Star Trek: Enterprise’s popular Mirror Universe episodes have one big detractor in Connor Trinneer, who hated playing Trip Tucker like a pirate.
Summary
- Connor Trinneer “hated every second” of playing Trip Tucker as a pirate in the Mirror Universe episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise season 4.
- Trinneer initially didn’t know how to portray Mirror Universe Trip and jokingly suggested playing him as a pirate, but the idea stuck and he had to do it for three weeks.
- The Mirror Universe episodes of Enterprise were enjoyable but also bittersweet for the cast and crew, as they learned that the series had been canceled after part one of the storyline.
Star Trek: Enterprise‘s Connor Trinneer “hated every second” of playing Trip Tucker as a pirate in Enterprise season 4’s Mirror Universe two-part episode. Trinneer recently played Trip for the first time since Enterprise was canceled in 2005; Connor voiced Tucker in the Star Trek: very Short Treks episode “Holograms All The Way Down.” Since 2022, Trinneer and his Star Trek: Enterprise cast mate Dominic Keating, along with Erica LaRose and producer Mark J. Cartier, have hosted The Shuttlepod Show podcast, where they delve in-depth with fellow luminaries of the Star Trek franchise.
On a recent episode of The Shuttlepod Show, Connor Trinneer recounted to his guest, director James L. Conway, his tale of how he ended up playing Mirror Trip Tucker as a pirate in Star Trek: Enterprise season 4’s Mirror Universe episodes. Almost two decades later, Trinneer is still hilariously rankled by his part in Enterprise‘s popular “In a Mirror, Darkly” saga. Check out his quote and watch The Shuttlepod Show video below, with Trinneer’s story starting at the 35-minute mark:
So we get the episodes, “In a Mirror, Darkly,” and the entire time I’m like, “I think this is just ridiculous”… I don’t really know what to do [to play Mirror Universe Trip]. I walk in, do the scene, and you’re like, “Well, we need a lot more here. This is clearly an alternate universe, yadda yadda yadda…” And I said, “What? So, uh, like a pirate?” And you go, “Yeah, try that.” We shoot the scene, you go, “Cut! Print!” and I go, “No! No! I was kidding!” And you’re like, “No, it’s great! We’re moving on.” Oh no! For the next three weeks, I had to do “Arr! Arr! Arr!” Hated every second of it!
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 Trek: Enterprise’s Mirror Universe Episodes Were Bittersweet
Enterprise wanted to do more in the Mirror Universe.
Star Trek: Enterprise season 4’s “In a Mirror, Darkly” episodes were an enjoyable departure from the show’s usual format, but it was also bittersweet for the cast and crew. After Enterprise wrapped part one of its Mirror Universe story, the company learned that the UPN Network had canceled the series. This meant that there would only be a few weeks left before the curtain came down on Star Trek: Enterprise, and the prequel would not reach the 7-season milestone enjoyed by Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager.
12 years after Enterprise ended in 2005, Star Trek: Discovery brought the franchise back to television and did its own series of Mirror Universe episodes.
The Mirror Universe was a favorite concept of Star Trek: Enterprise season 4’s late showrunner Manny Coto, and he wanted to continue exploring the dark alternate reality if Enterprise returned for season 5. Further, Coto was in favor of bringing in William Shatner for a different Star Trek: Enterprise season 4 Mirror Universe two-parter where Shatner would reprise Captain James T. Kirk’s evil Mirror Counterpart, Tiberius Kirk. While these are certainly losses for fans of Star Trek: Enterprise, one person who is likely very happy that he didn’t have to play Mirror Universe pirate Trip Tucker again is Connor Trinneer.
