imperfect transporters,Enterprisedid what no otherStar Trekshow had before.Enterprisewas also sexier, from the amount of skin Subcommander T’Pol (Jolene Blalock) showed to the series' lurid decontamoination scenes. But “Where My Heart Will Take Me,” which played in nearly every episode and was recomposed to be more upbeat in seasons 3 and 4, was a weekly reminder of how unusualStar Trek: Enterprisewas that always elicits a reaction.
