Star Trek: Enterpriseintroduced the decontamination chamber, which becamea controversial symbol of the firstStar Trekprequel series.Created by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga,Enterprise(its original title in seasons 1 and 2) was set in the 22nd century, retconning Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) and the NX-01 Enterprise as the first starship of that name to explore the galaxy. Enterprise’s decontamination chamber was one of the ways the prequel set itself apart from its predecessor series set later inStar Trek’s timeline.
One of Rick Berman and Brannon Braga’s goals with their prequel was forEnterpriseto lack much of the traditional technologyStar Trekhad taken for granted. The first starship capable of warp five travel, Captain Archer’s NX-01 Enterprise was built more like a cramped submarine, and it was considerably underpowered compared to later incarnations of the Starship Enterprise. Instead of deflector shields, the NX-01 had polarized hull plating, and without a tractor beam,Enterprise relied on grapplers. Transporter technology was available, but it was new, and Enterprise’s crew didn’t trust it not to kill them. The limits of Enterprise’s transporters also necessitated the decontamination chamber.
Decon chambers became obsolete after the 22nd century
Star Trek: Enterprise’s decontamination (or decon) chamber was a small, closet-like facility used to decontaminate the NX-01 crew from dangerous and potentially lethal viruses, microscopic lifeforms, airborne bodies, and potential diseases they might have contracted during landing party missions. In laterStar Trek, transporters' biofilters would automatically decontaminate people and objects while starships' filtration systems could excise airborne diseases. But inEnterprise’s 22nd century, thedecon chamber was necessary.
Star Trek: Enterprise Cast & Character Guide
Star Trek: Enterprise introduced new faces to the prequel series set a century before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series.
In the decon chamber,Enterprise’s crew members would need to apply topical gels on their skinand spend hours in the room’s ultraviolet radiation light to be fully decontaminated. However, the decon chamber also had other uses.Commander Trip Tucker(Connor Trinneer) used the decon chamber as a panic room to protect himself from a sedative gas used by Ferengi marauders to incapacitate Enterprise’s crew. Occasionally, the decon chamber substitutes as a holding cell when Enterprise crew members contract viruses requiring their isolation from the rest of the ship.
Why Star Trek: Enterprise’s Decontamination Chamber Was Controversial
Enterprise’s decon chamber leaves a lasting impression
It’s no secretthatEnterprise’sdecon chamber was the setting of some of the most salacious moments ever seen inStar Trek. Enterprise’s creators, Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, amped up the sexuality of the prequel, pushing the limits of Star Trek’s TV-PG rating byshowing as much nudity as UPN would allow. The lasting impression left byEnterprise’s decon chamber scenesis of Subcommander T’Pol (Jolene Blalock), Ensign Hoshi Sato (Linda Park), Trip Tucker, Captain Archer, and other crew members sensually rubbing each others' scantily-clad bodies with gel in the decon chamber’s azure glow.
The D-Con Chamberis also the name of theStar Trekpodcast hosted byEnterprise’s Dominic Keating and Connor Trinneer.
Enterprise’s decontamination chamber scenes are exploitative, especially towardsJolene Blalock’s T’Pol.Enterprise’s blatant sexual content feels antithetical toStar Trek’s reputation as an enlightened seriesabout exploring moral and ethical quandaries. Decon chamber scenes were unabashedly provocative and sexually-charged on purpose. However, byStar Trek: Enterpriseseason 4, the decon chamber scenes were toned down, andEnterprise’s characters would now be fully clothed going through decon.
Star Trek: Lower Decks Brought Back Enterprise’s Decontamination Chamber
Lower Decks finally parodies Enterprise’s decon chamber
SinceEnterprisewas a prequel created afterStar Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and their 24th-century spinoffs and movies, thedecontamination chamber has been the sole province ofStar Trek: Enterprise.However, the sexually charged antics of Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and the youthfulStarship Enterprise crew in J.J. Abrams’Star Trekmovies owe a debut of inspiration toStar Trek: Enterpriseand its decontamination chamber. But before 2024, decon chamber scenes haven’t take place in any otherStar TrekbesidesEnterprise.
For the first time sinceStar Trek: Enterprisewas canceled, thedecontamination chamber has returnedthanks toStar Trek: Lower Decks. A scene inStar Trek: Lower Decks' final season on Paramount+ is set in a decon chamber, with the scantily clad crew of the USS Cerritos hilariously aping the application of topical gels, complete with Lt. Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) boasting he’s a"regular T’Pol.“It’s been a long road forStar Trek: Enterprise’s decontamination chamber to make a comeback, but it was always ripe for parody, and the time is finally near thanks toStar Trek: Lower Decks.
