https://archive.org/details/CharacterInsightEp257
Hayes is the commanding officer of the detachment of MACO officers who serves aboard the Enterprise during the mission into the Delphic Expanse during the Xindi conflict. Hayes is a hardened military man who values consistency and the chain of command above all else, likely a result of his upbringing and his training at West Point on Earth. He also was a veteran of lunar survival training, one of the most grueling training regimens of the era.
The most notable part of Hayes and his story on Enterprise is an ongoing conflict from the moment he comes aboard with Malcolm Reed, the chief armory officer on the ship. This conflict builds over a couple episodes and then erupts after Hayes recommends and the Captain agrees to start a series of tactical drills with all senior officers on staff. Reed felt that he should have been consulted instead of circumvented, and they end up in an all-out brawl until interrupted by a hostile alien attack on the ship. Captain Archer was not amused, as evidenced in this meeting in his ready room following the incident in the episode Harbinger.
QUOTE (from Harbinger):
Captain Jonathan Archer: Don't try to tell me who started it! I don't know what the problem is between you two, and to tell you the truth I don't care, but I want it settled right now! SETTLE IT! That's an order!
Lieutenant Malcolm Reed: There's no problem, Captain.
Major Hayes: It's settled, sir.
Captain Jonathan Archer: How are the drills going?
Major Hayes: Good, sir.
Lieutenant Malcolm Reed: Very good, sir.
Ironically, another serious fight a month later between Reed and Hayes is what helps sort out the differences between these two. Hayes and the MACOs were placed in charge of the ship when Archer was under the influence of a neurochemical and the regular senior staff has to fight the MACOs to get back control of the ship. Hayes admits to Reed that following the chain of command is never as simple as it seems.
In his final appearance, Hayes lead a boarding party to rescue Hoshi Sato, who had been abducted by the Xindi Reptilians. He is shot during transport off the ship and dies shortly thereafter. It was an honorable ending for a commanding military personnel.
Hayes was played by Steven Culp, who continues a prolific television acting career today, with highlights in long runs on JAG and Desperate Housewives. He described that an LA Times article on a young soldier in Iraq who had a troubled childhood but found himself in the military inspired his performance of the Hayes character, and it all grew from there. It's funny where inspiration comes from when actors are given a relatively blank character slate.
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