10 Star Trek Scenes Even More Impressive When You Know The Truth

10. Shuttlepod Two

One of the best episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise’s mixed-bag first season is Shuttlepod One. Intended as a money-saving bottle show, it featured no guest stars or background cast and only six of the main characters – focussing principally on Lieutenant Reed and Commander Tucker, who are stranded in space. It had all the makings of a rather forgettable episode, but its unexpected success lies in the interplay between our evermore cantankerous castaways. Crucially, Dominic Keating and Connor Trinneer, the pair who play them, are also best friends.

Thinking Enterprise has been destroyed and that there is no hope of rescue, the two begin to bicker over their fate. Finally, however, they choose to crack open the bourbon, drown their sorrows, and toast their (‘deceased’) shipmates – all the while freezing their bums off. It is an acting tour de force!

The ‘drunk’ scene, and indeed every scene, in the shuttlepod is made all the more impressive when you know some behind-the-scenes details. As the two actors discuss in their appropriately named podcast 'Shuttlepod', Trinneer and Keating received the script for this episode several days in advance. This, as well as their real-life camaraderie, allowed them to rehearse (a rarity in television) to the point where they were off-script, making the whole thing more like a two-hander play.

Furthermore, the shuttlepod itself was cut in half during filming, allowing for more intimate shots. So that the actors’ breath would be visible on screen, six air-conditioning units were used, and dry-ice packed beneath the set such that filming was only possible in 20-second increments it was so cold.