Christopher Pike (Star Trek)


Captain Christopher "Chris" Pike is a character in the Star Trek science fiction franchise. He was portrayed by Jeffrey Hunter in the original ' pilot episode, "The Cage |The Cage", as captain of the. When this pilot was rejected, Hunter withdrew from the series, and Pike was replaced with Captain James T. Kirk. The subsequent Star Trek episode "The Menagerie |The Menagerie" uses footage from "The Cage" within a framing story, featuring Sean Kenney as an older, scarred and disabled Pike. Bruce Greenwood portrays a version of Pike in the films Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness, which takes place in an alternative timeline. The second season of ', which is set before "The Menagerie" but after "The Cage", has Pike assume temporary command of the USS Discovery.

Depiction

According to dialogue in "The Cage", he is from the city of Mojave on Earth and once owned a horse named Tango.
Pike is the second captain of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 and the first to be shown in Star Trek canon. reveals that Captain Robert April predated Pike, and printed Star Trek fiction and reference books also identify April as Pike's predecessor. Pike took command of the USS Enterprise in the year 2250, at the age of 38, taking over command from Robert April, who commanded the Enterprise for five years.

"The Cage"

At the beginning of "The Cage |The Cage", set in the year 2254, Pike and his crew are recuperating from a mission to Rigel VII during which several members of the landing party were killed by the inhabitants. The incident filled Pike with so much guilt that he is considering resigning his commission.
Meanwhile, the Enterprise is en route to Vega Colony to drop off wounded crew members when it receives a distress call from the survey vessel SS Columbia, lost eighteen years previously. Pike initially refuses to investigate, citing that the injured crew members take priority. However, when an abbreviated follow-up message is received, he orders the ship diverted to Talos IV to rescue survivors.
Pike soon learns that all but one of the survivors are illusions created by the Talosians in order to lure the Enterprise crew to Talos IV. The Talosians make every effort to provide fantasies that they hope will appeal to Pike, using Vina, the only real Columbia survivor, as the object of desire. After Pike escapes from his prison cell with the aid of his first officer, Number One, and Yeoman J. M. Colt, the Talosians reveal, to Pike, Vina's real appearance as a disfigured older woman. The Talosians saved her life after the Columbia crashed, but they had no guide on how to repair a human body. Pike requests that the Talosians restore her illusion of beauty and the Enterprise leaves Talos IV.

"The Menagerie"

At some point prior to the two-part episode "The Menagerie |The Menagerie", set in the year 2267, Pike is promoted to fleet captain. He is severely injured while rescuing several cadets from a baffle plate rupture on board a J-class training vessel, the delta ray radiation leaving him paralyzed, unable to speak, badly scarred, and using a brainwave-operated wheelchair for mobility. His only means of communicating is through a light on the chair: one flash meaning "yes" and two flashes indicating "no".
In "The Menagerie", the Enterprise, now under the command of Captain James T. Kirk, travels to Starbase 11. Spock, who had served with Pike for "eleven years, four months, and five days", makes clandestine arrangements to take Pike back to Talos IV, despite travel to Talos IV being the only criminal offense still punishable by death in Starfleet. Spock undergoes court-martial, with his evidence presented during the trial being footage from "The Cage". At the two-part episode's conclusion, it is revealed that the entire procedure was a Talosian-generated illusion to ensure that the Enterprise reached Talos. The Talosians invite Captain Pike to spend the remainder of his life among them, "unfettered by his natural body", which was the entire purpose of Spock's actions. Pike accepts the offer and Spock, now cleared of all charges, sees him off. The Talosians then show Captain Kirk an image of Pike in perfect health and reunited with Vina.

Later references

Pike is referenced in the episode "Mirror, Mirror |Mirror, Mirror". An alternate-universe version of Captain Kirk reportedly assassinated Pike to become captain of the ISS Enterprise.
In the ' episode "The Most Toys", the name Pike can be seen briefly on the side of the shuttlecraft Lt. Commander Data was going to pilot at the beginning of the episode.
A citation named for Pike is revealed in the ' episode "Tears of the Prophets"; Captain Benjamin Sisko receives the "Christopher Pike Medal of Valor" for his actions during the Dominion War.

Reboot

Captain Pike appears in the 2009 reboot Star Trek, this time portrayed by Bruce Greenwood. In the film, Pike encourages a young, directionless James T. Kirk to follow in the footsteps of his hero father and enlist in Starfleet. Pike is the first Captain of the USS Enterprise, with Kirk on board as a stowaway. During the Battle of Vulcan, Pike is taken prisoner by Nero and tortured for information about Earth's defenses. He is later rescued by Kirk, whom Pike also manages to save from an attack despite his wounds. At the end of the film, Pike is promoted to the rank of admiral and uses a wheelchair. Unlike his counterpart in "The Menagerie", however, Pike still retains the ability to speak and to use his upper body. He proudly yields command of the Enterprise to Kirk while he recovers from his injuries, stating that Kirk's father would be proud of his actions.
Greenwood reprised his role as Pike in the next film, Star Trek Into Darkness. In the film, Pike has partially recovered from the trauma Nero inflicted, using a cane rather than a wheelchair. After Kirk violates the Prime Directive to rescue Spock, Pike briefly retakes command of the Enterprise and warns Kirk that the Admiralty is threatening to put him back into the Academy. Pike confronts Kirk about his reckless behavior and how his own actions can get those nearest to him killed. Despite his anger at Kirk, however, Pike retains him as his First Officer, sparing him from having to return to the Academy. He later explains to Kirk that he still believes in him and that he also sees a "greatness" behind his recklessness. During a meeting with the Starfleet commanders, including veteran Admiral Marcus and Captain Kirk, Pike is killed in a terrorist attack on Starfleet by John Harrison. Pike's death incites a desire for revenge in Kirk, who seeks to hunt Harrison down, which nearly brings the Federation into a full-scale war with the Klingons. It is revealed that "John Harrison" is an alias, and Harrison's true identity is Khan Noonien Singh. Khan reveals a secret agenda of Admiral Marcus to militarize Starfleet via war with the Klingons and the use of the huge Dreadnought-class starship, USS Vengeance, which was designed by Khan. At the end of the film, a memorial service is held for Pike and all of the other people who died as a result of Admiral Marcus's and Khan's actions. Pike's death also deeply affects Kirk and Spock, Kirk because of their close relationship and Spock because he had been mind-melding with Pike as he died and felt his death.

''Star Trek: Discovery''

Pike is mentioned twice in the first season of the prequel series . In the episode "Choose Your Pain", Pike is shown listed on the Starfleet Database as one of Starfleet's most decorated Captains as of 2256. The Enterprise is seen in the final scene of the first-season finale, "Will You Take My Hand?", with Pike sending a distress call to the Discovery. On April 9, 2018, Anson Mount was cast as Pike in the second season of the series, which was described as a "key role" for the season. The first episode of Season 2 of Discovery, "" which first aired in the U.S. on January 17, 2019, introduces Captain Christopher Pike played by Mount.

''Star Trek: Short Treks''

Anson Mount's Pike appears in the first 3 episodes of the second season. In Q&A, Pike greets Ensign Spock on his first day aboard Enterprise as he arrives on the bridge, shortly after Spock had been stuck in a turbolift with Number One. In The Trouble With Edward, Pike bids farewell to the newly promoted Lynne Lucero as she leaves Enterprise to become the Captain of the USS Cabot. Pike's final appearance is in "Ask Not", where he is part of a simulation to test the resolve of Cadet Thira Sidhu.

''Star Trek: Strange New Worlds''

After Anson Mount left Discovery following the second-season finale, fans of the series began calling for him to reprise his role of Christopher Pike in a spin-off set on the USS Enterprise, alongside Rebecca Romijn as Number One and Ethan Peck as Spock. Alex Kurtzman confirmed that development on such a series had begun in January 2020.

Appearances in licensed media

Novels and short stories

Pike has significant roles in the Pocket Books novels Enterprise: The First Adventure, Final Frontier, Vulcan's Glory, The Rift, Burning Dreams, and Child of Two Worlds.
A mirror-universe version of Pike
He also appears in the novel Dark Victory, and the short story "The Greater Good" in the anthology Star Trek: Mirror Universe: Shards and Shadows.
Dave Stern's 2010 original series novel The Children of Kings was set aboard Pike's Enterprise.
Captain Pike has his own novel in "Captain's Table" series, Where Sea Meets Sky, written by Jerry Oltion and published in October 1998.
Captain Pike and the Enterprise appear in the first novel Desperate Hours and feature prominently in the fifth novel The Enterprise War, which chronicles the Enterprise's activities concurrent with the first season of that series.

Comics

''Star Trek: Early Voyages''

In the Paramount-licensed Star Trek comic book series published by Marvel Comics, chronicled the adventures of the Enterprise under the command of Pike. The earliest issues lead up to the events seen in "The Cage", which was retold from Yeoman Colt's point of view. Although extremely popular, the comic series ended on a cliffhanger when Marvel lost the Star Trek license rights.

''Star Trek Annual'' #2 – "The Final Voyage" (DC comics, 1986)

In this issue, the Enterprise tries to return home to Earth only to find itself around Talos IV. They discover that the Klingons have gone to the planet reasoning anything that scared the Federation enough to maintain the death penalty could be used as a weapon. While on the surface they also discover two Klingons torturing Pike, who is back in his chair due to the Klingons having partially mastered the Talosian's mind powers. One of the Klingons then tortures the crew of the Enterprise by making them live their worst fears. Kirk, forced to relive the death of Edith Keeler, goes berserk with rage and breaks the illusion. Kirk then beats the Klingon tormenting them to death with his bare hands. The crew quickly free the Talosians, who mentally imprison the Klingons in illusions of peaceful, tranquil settings as they purge their memories of Talos IV. The crew returns home with Pike remaining on Talos IV to continue his illusionary life.

''Starfleet Academy'' comic series

In the Paramount-licensed Star Trek comic book series published by Marvel Comics, Starfleet Academy, Nog and some fellow cadets encounter a solid image of Pike on Talos IV.

''Star Trek Captain's Log: Pike'' (IDW Publishing, 2010)

Captain's Log: Pike published by IDW details the events leading up to and including Pike becoming disabled from the baffle plate rupture aboard the USS Exeter under the watch of Captain Colt, Pike's former yeoman on the Enterprise. The story also reveals Colt's unrequited love for her former Captain.

''Star Trek: The New Voyages''

In an episode of the non-canon fan film series , a time-traveling Kirk and Spock attempt to warn Pike not to attempt to rescue the trapped cadets. Pike attempts it, in spite of what future-Kirk and future-Spock say, causing him to be injured by the delta rays and subsequently transition to a life in the wheelchair and its light communication device.

Reception

In 2012, IGN ranked the character Christoper Pike, as depicted in the original series and the 2009 film Star Trek, as the 23rd top character of the Star Trek universe.
In 2017, The Washington Post ranked Pike as the sixth best Captain of Star Trek, including the character's presentations in the Kelvin films and the Star Trek pilot and original series.
In 2019, TV Guide called the Captain Pike featured in Star Trek: Discovery a "fan favorite", also noting Pike's Number One.
In 2019, due to his inclusion in Star Trek: Discovery's second season, Screen Rant ranked Anson Mount's Pike as the second best Captain in Star Trek, stating "This guy saw his future as a disfigured hunk of meat on a wheelchair, and yet he still pressed on. That's what we call bravery."
Due to the popularity of Anson Mount and Ethan Peck's portrayals of Pike and Spock in respectively, fans started a Change.org petition for CBS to commission a Pike spin-off, focusing on Pike and Spock's adventures aboard the Enterprise. As of November 2019, the petition reached over 29,000 signatures.