Although there's almost a century between them, there are several ways that the cast of Star Trek: Enterprise could appear in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. A crossover between Scott Bakula's underrated Star Trek show and Strange New Worlds was made more likely by the deep love shown toward Enterprise by Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and his crew. The return of Scott Bakula's Captain Jonathan Archer and his crew could go a considerable way toward making up for the show's controversial finale, and as Star Trek is science fiction, there are multiple creative ways to acheive this.

Bringing back Star Trek: Enterprise characters in an episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a really exciting prospect. With its musical episode, and partially-animated crossover with Star Trek: Lower Decks, Strange New Worlds has never been afraid to take big narrative swings. The majority of the crew of the Enterprise NX-01 will likely have passed away by the time of Strange New Worlds. However, their involvement with the temporal wars, and the Mirror Universe creates some intriguing possibilities for how each Star Trek: Enterprise character can return.

8 Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula)

Star Trek: Enterprise revealed that Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) was elected Federation President in 2184 and - in an unseen piece of text - he died peacefully at home in 2245, 14 years before the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' timeline begins. That time frame makes it impossible for an elderly Archer to visit Pike's Enterprise, however it needn't stand in the way of Scott Bakula's Star Trek return. In the pilot episode of Enterprise, James Cromwell's Zefram Cochrane appeared via a historical recording of the speech he gave at the Warp Five Complex dedication ceremony. President Archer could appear in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds by similar means, or in a flashback to some important event from Federation history.

Alternatively, given Archer's involvement in the Temporal Cold War throughout Star Trek: Enterprise, he could be called back into service in later life. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 3 revealed that the temporal wars are ongoing, so perhaps President Archer will have to travel to the 23rd century to address some temporal interference. This would be the most satisfying way for Archer to appear in Strange New Worlds as he would get to share scenes with his biggest fan, Captain Christopher Pike.

7 Sub Commander T'Pol (Jolene Blalock)

Vulcans live longer than humans, so an older Sub Commander T'Pol (Jolene Blalock) could easily appear in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. There's huge story and character potential in a Spock and T'Pol Star Trek team-up. T'Pol was the first Vulcan to serve on a Human starship, so she must have inspired the young Spock to choose Starfleet over the Vulcan Expeditionary Group. That decision caused friction between Spock and his father that won't be resolved until Star Trek: The Original Series. T'Pol could therefore become a mentor to Spock, especially as his breakup with Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush) will see him embrace his Vulcan side in future episodes of Strange New Worlds.

T'Pol was aware of Spock's grandfather Skon, because she once gifted his Human translation of The Teachings of Surak to Captain Archer. With Sybok lurking in the background, and Spock's estrangement from T'Pring, it feels like a perfect opportunity for him to return to Vulcan. On returning to his home world, Spock could come into contact with the legendary T'Pol, whose experiences on the Enterprise NX-01 could inspire him to remain in Starfleet.

6 Commander Trip Tucker (Connor Trineer)

Commander Trip Tucker (Connor Trineer) was killed off in Star Trek: Enterprise's controversial finale, so he can't appear in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds via conventional means. The Mirror Universe's Trip was last seen aboard the USS Defiant, after it had been transported back in time and into Star Trek's darkest timeline. It's possible, therefore, that Mirror Trip could also make his way through a similar interphasic rift like the one in Star Trek: The Original Series' "The Tholian Web".

Alternatively, Prime Universe Trip could join the long list of Star Trek characters who returned from the dead with a surprise resurrection in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. After all, historical recollections and holodeck simulations can sometimes be unreliable, so maybe Trip's heroic death was an exaggeration of the truth. Alternatively, maybe Star Trek: Picard's enigmatic Project Phoenix has its origins in the 23rd century, when Section 31 attempted to resurrect Trip Tucker for some unknown reason. Resurrecting Trip in on-screen Star Trek canon would make fans very happy indeed, as long as it's backed up with a solid story.

5 Lieutenant Hoshi Sato (Linda Park)

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' crossover episode revealed that Lieutenant Hoshi Sato (Linda Park) was a huge inspiration to Ensign Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding). However, as Hoshi was born in 2129, it's highly likely that she's dead by the time of Strange New Worlds in 2259. An unseen historical record written for Hoshi in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Through A Mirror, Darkly" would have revealed that she and her family died on Tarsus IV. Interestingly, the young James T. Kirk (William Shatner) lived on Tarsus IV as a teenager, surviving the mass murder orchestrated by Kodos the Executioner (Arnold Moss).

Now that Lt. James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) has been properly introduced in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the link between Kirk and Star Trek: Enterprise's Hoshi could be explored further. Kirk could accompany the USS Enterprise on a return visit to Tarsus IV to investigate the aftermath of the massacre. This would allow Linda Park to reprise the role of Hoshi Sato in flashbacks to the horrific events overseen by Kodos. Such flashbacks would canonize Hoshi's tragic ending and set up Kodos' eventual undoing in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "The Conscience of the King".

4 Lieutenant Malcolm Reed (Dominic Keating)

In 2161, Lieutenant Malcolm Reed (Dominic Keating) expressed a desire to continue working alongside Captain Jonathan Archer on his next assignment. It's never been made clear what that assignment was, but there's roughly eight years between the decommissioning of the Enterprise NX-01 and Archer's retirement from Starfleet. Perhaps Reed could join Archer on a time travel mission to the 23rd century, as his tactical skills will surely be required in fighting the ongoing temporal war. Alternatively, Reed's time as a member of Section 31 could see him appear in the organization's historical records in a future episode of Strange New Worlds.

3 Ensign Travis Mayweather (Anthony Montgomery)

It was revealed in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' crossover episode that Lt. Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia) hero worshiped Ensign Travis Mayweather (Anthony Montgomery). Ortegas was born in 2233 when Travis would have been 107 years old, so it's unlikely that he would have been present at the naming ceremony for her middle school gym. An alternative way for Mayweather to return can be found in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Dead Stop". That episode featured a biological replica of Mayweather, created by an ancient repair station. Although destroyed at the end of the episode, the repair station was able to repair itself, so perhaps the USS Enterprise could come across it, accidentally reproducing the Mayweather replica in the process.

2 Doctor Phlox (John Billingsley)

Star Trek: Enterprise's Denobulan species had considerably long life spans, which means that it's possible for Dr. Phlox (John Billingsley) to appear in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. It wouldn't be surprising if Doctor Joseph M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) or Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) studied under the Denobulan medic at Starfleet Academy. Perhaps an elder Phlox, like Lanthanite Chief Engineer Pelia (Carol Kane) is still teaching at the Academy in the late 2250s. With a Denobulan officer serving aboard the USS Enterprise in Strange New Worlds, it's also possible that a return visit to their home planet could introduce the crew to the first Enterprise doctor.

1 The Enterprise NX-01

Star Trek: Picard's Starfleet museum counts the Enterprise NX-01 among its exhibits, meaning that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds could include the historic starship. The unique materials used in the construction of the NX-01 was key to sending Ensigns Boimler and Mariner back to the future. Perhaps the starship itself could be crucial to solving another problem for Captain Pike and his crew, utilizing its legacy technology to combat a more advanced threat, like the USS Enterprise-D in the Star Trek: Picard finale. Alternatively, Pike could visit the museum to stand on the NX-01's bridge and reflect on the history made by Captain Archer and his Star Trek: Enterprise crew while he ponders his own legacy.