Posted in: CBS, Opinion, Star Trek, Trailer, TV, TV, YouTube | Tagged: Avery Brooks, Benjamin Sisko, bleeding cool, cable, cbs all access, Deep Space Nine, discovery, enterprise, jean-luc picard, Jonathan Archer, lower decks, memorial, patrick stewart, Picard, scott bakula, shorter treks, shrine, star trek, statue, streaming, television, The Next Generation, tv

Star Trek: Why Picard, Sisko and Archer Deserve Their Own Monuments

It's safe to say that the larger-than-life pioneers memorialized are no longer monopolized by just once-living people. Fictional characters from Iron Man, Rocky Balboa, John Rambo, and currently under construction, Robocop all have shrines/statues there for fans to flock too. One such universe that has not one, but two captains on display are from Star Trek for captains James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew). Both are located at their future birthplaces in Riverside, Iowa, and Bloomington, Indiana, respectively. So why not go a step further for the other captains in Jean-Luc Picard (Sir Patrick Stewart), Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks), and Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula)?

It would make sense since Star Trek is a global phenomenon that the one (Picard) who wasn't born in the United States should be embraced in La Barre, France. Stewart is also the only actor to star in two Star Trek series (The Next Generation and Picard) not only doing his part as Picard saving the earth from the Borg but also he just saved an entire race of synthetics from the first season of his self-titled series on CBS All Access. When it comes to Benjamin Sisko, he was on the front line defending the Alpha Quadrant from the Dominion, particularly the Jem'Hadar. Before joining the prophets, the captain on Deep Space Nine became a stalwart and stoic presence confronting prejudice, fighting for justice, uniting unlikely allies together against the greater Jem'Hadar threat, and helped broker peace between Bajorans and Cardassians. A monument in his future birthplace of New Orleans would be ideal as a tourist attraction, not to mention an inspiration to younger generations especially as the franchise's first African American to lead a series.

Archer's place in the Federation obviously can't be questioned since he helped start it helping to mold its very core with the foundation of the Prime Directive: the principle where a warp-capable species won't interfere with a non-warp civilization. In canon, Archer set the precedence in the current Star Trek timeline even if Shatner's The Original Series was filmed in the 1960s taking place long before the 2000's Star Trek: Enterprise. A monument for Archer in upstate New York can serve as another unifying symbol of the diversity of the country, similar to its more famous landmarks like the Empire State Building and at one time, World Trade Center. Why go through the trouble of erecting the extra monuments? First, the actors aren't getting any younger. Second, Star Trek has always served as a beacon of unity even if its fans incessantly "debate" the direction of the franchise. Third, it's a step forward for positive change in these divisive times.

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