91-410: " The Tholian Web " is the ninth episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek . Written by Judy Burns and Chet Richards and directed by Herb Wallerstein , it was first broadcast on November 15, 1968. In the episode, Captain Kirk is caught between dimensions while the crew of the Enterprise works to retrieve him. All the while, the Tholians are weaving
182-761: A computer -like screen , computer viruses , video chat , tanning beds , home treadmills , and more. In 1963, the time travel-themed Doctor Who premiered on BBC Television. The original series ran until 1989 and was revived in 2005. It has been extremely popular worldwide and has greatly influenced later TV science fiction. Other programs in the 1960s included The Outer Limits (1963–1965), Lost in Space (1965–1968), and The Prisoner (1967). Star Trek (the original series), created by Gene Roddenberry , premiered in 1966 on NBC Television and ran for three seasons. It combined elements of space opera and Space Western . Only mildly successful at first,
273-428: A space opera , went on to become a worldwide popular culture phenomenon , and the second-highest-grossing film series of all time. Since the 1980s, science fiction films , along with fantasy , horror , and superhero films, have dominated Hollywood's big-budget productions. Science fiction films often " cross-over " with other genres, including film noir ( Blade Runner - 1982), family film ( E.T.
364-623: A destructive energy web around the Enterprise . The starship USS Enterprise enters an uncharted region of space searching for her sister ship, the USS Defiant . Sensors detect fractures in space, and a power loss affects all systems. Defiant is found adrift, and Captain Kirk , First Officer Spock , Chief Medical Officer Dr. McCoy , and Navigator Ensign Chekov transport across wearing environmental suits for protection. Aboard Defiant , they find
455-619: A dog named Porthos, which he thought was good name for a dog and took as inspiration for Archer's dog. In the Mirror Universe , Jonathan Archer was first officer of the ISS Enterprise with the rank of Commander . In this universe, he served under the command of Captain Maximilian Forrest , the alternate version of Admiral Maxwell Forrest . Unlike in the "normal" Trek universe, where Forrest and Archer are close friends,
546-535: A great and influential film. In 1954, Godzilla , directed by Ishirō Honda , began the kaiju subgenre of science fiction film, which feature large creatures of any form, usually attacking a major city or engaging other monsters in battle . 1968's 2001: A Space Odyssey , directed by Stanley Kubrick and based on the work of Arthur C. Clarke , rose above the mostly B-movie offerings up to that time both in scope and quality, and influenced later science fiction films. That same year, Planet of
637-669: A journey to the Moon and how the Earth 's motion is seen from there. Kepler has been called the "father of science fiction". Following the 17th-century development of the novel as a literary form , Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein (1818) and The Last Man (1826) helped define the form of the science fiction novel. Brian Aldiss has argued that Frankenstein was the first work of science fiction. Edgar Allan Poe wrote several stories considered to be science fiction, including " The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall " (1835), which featured
728-542: A major role in the founding of the United Federation of Planets in 2161. He briefly took Archer ahead in time to the point where Archer is about to sign the Federation accords on Earth , expanded further in the series finale. Archer's fate is revealed in the episode " In a Mirror, Darkly , Part II" when a computer information screen aboard the 23rd century Starfleet vessel USS Defiant is briefly visible. According to
819-471: A mysterious being from the future (informally referred to as "Future Guy") who is guiding them. As the Temporal Cold War continues, Archer also meets Daniels , whose purpose seemingly is to safeguard Archer in particular and Enterprise in general. Daniels' comments are that Archer will be the man who helps form the United Federation of Planets , and it becomes apparent by the third season that Daniels
910-643: A number of discrepancies, including listing 2160 as the year that Archer's captaincy of Enterprise came to an end. The series later established that Archer's command ended in 2161, as seen in the series finale, " These Are the Voyages... ". At least three starships were named after him: the Archer -class scout ship featured in the tie-in novel series Star Trek: Vanguard and its follow-up Star Trek: Seekers , an unspecified ship alluded to in Star Trek: Nemesis and
1001-465: A prisoner , cloning Tucker to harvest body parts to save the chief engineer and thus killing the clone, and stealing a vital warp coil and leaving a ship of aliens stranded in space. While on his mission to locate the Xindi, Archer is briefly transformed into a member of the extinct Loque'eque by a mutagenic virus. Later, he is infected by subspace parasites , creating an alternate timeline in which
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#17328554276511092-418: A society (on Earth or another planet) that has developed in wholly different ways from our own." There is a tendency among science fiction enthusiasts as their own arbiter in deciding what exactly constitutes science fiction. David Seed says it may be more useful to talk about science fiction as the intersection of other more concrete subgenres. Damon Knight summed up the difficulty, saying "Science fiction
1183-514: A staff meeting after his release. On arrival, they discovered the USS Defiant , a Starfleet ship from 100 years into the future of the "normal" universe. Archer led an away team to take control of the Defiant while the Enterprise was destroyed by the Tholians . He and his team, plus survivors from the Enterprise , discovered the Defiant was not only from another dimension, but the future and that
1274-495: A total estimated readership of at least 1 million), making it the world's most popular science fiction periodical . In 1984, William Gibson 's first novel, Neuromancer , helped popularize cyberpunk and the word " cyberspace ", a term he originally coined in his 1982 short story Burning Chrome . In 1986, Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold began her Vorkosigan Saga . 1992's Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson predicted immense social upheaval due to
1365-516: A trip to the Moon . Jules Verne was noted for his attention to detail and scientific accuracy, especially in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (1870). In 1887, the novel El anacronópete by Spanish author Enrique Gaspar y Rimbau introduced the first time machine . An early French/Belgian science fiction writer was J.-H. Rosny aîné (1856–1940). Rosny's masterpiece
1456-537: A two-part episode of Star Trek: Enterprise called " In a Mirror, Darkly ", it is revealed that the Defiant has reappeared in the Mirror Universe of Archer's time, where it is first salvaged by the Tholians and then stolen by the Terran Empire. In 2015, SyFy ranked this episode as one of the top ten essential Star Trek original series Spock episodes. In 2016, The Hollywood Reporter rated "The Tholian Web"
1547-575: A very palatable form... New adventures pictured for us in the scientifiction of today are not at all impossible of realization tomorrow... Many great science stories destined to be of historical interest are still to be written... Posterity will point to them as having blazed a new trail, not only in literature and fiction, but progress as well. In 1928, E. E. "Doc" Smith 's first published work, The Skylark of Space , written in collaboration with Lee Hawkins Garby , appeared in Amazing Stories . It
1638-623: A world of harmony and conformity within a united totalitarian state . It influenced the emergence of dystopia as a literary genre . In 1926, Hugo Gernsback published the first American science fiction magazine , Amazing Stories . In its first issue he wrote: By 'scientifiction' I mean the Jules Verne, H. G. Wells and Edgar Allan Poe type of story—a charming romance intermingled with scientific fact and prophetic vision... Not only do these amazing tales make tremendously interesting reading—they are always instructive. They supply knowledge... in
1729-470: Is Les Navigateurs de l'Infini ( The Navigators of Infinity ) (1925) in which the word astronaut, "astronautique", was used for the first time. Many critics consider H. G. Wells one of science fiction's most important authors, or even "the Shakespeare of science fiction". His works include The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), and The War of
1820-427: Is presumed dead when the Xindi superweapon is destroyed, after having convinced three of the five Xindi races that reports of humanity's future conflict with them are wrong. However, in reality, he is transported back to the early 1940s during World War II , as is the Enterprise . After returning home in 2154, Archer helps a faction of Vulcans fight an oppressive government on their planet. During this incident, he
1911-467: Is a fictional character in the Star Trek franchise. He is one of the protagonists of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise , where he was portrayed by Scott Bakula . Archer was the commanding officer of the first starship Enterprise (NX-01) from 2151 to 2161. Archer also played a major role in the formation of Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets , and was later President of
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#17328554276512002-625: Is also involved in one of the first, and possibly most significant, treaties yet, being asked to escort Gral, the Tellarite ambassador, to the Tellarite- Andorian negotiations. En route, he and his crew run into the Andorian Shran , a long-time friend/enemy/ally. During Shran's stay, Romulans attack and cause the fragile alliance to crash to a halt. In the mix-up, a Tellarite kills Shran's lover Talas , and Shran avenges her death by demanding
2093-447: Is an avid water polo fan, and often relaxes by watching water polo games. Archer grew up with a distrust of Vulcans , perceiving them as having held back humanity's progress, particularly with regard to his father's warp five project. As a commander , Archer served as a test-pilot in the NX warp trials with A.G. Robinson, Duvall and Gardner. (All mentioned in the episode " First Flight ". It
2184-456: Is assumed it is this Gardner who becomes Admiral when Maxwell Forrest dies in " The Forge ". ) Robinson pushed the limits of a test ship, the NX-Alpha, resulting in its destruction. The Vulcans recommended terminating the warp trials, which Starfleet agreed to, until Charles Tucker III (who would later serve as chief engineer under Archer) fixed the intermix ratios, and Archer and Robinson took
2275-544: Is eat, sleep and not fetch." He also commented "there's nothing Porthos likes more than dinner time". Although Porthos is not the first domesticated pet to be featured in a Star Trek series ( Data owned a cat, Spot , in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Captain Jean-Luc Picard owned a lionfish named Livingston), Porthos has the distinction of being the first pet to maintain an ongoing presence in
2366-619: Is often called the first great space opera . The same year, Philip Francis Nowlan 's original Buck Rogers story, Armageddon 2419 , also appeared in Amazing Stories . This was followed by a Buck Rogers comic strip , the first serious science fiction comic . Last and First Men: A Story of the Near and Far Future is a " future history " science fiction novel written in 1930 by the British author Olaf Stapledon . A work of unprecedented scale in
2457-503: Is one of the most influential examples of social science fiction , feminist science fiction , and anthropological science fiction . In 1979, Science Fiction World began publication in the People's Republic of China . It dominates the Chinese science fiction magazine market , at one time claiming a circulation of 300,000 copies per issue and an estimated 3–5 readers per copy (giving it
2548-560: Is related to fantasy , horror , and superhero fiction and contains many subgenres . Its exact definition has long been disputed among authors, critics, scholars, and readers. Subgenres include hard science fiction , which emphasizes scientific accuracy, and soft science fiction , focusing on social sciences. Other notable subgenres are cyberpunk , which explores the interface between technology and society, and climate fiction , addressing environmental issues. Precedents for science fiction are argued to exist as far back as antiquity, but
2639-527: Is representing the Federation throughout the Temporal Cold War. In Season 3, he was the military commander in the Expanse. Following the Xindi attack on Earth in 2153, Archer becomes a changed man.No longer a congenial captain, he is now driven and determined to seek out and confront the perpetrators. Archer commits desperate, controversial acts of questionable morality to ensure a future for Earth, including torturing
2730-674: Is the recipient of the katra , or living spirit, of the great Vulcan philosopher Surak . The katra is later transferred to a Vulcan priest, and Archer is left unharmed. This leads to the reformation of Vulcan society, and explains why the Vulcans of Archer's time were so different from the Vulcans of Kirk's time. In the process, Archer becomes the first known Human participant in a Vulcan mind meld . Since that experience, he has used that knowledge at least once: To assist T'Pol with conducting her first mind meld to gain information about who kidnapped Dr. Phlox (the episode " Affliction "). Archer
2821-495: Is up, Kirk does not reappear, and Spock concludes that the arrival of the Tholian ship disrupted the interphase. When the Enterprise is attacked by Loskene, McCoy again urges Spock to leave, believing Kirk is lost. Spock chooses to return fire and the Tholian ship is disabled, but the Enterprise takes damage as well. Scott warns that because of the damage he cannot guarantee that he can hold their position. A second Tholian ship joins
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2912-537: Is what we point to when we say it." Forrest J Ackerman has been credited with first using the term "sci-fi" (analogous to the then-trendy " hi-fi ") in about 1954. The first known use in print was a description of Donovan's Brain by movie critic Jesse Zunser in January 1954. As science fiction entered popular culture , writers and fans active in the field came to associate the term with low-budget, low-tech " B-movies " and with low-quality pulp science fiction . By
3003-466: The Enterprise 's mission fails and the Xindi succeed in destroying Earth (although the nature of these parasites mean that this timeline is erased when Phlox's cure for Archer erases the parasites themselves from history). With the help of Daniels , Archer, along with T'Pol , travels back in time to the year 2004 to prevent the release of a Xindi-Reptilian bio-weapon . By the end of the season, Archer
3094-536: The Golden Age of Science Fiction . Science fiction has been called the "literature of ideas ", and continues to evolve, incorporating diverse voices and themes, influencing not just literature but film, TV, and culture at large. Besides providing entertainment it can also criticize present-day society and explore alternatives, and inspiration a " sense of wonder ". According to Isaac Asimov , "Science fiction can be defined as that branch of literature which deals with
3185-422: The Defiant vanishes. Spock determines that the local space is experiencing periods of "interphase", when two parallel dimensions touch each other and objects in one universe can shift into the other, and he believes Kirk will reappear during the next one. As he explains the situation, Chekov lashes out in anger, a symptom that McCoy believes is due to their proximity to Defiant . Spock, however, refuses to move
3276-477: The Russian writer and paleontologist Ivan Yefremov presented a view of a future interstellar communist civilization and is considered one of the most important Soviet science fiction novels. In 1959, Robert A. Heinlein 's Starship Troopers marked a departure from his earlier juvenile stories and novels. It is one of the first and most influential examples of military science fiction , and introduced
3367-547: The Texas Tech University School of Law , cited a video recording introduced in this episode, which Captain Kirk, Captain of the starship Enterprise , had left for his two most senior officers to play in the event of his death, urging them to overcome their personal animosity. Beyer described this fictional recording as one of the first recorded instances of what he called a video-will . Political scientists have compared
3458-471: The United Federation of Planets from 2184 to 2192. According to a computer display in the episode " In a Mirror, Darkly ", historian John Gill considered Archer "the greatest explorer of the 22nd century." Archer, the son of famed warp engineer Henry Archer and his wife Sally, was born in 2112 on August 4 in Upstate New York , where he spent most of his formative years; he later claimed to have spent
3549-447: The information revolution . In 2007, Liu Cixin 's novel, The Three-Body Problem , was published in China. It was translated into English by Ken Liu and published by Tor Books in 2014, and won the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Novel , making Liu the first Asian writer to win the award. Emerging themes in late 20th and early 21st century science fiction include environmental issues ,
3640-560: The pilot episode , Travis Mayweather says Archer won't use the transporter for himself and certainly not for his dog. In " A Night in Sickbay ", Porthos nearly dies when he contracts a deadly pathogen on the Kreetassan homeworld, but is saved when Phlox transplants a gland from a chameleon -like creature. In " Similitude ", Archer explains in answer to the question "Can he do any tricks?" that "I haven't taught him any, mostly what he does
3731-400: The 1970s, critics within the field, such as Damon Knight and Terry Carr , were using "sci fi" to distinguish hack-work from serious science fiction. Peter Nicholls writes that "SF" (or "sf") is "the preferred abbreviation within the community of sf writers and readers." Robert Heinlein found even "science fiction" insufficient for certain types of works in this genre, and suggested
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3822-527: The 22nd century." The same computer display states that Archer's Planet and Archer IV (mentioned in " Yesterday's Enterprise " and " Strange New World " respectively) were named after him. Unused production artwork would have shown that Archer dies peacefully in his sleep at his home in Upstate New York in 2245, exactly one day after he attends the commissioning ceremony of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) . However, this biographical computer display contained
3913-545: The 75th best television episode of all Star Trek franchise television shows prior to Star Trek: Discovery . A 2018 Star Trek binge-watching guide by Den of Geek , recommended this episode for featuring the trio of characters Kirk, Spock, and Bones of the original series. In 1997 it became known that United States Customs investigators had used the name Tholian Web for a sting operation designed to root out and arrest child porn criminals. By 1997 it had triggered hundreds of prosecutions. In 2010 Gerry W. Beyer, of
4004-446: The 8th Star Trek captain by their selection criterion, a combination of competency and managerial style. They note Archer as being interested in exploration, but also having a relaxed attitude and that he also enjoys spending times with friends and his pet dog. Space.com rated Archer as the sixth best captain of Star Trek . The Washington Post ranked Archer as the seventh best Captain of Star Trek . Screen Rant rated Archer as
4095-614: The Akaali, the Andorians , Axanar , Suliban, Tandarans , Tellarites , Tholians, Xindi and Romulans . Although initially optimistic, Archer becomes involved in his first mission as captain of Enterprise in the middle of the Temporal Cold War . The Temporal Cold War begins at the beginning of the pilot episode, " Broken Bow ". In that episode, the audience is introduced to the Suliban and
4186-550: The Apes (the original), directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and based on the 1963 French novel La Planète des Singes by Pierre Boulle , was released to popular and critical acclaim, its vivid depiction of a post-apocalyptic world in which intelligent apes dominate humans . In 1977, George Lucas began the Star Wars film series with the film now identified as " Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope . " The series, often called
4277-575: The Extra-Terrestrial - 1983), war ( Enemy Mine - 1985), comedy ( Spaceballs - 1987, Galaxy Quest - 1999), animation ( WALL-E – 2008, Big Hero 6 – 2014), Western ( Serenity – 2005), action ( Edge of Tomorrow – 2014, The Matrix – 1999), adventure ( Jupiter Ascending – 2015, Interstellar – 2014), mystery ( Minority Report – 2002), thriller ( Ex Machina – 2014), drama ( Melancholia – 2011, Predestination – 2014), and romance ( Eternal Sunshine of
4368-692: The Klingons. In a dispute with the Klingon Empire in 2152, he is convicted and sentenced to exile on Rura Penthe , even though he is innocent of the charges and despite the Klingons having acknowledged his previous service to the Empire. With his escape, a bounty is put on Archer's head and tensions with the Klingon Empire increase. Also during this period, Archer has the distinction of making Earth 's official first contact with dozens of alien races, including
4459-490: The Mazarites, Xindi , Tholians , Suliban and Klingons caused Archer to become more of a military commander. In addition, Archer learns that the duties of captain include being a diplomat. During Seasons 1 and 2, he is somewhat uncomfortable with this role, especially in the episode " A Night in Sickbay " when his pet beagle, Porthos , contracts a deadly illness on an alien world. While exploring, Archer becomes an enemy of
4550-511: The NX-Beta, the second test ship, without clearance to prove its readiness. The suspension of Archer did not completely stop the progress of the Enterprise 's construction, as the program eventually resumed after a six-month halt. As a man who loves to travel amongst the stars, Archer learns that being captain is a larger duty than manager and astronomer . He ran into species from all over the quadrant trying to kill him and his crew. Encounters with
4641-457: The Spotless Mind – 2004, Her – 2013). Science fiction and television have consistently been in a close relationship. Television or television-like technologies frequently appeared in science fiction long before television itself became widely available in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The first known science fiction television program was a thirty-five-minute adapted excerpt of
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#17328554276514732-548: The States and Empires of the Moon (1657) and The States and Empires of the Sun (1662), Margaret Cavendish 's " The Blazing World " (1666), Jonathan Swift 's Gulliver's Travels (1726), Ludvig Holberg 's Nicolai Klimii Iter Subterraneum (1741) and Voltaire 's Micromégas (1752). Isaac Asimov and Carl Sagan considered Somnium the first science fiction story; it depicts
4823-480: The Tellarite who killed her to fight to the death. In an attempt to protect the fragile peace treaty, Archer takes the challenge instead and Shran is incapacitated. The alliance remains intact, and soon evolves into the United Federation of Planets . (" Babel One ", " United ", " The Aenar ", " Demons ", " Terra Prime ", " These Are the Voyages... "). The time traveler Daniels revealed that Archer would eventually have
4914-590: The USS Archer NCC-627 in the pilot episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . Archer Spacedock from Star Trek: Discovery is also named for Jonathan Archer. The 2009 Star Trek film briefly references Archer, as Montgomery Scott receives punishment stemming from an incident involving a transporter and "Admiral Archer's prized beagle." There was some confusion as to if this actually referred to Jonathan Archer himself as this would make him 141 years old. Star Trek writer Bob Orci went on record to clear up
5005-510: The Worlds (1898). His science fiction imagined alien invasion , biological engineering , invisibility , and time travel . In his non-fiction futurologist works he predicted the advent of airplanes , military tanks , nuclear weapons , satellite television , space travel , and something resembling the World Wide Web . Edgar Rice Burroughs 's A Princess of Mars , published in 1912,
5096-477: The activation of the ship's engines, which carries them through the spatial rift to a point 2.72 parsecs away. Kirk is brought along by the transporter lock, and beamed aboard just as his oxygen runs out. On the bridge, Kirk questions Spock and McCoy about their handling of the emergency, particularly concerning the tape with his final orders. McCoy claims they did not have time to watch it, Spock confirms that they were very busy, and Kirk accepts their answers. In
5187-506: The alternate dimension never had a Terran Empire. After successfully crushing a rebellion against the Empire, Archer attempted to take the futuristic vessel to Earth where he would proclaim himself Emperor. However, before he could do so, he was killed by his universe's Hoshi Sato , who poisoned him, took the ship and claimed the Terran throne for herself. In 2019, Vulture ranked Captain Archer as
5278-431: The animal was "The sweetest dog I have ever met." In the episode " Acquisition ", Porthos was interrogated by a group of Ferengi pirates while the rest of the crew were incapacitated, but the aliens' universal translator could not decipher his barking. The pirates didn't know what to make of the dog, even speculating that he was perhaps food. They then decided they could sell him to a zoo. Brannon Braga 's nephew had
5369-448: The benefit of the ship. Lieutenant Uhura and Scott both report seeing ghostly manifestations of Kirk. Finally, the apparition is seen on the bridge; Kirk is still in his environmental suit and appears to be urging Spock to "hurry". With the Tholian web nearly complete, McCoy dispenses an antidote to the effects of the local space, and Spock determines the time of Kirk's next appearance. They lock onto Kirk's coordinates, and Spock orders
5460-581: The computer profile, Archer was an Admiral and Chief of Staff at Starfleet Command at the time of his retirement. He later went on to serve as ambassador to Andoria from 2165 to 2175. From 2175 to 2183, Archer served as a member of the Federation Council, followed by eight years as Federation President (2184–2192). He was also an honorary member of the Andorian Imperial Guard. Historian John Gill considered Archer "the greatest explorer of
5551-413: The concept of powered armor exoskeletons . The German space opera series Perry Rhodan , written by various authors, started in 1961 with an account of the first Moon landing and has since expanded in space to multiple universes , and in time by billions of years. It has become the most popular science fiction book series of all time. In the 1960s and 1970s, New Wave science fiction
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#17328554276515642-506: The creation of microrobots and micromachinery , nanotechnology , smartdust , virtual reality , and artificial intelligence (including swarm intelligence ), as well as developing the ideas of "necroevolution" and the creation of artificial worlds. In 1965, Dune by Frank Herbert featured a much more complex and detailed imagined future society than had previously in most science fiction. In 1967 Anne McCaffrey began her Dragonriders of Pern science fantasy series. Two of
5733-440: The crew dead, apparently having killed one another. The boarding party discovers that Defiant is slowly fading out of our universe. At one point, McCoy passes his hand through an almost invisible man and a table. With limited transporter functionality due to the unexplained malfunctions, Kirk orders his men to return to Enterprise first. The beaming takes longer than usual, and as Chief Engineer Scott tries to beam Kirk aboard,
5824-472: The devoted aficionado or fan—has a hard time trying to explain what science fiction is," and the lack of a "full satisfactory definition" is because "there are no easily delineated limits to science fiction." Another definition comes from The Literature Book by DK and is, "scenarios that are at the time of writing technologically impossible, extrapolating from present-day science...[,]...or that deal with some form of speculative science-based conceit, such as
5915-469: The duration of Archer's 10-year assignment as captain of Enterprise . Porthos was portrayed by a male beagle named Prada in Season 1. Afterwards, he was played by a further two female beagles, Breezy and Windy, although the character of Porthos remained male. Archer would occasionally leave Porthos in the care of Dr. Phlox when he was away or otherwise unavailable. Archer cares very much for Porthos. In
6006-439: The episodes, ran from 1959 to 1964. It featured fantasy , suspense , and horror as well as science fiction, with each episode being a complete story. Critics have ranked it as one of the best TV programs of any genre . The animated series The Jetsons , while intended as comedy and only running for one season (1962–1963), predicted many inventions now in common use: flat-screen televisions , newspapers on
6097-743: The first science fiction novel . Some of the stories from The Arabian Nights , along with the 10th-century The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter and Ibn al-Nafis 's 13th-century Theologus Autodidactus , are also argued to contain elements of science fiction. Written during the Scientific Revolution and later the Age of Enlightenment are considered true science-fantasy books. Francis Bacon 's New Atlantis (1627), Johannes Kepler 's Somnium (1634), Athanasius Kircher 's Itinerarium extaticum (1656), Cyrano de Bergerac 's Comical History of
6188-404: The first, and the two begin weaving an energy web that cages the Enterprise . Spock determines that if the web is completed before repairs are done, they will be unable to escape. Spock conducts a memorial service for Kirk, during which another man goes insane. Spock and McCoy then view a tape left by Kirk, to be played in the event of his death, which implores the two of them to work together for
6279-471: The fourth best captain, noting that he had to pioneer space without the benefit of the institutions he helped to create, and noted his ability to take on challenges. CBR ranked Archer as the 5th best member of Starfleet 2018, in between Spock (#6) and Captain Janeway (#4) in their ranking. In 2018, The Wrap ranked Archer as the 29th best main cast character of Star Trek overall. In 2016, Captain Archer
6370-480: The genre, it describes the history of humanity from the present onwards across two billion years. In 1937, John W. Campbell became editor of Astounding Science Fiction , an event that is sometimes considered the beginning of the Golden Age of Science Fiction , which was characterized by stories celebrating scientific achievement and progress . The "Golden Age" is often said to have ended in 1946, but sometimes
6461-516: The growing home video market in the 1980s, and the Star Trek II film had helped establish the home video market. This episode was released in Japan on December 21, 1993, as part of the complete season 3 LaserDisc set, Star Trek: Original Series log.3 . A trailer for this and the other episodes was also included on an additional disc, and the episode had English and Japanese audio tracks. The cover script
6552-472: The implications of the Internet and the expanding information universe, questions about biotechnology , nanotechnology , and post-scarcity societies . Recent trends and subgenres include steampunk , biopunk , and mundane science fiction . The first, or at least one of the first, recorded science fiction film is 1902's A Trip to the Moon , directed by French filmmaker Georges Méliès . It
6643-674: The issue, "Admiral Archer is a reference to the Archer we all know and love, and yes he would be over 100, which is a likely life expectancy in a futuristic space faring race of humans (as depicted by McCoy’s ( DeForest Kelley , playing the 137 year old Admiral) appearance in The Next Generation .)" In the Star Trek: Discovery episode " Choose Your Pain ", Archer is shown listed on the Starfleet Database as one of Starfleet's most decorated Captains as of 2256. Also included in
6734-415: The late 1940s and the 1950s are included. In 1942, Isaac Asimov started his Foundation series , which chronicles the rise and fall of galactic empires and introduced psychohistory . The series was later awarded a one-time Hugo Award for "Best All-Time Series". Theodore Sturgeon 's More Than Human (1953) explored possible future human evolution . In 1957, Andromeda: A Space-Age Tale by
6825-406: The list are: Robert April, Matthew Decker, Philippa Georgiou, and Christopher Pike . Porthos is Archer's dog. One of four males born in a litter of English Beagles , Porthos and his brothers, Athos, Aramis and d'Artagnan, were named after characters from The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, père . He has been Archer's faithful companion since the age of six weeks, and has remained so for
6916-641: The majority of his life in San Francisco . The second-season episode "First Flight" depicts in flashback that he spent many years as a test pilot in the nascent Starfleet's NX program, based in San Francisco. His dreams of exploring started as a boy. As a youth, Archer earned the Eagle Scout Award , along with 26 Merit Badges , from the Boy Scouts of America . (Mentioned in the episode " Rogue Planet ". ) He
7007-568: The metaphor of the entrapment in this episode with the deep challenges politicians and administrators feel when confronted with competing factions and lobby groups. "The Tholian Web" was released in 1988 on LaserDisc in the United States. It was published by Paramount Home Video , and was released as a pair with "For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky". Star Trek titles were popular on
7098-501: The mirror versions of the characters did not get along well at all. Like most characters in the Terran Empire , the mirror Archer was treacherous, cunning and scheming. He led a mutiny against Forrest and took over Enterprise . However, with the help of T'Pol and other Vulcans , Forrest was freed and retook the ship. Archer surrendered, but had locked the ship's navigation controls so its heading could not be altered. His reason for
7189-456: The modern genre primarily arose in the 19th and early 20th centuries when popular writers began looking to technological progress and speculation. Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein , written in 1818, is often credited as the first true science fiction novel . Jules Verne and H.G. Wells are pivotal figures in the genre's development. In the 20th century, expanded with the introduction of space operas , dystopian literature, pulp magazines , and
7280-506: The mutiny was brought to light as he had been informed about a ship that seemed to be from another dimension. With the ship's course unable to be changed and Starfleet now intrigued by what Archer had become aware of, Forrest was ordered to investigate, he also had Archer punished in the Agony Booth for a then record of ten hours, giving the Commander only one hour to clean up and get ready for
7371-472: The novellas included in the first novel, Dragonflight , made McCaffrey the first woman to win a Hugo or Nebula Award . In 1968, Philip K. Dick 's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? was published. It is the literary source of the Blade Runner movie franchise . In 1969, The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin was set on a planet in which the inhabitants have no fixed gender . It
7462-603: The play RUR , written by the Czech playwright Karel Čapek , broadcast live from the BBC's Alexandra Palace studios on 11 February 1938. The first popular science fiction program on American television was the children's adventure serial Captain Video and His Video Rangers , which ran from June 1949 to April 1955. The Twilight Zone (the original series), produced and narrated by Rod Serling , who also wrote or co-wrote most of
7553-468: The reaction of human beings to changes in science and technology ." Robert A. Heinlein wrote that "A handy short definition of almost all science fiction might read: realistic speculation about possible future events, based solidly on adequate knowledge of the real world, past and present, and on a thorough understanding of the nature and significance of the scientific method ." American science fiction author and editor Lester del Rey wrote, "Even
7644-593: The series gained popularity through syndication and extraordinary fan interest . It became a very popular and influential franchise with many films , television shows , novels , and other works and products. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994) led to six additional live action Star Trek shows: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999), Voyager (1995–2001) , Enterprise (2001–2005), Discovery (2017–2024), Picard (2020–2023), and Strange New Worlds (2022–present), with more in some form of development. Jonathan Archer Jonathan Archer
7735-402: The series, and even – as illustrated above – become the focus of an episode. In the Mirror Universe depicted in " In a Mirror, Darkly ", Porthos is a Rottweiler . According to the episode's podcast on Startrek.com , the dog that portrayed the mirror Porthos was known on set as an even bigger "baby" than the dogs which have played the regular Porthos. Episode writer Mike Sussman noted that
7826-510: The ship, fearful of disrupting local space, which could result in the loss of the Captain. With two hours before the next interphase, the Enterprise is approached by a small, unfamiliar ship. Its captain, Commander Loskene of the Tholian Assembly, asserts that Enterprise has violated Tholian space and must leave. Spock persuades Loskene to wait one hour and fifty-three minutes. When the time
7917-515: The term speculative fiction to be used instead for those that are more "serious" or "thoughtful". Some scholars assert that science fiction had its beginnings in ancient times , when the line between myth and fact was blurred. Written in the 2nd century CE by the satirist Lucian , A True Story contains many themes and tropes characteristic of modern science fiction, including travel to other worlds, extraterrestrial lifeforms , interplanetary warfare, and artificial life . Some consider it
8008-404: Was influential on later filmmakers , bringing a different kind of creativity and fantasy . Méliès's innovative editing and special effects techniques were widely imitated and became important elements of the cinematic medium . 1927's Metropolis , directed by Fritz Lang , is the first feature-length science fiction film. Though not well received in its time, it is now considered
8099-480: Was known for its embrace of a high degree of experimentation, both in form and in content, and a highbrow and self-consciously " literary " or " artistic " sensibility . In 1961, Solaris by Stanisław Lem was published in Poland . The novel dealt with the theme of human limitations as its characters attempted to study a seemingly intelligent ocean on a newly discovered planet . Lem's work anticipated
8190-408: Was the first of his three- decade -long planetary romance series of Barsoom novels , which were set on Mars and featured John Carter as the hero . These novels were predecessors to YA novels , and drew inspiration from European science fiction and American Western novels . In 1924, We by Russian writer Yevgeny Zamyatin , one of the first dystopian novels, was published. It describes
8281-452: Was スター・トレック TVサードシーズン for the set. Science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to SF or sci-fi ) is a genre of speculative fiction , which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology , space exploration , time travel , parallel universes , and extraterrestrial life . It often explores human responses to changes in science and technology. Science fiction
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