Jonathan Archer

<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

Star Trek: Enterprise Character
Jonathan Archer
b. 2212
Status	Alive at the end of series
Gender	Male
Species	Human
Origin	Earth - New York
Portrayed by	Scott Bakula Marty Davis (child)
First Appearance	" Broken Bow, Part 1"
Profession	Starfleet Officer - Captain Enterprise
Relatives	Henry Archer (father) Sally Archer (mother)
Special Features	Blood Type: B negative

Jonathan Archer is a fictional character on the series Star Trek: Enterprise portrayed by Scott Bakula. Archer is the captain of the Enterprise (NX-01).

Archer grew up dreaming of the day when he would get to go "where no man has gone before." His father was the renowned Henry Archer, who led the development of the Warp Five engine in the footsteps of warp pioneer Zefram Cochrane. So it is fitting that Jonathan would carry on the family legacy by commanding the first starship powered by that engine, the Enterprise NX-01. Unfortunately, Henry Archer would not live long enough to see the completion of his life's work. Still, Archer has always been at the forefront of the engine's development. He was part of the NX-Test Program circa 2143, trying to break the warp two barrier. Commander Archer vied with several other officers (Gardner, Duvall and A.G. Robinson) for the first flight. Ultimately, Commodore Maxwell Forrest, who was overseeing the project, chose Robinson. At the time, Robinson noted that Archer was too by-the-book in his methods — he had the makings of a great pilot, but not a great captain. When the first flight did not go as planned, Starfleet's Vulcan advisers nearly shut down the program. It was then that Archer decided to stop playing by the rules (with help from Robinson and Lieutenant Charles "Trip" Tucker III) Archer modified the engine and he and Robinson performed an unauthorized flight with one of the NX vessels, thereby proving that the engine worked and the program should continue. Archer also formed a life-long friendship with Tucker, who continues to be one of his closest confidants.

Archer blamed the Vulcans for withholding knowledge and technology that could have accelerated progress on the Warp Five engine. He always had something of a grudge against Vulcans, and his father's death only deepened it. His dealings with the green-blooded race have always been characterized by tension and petulance — almost a knee-jerk reaction on Archer's part. The animosity is mutual; many of the Vulcan delegation on Earth, such as Ambassador Soval, believe Archer is not suitable to be commanding Earth's first Warp-5 starship, preferring the far-less-impulsive Captain Gardner instead. But Starfleet has backed Captain Archer every step of the way. He especially has the full support of Forrest, now an admiral and Archer's direct superior. Forrest and his colleagues trust Archer to apply the best of human values and human judgment in his dealings with other species.

Character Trivia

For a while the character was named Jeffery Archer, but there is an author by that name. The last name of Hart was also considered for this character, one of the names Gene Roddenberry considered before settling on Kirk for the original series' captain.