Will the captain of the first Enterprise return? Well, that’s the rumor going around. Scott Bakula (NCIS New Orleans, Quantum Leap) may be suiting up in his Starfleet uniform again soon. Bakula played Jonathan Archer, the captain of Starfleet’s first Warp 5 capable ship, the NX-01, USS Enterprise. Enterprise (later Star Trek Enterprise), a prequel series for the Star Trek franchise, took place roughly one hundred years before the events of the original series. The series ran for 4 years, from 2001-2005 on the UPN network.
The news was first reported by GiantFreakingRobot.com, who claims to have a “trusted inside source.” (This is the same source that reported Don Cheadle‘s return as War Machine in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.) The source indicates that the plan is to have Bakula make a cameo appearance somewhere on one of the other Star Trek series currently in production. If the cameo is well received, it could lead to a bigger role. A new series centered on the 22nd Century explorer could also be put into production.
But where could Captain Archer appear that would make sense? Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Discovery are both set hundreds of years after the time of Enterprise so an appearance for Archer would be difficult. (But not impossible. Remember, this IS science fiction!)
But Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the newest series in production for Paramount+ (formerly CBS All Access) will be set onboard Captain Pike’s Enterprise. This new series is about to start filming this month in Toronto. Set a few years before the original series from the 1960s, it is only 80-90 years after the final episode of Enterprise. Of course, time travel played an important part during Enterprise’s run. The ship was a key battleground for the temporal cold war which Archer himself became aware of after briefly transported to the future. There he saw how the Federation would be instrumental in the future of the galaxy.
If and wherever Captain Archer does show up in the timeline, you can be sure that Scott Bakula will bring his considerable talent and charm back to the role.
Would like you to see Archer return? What other Star Trek alumni would you like to see return? Let us know. Comment here, or on our Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter pages!
