The first major piece of new casting forStar Trek: DiscoverySeason 2 has been announced, and it has huge implications. Those who watched the finale of the show’s first season will remember that the final scene had the Discovery happening upon the U.S.S. Enterprise—thefamed ship inStar Treklore. In the history ofTrek, Pike was captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise just before James T. Kirk, played byWilliam Shatnerin the original series. Pike actually appeared in the original pilot for the firstTrekseries, but the character was dropped from the episode when actorJeffrey Hunterdecided he didn’t want to continue.Sean Kenneyplayed Pike in a subsequent episode called “The Menagerie,” and Pike was also a character inJ.J. Abrams’ feature film reboots, portrayed byBruce Greenwood.
Star Trek: Discoverytakes place within the canon of theStar Trekuniverse, so the arrival of Pike—as played by Mount—is a big deal. It’s not specified if this is a series regular role or recurring, but one imagines the character has major implications for the second season. The timeline ofDiscoveryis set before the originalTrekseries, but the arrival of Pike further clarifies where things stand.
Mount is best known for anchoring the AMC seriesHell on Wheels, but he also played Black Bolt in ABC’s Marvel seriesInhumans, which wasn’t picked up for a second season.
Discoveryhas been a solid hit for CBS All Access, even if the road to get there was bumpy.Bryan Fullerexited the showrunner positionover not-great terms during development, and the show’s premiere was delayed quite significantly. But hardcoreTrekfans responded positively to this updated take on aTrekTV series, and they’ll no doubt be curious to see how Pike fits into the narrative when the show returns later this year.
