After it aired in 1987,Star Trek: The Next Generationushered in a golden age for the franchise as a whole, paving the way for follow-up shows likeStar Trek: Enterprise. From the late 80s through the early 2000s,Star TrekTV serieswere consistently airing, and, as the title of the show suggests, introducing the next generation of fans toStar Trekas a franchise. Even now, almost 40 years afterThe Next Generationfirst aired, modern shows likeStar Trek: PicardandStar Trek: Prodigyare still built on references to that era ofStar Trek.
Part of what made that era ofTrekso iconic was the shows’ ability to reference each other and include crossovers. OnceThe Next Generationended, for example, Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) transferred toStar Trek: Deep Space Nine. Similarly,Star Trek: Voyagerbegan by referencing events fromDeep Space Nine.But perhaps the best references were the subtle connections that made the universe ofStar Trekfeel more real and connected. SinceEnterprisewas a prequel show, it had the opportunity to show the history of all the events shows likeThe Next Generationcould take for granted.
Enterprise Paid Off Star Trek: TNG’s Archer IV Reference 11 Years Later
That Reference Connects The Two Shows Even Though They Released Separately
Despite the fact thatThe Next Generationfinished airing in 1994, 7 years beforeEnterprise,the prequel show was nevertheless able to pay off references fromThe Next Generation.In season 3 ofThe Next Generation, the episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise” takes place mostly in an alternate timeline, where the Federation is at war with the Klingon Empire. In that timeline,Lt. Commander William T. Riker(Jonathan Frakes) comments that the Klingons, “shouldn’t be so confident after the pasting we gave them on Archer IV.”
This single line of dialogue was presumably a throw-away line at the time, but it ended up being the first reference to Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) inStar Trek. “Yesterday’s Enterprise” aired in 1990.11 years later in 2001,Enterpriseintroduced the planet Archer IVand revealed its connection to the captain in the season 1 episode “Strange New World.”
These 2 Star Trek Episodes Aired Almost Exactly 19 Years Apart & Used The Same Twist
Despite Star Trek’s wide range of sci-fi tropes it has at its disposal, the franchise still manages to retread the same ground years apart.
In “Strange New World,” Archer IV was the first M-class planet that the USS Enterprise encountered, so naming it after Captain Archer was clearly meant to honor the long-time Captain’s contribution to Starfleet.By revealing the backstory for Archer IV,Enterprisebuilt up a clear connection to earlierStar Trekshows.Even though the timeline of our reality made it impossible forThe Next Generationto consciously referenceEnterprise, moments like this made it clear that the two shows were, in fact, connected. It also reveals thateven afterEnterprise, Captain Archer was honoredby the Federation he helped to found.
Enterprise’s Captain Archer Has 2 Star Trek Planets Named After Him
An Honor No Other Captain Shares
But Archer IV is not the only planet named after Captain Jonathan Archer. There is also a planet in the Gamma Trianguli sector named after Captain Archer: Archer’s Planet. But Archer’s Planet has a more nebulousStar Trekorigin than Archer IV. Near the end of season 4 ofEnterprise, the Mirror-Universe version of Captain Archer reads Prime-Universe Archer’s Starfleet biography, which mentionsArcher’s Planet as the second planet named after the famous Captain. (Although the fact that it’s called Archer IV does raise questions about potential Archers I, II, and III.)
The Federation has never forgotten Captain Archer’s contributions.
Captain Archer’s two eponymous planets are an honor unmatched in the rest ofStar Trek. Despitehow long Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) served Starfleet, and despite Captain James T. Kirk’s (William Shatner) heroism inStar Trek: The Original Series, neither of them has even one planet named after them, let alone two. Captain Archer’s honor means that even ifStar Trek: Enterprisecame out afterStar Trek: The Next Generation,the Federation has never forgotten Captain Archer’s contributions.
Star Trek: Enterprise
Cast
Star Trek: Enterprise acts as a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, detailing the voyages of the original crew of the Starship Enterprise in the 22nd century, a hundred years before Captain Kirk commanded the ship. Enterprise was the sixth series in the Star Trek franchise overall, and the final series before a twelve-year hiatus until the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery in 2017. The series stars Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer, with an ensemble cast that includes John Billingsley, Jolene Blalock, Dominic Keating, Anthony Montgomery, Linda Park, and Connor Trinneer.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation follows Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his crew aboard the USS Enterprise NCC-1701D as they embark on interstellar explorations, seeking out new worlds and civilizations.
