[Taku]

The Butterfly Effect is Real:

Star Trek: Voyager was not received as well as its predecessors. In 1997 the producers decided to add a new character in an effort to boost the show's appeal. Actress Jeri Ryan was hired to portray the former Borg drone, Seven of Nine. The shooting schedule of the show caused Jeri Ryan to be frequently separated from her husband - Jack Ryan. The tensions due to their separation contributed to their eventual divorce in 1999.

In 2004, Jack Ryan won the Republican nomination for an open US Senate seat from Illinois. During the campaign, documents from the Ryan's divorce were "leaked" that contained details of the couple's sex life that did not - shall we say - shine a great light on Jack's character. The revelations led to a political scandal and Jack dropped out of the Senate race in July, just 4 months from election day.

The Republican Party could not pivot its political machine fast enough, and the token candidate they entered in the election - lost. Badly.

The Democrats took the US Senate seat with a landslide victory for Barack H. Obama. Obama's victory in that election catapulted him onto the national stage and afforded him the opportunity to give a speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Then, in 2008, Obama won the Democratic nomination for the US Presidency - and then the Presidency itself.

TL/DR; The crappy ratings of Star Trek: Voyager helped elect Barack Obama.