Star Trek: Enterprise's Doctor Phlox Was Almost a Vet!

A potential storyline for Star Trek: Enterprise, which was ultimately rejected, proposed that Chief Medical Officer Dr. Phlox was originally a veterinarian on his home planet, Denobula. This revelation would have logically explained his unusual medical practices and his keeping of various alien animals in the ship's sickbay. The idea was considered too outlandish by executive producers Rick Berman and Brannon Braga.

Co-producer Andre Bormanis pitched that Phlox was restricted from treating his own species, leading him to practice on humanoids aboard the Enterprise. This twist would have made his fascination with exotic cures and his menagerie of creatures, such as Pyrithian bats and Osmotic eels, more understandable. Despite being vetoed, the concept aligns with John Billingsley's beloved portrayal of the eccentric doctor.