even after the universal translator is on-line. She suffered anxiety about her place on board originally, but exposure to frequent danger helped her realize her value to the ship. Her confidence increases to the point Archer leaves her in command of Enterprise and she faces down the President of United Earth in "These Are The Voyages ..." Travis Mayweather, played by Anthony Montgomery, is the Helmsman of Enterprise. A "space boomer", Travis is unique on Enterprise, having been born in space. Son of a freighter captain, Travis knows many of the alien species as well as locations that Earth traders frequent. As Enterprise moves farther and farther from Earth, his value in this area lessens, but his skill at the helm is constantly appreciated, making him the pilot of choice for many missions. Phlox, played by John Billingsley, is Chief Medical Officer of Enterprise. A Denobulan member of the Inter-Species Medical Exchange, he is brought aboard Enterprise to care for the Klingon passenger during the ship's first mission. He then volunteers to stay on, delighting in the experience of humanity taking its first steps onto the galactic stage. An exceedingly cheerful alien, Dr. Phlox uses many animals and naturalistic cures in his practice, in addition to the usual technological methods. Production Conception Prior to the end of Star Trek: Voyager and following the end of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in June 1999, Paramount approached Rick Berman and Brannon Braga about the production of a fifth Star Trek series, either to overlap with the final season of Voyager or to immediately follow. Berman had previously created Star Trek: Deep Space Nine along with Michael Piller, Voyager with Piller and Jeri Taylor, and had been wanting to work with Braga on a series concept. While the fans online were suggesting that it could either be based on Starfleet Academy or the adventures of Hikaru Sulu, the producers took care that no information was leaked to reveal what the concept was going to be. They later revealed that the Academy idea was never properly considered. Instead, they opted to create a prequel to The Original Series set after the events in the film Star Trek: First Contact, as Braga and Berman felt it was a period in the Star Trek universe which was unexplored. The idea was for the series to portray the first deep space explorers in the Star Trek universe,