Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 1 – “Red Directive”
Star Trek: Discovery season 5 brought back the 32nd century Starfleet’s tribute to Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) from Star Trek: Enterprise. Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Enterprise are TV series at opposite points bookending Star Trek‘s Prime Universe timeline. Enterprise is set in the 22nd century and charts the pioneering voyages of the NX-01, the first Starship Enterprise commanded by Captain Archer. Star Trek: Discovery seasons 3-5 are set over a thousand years later in the 32nd century.
Star Trek: Discovery season 1 began in 2256, a century after Captain Archer’s NX-01 Enterprise first set off to explore the galaxy. Although Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the USS Discovery’s crew never met Archer, Star Trek: Discovery certainly bore the influence of Star Trek: Enterprise, especially in Discovery‘s early seasons. Both series were Star Trek prequels, and Discovery‘s original blue Starfleet uniforms were a visual link to the distinctive blue jumpsuits worn on Star Trek: Enterprise by Captain Archer’s crew.
Star Trek: Discovery season 5’s premiere, “Red Directive,” saw the return of the Archer Space Dock. Following a mission to Q’Mau where Captain Michael Burnham, Captain Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie), and Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) were unable to apprehend couriers Moll (Eve Harlow) and L’ak (Elias Toufexis), the USS Discovery and USS Antares used their combined shields to protect a Q’Mau settlement from an avalanche. Afterward, a dusty Discovery jumped back for repairs at the Archer Space Dock near United Federation of Planets headquarters.
The Archer Space Dock was introduced in Star Trek: Discovery season 4’s premiere, “Kobayashi Maru.” The facility was unveiled by Federation President Laira Rillak (Chelah Horsdal) to the first new class of Starfleet Academy. The goal of the Archer Space Dock is to upgrade the existing Starfleet and build the next generation of starships. It was only fitting to name the Archer Space Dock after the Captain of the first Starship Enterprise, and the first Federation President, Jonathan Archer.
Although Captain Jonathan Archer wasn’t name-dropped like Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) was in Star Trek: Discovery season 5’s premiere, Archer’s spirit was evoked in the Federation’s Millennium Celebration. Discovery season 5 is set in 3191, a thousand and 30 years after the founding of the United Federation of Planets. Captain Archer was a pivotal figure whose voyages forged the bonds between United Earth, Vulcan, Tellar Prime, and Andoria that led to the formation of the Federation.
Jonathan Archer is essentially the George Washington of the Federation. After his decade-long run as Captain of the Enterprise, Archer served as the first Federation President. There would be no Federation without Jonathan Archer, and he would be pleased to know that the Federation still endures in the 32nd century. Star Trek: Discovery is forging the future in the 32nd century, but the Archer Space Dock shows the Federation never forgets it was Captain Jonathan Archer who helped it begin.
Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Enterprise are streaming on Paramount+