Star Trek: Enterprise is long gone, but that doesn't mean its characters can't return in the new era. Some aliens have a long lifespan, and it's entirely possible that someone like John Billingsley's Dr. Phlox could return in an upcoming Trek project. Amid recent chatter from Billingsley about conversations with Strange New Worlds writers during the strikes, CinemaBlend asked the actor what he'd like to see explored with Phlox that didn't get detailed as much on his original series.
John Billingsley and other Star Trek actors are coming together for Trek Talks 3, a charity event for the Hollywood Food Coalition. He, in coordination with the Trek Geeks podcast and other actors and showrunners, will speak at length about several topics Trekkies are interested in, all to help raise money for charity. Billingsley was kind enough to take some time to speak with me ahead of the event on January 13th, and he answered my question on if there were aspects of Dr. Phlox's character he wished Enterprise dove further into:
Oh, yeah, absolutely. I mean, you're always with two minds as an actor. I mean, you know, I'm a, I'm a dumpy, balding, four-eyed, bad-toothed character guy. It's not like anybody wants to see me run around in my underpants. So I never expected to have great vast swabs of story devoted to me. I was always happy when I had stories because even the stories that were a little more action-adventure managed to reveal more about the doctor's character and personality. Even if you didn't necessarily get a lot of Denobulan history.
I would say, with the exception of Robert Picardo's EMH, Star Trek doctors don't always get a ton of attention in a series. As such, Dr. Phlox's moments were few and far between, but there was often bits uncovered about his past with each scene.
Going back to the beginnings of Enterprise, John Billingsley recalled the uncertainty of his character, and the Denobulan species. While on this topic, he spoke about the unique characteristic that sets them apart from most species in Star Trek with the exception of Tribbles:
I would have loved to have learned…I mean, to me, what's interesting is when I first got the gig, you Denobulan, what the fuck is it, Denobulan? I thought, well, if you've never seen them, it's because they live in a monastic world, there are only seven of them. So, you know, I left because I was bored. I didn't have anybody to talk to. And then it turns out, as I've often said, we're the fuck bunnies of the universe.
John Billingsley is referring to the fact that Denobulans have multiple partners at one time. According to Star Trek: Enterprise, a traditional Denobulan marriage is where each partner has three spouses, and those spouses have three as well.
While Star Trek: Enterprise brought up this factoid and even had one of Phlox's wives flirt with his crewmates, there was one big part that was never explored. John Billingsley talked about what he'd like to see should the Denobulans pop up in the future and why it's so interesting to him:
I would love to go to Denobula. I would love to see what life is like on Denobula. I mean, it would be like Mumbai, you know? I'd be curious to know how this culture has figured out how to live with incredible density and to have apparently adopted some sociosexual practices that would lead to an increased population. I'd love to know what their questions are about population growth. How do they manage it?
John Billingsley brings up a fascinating point. If Denobulans are encouraged to marry and breed with multiple partners, then the population of the planet has to be absolutely insane. Managing a population of that size, and finding a way to bring multiple complex family dynamics into an adequate living space had to be a big challenge for the species.
And speaking of complexities, John Billingsley had some added questions about the way Denobulans handle relationships. Just how fluid are the relationship dynamics of Denobulan culture, and what are the ground rules? He said:
You know, I'm perverse enough to want to know whether or not each husband having three wives also has access and sexual congress with each of the other wives’ husbands. And, I try to do the math on that sometimes, that would seem to me to mean that everybody on Denobula can basically sleep with everybody else on Denobula when all is said and done. So, I'm kind of curious about the rules there.
Star Trek: Enterprise was canceled before it ever received the chance to visit Denobula, and to add insult to injury, it was given a finale that paid more homage to The Next Generation than its own show. While the odds of the series ever getting a revival to visit Denobula are slim, there are chances for Denobulans to return in other Trek projects.
Doing so would allow writers to breathe new life into the species, and actors like John Billingsley would be able to tackle their characters with full knowledge about Denobula before doing so. The actor told CinemaBlend there were some reveals made later in the series that he wished he'd known earlier and he would like to revisit in an appearance on Strange New Worlds or elsewhere:
The Denobulans don't like to be touched. There's a tremendous amount of ritual involved in their courtship, uh, and their mating practices that they really have to get a lot of stuff established before they can get intimate. Once they get intimate, you know, you get the sense the roof is blown off. That always intrigued me.
With the lifespan of a Denobulan ranging up to 280 years, Dr. Phlox could appear on Season 3 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. We know that Season 3's production will run until June 2024, so there could be an opportunity to bring John Billingsley's character back for a guest appearance. Given the massive cliffhanger at the end of Season 2 and other major questions involving Spock that must be answered, I'm not sure it'll happen, but I'd be happy if it did.
What a great response from John Billingsley, and just a taste of what information Star Trek fans will learn when they tune into Trek Talks 3. There's lots of discussion planned for the charity event, including a panel in which actor Tim Russ shares his thoughts on "Tuvix," a panel on Picard Season 3, and so much more.
I'd like to think helping out a charitable cause helps move us all a bit closer to the idealized society Star Trek promotes, so why not help out and learn some fun stories along the way?
Trek Talks 3 starts on Saturday, January 13th, at 12:45 p.m. ET. As mentioned, there's going to be a lot of actors sharing stories that are worth tuning in for, and it's for a good cause. Be sure to check it out, and of course, stick with CinemaBlend for other great stories coming from the franchise. As for Strange New Worlds and Billingsley's Star Trek future, it might not pop up on the 2024 TV schedule, but I'm still crossing my fingers that it will!
