Star Trek Fans Shocked: Scott Bakula's Archer Has Four Kids — And One With His Former Flame Captain Hernandez

The Star Trek universe has a long, sad history of lonely captains. Gene Roddenberry's original 1960s trope focused on heroes 'married to their ship'. Captain Kirk always got the girl but never a permanent romance. Captain Picard was famously solitary for decades.

This 'lonely captain' archetype is so ingrained that new, canonical information about a legendary captain's personal life is causing major shockwaves online.

But Scott Bakula, the star of Star Trek: Enterprise, wants to shatter that mould. He and a veteran writer are developing a comeback story for Captain Jonathan Archer. This time, however, Archer is not just a captain. He is the President of the Federation, and he has a secret, complicated family that could change everything.

It is this 'secret family,' a detail fans never knew, that has the Star Trek community in an uproar.

Scott Bakula's Proposed Series Is a Political Thriller

The proposed series is titled Star Trek: United. It is being developed by Bakula and writer-producer Michael Sussman, who actually created Archer's canonical post-Enterprise story. The concept recasts Archer as the first President of the United Federation of Planets, a role he earned after his historic voyages on the NX-01.

This is not a peaceful retirement. The show is described as a 'crackerjack story' and a 'political thriller.' It would follow President Archer as he fights to save the Federation he helped build. The story is set during the precarious late 22nd century, when the entire galactic alliance is on the verge of collapsing.

How Scott Bakula's Archer Shatters The 'Lonely Captain' Trope

While the political stakes are high, the true innovation is personal. Star Trek: United would also be a family drama, focusing on President Archer and his four adult children. This is the first part of the 'shocking' new lore: this is a radical departure for a main-line Trek hero.

Sussman has outlined a complex family dynamic. Archer's grown children are scattered throughout the galaxy. One offspring followed his path into galactic diplomacy. Another works for Federation Intelligence. A fourth child remains a complete mystery.

In a fascinating twist, and the detail that has fans truly stunned, one son also serves in Starfleet but refuses to use the famous 'Archer' surname. That is because, as Sussman confirmed, this son's mother is Captain Erika Hernandez, Archer's former flame from Star Trek: Enterprise.

Fans were quick to point out that Hernandez and Archer had a romantic history in the show, but the existence of a child from that relationship was never mentioned, leading to the current fan shock. This implies Archer had a 'complicated, but also full' personal life with multiple partners after his mission ended.

This concept defies Trek convention. Kirk barely knew his son, David, before Klingons murdered him in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Picard only learned of his son, Jack, in Star Trek: Picard season 3.

Other captains fared worse. Captain Garrett of the Enterprise-C died at her post. Strange New Worlds will deliver Captain Pike to his grim, canonical fate, though it did offer him a 'boon' in an alternate-life with a daughter. This show would finally give a captain a sprawling family.

This focus on a captain's complex family life is seen as a phenomenal concept. The 'shock' from fans seems to be a mix of surprise at the new lore and excitement for the dramatic potential.

It would show Archer being loved, challenged, and even defied by his own children. For fans, this human element is a major reason why the hopeful Star Trek: United pitch deserves to be made into a full series.