Scott Bakula’s proposed Star Trek comeback, set decades afterStar Trek: Enterprise, can answer a pivotal question about President Jonathan Archer and his place in the lineage of the United Federation of Planets’ Presidents.
A political thriller and family drama created by Star Trek: Enterprise writer-producer Michael Sussman, with Scott Bakula, Star Trek: United centers on President Archer and his adult children as they work to save the Federation in its precarious early years.
Star Trek: Enterprise‘s series finale depicted the signing of the articles that birthed the Federation in 2161, which was overseen by Captain Archer. A file card seen in Star Trek: Enterprise season 4’s Mirror Universe two-parter (which was written by Sussman) also canonically revealed that Archer became Federation President.
101 years span the final scene of Star Trek: Enterprise and the start of Star Trek: Discovery in 2256, for which very little is known. Star Trek: United is designed to fill in those blanks about the Federation’s early years, and it can answer whether a common assumption about President Archer is true.
Star Trek: United Can Reveal If Archer Was The First Federation President
Not unlike how“Beam me up, Scotty!”is a popular quote associated with Star Trek, despite no one in Star Trek actually uttering that exact phrase, Jonathan Archer is often believed to be the first President of the Federation.
However, 23 years exist between the founding of the Federation in 2161 and Jonathan Archer’s first term as President in 2184. Archer’s tenure as President is canonically recorded to last from 2184 to 2192, as established in Star Trek: Enterprise season 4.
It’s possible that President Archer was the first Federation President, and the office of the President wasn’t formally established until the 2180s. It’s also possible that there were other Presidents before Archer who may not have been successful or well-known before Archer took office.
A newspaper clipping created as background material for Star Trek Generations named United Earth Ambassador Thomas Vanderbilt as the first Federation President. However, it wasn’t seen on screen, so it didn’t become official Star Trek canon.
Star Trek: United could make Thomas Vanderbilt canon as the first Federation President. Or it could ignore that trivial minutia and create a new first President character and lineage. Or Star Trek: United could make Archer the first President, after all.
Star Trek’s Federation Wasn’t Perfect From Its Creation
The United Federation of Planets didn’t spring fully formed from its inception in 2161. It likely took years to secure the alliance, build trust, and expand with more member worlds. It’s also possible that the early years of the Federation were precarious, with the alliance teetering on disaster.
One analogy Michael Sussman himself compared the young Federation to as a guest on the Trek Politics podcast is that the United States Constitution wasn’t ratified until 1788, after the previous Articles of Confederation failed. Perhaps the early Federation also underwent a similar transition.
One of the exciting aspects of Star Trek: United is that it’s designed to tackle these very questions that have been kept murky by Star Trek for the last 60 years. The Federation is often described as a ‘paradise,’ especially in Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s 24th century, but it didn’t start out that way.
Star Trek: United could reveal that the first decades of the Federation were rife with conflicts, fits and starts, teetered on disaster, and that the ‘paradise’ Star Trek fans would come to know was a difficult birth.
Star Trek: United Story Makes Archer The Federation’s Most Important President
Star Trek has only named and shown a handful of Presidents on-screen from the thousand years the United Federation of Planets existed between Star Trek: Enterprise and Star Trek: Discovery.
Star Trek: United would be the first story about a Federation President, and it would make Jonathan Archer the most important to hold the office, even if he has predecessors.
Michael Sussman has indicated that Star Trek: United’s story is about President Archer trying to save the Federation, with the help of his children. For Archer, the Federation is a “project” he spent his adult life building, and it’s on the verge of falling apart in Star Trek: United.
What, exactly, threatens the Federation that could end it is unknown, but Star Trek: United is a political thriller, so the machinations would likely be more internal and require wheeling and dealing as opposed to an outside enemy attacking the alliance through force.
However, Mike Sussman also wants to begin Star Trek: United by showing a glimpse of the Romulan War that was never seen in Star Trek canon, so perhaps the Romulans could emerge as villains, taking vengeance by attempting to tear down the young Federation.
By saving the Federation, Archer cements his place as its greatest President, its Abraham Lincoln.
Whatever President Archer faces in Star Trek: United, we know the Federation endures, and he wins in the end, but the questions are how, and what does it cost Jonathan? Regardless, by saving the Federation, Archer cements his place as its greatest President, its Abraham Lincoln.
Who Are Star Trek’s Other Federation Presidents?
Star Trek is primarily about starships exploring strange new worlds, so there have only been a handful of times events have led back to Federation headquarters and required the appearance of the Federation President.
The first Federation President seen on-screen was the unnamed chief executive played by Robert Ellenstein in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. The President and the Federation Council presided over Admiral James T. Kirk’s (William Shatner) court-martial.
Kurtwood Smith played the next Federation President, an Efrosian, seen on screen in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. This President declared that he’s not above the law, as a conspiracy to prevent the Federation from brokering peace with the Klingons was foiled by Captain Kirk and the USS Enterprise.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine introduced President Jaresh-Inyo (Hershel Sparber), a Grazerite who was in office when a rogue Starfleet Admiral attempted a military coup to take over Earth, and during the Dominion War, which the Federation and its allies ultimately won.
Walter Koenig voiced Federation President Anton Chekov in Star Trek: Picard season 3’s early 25th century.
Star Trek: Discovery debuted President Laira Rillak (Chelah Horsdal), of mixed human, Cardassian, and Bajoran heritage. President Rillak was elected to rebuild the United Federation of Planets after the mystery of The Burn was solved by Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the USS Discovery.
While some of the Federation Presidents known have been more impactful than others, Star Trek: United would place President Jonathan Archer center stage, telling a thrilling new kind of Star Trek story that would be very different from Archer’s years as Captain in Star Trek: Enterprise.
- Release Date
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2005 – 2005-00-00
- Showrunner
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Brannon Braga
- Directors
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Brannon Braga
- Writers
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Brannon Braga
