Star Trek wants you to vote for Jonathan Archer for president (of the Federation)

Scott Bakula as Jonathan Archer in a fictional bid for Federation president. Image StarTrek.com

NOVEMBER 4, 2020 - As the ballots have finally been cast and Americans wait impatiently for the results of the general election, the good people at Star Trek have put forward their candidate for President...not for the United States, but for the United Federation of Planets. A new video from StarTrek.com showcases Captain Jonathan Archer in a brief fictional campaign video for the Federation’s presidential seat in the year 2184.

First reported by ComicBook.com, the video hails Captain Archer as “the greatest explorer of the 22nd century”, noting his achievements as captain of Starfleet’s first vessel capable of reaching warp five. ComicBook.com notes that in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode “In a Mirror, Darkly Part 2”, it was established that Archer eventually goes on to become the President of the Federation, serving an eight year term from 2184 - 2192.

The video isn’t very long - just a minute and a half - but it does include a statement from Captain Archer, as played by actor Scott Bakula. The statement is a composition of some of the best bits of Archer’s more memorable speeches from Enterprise, and goes as follows:

"We're going to stumble, make mistakes, I'm sure more than a few before we find our footing, but we're going to learn from those mistakes. There are 400 billion stars in our galaxy. We've only explored a tiny fraction. We are all explorers, driven to know what's over the horizon, what's beyond our own shores. Yet, no matter how far we travel or how fast we get there, the most profound discoveries are not necessarily beyond that next star, but within us. The final frontier begins with us all. Let's explore it together."

No matter how you voted in the 2020 presidential election, or what the outcome ends up being, Captain Archer’s campaign ad is an endearing look at how we all must work together to ensure our best future.