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Ethan Novakovich was a crewman second class assigned to the sciences division aboard Enterprise NX-01 when she launched in 2151.

In that year, he was one of seven crew members tasked to an away team assigned to explore and evaluate a planet later known as Archer IV. At the apparent terminus of the mission, Sub-Commander T'Pol requested to maintain a team presence on the planet's surface for further study consisting of Crewmen Cutler and Novakovich.

Several hours later, while taking refuge from a windstorm, Crewman Novakovich unknowingly fell under the influence of tropolisine, a naturally occurring psychotropic compound, and began to become crazed and incoherent. Despite the attempted intervention of his colleagues present on the planet's surface, Novakovich lost control of himself and escaped from where he and his crewmates had taken refuge from the storm. Due to the storm, a shuttlepod was inadvisable to use to retrieve him; with his bio-signs becoming more erratic and his screaming audible over an open communications signal, Captain Archer made the decision to use Enterprise's transporter to rescue him. The transporter, however, malfunctioned when used to retrieve Crewman Novakovich, and his epidermis was fused with natural environmental debris (leaves, rocks, limbs, etc.).

After removing the debris from Novakovich's skin, Dr. Phlox discovered the tropolisine in his bloodstream as well as later discovering that, while it was causing the hallucinations that affected both him and the crewmembers still on the surface, it was also breaking down into a poison in his bloodstream, with fatal ramifications. A devised treatment of inaprovaline injections proved to be the antidote to the poison, and Crewman Novakovich was expected to make a full recovery. (ENT: "Strange New World")

Background information[]

Crewman Novakovich was scripted to be in his thirties, as of 2151. The script for "Strange New World" also makes it clear that Novakovich's symptoms (including a headache) were caused by him having close proximity to wildflowers, which is shown early in the installment.

This character was originally to have died in "Strange New World" and, as such, would have been the first member of the crew to die aboard the NX-class Enterprise. During filming of the episode, Scott Bakula (who played Captain Archer) was concerned that it didn't seem right to kill off Novakovich without dealing with the loss (as originally written, Novakovich's death was not dissimilar to that of the many security guards who died in Star Trek: The Original Series). The producers agreed and revised the episode's script so that Novakovich lived (although the character was never seen again). (Information provided by Michael Sussman)

Crewman Ethan Novakovich was played by actor Henri Lubatti.

The novel By the Book calls him Alex Novakovich.

The Star Trek Customizable Card Game claims that Ethan Novakovich tried working as a cook, bartender, waiter, fan club president and student senator before joining Starfleet.

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