CFP: Special issue of Popular Culture Studies Journal on Star Trek: Enterprise at 25

CFP: Special issue (or section, depending on number of submissions) of Popular Culture Studies Journal on Star Trek: Enterprise at 25 (October 2026)

Guest editrix: Dr Melissa Beattie (remote/adjunct, SNHU), tritogeneia@aol.com

In September of 2001, Enterprise (later retitled Star Trek: Enterprise) debuted on UPN in the US. Though diegetically the earliest in the Star Trek universe, as it is a prequel set in the 22nd century, this series was the last entry of the franchise to be broadcast-only, with the 2009 ‘Kelvinverse’ being on cinema screens and subsequent Trek series being available via streaming. Despite its unique position within the franchise, however, the series has been critically under-studied. Because of its neglected importance, the Popular Culture Studies Journal seeks 6-8000 words papers focusing upon Enterprise/Star Trek: Enterprise, to be published in conjunction with the twenty-fifth anniversary of the series premiere.

Topics

Topics for papers may include (but are by no means limited to) the following:

• Production context (industrial and/or sociocultural)
• Media representation of and in the series (identities, Othering, etc)
• Production elements (performance, direction, writing, aesthetics, music, etc)
• Afterlives (pop culture references, subsequent work by the regulars/recurrings, etc)
• Paratexts and intertexts
• Tie-ins
• Canonicity
• Fans and fandom
• Fan activities (fanfic, vids, conventions, cosplay, etc)
• Technology (representation of and/or changes in)
• Prequels and/in telefantasy
• Diegetic/extra-diegetic history/-ies

Proposals from graduate students and independent scholars are welcome; undergraduate proposals will be considered as well. Informal enquiries may be sent to Dr Beattie at tritogeneia@aol.com.

Please submit a 250-300 word abstract and 100 word author bio by 15 June 2025 to the above email address.

Expected timeline

• 1 July, 2025: decisions sent out on abstracts.
• 1 December, 2025: complete articles due for peer review.
• 1 February, 2026: articles returned after peer review.
• 1 May, 2026: revised articles due.
• 1 June, 2026: any additional changes will be requested of authors.
• 1 September, 2026: final deadline.
• 15 October, 2026: publication of the volume.