Star Trek Releases Jonathan Archer Presidential Campaign Ad

Today is election day in the United States, and Star Trek has gotten into the spirit of things by releasing a fictional campaign ad. This ad isn’t a campaign ad for the United States presidential race, but for “Jonathan Archer for President of the United Federation of Planets 2814.” Archer is one of Starfleet’s most decorated captains ever. Star Trek: Enterprise fans may remember that the episode “In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II” revealed that, once his time as captain of the USS Enterprise NX-01 ended, Archer would go on to become an admiral, ambassador, and Federation councilman. His career would culminate with eight years serving as one of the Federation’s earliest presidents, from 2184-2192. The ad, which you can watch in full at the official Star Trek website, shows how Archer won the vote of Federation citizens.

The ad heralds Archer’s achievements as captain of Starfleet’s first ship capable of achieving warp five. It also parrots the claim by at least one Federation historian that Archer was the greatest explorer of the 22nd century. Finally, it stitches together some of Archer’s great speeches from Enterprise to form a closing argument for his campaign. In the video, he says:

“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’re 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.”

While it’s fun to look towards Star Trek’s fictional presidential politics, there is a real election today. It’s one that many Star Trek actors have involved themselves in. Remember to go vote.

Once you’ve cast your vote, if you’re looking to lose yourself in more Federation politics, check out the current arc of IDW Publishing’s Star Trek: Year Five series. It’s about a Federation election where the nominees include an old friend of James T. Kirk and an old thorn in Kirk’s side, Harry Mudd.

What do you think of the campaign ad for Jonathan Archer‘s bid to be president of the United Federation of Planets? Let us know in the comments.