“It’s the longest a job has ever remained surreal to me.”
Winter of 2019 reintroduced Star Trek fans to a legacy character who found new life during the second season of Discovery over 50 years after first appearing in The Original Series episode “The Menagerie: Part I.” And it was actor Anson Mount who took up the mantle of Christopher Christopher Pike, which would lead to his eventual full-time return in the 2022 spin-off Strange New Worlds.
Fast forward to today, and fans find Captain Pike and the crew of the USS Enterprise preparing to embark on a time-traveling adventure in the Strange New Worlds season 4 finale, “Tomorrow’s Enterprise.” However, regardless of the real time that has passed, Mount still “cannot believe I’m the captain of the Enterprise.” The actor also said (per TV Insider):
“My mother introduced me to the show when I was about seven or eight, when The Original Series was running in syndication on a local UHF channel, Sunday nights, six o’clock, channel 13. So, it’s the longest a job has ever remained surreal to me.”
Mount continued by saying:
“Literally every day, right up until filming the last episode [season 5 finale, which will drop sometime in 2027], there were moments where I’d look around and say, ‘I cannot believe I’m on Star Trek,’ followed by, ‘I cannot believe I’m the captain of the Enterprise.’ That was my make-believe game as a child.”
Famously, unless Strange New Worlds showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers plan on cheating destiny, the original Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) was badly wounded by Delta radiation and forced to live out his life in a futuristic wheelchair with barely any movement and only the ability to respond to “yes” and “no” questions through two blinking lights.
Mount’s version of the character has also been cursed with the knowledge of exactly when and how he will be exposed to the life-altering Delta rays, as he is destined to sacrifice himself to save so many others — whose names are all burned into his brain years before the accident.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Mount’s contributions to Star Trek as Captain Pike because of the incredible range he possesses as an actor.
And while I would love for him to cheat fate in Strange New Worlds, I’m also anxious to see how Mount portrays Pike in what’s sure to be some of the most unparalleled and emotionally charged SNW scenes to ever play out on screen, particularly those with his close friend Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck) and Enterprise captain heir apparent James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley).
For more Star Trek content and to show your appreciation for Anson Mount’s portrayal of Captain Christopher Pike, visit the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages. And the season 4 finale of Strange New Worlds, "Tomorrow's Enterprise," drops Thursday, Sept. 24, on Paramount+.
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!
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