Scott Bakula Could Return to the STAR TREK Universe in an Interesting New Spinoff Idea
Star Trek: Enterprise seems to have been the black sheep of the Star Trek franchise’s TV history. While it was great, it was a show that never got the seven-season run of its predecessors and ended with a finale that left fans disappointed.
Now, more than two decades later, Scott Bakula could finally get the chance to give Captain Jonathan Archer the send-off he deserves… by making him President.
During a recent interview with TrekMovie, longtime Enterprise writer and producer Michael Sussman revealed that he and Bakula have been tossing around the idea for a new series centered on Archer’s later years, a political drama in the Star Trek universe.
The concept was sparked after the success of Star Trek: Picard. As Sussman explained, what started as a joking email to Bakula about a potential Star Trek: Archer show quickly turned into something they both thought had real potential.
The seed for this idea actually comes from a moment in the Enterprise episode “In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II.” In it, an evil Mirror Universe Archer pulls up the personnel file of his Prime counterpart.
Some fans noticed it outlined Archer’s impressive career trajectory after the events of Enterprise — Admiral, Chief of Staff of Starfleet Command, honorary Andorian Imperial Guard, Federation councilman, and, finally, President of Earth in 2184. Sussman said:
“It occurred to me that someone on the writing staff, not the art department, needed to write this graphic. Somebody needed to think about this, right? This was going to be a graphic that spelled out Archer's life and career after the series ended.
“[This was after knowing that] the franchise was going into the freezer for a spell. [Archer's future] might be fully visible on the finished episode.”
Sussman’s working title for the project is Star Trek: United, and he envisions it as a blend of The West Wing and The Diplomat, only set in the formative years of the Federation.
“It’s a political thriller and a family drama set in those chaotic, formative years of the Federation. […] We did 98 hours of Enterprise and I think [Bakula] really explored that character, but this was a very different direction for Archer to go in. And I think he was really intrigued by that.”
Sussman even drew a comparison to how Andor elevated the Star Wars franchise, hoping Star Trek: United could do the same for Trek. He’s already pitched the idea to franchise overseer Alex Kurtzman, and the initial meeting went well enough that Sussman is ready for a longer pitch if the interest continues.
Whether it happens is another matter. Paramount’s recent merger with Skydance has thrown the future of Star Trek into uncertainty, though the new leadership reportedly includes some dedicated fans.
Right now, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is the only series actively running, with Starfleet Academy set to arrive in early 2026. Could there be room for Star Trek: United alongside them at some point? Sussman and Bakula certainly think so.
I would love to see a series like this get made! I’m a fan of the Enterprise series and would love nothing more than to see Jonathan Archer’s story explored further in a new series and I’m totally on board with the concept!