Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Zephram Cochrane
A legend of the 24th Century, an opportunist turned pioneer of the 21st Century.
Dollar signs!
The simple monetary reason for scientist Zephram Cochrane's venture to the stars has nothing to do, initially, with seeking out new life and new civilisations but more with lining his pockets for the future. Certainly an irony that there won't be money or pockets by the 24th Century.
Cochrane's very name is cemented within the very foundations of Star Trek as the man who took Earth into the heavens and changed the direction of humanity with one action on April 5th 2063.
Yet there's much more to this seemingly washed-up scientist than just the building and launching of a warp capable ship. More than just an engine, Cochrane's character traverses decades of the franchise yet has only been on screen for less than a handful of appearances.
This hasn't stopped there being a mine of information about Zeph stretching right from his birthplace on Earth as far across the galaxy as the Gamma Canaris region with some stop offs along the route.
A friend to the father of future Enterprise captain and galactic adventurer Jonathan Archer, Zephram Cochrane become a stronger presence in the background of Enterprise, providing a solid link to the past of the franchise as far back as its 1960's TV origins as well as one of its more recent iterations. Even now you'll be pushed not to hear a reference even in the recent Kurtzman era shows.
10. Life Is Like A Warp Five Engine
A story that has become slight apocrypha over the years is that the role of Zephram Cochrane was written with the vision that Tom Hanks would be playing the part.
Let's put that to rest now. That didn't happen. As noted in The Making of Star Trek First Contact, the part was always intended for Star Trek alumni James Cromwell with only the slightest of suggestions that Hanks would be a fit for the part.
Had Hanks been successful for the role, there would have been the requirement to change schedules and also rewrite the part because it had been crafted with James Cromwell very much in mind from the start.
This would be Cromwell's fourth role in the franchise following on from Prime Minister Nayrok in TNG's The Hunted, Yridian Jaglom Shrek in Birthright and Minister Hanok from DS9's Starship Down. It would also be the only role he would play more than once with Cochrane turning up in the Enterprise pilot, Broken Bow. Later footage from Star Trek First Contact would be reused for his appearance in the cold open for In a Mirror Darkly, Part 1. For nitpickders though that means this appearance is technically Mirror Cochrane!