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One of President Jonathan Archer's (Scott Bakula) children in Star Trek: United, set decades after Star Trek: Enterprise, links back to Subcommander T'Pol (Jolene Blalock). Created by Michael Sussman, Star Trek: United is Scott Bakula's proposed return to the Star Trek universe. Star Trek: United is conceived as a political thriller and family drama about President Jonathan Archer trying to save the United Federation of Planets from collapse. A spinoff of Star Trek: Enterprise rather than a sequel, Star Trek: United would also introduce a slew of new characters, including Archer's four adult children. Since August, when word that Michael Sussman and Scott Bakula are developing a comeback vehicle for President Archer, Star Trek: United has captured the imaginations of Star Trek fans. The concept of a prestige TV series that brings the beloved Bakula back as Jonathan Archer is proving irresistible to Trekkers yearning to Scott back the final frontier. While Michael Sussman hopes to include guest spots for Star Trek: Enterprise's popular characters and actors if Star Trek: United gets a green light from Paramount Skydance, the series wouldn't be an NX-01 reunion and would hinge on President Archer and his brood. Sussman has teased dollops of information about Star Trek: United's Archer family, and his latest is one of the most fascinating, as Mike reveals President Archer has an adopted child who pays off Jonathan's decades-long friendship with T'Pol. One Of President Archer’s Children In Star Trek: United Is Vulcan In an interview with SciFiPulse, Michael Sussman answered a question about Captain Archer's character evolution in Star Trek: Enterprise, specifically about how his feelings about the Vulcans changed throughout Enterprise's four seasons. Sussman then dropped the bombshell that Archer adopted a Vulcan child. Read his quote below: Mike Sussman: He started out eager, impatient, distrustful of the Vulcans — but by the end of the series, he’d learned humility, empathy, and the weight of leadership. Thirty or so years later, that’s only deepened. He’ll have come far in his relationship with the Vulcans, largely thanks to T’Pol. The lessons Archer learned from her will resonate in his relationships with one of his adult kids, a Vulcan that he and his wife adopted many years earlier. There's a lot to unpack there. According to Mike Sussman, Archer and his wife adopted a Vulcan child "many years earlier," i.e. before the late 22nd century time frame of Star Trek: United. This means that when Archer started his family, a Vulcan was welcomed and raised with Archer's other kids. It's unclear whether Jonathan Archer and his mystery wife adopted a male or female Vulcan. Further, it's also unknown who Archer's wife is, or whether President Archer is still married during the events of Star Trek: United, although Sussman hints that Jonathan was married at least once between Star Trek: Enterprise's ending and Star Trek: United. Archer adopting a Vulcan is also a fascinating inversion of Star Trek: Discovery, which retconned that Ambassador Sarek (James Frain) and Amanda Grayson (Mia Kirshner) adopted the orphaned, 10-year-old Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), and raised her on Vulcan alongside his son, Spock (Ethan Peck). President Archer’s 4 Children In Star Trek: United Explained Star Trek: United is an Archer family affair, and Michael Sussman has revealed that Jonathan's four adult children are scattered throughout the galaxy, working in various careers. One of Archer's sons serves in Starfleet, but uses his mother's surname, Hernandez, instead of his famous father's. Michael Sussman confirmed this is the son of Jonathan Archer and Erika Hernandez (Ada Maris), the Captain of the NX-02 Columbia, who was Jonathan's former flame introduced in Star Trek: Enterprise season 4. However, Sussman is keeping it a secret whether Archer and Hernandez ever married, if Erika was Jonathan's wife when they adopted a Vulcan child, or if Hernandez is the mother of Archer's two other children. Another of Archer's brood works in Federation Intelligence, and perhaps helps clue in their father on the threat to the Federation's future in Star Trek: United. A third Archer child works in diplomacy, while the fourth Archer scion remains a mystery. While it's natural to assume that President Archer raised a big, happy family, and can rely on all of his children to help him protect the Federation in Star Trek: United, it's also possible that one of them is hindering their father, or that they don't all get along with Jonathan or each other. A Vulcan Child Completes Archer’s Star Trek Evolution As Michael Sussman explained to SciFiPulse, Jonathan Archer's relationship with T'Pol, and the greater morphing of how he feels about Vulcans in general, are key to his adopting a Vulcan child in Star Trek: United. When Star Trek: Enterprise began, Captain Archer was deeply resentful of the Vulcans for holding humans back from jumping headlong into space exploration. Archer also initially distrusted T'Pol when she was placed aboard Enterprise as his Science Officer and First Officer. As Star Trek: Enterprise continued, T'Pol gained Captain Archer's respect, loyalty, and trust, which is mutual. Archer and T'Pol also uncovered the rot and corruption inside the Vulcan High Command, which was being manipulated by undercover agents of the Romulan Star Empire. A Romulan named Talok (Todd Stashwick) was one of the operatives posing as a Vulcan. Stashwick went on to play Captain Liam Shaw in Star Trek: Picard season 3. In Star Trek: Enterprise season 4, Captain Archer and T'Pol helped T'Pau (Kara Zediker) gain control of the Vulcan council and oust the Romulan collaborators. Archer also hosted the katra of Surak, the founder of Vulcan logic, which, in turn, deepened Jonathan's understanding and respect for Vulcans.
