Star Trek: Enterprise and its captain, Jonathan Archer, get plenty of undeserved criticism. “It never ran on a major network! What’s with that theme song? Why is there a dog on board?” These are only a few of the complaints I’ve heard about the series, but my greatest pet peeve comment is, “Archer is the worst captain in the entire franchise!” I say au contraire, to quote my favorite omniscient being; Archer is actually the bravest captain in the history of Starfleet, and a look back at Enterprise’s timeline gives plenty of examples.
1. His actions in “First Flight”
When Vulcans first came to Earth, they had serious misgivings about sharing warp technology with humans because they found them impatient and much too emotional. This delayed the creation of Henry Archer’s warp 5 drive project. After the first NX-Alpha test ship failed and broke up shortly after achieving a speed of slightly over warp 2, the Vulcans recommended that Starfleet cancel all future warp trial testing. If not for Archer’s bravery in testing the NX-Beta with his friend and mentor A.G. Robinson, and without Starfleet approval, the program may have halted completely. His actions proved that warp-driven Starfleet vessels were more than simply a possibility.
2. Archer was the first to face alien threats in space exploration
By the time Kirk and his crew began their 5-year mission, Archer and his people faced the first alien threat in the NX-01 much earlier. He is the first to meet a variety of beings that pose a threat to humanity, including the Suliban, the Tholians, and especially the terrifying Xindi. While Kirk had some background information available to him with certain alien races, Archer had only his wits, bravery, and the assistance of his crew to help him proceed.
3. Archer was the first to untangle human/alien cultural differences and avoid violence
When the NX-01 first began its mission, Archer and his crew didn’t have the advantage of the universal translator, which was still in its testing phase at the time. This made cultural differences and finding ways to communicate during first contact situations difficult. If not for Archer’s bravery, encouraging his crew to find unique solutions, and communicate non-violently with other species, such as in “Vox Sola,” the future for Kirk and his crew might have been a warlike and frightening place.
There is little doubt that Starfleet has its share of brave captains, from Kirk to Pike to Picard. However, it was Jonathan Archer’s bravery that truly allowed mankind to explore the stars and secure the Federation’s future.