For years many fans, including ourselves, have written various articles about how and why we'd like to see a number of characters come back to the franchise. With so many timelines, eras, and characters to pick from, it's very easy to get lost in the possibilities of people coming in. That's not to say however that every character works for every show.
Some characters work better for some shows as opposed to others. With only two Star Trek shows set to be active for sure after the first of the year, the options for what characters can fit in what shows become a bit more focused and narrowed.
Luckily, the most perfect character to be brought back fits perfectly for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. That character is Jonathan Archer, famously played by Scott Bakula. The return of such a character would be huge for the show and for the fandom. But what if Bakula didn't come back to the franchise, via Strange New Worlds just to play hero?
Yes, the Enterprise series is closest to Strange New Worlds in proximity timeline, but Archer and Strange New Worlds' Captain Christopher Pike are very different men. So much so that they could be antagonistic foils for one another, if not, one of them being an outright villain.
Archer is known for his brazen and brash attitude and defiant nature. It's part of the reason why his endgame was always that of a villain. Throughout Enterprise, Archer dealt with a man from the future, whose identity wasn't known to anyone. There were whispers of who it could be, and ultimately, the plan was to reveal the future man as Archer.
It likely would've ended with Archer dealing with his future self, and preventing his turn from the light. But since the storyline never got to be finished, we're not sure how it would've ended. So why not bring Archer's dark future self back in time to deal with Pike?
You could run it the whole season, have Archer arrive on the Enterprise as himself from that year (or have him travel forward in time to the Enterprise). Have him help out, save the day, and prove himself to the crew of the new Enterprise, only for him to reveal himself as the dark futuristic version he would end up becoming.
Whether this is an alternate reality version, like the Mirror Universe (though not that exact version because, you know, reasons), or if it's the prime Archer just from a different point in the future where he wasn't saved from his evil machinations, those could both work. It could also work if he were just the real Archer, who just broke badly. The ideas are endless and would give Strange New Worlds a season that they couldn't top for years to come.