I never understood why Captain Pike haunted me in Star Trek, until the episode where he saw his own doomed future
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the 11th series in the Star Trek franchise, released its season 1 in 2022. The sci-fi series is a spin-off of the Star Trek: Discovery series in 2017, and follows Captain Christopher Pike of the USS Enterprise and its crew members.
The series is set in the 23rd century, just one decade before the timeline of the popular 1966 Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS).
Strange New Worlds season 1, which premiered on Paramount+ in May 2022, had me glued to my screen from the very beginning. Captain Pike (portrayed by Anson Mount) returns to the captain's chair of the Enterprise after taking time off to cope with the trauma of finding out how he will eventually die.
This scene was played out in the episode Through the Valley of Shadows in season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery.
What happens to Captain Pike on Star Trek: The Original Series?
The Original Series of 1966 featured a two-part episode titled The Menagerie, which showed viewers the plight of the esteemed captain (portrayed by Sean Kenney in TOS) after his accident. He was struck by delta rays in the year 2266 while saving young space cadets, confining him to a wheelchair with the inability to speak or move.
The image of Sean Kenney as Pike burned into my mind, as I remember finding it quite unsettling. However, there was the idea that he had knowingly put himself through some major ordeals for the betterment of his people.
Spock (Leonard Nimoy) takes the captain to Talos IV to spend the remainder of his life in an illusion generated by them of himself in good health, spending his days alongside his love, Vina. The USS Enterprise is then captained by Captain Kirk.
Star Trek: Discovery's episode Through the Valley of Shadows reaffirmed my admiration of the Captain, as it was made clear that Pike knew his fate from the start, but was still willing to sacrifice his life to save the galaxy.
How does Pike see his future?
In Through the Valley of Shadows, Pike enters the Klingon monastery of the planet Boreth, whose Timekeepers protected the time crystals within the premises. Pike seeks out a time crystal for the USS Discovery's mission to defeat the AI that has taken over Sector 31, Control.
The albino Klingon, Tenavik, informs Pike that in order to claim a time crystal, he must make a sacrifice. In his case, it was being exposed to his own doomed fate. Pike sees himself in the year 2266, evacuating young cadet trainees from a room but getting caught in delta rays himself, leaving him horribly disfigured and paralyzed.
Despite having been exposed to this gory revelation, Pike stays steady, and continues on his mission.
"You are a Starfleet Captain. You believe in service, sacrifice, compassion, and love," he reminds himself of his duties as Captain.
The episode gathered newfound respect from me, and veteran and new fans of Captain Pike will likely agree. This revelation reinforced the idea that he was one of the galaxy's most noble warriors, who put service over his own future.
Strange New Worlds continues on its epic storyline with the Captain Pike on the USS Enterprise, painfully aware of what was written in his destiny. The Star Trek series, including Discovery, Section 31, and the animated Lower Decks can be streamed on Paramount+ with a subscription to the platform.
