I hope Star Trek: Strange New Worlds finds a way to save Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) from his tragic fate, even if that means breaking Star Trek canon. Star Trek: The Original Series’ two-part episode, “The Menagerie,” revealed that Fleet Captain Pike (Sean Kenney, originally played by Jeffrey Hunter), who commanded the USS Enterprise before Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) took over, suffered a horrific and debilitating injury while rescuing several Starfleet cadets, leaving the former captain confined to a wheelchair and unable to move or speak on his own.
Although Spock (Leonard Nimoy) helps ensure his former Captain has a chance at a happy ending on Talos IV, Pike’s life with Vina (Susan Oliver) is mostly an illusion. I think Captain Pike deserves a real happy ending and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has the opportunity to give him one. In Star Trek: Discovery, Anson Mount brought new life to the character of Captain Pike, becoming so popular that fans quickly began clamoring for a spin-off. Strange New Worlds has already suggested that Pike’s tragic future is unavoidable, but Star Trek has proven many times over that anything is possible.
Strange New Worlds Should Find A Way To Avoid Captain Pike’s Tragic Future
Strange New Worlds has already proven its ability to alter canon in subtle ways.
Captain Pike’s original ending in Star Trek: The Original Series’ “The Menagerie” worked for the minor character he was at the time, but Anson Mount’s Pike deserves better. While I do not want Strange New Worlds to abandon canon entirely, I think the show could and should find a way to avoid Pike’s tragic accident. Whether it involves parallel universes or time travel or something else entirely, I have no doubt that the team behind Strange New Worlds could find a creative way to save Pike.
In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1’s finale, “A Quality of Mercy,” Captain Pike tries to change the future by warning the cadets who will die in the accident that cripples him. A version of Admiral Pike then arrives from the future to show Captain Pike what happens if he avoids his fate — the Romulans declare war on the Federation and Spock is grievously wounded. Now that Captain Pike knows about this possible future, however, he can avoid making the same mistakes.
Captain Pike Deserves A Better Star Trek Ending
Christopher Pike should get the chance to become a decorated Admiral.
Star Trek is a celebration of free will and human ingenuity, so making Captain Pike’s fate unavoidable always seemed like an odd choice to me. Plus, Pike’s fate never made much sense — the Federation of the 23rd century should have technology that would allow a wheelchair-bound Pike to do more than trigger a light to indicate yes or no. When Pike’s fate was decided in the 1960s, the writers of Star Trek: The Original Series had no idea the character would be on television in 2024. They might have given him a better ending had they known how popular the character would become.
It feels cruel to make Pike such a compelling and likable character only to lock him into such a dark, predetermined fate.
Captain Pike is one of the most compassionate and empathetic Star Trek captains, and he is unequivocally good, a rare thing in today’s television landscape of antiheroes and villains. Of course, sometimes bad things happen to good people, even in the Star Trek universe, but it feels cruel to make Pike such a compelling and likable character only to lock him into such a dark, predetermined fate. There are many reasons why Star Trek: Strange New Worlds should find a way to save Captain Pike, regardless of canon, and I really hope Pike gets the chance for a brighter future.