Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3, Episode 8 – “Crisis Point II: Paradoxus”In Star Trek: Lower Decks season 3, episode 8, there was a perfect opportunity for a cameo by Star Trek: Enterprise‘s Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) that unfortunately didn’t happen. “Crisis Point II: Paradoxus” was Ensign Bradward Boimler’s (Jack Quaid) sequel to Ensign Beckett Mariner’s (Tawny Newsome) holodeck movie, “Crisis Point: The Rise of Vindicta,” from Star Trek: Lower Decks season 1. But after learning his transporter clone, William Boimler, died on the USS Titan, Brad made Ensign D’Vana Tendi (Noël Wells) the star of his movie while he mourned and questioned the meaning of existence.
“Crisis Point II” was a time travel adventure where the Romulans sought to destroy the United Federation of Planets by changing history. As Tendi and her USS Cerritos team chased the Romulans throughout time, at one point they landed in 2161 at the founding of the Federation. This would have been the ideal way to have a Captain Archer cameo. Star Trek: Enterprise’s series finale, “All Good Things…” showed a different holodeck simulation of the signing of the Federation’s articles, which Captain Archer took part in. Archer also attended the formal founding of the Federation, and the Captain of the first USS Enterprise in space went on to become the first Federation President. Archer could easily have been inserted into the scene and Scott Bakula could have reprised his iconic role. Unfortunately, Star Trek: Lower Decks didn’t pull the trigger on what would have been the first Star Trek: Enterprise character appearance since the series was canceled in 2005.
Why Lower Decks Didn’t Include A Captain Archer Enterprise Cameo
Star Trek: Lower Decks has excelled in bringing back Star Trek actors to voice their legacy characters when they pop up in the animated series. Star Trek: Lower Decks season 3 featured James Cromwell reprising Dr. Zephram Cochrane, George Takei playing Captain Hikaru Sulu again, and Nana Visitor and Armin Shimerman voicing Colonel Kira and Quark when Lower Decks crossed over with Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Not showing Captain Archer as part of the founding of the Federation, in a scene that echoed Commander Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) watching Archer in Star Trek: Enterprise‘s finale seems like a big missed opportunity.
However, “Crisis Point II: Paradoxus” already had Boimler meeting George Takei’s Captain Sulu in a big surprise, so perhaps including Captain Archer in the Federation founding scene might have taken away the thunder of Takei’s comeback as Sulu. The situation where Tendi and Ensign Eugene Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) try to defuse a bomb also may have been undercut by the scene stopping to highlight Captain Archer. And it’s also possible that the moment wasn’t worthy of Scott Bakula reprising Captain Archer after all this time, and Star Trek: Lower Decks may want a better way to honor the Captain of Star Trek: Enterprise.
How New Star Trek Shows Can Bring Back Enterprise Characters
Star Trek: Enterprise is the only remaining series whose characters haven’t appeared in the current Star Trek series on Paramount+. Enterprise is set in the 22nd century, but this isn’t really an impediment. Enterprise has been shouted out in various ways, but Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Prodigy could easily utilize the holodeck, time travel, or other sci-fi means to have their characters interact with Enterprise‘s leads like Captain Archer, T’Pol (Jolene Blalock), and Trip Tucker (Connor Trinneer). T’Pol should also still be alive in the 23rd century and the Vulcan could potentially appear in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. It’s really only a matter of time until Star Trek: Enterprise‘s characters finally get their laurels, but it’s understandable if Trekkers are growing impatient to see (and hear) Enterprise‘s heroes again.
Star Trek: Lower Decks Seasons 1-3 are streaming on Paramount+.
