Star Trek United: Scott Bakula will probably not play President Archer
The science fiction franchise is undergoing a period of upheaval
The future of "Star Trek" is uncertain. And now it seems we'll have to say goodbye to a potential spin-off that was proposed last year. Michael Sussman and Scott Bakula had come up with the idea for a project called "Star Trek: United," which was to tell the story of an aging Enterprise captain, Jonathan Archer. By now, he would have four grown children and would be the first president of the United Federation of Planets. The idea was developed by producer Sussman with input from Bakula, who once played Archer. But now there's been an update from Bakula indicating that the project isn't moving forward.
In an interview with TV Insider, the actor did explain that you should never say never. However, his words otherwise offer no reason to hope that we'll see Archer as president:
"I'm not actively involved. A lot of fans would like to see more 'Star Trek' and perhaps see Archer be involved. But there are new people in charge of the franchise, new owners of the studio. The franchise benefitted from a rest after 'Enterprise'. There had been some fatigue with the number of shows and movies, and that may be what's happening. Nothing is on my radar right now."
A time of transition
Bakula once portrayed Captain Archer in "Star Trek: Enterprise." The science fiction series ran from 2001 to 2005 and spanned four seasons with a total of 98 episodes. The story takes place before the events of the original series featuring Kirk and Spock. The focus is on the starship crew led by Captain Archer. Alongside Bakula, the main cast included John Billingsley, Jolene Blalock, Dominic Keating, Anthony Montgomery, Linda Park, and Connor Trinneer. Michael Sussman was one of the series' producers. After "Star Trek: Enterprise" ended, it took over twelve years for a new series, "Star Trek: Discovery," to launch, heralding a renaissance of the franchise that led to further spin-offs such as "Star Trek: Picard."
As Bakula hinted, the "Star Trek" franchise is now once again in a phase of upheaval. Currently, there are only two live-action series left for fans to look forward to: "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" and "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy." However, the end is already set for both of these series. "Strange New Worlds" will conclude with its fifth season. "Starfleet Academy" will be canceled after its second season. No further live-action series has been specifically planned for the time after that.
On the big screen
As for the big screen, a new "Star Trek" movie has been in development for some time. The directing duo Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley are set to helm the project. Among other things, the two directed the fantasy film "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves." We'll have to wait for more details. However, there was a recent rumor about the story. According to Hollywood insider Jeff Sneider, we might be in for a sort of "Training Day" set in space. The 2001 thriller starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke centers on a police officer's first day on the job. In the "Star Trek" version, the story could similarly center on a young protagonist who still has a lot to learn. As mentioned earlier, however, this alleged plot concept is just a rumor and should therefore be taken with a grain of salt. Just one thing is certain: the future of "Star Trek" is currently uncertain.
