Mad Men hosts a surprising reunion of actors from Star Trek: Enterprise. Matthew Weiner’s Emmy-winning prestige drama aired for seven seasons on AMC from 2007-2015, largely putting that cable network on the map, and providing breakout roles for series leads Jon Hamm, Elizabeth Moss, and Vincent Kartheiser. Star Trek: Enterprise preceded Mad Men, airing from 2001-2005, as the flagship drama of United Paramount Network and the first Star Trek prequel series.
Conceptually, Mad Men and Star Trek: Enterprise couldn’t be farther apart. Mad Men centered on Don Draper (Jon Hamm), the creative director of Madison Avenue advertising agency Sterling Cooper (later Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce). Mad Men‘s depiction of the hard-drinking, chain-smoking, womanizing 1960s was a far cry from the 22nd-century optimism and adventure of Star Trek: Enterprise, where Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) explored a galaxy full of aliens and danger. Yet both series were stylishly retro and stood out from other TV series of their time.
Mad Men‘s 1960s setting allowed it to reference Star Trek in its later seasons. In Mad Men season 6, former Sterling Cooper copywriter Paul Kinsey (Michael Gladis) penned a spec screenplay for an episode of Star Trek. Deborah Lacey, who played Sarah Sisko, the mother of Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks), in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 7, portrayed Carla, the maid of Betty Draper (January Jones). Surprisingly, the most significant Star Trek reunion on Mad Men happened with two Enterprise actors in season 2.
Star Trek: Enterprise Actors Had A Surprise Reunion In Mad Men Season 2
Enterprise’s Mark Moses & Vaughn Armstrong Appear Together In Mad Men
Every time I rewatch Mad Men, I’m still surprised by a scene with Mark Moses and Vaughn Armstrong reunited from Star Trek: Enterprise. Moses played Henry Archer, the father of Captain Jonathan Archer and the inventor of the NX-01 Enterprise’s Warp 5 engine. Armstrong was Admiral Maxwell Forrest, Captain Archer’s commanding officer in Starfleet, although Forrest was killed off midway through Star Trek: Enterprise season 4.
Mark Moses also played Naroq in Star Trek: Voyager while Vaughn Armstrong has played multiple roles in the Star Trek franchise.
Mad Men season 2, episode 2, “Flight 1” brings Mark Moses and Vaughn Armstrong together in a scene. In Mad Men, Moses played Herman “Duck” Phillips, head of accounts services for Sterling Cooper. Armstrong was Shel Keneally, the CEO of American Airlines. Duck wooed American Airlines to become a client of Sterling Cooper after a tragic plane crash that killed Pete Campbell’s (Vincent Kartheiser) father. Unfortunately for Duck, Keneally was fired from American Airlines a few episodes later, which doomed Sterling Cooper’s bid.
Vaughn Armstrong only made that lone appearance on Mad Men, while Mark Moses recurred even after Duck Phillips was ousted from Sterling Cooper at the end of Mad Men season 2. Vaughn Armstrong’s Admiral Forrest never shared the screen with Henry Archer on Star Trek: Enterprise; Henry was already dead and only appeared in a flashback in Enterprise’s series premiere, “Broken Bow.” Thus, it was an unexpected treat to see Armstrong and Moses together as Shel Keneally and Duck Phillips on Mad Men.
Mad Men Had Another Star Trek: Enterprise Actor
Patrick Fischler Was Also In Enterprise & Mad Men
Mad Men season 2 also features another actor recognizable from Star Trek: Enterprise. Patrick Fischler has a featured role as comedian Jimmy Barrett in Mad Men season 2. Barrett was a client of Sterling Cooper who had a particular disdain for Don Draper, who was sleeping with Jimmy’s wife, Bobbie (Melina McGraw). Barrett got revenge on Draper by telling Don’s wife, Betty, about their affair. In retaliation, Don decked Jimmy when they ran into each other in a New York City gambling hall.
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Three years before he played Jimmy Barrett on Mad Men, Patrick Fischler played Mercer in Star Trek: Enterprise season 4’s episode, “Terra Prime.” Mercer was a physician and a member of Terra Prime, the xenophobic terrorist cadre run by John Frederick Paxton (Peter Weller). After Mercer used stolen DNA from Commander Trip Tucker (Connor Trinneer) and Subcommander T’Pol (Jolene Blalock) to clone their baby, Paxton had him killed. The ties between Mad Men and Star Trek: Enterprise run surprisingly deep.
