“If Kirk represented the machismo and Picard represented the intellect…”
Fortunately, Star Trek is a science fiction franchise brimming with fan-favorite characters, especially those who served as the captains of their own respective series. And actor Anson Mount felt very strongly about how his Strange New Worlds version of Captain Christopher Pike should differ from the other iconic Enterprise commanders: Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart).
Mount made his case in an interview (per TrekMovie.com) by saying: “I knew very few things about Pike when this started. But I had my conversation with Henry [Alonso Myers] and Akiva [Goldsman]. I said that if Kirk represented the machismo and Picard represented the intellect, then I want Pike to represent the heart.”
Mount, who reprised the role of Pike on Strange New Worlds, after briefly playing the character during season 2 of Discovery, continued by saying:
“I tried to infuse that throughout the four seasons, and I’m very proud of this show, primarily because it’s an ensemble show. I feel that I am not the lead of this show. I feel like the lead of our show is the Enterprise, and we’ve… we have strove to make that the case. I mean, from the opening credits, you see we’re not in the opening credits. The ship is the opening credits.”
I have always loved how Strange New Worlds differentiated Captain Pike from James T. Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard by making Mount’s character an aficionado in the kitchen.
Whether Pike was cooking up a romantic meal for his girlfriend Captain Batel (Melanie Scrofano), or dishing up something unforgettable for the Enterprise’s bigger Blue Bloods-esque dinnertime get-togethers, this is the aspect I always felt made Pike stand out from Kirk and Picard.
However, after having seen Star Trek Generations (1994) a number of times, in particular the scene where Picard watches as Kirk prepares eggs for his girlfriend, I think there’s a fun television or streaming series in there somewhere that was never made, which could have brought Kirk, Picard, and Pike together: Cooking with the Captains!
Yes, Food Network definitely missed the boat — or starship in this case — on that one, right?
Specifically, I can imagine Kirk and Pike swapping stories as they whip up a meal together aboard the Enterprise, since both characters are situated in the 23rd century. I just wonder if this idea ever crept into the minds of Strange New Worlds showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers.
In all seriousness, though, maybe Captain Pike and Lt. Commander James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) will share such an intimate moment together in the kitchen of the Enterprise during Strange New Worlds’ fifth and final season. For more Star Trek content and to share your comments on how Mount differentiated Pike from Kirk and Picard, visit the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages.
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!
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