Star Trek: The Original Series
Summary
Why Captain James T. Kirk ( William Shatner ) replaced Captain Christopher Pike ( Jeffrey Hunter ) is one ofStar Trek ’s oldest questions . Star Trek ’s original pilot sequence , " The batting cage , " star Pike as a moody and reflective Captain of the USS Enterprise . NBC passed on that incarnation ofStar Trekbut made the remarkable decisiveness to commission a second fender . Star Trek ’s creator , Gene Roddenberry , reconceived his serial lead as the more dynamical Captain Kirk , and the rest is television account .
For over 50 years , Captain Pike was a footnote inStar Trekcanon until the part made a surprisal comeback inStar Trek : Discoveryseason 2 . Now played byAnson Mount , Captain PikeonDiscoverymodernized the original Enterprise Captaininto a combination of thoughtfulness , compassionateness , and stone - self-colored command authorisation . This new Pike was an instant smash with audiences who clamored for him to find a spinoff , which became the hit seriesStar Trek : Strange New Worldsin 2022 . Pike ’s revivification and popularity implore the interrogative of why Kirk was the face ofStar Trekfor decades rather , and there are both literal - world and in - story rationality why Captain Kirk replaced Pike .
With Anson Mount ’s take on Captain Christopher Pike , Strange New Worlds reimagines Star Trek ’s original Captain for the good .
Why Captain Pike Left The Starship Enterprise In Star Trek Canon
Pike had a destiny he couldn’t avoid
WithinStar Trek ’s canonical fable , Christopher Pike was just promoted from take the USS Enterprise , which made stark sense for a man who has been routinely hailed as one of Starfleet ’s fine starship captains . Pike served as the Captain of the Enterprise for 15 years . Given Pike ’s vaunted reputuation and achievements , it ’s consistent that Starfleet promote him to Fleet Captain , where he played a key persona in training new Starfleet Academy cadets . James T. Kirk rent over as Captainof the Enterprise .
Pike received a impermanent promotion to Fleet Captain inStar Trek : Strange New Worldsseason 2 , instalment 6 , " Lost in Translation . "
In 2366 , Fleet Captain Pike suffered a tragical , life - falsify accident while draw offend cadets out of a training workout disaster . This issue left Pike horrifically blemish , unable to communicate , and confine to a wheelchair . Star Trek : Discoveryseason 2 added a canonical turn of events wherePike acquire of his terrible destiny thanks to a Klingon time crystal . Star Trek : unknown New Worldsseason 1 for the most part dealt with Pike coping with his future cognition and his choice not to take steps to forbid his dark destiny , which he learned is unavoidable .
Captain Pike was visit by a future version of himself who showed Chris that avoiding his tragic fate would plunge the galaxy into a forever state of war with the Romulans inStar Trek : unusual New Worldsseason 1 ’s finale , " A Quality of Mercy " .
Why William Shatner Replaced Jeffrey Hunter As Star Trek’s Lead
Star Trek worked better with William Shatner’s Captain Kirk
The real - world reasonableness for Pike ’s Enterprise departure are a little more complicated . The originalStar Trekpilot was grow in 1964 for NBC . Jeffrey Hunter starred as Captain Pike , alongsideMajel Barrett as Number One , and Leonard Nimoy as Spock . Hunter ’s brooding , pall Pike gave the show a much dissimilar energy than the action - packed " Wagon Train to the stars"conceptGene Roddenberry pitched to the internet . NBC rejected the pilot as " too intellectual " but commission a 2d pilot in former 1965 . Hunter was a movie star slumming in television , and his married woman prod him to render to feature film , necessitating thecasting of a new leading man as a raw Captain fictitious character forStar Trek : William Shatner .
near all ofStar Trek ’s actors were remodel with only Leonard Nimoy ’s Spock returning from the original pilot film .
Christopher Pike would resurface in the classicStar Trek : The Original Seriestwo - part installment " The Menagerie . " That installment told the story of Pike ’s stroke , and was indeed the first time audiences in reality saw the quality , as the original pilot never publicise during the show ’s original running . Large chunk of the pilot were repurposed in " The Menagerie " to give Pike a happy ending on Talos IV . Thedisfigured Pike was played by Sean Kenney under fleshy makeup . Pike would n’t make for a persona in aStar Trekstory again until the 2009 J.J. Abrams’Star Trekreboot film , wherePike was portrayed by Bruce Greenwoodand function as something of a founder figure to Chris Pine ’s vernal Kirk .
USS Enterprise NCC-1701 ’s twenty-third Century Captains
Years
Captain Robert April
2245 - 2250
Captain Christopher Pike
2250 - 2265
Captain James T. Kirk
2265 - 2270
Captain Willard Decker
2270s
Captain Spock
2285
Admiral James T. Kirk
2285 - 2286
Pike & Kirk Are Reunited On Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
The two Captains knew each other better than we thought
InStar Trek : The Original Series'“The Menagerie , " Captain Kirk said he met Pike when Chris was kick upstairs to Fleet Captain . Star Trek : Strange New Worldsis vastly expanding upon this first get together so thatPike and Kirk actually acknowledge each other far well than previously believed . Pike became concerned in James T. Kirk after he work with an alternate future version of Captain Kirk inStrange New Worldsseason 1 ’s close , " A Quality of Mercy " . InStrange New Worldsseason 2 , Kirk , who is a Lieutenant in the meter period Pike is Captain of the Enterprise , comes aboard the flagship and meet many of Pike ’s gang .
Kirk is the First Officer of the USS Farragut inStar Trek : unknown New Worldsseason 2 , and part of his forwarding involved learning the finer points of command from Captain Pike and Number One ( Rebecca Romijn).This make up Pike a literal wise man to Kirk . James , meanwhile , also befriends next appendage of his Starship Enterprise crew , Ensign Nyota Uhura ( Celia Rose Gooding ) and Lt . Spock ( Ethan Peck).Star Trek : Strange New Worldsis planting the seeds for Pike bow down out so that Kirk can become Captain of the go-ahead , although there are still years to go beforeStar Trekpasses the center seat from Captain to Captain .
Star Trek : The Original SeriesandStar Trek : Strange New Worldsare uncommitted to stream on Paramount+ .
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