'Star Trek: Discovery' Featurette Tells The Story Of Captain Pike
Anson Mount, the latest actor to play the role of Captain Christopher Pike, sits down for a new Star Trek: Discovery featurette devoted to the character's story. Pike has had an interesting trajectory in the Star Trek mythology, and Discovery is attempting to fill in some blanks in his backstory. Watch the Star Trek Discovery featurette below.
Star Trek Discovery Featurette
Captain Christopher Pike (not to be confused with teen horror story author Christopher Pike) has a curious backstory. The character, as played by Jeffrey Hunter, was the original captain of the USS Enterprise in the Star Trek pilot, but the pilot wasn't picked up. Eventually, when it came time to make a new pilot, Hunter decided not to return. Rather than re-cast the part, they created a whole new character: Captain Kirk, as played by William Shatner.
Rather than drop Pike entirely, however, Star Trek retooled his character to be the captain before Kirk. Pike (now played by Sean Kenney) was badly injured during a rescue mission, leaving him "paralyzed, unable to speak, badly scarred, and using a brainwave-operated wheelchair for mobility." The character got a second lease on life with the 2009 Star Trek movie reboot, in which Bruce Greenwood took on the role – only to be killed off in the sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness.
Now Pike is being reborn yet again, in the form of Anson Mount. Pike and the Enterprise will be appearing on Star Trek: Discovery season 2, in which the captain takes control of the Discovery. In the above featurette, Mount sits down to chat about becoming Pike. He's clearly honored to take on the role, and he looks like he's going to bring something fresh to the role. The actor speaks about how Pike will have to earn the trust of the Discovery crew when he briefly assumes command.
Star Trek: Discovery season 2 arrives on CBS All Access January 17, 2019.
Created by Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman for CBS All Access, the story of "Star Trek: Discovery" begins roughly a decade before Captain Kirk's five-year mission — as portrayed in the original "Star Trek" from the 1960s — and a century before the events of "Star Trek: Enterprise." The series follows the crew of the USS Discovery as they encounter new worlds and civilizations, delving into familiar themes and expanding upon an incident that has been talked about within the franchise's universe, but never fully explored.