As a child, Kellie Waymire thought that one day she would follow in her father's footsteps and pursue a career as a scientist. "I used to dream about working late into the night in a lab and performing scientific experiments," recalls the actress. She also wanted to become an astronaut. So it's fitting that Waymire should end up being cast as exobiologist Elizabeth Cutler on Enterprise. It is not, however, her first Outer Space trek. She guest starred as Lanya in the Star Trek: Voyager episode Muse prior to making her Enterprise début in Strange New World. This month, in Dear Doctor, Elizabeth and Dr Phlox begin a friendship that just might lead to something more serious.

What was it like working on Strange New World?

We spent what seemed like forever filming inside a cave on location in Bronson Canyon. At any one time there were five or six of us plus eight to 10 crewmembers piled into this cave. It was dark and damp and we spent a lot of time rolling around in the dirt. I have to say, though, it was all good fun, and for me a terrific introduction to the show and its cast. I already knew Connor Trinneer [Trip], and I got to meet Anthony Montgomery [Ensign Mayweather] and Jolene Blalock [T'Pol]. They made me feel very comfortable and part of the group.

Did you know that the Enterprise producers were going to make Elizabeth Cutler a recurring character as well as a romantic interest for Phlox?

As far as her becoming a recurring character, yes. When I first read for the part I was told they were thinking about possibly bringing Elizabeth back every so often. With regards to a romance with Phlox, I had no idea at all. You're really not told ahead of time about what your character will be doing. It's only after you get the script and start reading it that you go, "Wow! Now that's a surprise!"

What did you enjoy most about filming Dear Doctor?

It would have to be working with John Billingsley [Dr Phlox]. He's a really wonderful actor and a genuinely warm and kind person. So most of my memories are us hanging out between takes and talking. The one thing I liked about this episode as opposed to the first one I did was that I was able to contribute more insofar as my acting. Strange New World was very much a group or an ensemble effort with everyone rushing around doing their thing. With Dear Doctor I got to connect with another person on-screen, in this case John, and that's always more fun as well as challenging.

If you were one of the Enterprise writers how would you like to see the relationship between Elizabeth and Phlox develop?

Honestly, I'm not quite sure. They kind of brought up the subject and then left it up in the air. One of my last lines in Dear Doctor was something like, "Let's see how it goes," so they've certainly left the door wide open. When I mentioned 'the romance' to some of my friends, they said, 'Obviously the writers would like your character to become involved with Trip or Reed [Dominic Keating],' as they're two of the 'hunks' on the show. I'm delighted, though, that it turned out to be Phlox. I just love the charming and innocent quality of the friendship between him and Elizabeth. I thought it was a great twist to the story and I wouldn't have changed a thing. I'll be interested to see what the writers do next if they decide to pursue the relationship.

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