Star Trek: Enterprise's Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) breaking Star Trek rules by making mistakes made him great. Enterprise was the first Star Trek prequel series, and it was a retcon that established Archer and his starship, Enterprise NX-01, as the pioneers who predated the voyages of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) in Star Trek: The Original Series by over a century. Enterprise's retcon also established Subcommander T'Pol (Jolene Blalock) as the Enterprise's first Vulcan Science Officer, predating Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy).
One of the goals of Star Trek: Enterprise's creators, Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, was to break away from the many tropes they established in Star Trek: The Next Generation and its 24th century-set spinoffs. Because Enterprise takes place in the 22nd century, Captain Archer and his crew are not Utopians like future Starfleet crews. Indeed, Archer's inaugural mission in Enterprise's series premiere, "Broken Bow," was Starfleet's first voyage into deep space. Captain Archer and the NX-01 crew's inexperience was baked into Enterprise, which is part of what makes the Star Trek prequel so compelling.
Scott Bakula’s Archer Was Unlike Any Other Star Trek Captain By Design
Archer's wins and mistakes set the model for future Starfleet Captains
Captain Archer's behavior in Star Trek: Enterprise's premiere set the tone for what the prequel was meant to be. Archer decided to launch the NX-01 Enterprise to bring a Klingon named Klaang (Tiny Lister) - the first Klingon humans ever met - back to his homeworld, Qo'noS. Jonathan and Enterprise's crew soon learned that Klaang was the target of a race called the Suliban. Enterprise journeys to Rigel X, encountering a menagerie of aliens for the first time. Archer later leaves T'Pol in command of Enterprise as he chases after the Suliban named Silik (John Fleck), before he successfully delivers Klaang to the Klingons.
Enterprise was defined by Captain Archer's inexperience, choices, wins, and mistakes, and his humanity was reflected by his crew. Archer was designed to be less refined than Captain Kirk and less patient than Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). But Jonathan was also affable, generous, and driven by an impulse to explore and to offer help when needed, even if it was ill-advised or could put Enterprise in jeopardy. Since Jonathan was retconned as the first Captain of the Enterprise, Archer provided the model for future Captains of what to do, and what not to do. This makes Captain Jonathan Archer fascinating - and great - in the larger context of Star Trek.
T’Pol Brought Traditional Star Trek To Enterprise
Enterprise would never have survived without T'Pol
Captain Archer and the NX-01 Enterprise might not have survived their first mission or their continuing journey in Star Trek: Enterprise season 1 without Subcommander T'Pol. The Vulcan Science Officer was initially a reluctant member of Captain Archer's crew who was meant to be on temporary loan. However, T'Pol's function in Enterprise's series premiere was to represent the traditional form of Star Trek, to guide and be the Vulcan opposition Archer's rough-around-the-edges crew would rebel against. T'Pol had the knowledge, patience, and experience in deep space that Captain Archer lacked, which made the Vulcan essential to Enterprise.
T'Pol eventually joined United Earth Starfleet as a permanent member of Captain Archer's NX-01 Enterprise crew.
One of the joys of watching Star Trek: Enterprise's 4 seasons is seeing how T'Pol's loyalties shift to Captain Archer and his crew, and vice versa. Star Trek: Enterprise too often exploited Jolene Blalock's sex appeal and undermined the Vulcan's agency, but at her best, T'Pol was crucial to Enterprise's journey and the maturation of Captain Archer and his crew into experienced space explorers. Star Trek: Enterprise's premiere and the series that followed is the literal blueprint of how Starfleet Captains evolved from the standard Captain Archer established with his mistakes and his victories.
