| Christopher Pike | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background | |
| Name | Christopher Pike |
| Aliases | Captain Pike |
| Continuity | Star Trek |
| Category | Main character |
| General | |
| Type | Military personnel |
| Race | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Base of Operations | Starbase 11 |
| Known relatives | |
| Status | Deceased |
| Born | 2219 |
| Died | Sometime prior to 2320 [1] |
| Out-of-Universe | |
| First Appearance | Star Trek: The Cage |
| Played by | Jeffrey Hunter Bob Herron Sean Kenney Bruce Greenwood Anson Mount |
Christopher Pike was the main character featured in the original unaired black and white episode of the first Star Trek television series entitled "The Cage". Played by actor Jeffrey Hunter, he was presented as the Captain of the interplanetary starship, the USS Enterprise. The character was brought back for the two-part season one episode "The Menagerie", which included many scenes from "The Cage". Discounting archival footage, the role of Pike as seen in these episodes was played by Sean Kenney. Kenney's version of the character is credited as "Injured Pike" in the episodes. The character was re-imagined in the 2009 feature film Star Trek, this time played by Bruce Greenwood. Greenwood's portrayal of Pike is significantly different than that of the original series, but is still presented as the Captain of the Enterprise prior to Captain Kirk.
Biography[]
Captain Pike and Mister Spock on the bridge of the Enterprise.
Christopher Pike was a member of Starfleet holding the rank of Captain. In the year 2251, he was given command of the starship USS Enterprise, succeeding retired captain Robert April. The first three years of Pike's time aboard the Enterprise brought him to many exotic ports of call.
In 2254, Pike's and his crew went to the planet Rigel VII on shore leave. While there, they became embroiled in a coup perpetuated by that world’s warrior caste, the Kaylars. Several of Pike’s officers were killed, including his Yeoman, Dermot Cusack, and many more were left gravely injured. Leaving Rygel VII, Pike directed the Enterprise towards the Vega Colony where he had hoped to make use of their medical facilities. The Rygel VII massacre weighed heavily on Captain Pike and he expressed displeasure with the burden of having to decide the fates of so many people with each new danger they encounter. [2]
En route, the crew of the Enterprise encountered a radio signal originating from the fourth planet in the Talos System. Pike believed that he had found evidence of a survey ship known as the SS Columbia, which disappeared in the area in 2236. Pike led a six-member landing party to Talos IV where they encountered what he believed to be the survivors of the Columbia expedition. He soon discovered however that the planet's dominant life forms, the telepathic Talosians had merely created the illusion in his mind that he was speaking with members of the Columbia crew. The Talosians abducted Pike and imprisoned him in their subterranean warrens. The Talosians presented him with the one actual survivor from the Columbia, a woman named Vina. Using their abilities, they warped Pike's perceptions so that Vina appeared to him as a vibrant and attractive young woman. They wanted Pike and Vina to mate with one another, hoping that their offspring would be a stepping stone towards repopulating the barren surface of Talos IV. The Talosians filled Pike's head with various fantastic settings - each one filled with a different incarnation of Vina. Pike was not willing to simply subvert his own grip on reality for the sake of some illusory fantasy world and he rebelled against the Talosians' mental manipulations at every turn. He soon discovered that the Talosians could not perceive thoughts that were born of the baser, more primitive emotional spectrum, such as hate. Giving in to his hate, he was able to psionically blind the Talosians and with the help of his crew, was able to escape his prison and get his hands around the throat of the Talosian Keeper. [3]
Captain Pike returned to the USS Enterprise where Spock and he filed a report relating to their experiences on Talos IV. Due to the extreme danger presented by the Talosians' mental abilities, Starfleet Flag Officer Robert L. Comsol drafted General Order 7, which stated that no vessel under any condition, emergency or otherwise was to visit the planet Talos IV under penalty of death. [4]
Christopher Pike continued to serve as Captain of the Enterprise until 2264 whereupon he was promoted to the rank of Fleet Captain. He was succeeded by a young, ambitious Captain named James T. Kirk. Pike's First Officer, Spock, continued to serve aboard the Enterprise under Kirk's command.
Captain Pike circa 2267.
A few years later, Captain Pike was conducting an inspection of a class-J starship filled with Starfleet cadets. One of the baffle plates ruptured, causing an explosion and Pike rushed into the danger zone to save the cadets. He was exposed to a massive dose of Delta radiation, which left him crippled and scarred. A quadriplegic, Captain Pike was remanded to the care of Commodore José I. Mendez on Starbase 11. A special wheelchair was designed for him which offered him limited locomotion. The chair's controls were wired into Pike's brain, but his ability to communicate was strictly limited. Using a blinking sensor on his chair, he could respond to simple yes or no questions. One blink indicated an answer in the affirmative, while two blinks indicated an answer in the negative. [5][6]
In 2267, the Talosians learned of Captain Pike's condition and believed that returning to Talos IV would be the only means of easing his discomfort. They used their telepathy to send a message to Spock, who was still serving as First Officer aboard the Enterprise. Spock was known for his loyalty both to his current commanding officer, as well as his previous one and agreed to bring Captain Pike back to Talos IV. Spock knew however that doing so would violate General Order 7 and that he would be charged with mutiny and given the death penalty. Unwilling to allow any of the blame to fall upon Captain Kirk, he staged a false Starfleet order, directing the Enterprise to Starbase 11. He found Captain Pike and brought him aboard the Enterprise. Lying about Kirk's medical condition, Spock assumed temporary command of the Enterprise and programmed the ship's navigation computers with coordinates to Talos IV. The coordinates were locked in and the bridge crew were unable to override them. Afterward, Spock turned himself over to Captain Kirk. As was his right, he requested an immediate tribunal to determine his fate. Captain Kirk, Commodore Mendez and Captain Pike were chosen as the active officers on the tribunal. The tribunal itself proved to be little more than a facade wrought by the Talosians to distract Kirk from attempting to override the ship's controls. Even the presence of Commodore Mendez aboard the Enterprise was nothing more than an illusion. Once they reached the planet, the Talosians took Captain Pike into their care. They used their abilities to make Pike believe that he was still healthy and strong. Reunited with Vina, Captain Pike retired from Starfleet and spent the remainder of his days on Talos IV. [7]
Pike's command[]
The following are Starfleet personnel officers who served aboard the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 under Captain Pike's command.
- Number One - First Officer
- Spock - Science Officer
- Jose Tyler - Navigator
- J.M. Colt - Yeoman
- Philip Boyce - Chief Medical Officer
- Pitcairn - Transporter Chief
- Garrison - Chief Petty Officer
- Dermot Cusack - Yeoman
Notes & Trivia[]
- The character of Christopher Pike was created by Gene Roddenberry.
- Original actor Jeffrey Hunter was credited as a special guest star on the two-part episode "The Menagerie", but all of Hunter's scenes were actually archival footage from "The Cage".
- Bob Herron was Jeffrey Hunter's stunt double in "The Cage".
- Received a profile entry in the first issue of the Who's Who in Star Trek comic book reference series by DC Comics.
- The comic book one-shot Star Trek: Captain's Log: Pike expanded on events from Pike's life that took place between "The Cage" and the "The Menagerie", including the event that left him crippled, which was referenced, but never shown in "The Menagerie".
- Commodore Mendez states in "The Menagerie (Part 2)" that Pike was still on the active duty roster despite his condition and that he didn't have the heart to force him into retirement. However, as this version of Mendez was just an illusion created by the Talosians, it remains unclear whether Captain Pike was still in active service following his accident or not.
- Captain Pike was born in Mojave, California.
- Once owned a horse named Tango.
- Loves to cook, especially crispy bacon.
See also[]
Media
The World of Star Trek
Star Trek miscellaneous
External Links[]
- Christopher Pike at IMDB
- Christopher Pike at Wikipedia
- Christopher Pike at Memory Beta
- Christopher Pike at Memory Alpha
- Christopher Pike at the Star Trek Database
References[]
- ↑ Star Trek: Burning Dreams
- ↑ Star Trek: Early Voyages Vol 1 3
- ↑ "The Cage"
- ↑ "The Menagerie (Part 1)"
- ↑ "The Menagerie (Part 1)"
- ↑ Star Trek: Captain's Log: Pike
- ↑ "The Menagerie (Part 2)"