The slow death of Enterprise and the resurrecion of Captain Kirk

Enterprise, the fifth Star Trek television series, will be entering its fourth season this fall. Nearly cancelled by UPN, it received an eleventh-hour renewal in May. This renewal moved Enterprise from Wednesday to Friday nights, considered by many to be the "graveyard" slot for dieing programming. Also, season four will be 4 episodes short of a full 26 episode season. Enterprise has always been ratings-challenged, never quite catching on the way Star Trek: Voyager (UPN's flagship series) did. Producers/writers have been racking their brains to come up with ideas that will draw in more viewers, and rumors started going around a few months ago that William Shatner could show up for a guest spot in season four. Producer Rick Berman has since confirmed this rumor. Apparently, UPN is in talks with ABC to work around the busy schedule of Shatner's new show Boston Legal (a spin-off of The Practice). A big question on fans' minds has been this: what character would he play on Enterprise? Well, it was recently confirmed that if he does make an appearance, then it will absolutely be as James T. Kirk. Shatner has also been pitching some story ideas of his own, on writing his character back into the Star Trek universe. Could this be the lifesaver that Enterprise needs? There is no doubt that if William Shatner appears in season four, every Star Trek fan will be watching. It will then be up to the writers to carry the momentum and keep the audience coming back for the rest of the season-- perhaps the Star Trek franchise's last gasp for television air.