Yellowstone and Star Trek are two very different television franchises. The former is a bleak Western depicting the horrible things that one family has to do to protect their ancestral ranch. The other is an epic sci-fi saga depicting the adventures of multiple crews as they explore the vast frontier of outer space. One might not expect there to be any connection between these two franchises, other than the fact that both have found incredible popularity over the years, leading to all manner of different sequels and spinoff series. Nevertheless, these two franchises may not be as disconnected as some television fans may have initially thought.
Yellowstone has recently come to an end with its fifth and final season, which depicted the final struggle of the Dutton family as they sought to protect their ranch from being sold to greedy land developers. With the show’s recent conclusion, fans have begun delving into its history, including that of its creator, Taylor Sheridan, who has been involved in the production of several popular television series, including Special Ops: Lionness and Mayor of Kingstown. In their searches, fans have been more than a little surprised to discover that Sheridan has an unexpected connection to the Star Trek franchise, particularly the 2001 series, Star Trek: Enterprise.
Taylor Sheridan Appears In an Episode of Star Trek: Enterprise
Sheridan Plays Jareb In a Season Three Episode of Enterprise
Long before he took to the writers’ room to create one of the most successful television franchises of all time, Taylor Sheridan guest starred in an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise. The sixth series in the Star Trek franchise, Enterprise followed the exploits of Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) and his crew of savvy Starfleet personnel, including T’Pol (Jolene Blalock), Trip Tucker III (Connor Trinneer), and more. Aboard the USS Enterprise, Archer and his crew embarked on many unbelievable missions to various planets, meeting all kinds of life along the way. It was during one of these missions that the crew of the Enterprise encountered Jareb, a young man caught in the middle of a vehement religious war.
Jareb appears in the Season 3 episode “Chosen Realm,” wherein the Enterprise is taken captive by a group of religious zealots led by the villainous Pri’Nam D’Jamat. Jareb, a young Tirannon man, was among D’Jamat’s group of hijackers to take over the ship in the episode, helping defend against the Enterprise‘s crew, who desperately tried to take back the vessel. Jareb and his crew planned to use the Enterprise‘s advanced technology to help destroy their sworn enemies and win the war. Jareb appears to be a true believer in the cause, taking over the lab and helping shoot down an enemy Triannon vessel. However, Jareb and his team are defeated in the episode’s third act, with their plans foiled once and for all by the crew of the Enterprise. Although his character survives the final firefight on the bridge of the ship, Sheridan doesn’t return in Star Trek: Enterprise, making this his only appearance in the franchise.
Taylor Sheridan Also Appears In Yellowstone
Sheridan Plays Travis Wheatley In Yellowstone
Although Taylor Sheridan’s career has mostly pivoted to writing and developing new shows, he still hasn’t put acting aside completely. Over a decade after appearing in an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise, Sheridan created the series Yellowstone, including a role for himself therein. Sheridan plays Travis Wheatley, a hardheaded cowboy from the Four Sixes Ranch in Texas who occasionally travels North to treat with the Duttons. Travis has a history with Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser), which often comes up when he arrives on the Dutton ranch to sell or buy horses. Known for his foul mouth and less-than-tender personality, Travis proves a difficult man to get along with, though his closest friends all seem to respect him greatly.
Although Travis isn’t a major character in Yellowstone, the character’s role gets bigger in later seasons. Sheridan makes frequent appearances in Season 4 when Jimmy Hurdstrom (Jefferson White) comes to live on the Four Sixes Ranch. Jimmy trains under Travis to become a cowboy, finally shedding his helpless persona and settling into the man that he was always meant to become. Travis also has a memorable but controversial storyline in Yellowstone‘s final season, where Rip and several members of his crew come to the Four Sixes Ranch for an extended period just before John Dutton’s death. Some fans expressed their distaste for Sheridan expanding his character’s role in his series, though he ultimately doesn’t play a major role in the events of the final few episodes.
What’s Next For Taylor Sheridan?
Sheridan Has Several Projects Lined Up For the Next Several Years
With Yellowstone coming to an end after five seasons, Taylor Sheridan has several projects in development to help expand his career beyond his best-known franchise. His most recent series, Landman starring Billy Bob Thornton, recently premiered to great success, suggesting that this could be Sheridan’s next big hit in the television world. Sheridan will also be involved in the upcoming seasons of multiple other series that he created, including Special Ops: Lionness, Tulsa King, and Mayor of Kingstown. As his star continues to rise, Sheridan’s projects only grow in notoriety, attracting major talents like Jeremy Renner, Sylvester Stallone, Zoe Saldaña, and more. This massive star power only makes each new Taylor Sheridan project more appealing to audiences, who find themselves increasingly familiar with his work.
Although the flagship series has ended, Sheridan also has several Yellowstone spinoffs on the way. In addition to the upcoming second season of 1923 starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, Sheridan is also planning multiple other shows to help flesh out the story of the Dutton family–and, eventually, expand beyond them. 1944 will act as a sequel series of sorts to 1923, which will end later this year. Furthermore, a spinoff entitled The Madison will take place after the events of Yellowstone and follow a family without any connection to the Duttons, marking a first for the long-running Western franchise. The Madison will star Michelle Pfeiffer in the main role, continuing the franchise’s tradition of nailing down a major talent for its protagonist. There are also rumors that Sheridan is involved in the development of a new series revolving around the Four Sixes Ranch, which could potentially feature the return of his character, Travis Wheatley, for more episodes shortly.
Taylor Sheridan has come a long way since his one-episode guest-starring role in Star Trek: Enterprise. Since then, the writer has created a successful television franchise, beginning with Yellowstone. While Star Trek and Yellowstone couldn’t be more different as franchises, they will always share this strange but amusing connection.
