Star Trek: 10 Things You Never Knew About Enterprise
3. The Writers Tried To Find A Way For William Shatner To Appear
Throughout all four years of Enterprise's lifespan, rumours persisted that William Shatner was being sought for a role. This was often denied by the producers, though for one reason or another, the idea of a cameo simply would not fade away.
When it came to the fourth season of the show, Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, a writing-married couple who had authored several Trek novels, had been brought onboard by Manny Coto.
They pitched the idea that the Tantalus Field, the device originally shown in Mirror, Mirror, was not in fact a killer weapon. Instead, it sent its victims into the far past. That way, they pitched, William Shatner could return to the franchise, playing his mirror-counterpart. They sent this idea to Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, though the executive producers had other ideas.
They wanted to have Shatner appear as Chef, the oft-discussed but never seen cook aboard Enterprise. He would be brought into the future by Daniels, the temporal agent, and tasked with impersonating Kirk. None of the parties concerned could settle on an idea before the show was cancelled midway through the fourth season.