Today CBS announced actor Anson Mount has been cast as Captain Christopher Pike in Star Trek: Discovery. Pike of course was the captain of the USS Enterprise prior to Captain Kirk, and in the era of Star Trek: Discovery. The USS Enterprise made a surprise appearance in the final moments of the season one finale of the show and has been said to play an important part in the second season, which begins production this month.
Captain on deck! @ansonmount is joining season 2 of #StarTrekDiscovery as Captain Christopher Pike of the U.S.S. Enterprise. pic.twitter.com/BDtdrCt70J
— Star Trek: Discovery (@startrekcbs) April 9, 2018
Anson Mount may best be known for his leading role in the AMC series Hell on Wheels. Mount is currently the lead in ABC’s Marvel show Inhumans, which is not expected to be renewed for a second season. CBS did not provide any details on how many episodes he is slated for, but the casting of an actor like Mount indicates Pike could have a significant recurring role in the second season.
Publicity photo of Anson Mount from Inhumans
Mount gets emotional sitting in the captain’s chair
In a post today on his Facebook page, Mount discussed
I HAVE JOINED STARFLEET!!!
Well, the cat’s finally out of the bag and I can stop pretending I’m not in Toronto. I could NOT be more excited to FINALLY be a part of the series that is partly responsible for me taking this roller coaster ride through the entertainment industry.
A few days ago I had my first opportuntity to sit in the captain’s chair… and I’m not embarassed to say I got a little emotional. I have been a Star Trek fan since about the age of 8 when I first discovered the original series when it was syndicated throughout the United States on our various local stations… AND to play a Captain… AND for that captain to be the iconic Christopher Pike… AND to be doing it on a show thas has the highest production values I’ve ever seen on television… AND to be doing it with CBS (who cast my in my first pilot ever)… whew… out of breath.Suffice to say I’m TREMENDOUSLY humbled and thankful for this opportunity. I will work my ass off to live up to the very understandable expectations this role accompanies. So let’s set our course and take engines to Warp factor 5. Engage!
Mount also updated his profile pics on Twitter and Facebook, to reflect his new role.
Anson Mount on Twitter and Facebook has been ‘Piked’
4th actor to play Pike
Captain Pike was originally played by Jeffrey Hunter in the the unaired Star Trek pilot, “The Cage.” After Hunter chose not to take part in the second pilot shot for Star Trek, the character of James T. Kirk was created, with William Shatner being cast to lead the series. The episode “The Menagerie” used footage from “The Cage” to establish Pike as Kirk’s predecessor, with actor Sean Kenney playing the former captain following a crippling and disfiguring accident.
Jeffrey Hunter and Sean Kenney as Christopher Pike in Star Trek: The Original Series
In the alternative timeline of the JJ Abrams Kelvin-verse films, the role of Pike was played by actor Bruce Greenwood in the 2009 Star Trek film and 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness.
Bruce Greenwood as Capt. Pike in 2009’s Star Trek
Pike’s casting was expected, but what about Spock?
Pike is the fourth significant character from Star Trek canon to be recast for Star Trek: Discovery. Season one saw the casting of James Frain and Mia Kirshner as Spock’s parents Sarek and Amanda, as well as Rainn Wilson as Harry Mudd. The introduction of the USS Enterprise as the season one cliffhanger, and indications that it will play a significant role in at least the early episodes of the second season, made the introduction of Pike as a character in Discovery almost inevitable.
Pike’s introduction to Discovery was hinted at by executive producer and co-showrunner Aaron Harberts, in a post season one finale interview, saying of Pike:
The thing to consider about Captain Pike is, from an audience and writer’s point of view, there is something very exciting about a key character from [Star Trek: The Original Series] who’s only been explored in two episodes of the original series — three if you consider how [the rejected pilot for the original series] “The Cage” works into the puzzle in TOS. When we think about the idea of Captain Pike, it opens up some large possibilities. We will never say never to exploring him a little bit more.
Star Trek history dictates that Spock served on board the USS Enterprise under Captain Pike, something that was hinted at in the season one finale of Discovery with Sarek and Michael Burnham giving each other knowing looks when the Enterprise was first identified. With Pike being a part of season two, it raises the question of Spock appearing as well. However, executive producers for Discovery have consistently dismissed the idea of bringing Spock into the show. Most recently, Harberts explained their thinking on the subject:
[W]e realize how incredible Leonard Nimoy and Zachary Quinto’s performances were and what [Star Trek movie director] J.J. Abrams and the original series were able to pull off with that character. Finding another actor that could even come close to what Leonard Nimoy did with the original portrayal, we’d never want to go down that road.
Pike and Spock from “The Cage”
Second season production starting soon
The second season of Discovery begins shooting shortly. Showrunner Aaron Harberts revealed to TrekMovie the season will have 13 episodes. No date has yet been set for the premiere.
Mount is the second actor confirmed to be joining Discovery for season two. At WonderCon CBS revealed a bonus scene from the season one finale, which introduced the character of Leland, head of Section 31, played by Alan Van Sprang, who says he will have a “massive” role in season 2.
Alan Van Sprang in Star Trek Discovery season one finale bonus scene
Star Trek: Discovery is available exclusively in the USA on CBS All Access. It airs in Canada on the Space Channel and streams on CraveTV. It is available on Netflix everywhere else.
Keep up with all the Star Trek: Discovery news at TrekMovie.
Great choice. Good actor (loved “Hell on Wheels”) and looks really close to Jeffrey Hunter.
Plus he knows O’Brian.
LOL a really mean version
O’Brian was never the same since Keiko left him. He spent all his days in a holodeck playing cowboy trump.
How can you conflate playing at being spartans or at the Alamo with the contemporary equivalent of Nixon, McCarthy and the like?
You mean O’Brien,right? lol!
same thing.
SOUNDS the same,sure.
Thought he was great in “Hell on Wheels”. I guess I can see him as Pike.
Really think they sorta HAVE to cast Spock now. Regardless of what they have to say about it. It will just be a cheat if they say something lame like “Spock’s on leave”.
That said, this is Discovery…..
What an excellent actor. Fine casting, there. His intensity on Hell On Wheels was incredible.
Nice choice. Inhumans was a misfire but not because of him.
Yup, I can see this. Excellent choice.
I haven’t seen him in anything, but not a bad likeness for Jeffrey Hunter
A good likeness for Jeffrey Hunter but its leading to a fear that I have for the next season of Discovery, one is the recast of Spock, as I only finally accepted Quinto in the role when I saw Star Trek Beyond, that was because they did a film that finally felt Star Trek to me, and be hard to accept anyone else as Leonard Nimoy IS Spock.
Secondly, I am very apprehensive about the look of the interior of the Enterprise, the Production Designer indicated they are not going to be respecting TOS aethetics, where as I think you can and still be modern. Just my thoughts.
Despite being very mixed regarding DSC, season 2 will be make or break for me. I am just disappointed. I want to love this show but I also love the legacy of what came before, at times I just feel DSC is undoing it.
I wouldn’t really mind of the Enterprise doesn’t look exactly like the TOS version. It’s a modern take on Star Trek and boxy consoles with knobs, switches, and buttons would just seem out of place. Personally, I wouldn’t mind an Enterprise bridge that resembles the current movie bridge, except without those stupid glass partitions scattered throughout.
HELL NO. We need to get as far away from the iBridge as possible!
Apparently, Jonathan Frakes told Jason Issacs (who is starting to join the conventions) that fans in the Trek Universe like the show for a whole host of reasons. You or I may not care about the bridge being exactly like it was on a show made over FIVE DECADES ago (The Cage pilot was filmed in 1964) but for some fans, that it essential. We shall see what they come up with – no matter what, it should be fun to watch but sadly it won’t please everyone.
I don’t mind if the bridge is the same as the Cage or if it has been updated. I don’t have any major issues with the discovery bridge. I also don’t mind if the Enterprise bridge it is not shown on screen.
But I think the further this show moves from the Kelvin universe, the better it will be.
I understand why some fans have a tepid response to Discovery. That said, IMO I think that some of the so called “legacy of what came before” needs to be undone. For example, according to TOS season three, in the 23rd century women are not capable of commanding a starship – or even being a first officer (why The Cage was rejected). That of course is rubbish in the 21st century (at least in our part of the world) so I can’t see it being taken seriously in the 23rd, and Discovery completely and rightfully ignored that bit of canon and had Georgiou commanding the Starship Shenzhou. You also have to remember, the TOS vision of Star Trek was hindered by the social norms, fashion, network exec prejudices, makeup and production values of being a tv production (with a limited budget) in the 1960s, so some of the canon you can completely and rightfully toss out. No, the new custodians of Star Trek won’t get everything right – but IMO they seem to be trying to stay truthful to the parts of the “legacy” that really matter. We shall see what they bring to season 2.
Well… (in the universe you also have to remember that assertion was made by a character who was a shown as a bit – well – “touched” and bitter. Non-canon explanation… she (as an individual) demonstrated to SF that she wasn’t stable – and self-justified that it was gender-based.
Understood and agreed upon mostly. However as a poster in another thread wrote, Saarinen and Calatrava-inspired design could look perfectly futuristic and hew closer to TOS-era design sensibilities in order to better retain continuity.
KL,
Yeah, those geniuses are right folks to riff on for TREK design, but you have to do the Saarinen thing better than Chambliss managed with the Abrams flicks, because that was a disservice to Saarinen AND to Trek, and it didn’t go far enough toward Calatrava either, though the trailer for TOMORROWLAND definitely suggested a much better integration.
“Tomorrowland” looked great. I only wish they’d spent more time in the most active version of it since it was so intriguing. I’ve wondered how much of that was the influence of Brad Bird since “The Incredibles” seemed to hint at a fondness for Mid-Century Modern design.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDBq8cbP99Q
I’m holding out a tiny hope (admittedly based on nothing) the ST:D team is waiting until further along in the series to start implementing design changes toward the end we’re discussing. It could be used as a visual symbol for moving from the darkness into the light, from savagery into something more refined.
I think the issue is there are necessary changes and unnecessary changes. For instance, yes you’d probably need to increase the surface detail and styling of TOS ship exteriors and interiors. I get that. I understand why the look won’t survive today’s high definition TV. But randomly changing the shape of, say, The Entrprise’s nacelle struts or redesigning the Klingon aesthetic beyond recognition are not necessary changes. They are done for no other reason then the showrunners wanting to put their own spin on things.
People need to stop using things like the female captain change and the TMP change as meaning the Discovery showrunners can change whatever they like, how they like and we’re meant to just accept it and lap it up.
Well to be honest Enterprise undid a lot of that long ago. There was already a woman starship Captain a hundred years before TOS with Captain Hernandez commanding the Columbia. TOS was made in the sixties. These other shows are made today, so yeah.
Janice Lester was unhinged and that is how I get around that fact about her statement that women cant serve as captains.
Don’t forget Hernandez was Captain of the Columbia NX- 02 in Enterprise, a century before, and I think its one thing stated that I was happy to see forgotten about but at least Lester’s mental state can excuse it.
The debate of visual canon has weighed on me lately, I am debating if I am not liking DSC due to the writing or the visual changes. If the writing was better would I like it better and be more accepting of the show and its visual look?
Captain Neil,
Absolutely I think if the writing were better the other flaws would shrink. Resulting in you liking it better. For me the writing and story was the main reason I did not care for the show. If it were better the other elements would not be as much of an issue for me.
DeanH.
They never said that women ‘can’t’ be captains in TOS. By the era of STIV, the Saratoga has a lady captain. Georgiou is clearly a respected captain well before that.
The most plausible explanation comes from the Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens book Federation. Given Star Trek is set in a post-apocalypse future, following the decimation of Earth’s population by the Eugenics and nuclear world wars, society had for a time resumed traditional family roles as part of a societal instinct to rebuild the population. Bear in mind that between the late-20th/21st century wars mentioned in a Star Trek, the human population of Earth might have dropped by as much as two thirds or even more. As such, Discovery and TOS sees women in the course of returning to positions in the military that might not have been so common for about a century.
The post-apocalyptic nature of Star Trek is frequently overlooked, even in the spinoff shows. Star Trek didn’t have humans join together in peace because of people saying how nice it would be. Humans came together in Star Trek and stopped fighting, because the relatively few humans that were left were sickened by the extent of bloodshed they’d seen across two hundred years and said enough was enough.
Numbers are way off the mark. 600 million in WWIII,far fewer in the Eugenics conflict. Tops would be 15% dead, maybe. Radiation fallout impact, depends on generation of nukes.
Interesting premise, but not confirmable, by the numbers.
I would be surprised if they recasted Spock. My guess is there will be some on-screen explanation for his absence on the ship.
I’m sure they will update the look of TOS while still giving some nods to it. In the original pilot with Pike the Enterprise was less colorful inside than the rest of the series, so that already gels with the look of DSC.
Starlordtheoutlaw,
Re: some on-screen explanation
I believe AMOK TIME established every 7 years back from that date to his puberty, he would have had to arrange for leave to address spawning issues. While I believe the episode itself establishes that because of the mind meld established by his parents that particular wedding date was the most potent of all the callings he would ever have to address, I just hope they get the stardate correct for this leave.
I always find it strange how staunch defenders of the show and the canon inconsistencies nonetheless spend time trying to fit it all into past canon.
Welcome to Star Trek fandom!
Show indicated he was able to resist the calling up till that point owing to his half-breed nature, so you shouldn’t be able to use this crutch to get him off the ship.
If the exterior is any indication I suspect that the interior will strongly echo that of TOS Enterprise. It will all seem very familiar but with a revised aesthetic. Kinda’ makes me wish they had opted to do a series with Captain Pike.
Spinoffs man. We gotta make it happen.
Yep. Exactly where I am. I am trying my best to like it but the whole thing just feels like a massive middle finger to what came before.
El Chup, you can’t see me but I’m rolling my eyes at your comment.
Then it benefits me that I can’t see yuou because I couldn’t two hoots what you think.
Then you’ll be happy you aren’t seeing me giving you a massive middle finger either!
Yep. I’m sure you feel better for being an internet tough guy and all, so hopefully one of us gets something out of it! :)
And I hope you feel better after whining and crying about a tv show that looks different than it did in the late 60s. Oh wait… you’ll find something else that will make you whine again.
So I made one comment. You tried to use it to cause a stink and insult people, posting endless replies begging for a reaction, but I’M the one “whining and crying”?
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. ROFL.
To paraphrase your good self, I wish you could see that I wetting myself laughing at your ridiculous nonsense.
You made 1 comment? Ahahahaha. You CONTINUALLY make whiny comments. Wah wah wah. Would seem that YOU are the one that wants attention by always whining and complaining. Don’t like the show? Don’t watch. Simple enough.
Ha!
Awesome choice! Great actor, and ironically, starred alongside Trek veteran Colm Meaney in “Hell On Wheels”, so maybe he can give Anson some tips on dealing with the fans, lol…
Spock does not have to be in this at all. There’s plenty of room in canon for Spock to be on some kind of leave, or otherwise off the Enterprise in some official capacity. That said, I’m not concerned at all if they bring Spock into this and recast him at that, as long as there’s some good reason for it. I don’t particularly care for Quinto’s portrayal — indeed Quinto is arguably tainted by the KU, so I’d love to see a fresh take on Spock based on the original character that hasn’t been corrupted by Orci and Abrams. And let’s face it, Nimoy is gone. He’s never playing Spock again, and the idea of using a CGI Spock in any significant way, makes my teeth hurt. At some point, the die hard fans really need to get used to the idea of new actors playing familiar favorites. No time like the present — if there’s good reason.
I agree. I don’t mind Quinto but I’m open to someone new playing Spock, if he has to show up at all. One thing with Quinto’s Spock was that he played him more emotional than I think many of us were used to, which made sense story-wise because his mother was killed, he was in a relationship with Uhura, his people were close to eradicated. Prime Spock had a better hold on his emotions because he didn’t deal with any of that.
Spock will show up eventually. He was part of Pikes crew years before Kirk was in command, wasn’t he?
He was part of Pike’s crew at the time of the Talosian mission. Beyond that, in terms of canon, we know very little about that time period. I think there’s a very good chance that Spock is not on the Enterprise during this encounter. But there’s also no particularly good reason that he can’t be on-board, so it just comes down to the story.
As a science officer he wouldn’t necessarily but hanging out on the bridge.
Wasn’t he a bridge officer? He was shown in the bridge in the cage
Agreed.
But in the end, why does it matter? Spock can still be on the Enterprise and remain unseen, just like we haven’t seen the CMO or chief engineer of the Discovery so far. Just because he’s there somewhere, doesn’t mean he’s directly involved in the events at hand. Plus, depending on how strained his relationship with his father is at this point, he might actively avoid meeting Sarek if it is at all possible. And it’s not inconceivable that his adoptive sister has a similar disposition…
Very true.
I agree. I’d love to see another actor’s take on Spock that’s a bit more in line with TOS. Still, Spock was a bit more animated and space flowers made him giddy with delight in The Cage.
I’m thinking we’re far more likely to encounter Pike with Number One than Spock with Spock mentioned only in passing:
PIKE: Ambassador, it’s an honor to finally meet you. Your son is a fine officer and a valued member of my crew. I’m sure you must be very proud.
Sarek: You would be mistaken.
[Awkward pause. A matter of fact response from a Vulcan dismissing pride or something more? Pike responds as if assuming the former.]
Pike. Of course.
And that would address the Spock situation.
Man, I really miss Mark Leonard.
I read your Sarek quote in Mark Leonard’s voice without even thinking. Miss him indeed.
I have complained before that James Frain just doesn’t have Mark Lenard’s presence, much less his voice. His adoption of an American accent for Sarek, instead of Lenard’s theatrical mid-Atlantic, is puzzling.
Indeed. I think Frain is the single worst peace of casting on the show. Sarek he is not, but then neither was Ben Cross. I think Lenard has one of a very unique face and voice, with specific mannerisms, that are hard to replicate and neither replacement actor has even tried.
NPR just had a segment on computers being able to take two minutes of someone’s voice and being able to replicate their speech, making them say whatever they want. That, combined with the CGI we saw in Rogue One, I expect they won’t even bother with recasting in 20 years. I’m fairly sure they’ve already bought the rights to all the actors’ digital appearances.
Yup, although they can’t easily replicate behavioural mannerisms, which I think was pone of the problems with Tarkin in Rogue One. Despite Guy Henry’s best efforts if the new the actor previously, as I did from things on British TV, you could still feel Henry’s mannerisms instead of Cushing’s, so how well it will work in the future remains to be seen. I think you’ll have characters that are Shatner and Nimoy but aren’t at the same time.
I agree. I haven’t been a fan of the Sarek casting (and the step father role to Michael storyline). I’m really hoping Spock doesn’t get replaced. The Trek universe is huge. There are plenty of other areas to explore than bringing the Enterprise into this.
I said the same thing before DISC came out, ATOZ. It’s a big universe, I hope they leave the Enterprise and crew out of it. But now, here we are.
Yep. While I don’t mid Frain’s casting, he shouldn’t have gone for the American accent. Also, they should cut his fringe much higher so it is more Sarek-like, and not Spock-like ( or generic Vulcan from TNG era onwards ).
Agreed if they can recast Sarek, when literally no one can ever replace Mark Lenard might as well recast everyone including Kirk.
Regarding Spock, I think they should keep the mystique alive for awhile so people strain to get a glimpse of him. It would be awesome if Quinto did the voice for Spock over the intercom or something!
I don’t get why people keep banging on about Quinto. Don’t they realise he’s not the same Spock? A key line in Trek 09 makes that very clear.
He’s not the same Spock in that he simply exists in another timeline. However, there’s a “Prime” version of him somewhere.
El Chup
Quinto is supposed to be ‘the same Spock’ in terms of genetics (ie a young version of Leonard Nimoy’s Spock whose life went in a slightly different direction,) just as Chris Pine is supposed to be the the young version of the William Shatner Kirk. Nimoy’s Spock recognised him immediately, for example. Spock’s a bit older than Jim and thus was born before the Kelvin incursion (although I’m content to consider the Kelvin Timeline to be a slightly different universe.) It’s feasible, though, that the likes of Sulu, Uhura, Chekov, Carol Marcus and so on aren’t necessarily the same, genetically. They might have been conceived at different times, so although their parentage might (or not) be the same, they might not be the same individuals.
So, I’d have no problem with Zachary Quinto playing Spock on Discovery, but equally, I’d be interested to see another actor take on the role. The new Pike is a good likeness though. Good luck to him.
Based on the quote above from Harberts, it sounds like they’ve already decided that Spock is Nimoy OR Quinto. So they must be holding out and are betting on the CBS Viacom merger to take place. That way they can get Quinto to eventually make a cameo or guest star appearance, perhaps as early as season 3 (or maybe even the season 2 finale!!!) I personally like Quinto’s Spock and since he and Nimoy became friends and he got Leonard’s “Stamp of Approval”, that is good enough for me.
Use archival footage. Quick glimpses on a view screen, walking around a corner, unfocused in the back ground. That sort of thing. Would be hilarious.
I love that idea!
That would be too brave of the showrunners.
But brilliant!
I love it. Laughing out hilariously at this idea
This is a really good casting choice. It leads me to believe Pike will have more of a story arc in season 2 than just a one-off episode.
I know some people didn’t want any interaction between the crews but I’m actually loving this and was hoping we’d see a re-casting of Pike and his Number 1 (Una).
Very good actor, people should not judge him by his performance from Inhumans but rather they should look at his performance from Hell on Wheels as their guideline. This guy can do excellent down and dirty. Let’s hope since the producers hired an actor of his caliber they don’t just make him sit at the captains chair in all his appearances. I think as an actor he works best when he gets the chance to dirty his hands. I am wondering now if the producers will actually give him some sort of a section 31 connection.
Now THAT would be interesting!
Regarding Spock: If they have to recast, I hope they use Todd Haberkorn from ST Continues. I really like his Spock.
That isn’t going to happen.
Brandon Stacy of New Voyages would have a better chance if they went that route…
Brandon Stacy made a great Spock.
Brandon’s Spock was really good too, I just thought Todd’s was better with the whole ‘Spock humor’ thing. Either one would be great, especially with some really high end make up artists working on them.
He was Quinto’s body double if I recall correctly.
Yup, I believe so.
What, the scrawny bad acting guy? No thanks.
Thats some inspired casting.
I’m already reading this other places around the Internet and thought to myself earlier as well – how about we self-destruct Discovery and take off with Pike/Mount and the Enterprise for a few years?
The enterprise looks infinitely better than the discovery.
Get Bryan Fuller and Nick Meyer in charge of that project stat!
Bryan Fuller should stay far away, especially true for fans who dislike Discovery since it seems like the most complained about things were Fullers…
More lies from TUP.
Well firstly, your reply implies I lie. I do not at all. If you feel inclined to pretend your opinion is fact, its a commentary on your close-mindedness.
Secondly, all we have are rumours and speculation but some of the most complained about things: the design of the ship, the design of the unis, the war story, the use of redesigned klingons…were all, to the best of our knowledge, Fuller ideas.
In fact, the era, much complained about, was a Fuller idea.
The gay relationship, much complained about unfortunately, was a Fuller idea.
The female lead, much complained about, was Fuller.
So…if you like all those things, then Fuller is your man. Personally, Im not a fan of his history of leaving when he doesnt seemingly get his way.
You can argue the studio is wrong and the producer is right but when a guy has a history of major disagreements that result in his leaving…you have to start looking at him critically.
I thought Dead Like Me got way better after he left. And I think American God’s has major issues so Im actually looking more forward to season 2 now that Fuller is gone.
Yeah, Fuller is a mess. I was glad when he left Discovery, but I did like his ideas.
Jeebus.
I get the feeling that this might be the start of a new spin off.
Ah Captain Pike, the most recast man in the Trek universe ;)
I wanted a female Captain Pike.
Oh my god. Can you imagine the backlash from the “fans” if they ever did something like that?! Mirror Galt would have a field day!
Just knowing that it would piss off some fans makes it worth it.
Haha we all got used to Katie’s Star Buck but that was just BSG.
I loved her in that show.
Looking forward to this…
No, she does a good job, all right; it’s just that I… can’t get used to having a woman on the bridge.
What if… Michael IS Number One (Una)?
Wow plot twist *red alert*
I wonder how soon they will announce the new Captain of the Discovery? There is no way they will be able to keep it hush hush for the next 6-8 mos. Mount said he was already having a hard time trying to hide the fact he was in Toronto already – so unless Pike becomes the next Captain of Discovery, then we should be getting some news soon. Sorry for the speculation.
Kirk assumed command of the Enterprise from Pike so my money is Number One (I believe she was given the name Una which is, um, ‘one’).
Hmmm, I like your thinking. CBS could cast Number One, introduce her as Number One or Una throughout the year’s conventions and they could keep the identity of the Captain hush hush. Meanwhile the actor could walk around Toronto, hang out with the crew in public and have a life.
Holy shit this is soo cool!
I don’t know this actor, but he looks Pike-ish enough for me!
And now I am curious how they will handle Spock without actually casting him….
Like in some sitcom, wherein a character gets often mentioned and sometimes you can glimpse a part of his body or something, but he is never shown clearly??
Probably won’t even bother to show him. He is just the science officer at this point in his career. Number One is more important on the Enterprise so I would not be surprised to see her make an appearance.
No, Spock won’t appear in DSC…just like Khan wasn’t in STID.
I wonder what English dude they get to play Spock?
That’s pretty damned funny. Which English dude, indeed.
Damn…that is funny, lol
Rowan Atkinson would make one helluva Spock. Inspired casting!
Patrick Stewart!!??
Khan was in STID? , oh I thought that was John Harrison…
It would have been a better movie if Harrison had just been someone who admired Khan and wanted to bring back Eugenics, not actually Khan.
That whole Khan is not in this movie scheme was real silliness !
Or just one of the other Augments from the Botany Bay.
I would’ve liked the idea of Section 31 trying to secretly restart the eugenics program and how John Harrison came to be.
Lol! In my mind canon, I pretend that Cumberbatch’s character in STID was actually one of Khan’s men pretending to be him. The real Khan is still in stasis.
Cumberbatch was actually Joachim. When I saw the movie I was hoping that the big reveal would be that MARCUS was Khan. Oh, well.
I was literally just thinking the same thing. You can’t believe anything these people say. They should realize we take what they say to mean the exact opposite. It’s unnecessary.
Excellent choice. I can’t wait for season 2.
He also thrilled as Cherry in Seal Team Six: The Raid on Osama Bin Laden. Mount is the offspring of pro golfer Nancy Smith and Playboy magazine sports editor Anson Mount II.
And your point is?
He’s got a swinging pedigree.
CBS coffee boys are so salty these days.
Love all the little details being hinted at with what they might do with Pike. This makes me excited for season 2!
I didn’t like the first season at all and am on the fence as to whether I’m even going to watch the second. But this is good casting, so the needle just moved a little bit back in the direction of “watch it.”
Give it another chance. I didn’t love the first season but there is some great potential going into season two. I have a feelings its going to feel more like Star Trek of old but just an opinion obviously.
I hate to be the Star Trek fan who isn’t supporting new Star Trek, so I might end up checking it out. It’ll be reluctantly, though.
I was a diehard fan of Hell on Wheels, absolutely awesome series. Can’t wait to see AM in the Captain’s chair, excellent choice.
Awesome. He really looks the part!
great casting!
I wanted to see Bruce Greenwood. I guess they wanted someone younger.
Hunter was 38 when he shot The Cage. Bruce Greenwood is 61. He was 51 when he first played Pike, so he was arguably already a bit old for the part. Anson Mount is 45 and this is a few years later than The Cage, so it’s reasonably close.
We can use CGI to make actors look younger now.
I would have accepted Greenwood for 1) continuity and 2) he’s awesome. But definitely a bit old if they want to adhere to canon. And using CGI…well, they’d have to make the case for spending that money and when the alternative is to cast someone else, that’s going to win.
Greenwood is a pretty big star too. Mount is the right age and, interestingly, looks like Hunter. So they are clearly trying to adhere to canon.
Cant wait to see the new Enterprise bridge and uniforms.
Just because you CAN do a thing, doesn’t mean you should. (And then there’s the matter of doing a thing WELL, too … )
It was NEVER going to be Bruce Greenwood. I been saying this for weeks now. CBS does NOT want people to confuse Discovery with the Kelvin films. They have done everything possible to make that clear, hence why the two Enterprises look completely different from each other. Why nearly everything in Discovery looks different from the KT movies even though they roughly take place in the same time period.
As long as Paramount and CBS are working separately they will treat the two Trek products the same. This isn’t like the days of TOS-ENT where crossovers were the norm.
They ain’t paying bad robot a cent if they can help it lol
This guy IS Captain Pike!
Unless he was speaking figuratively the actor did drop a spoiler here about “sitting in the captain’s chair” a few days ago. And unless he was unexpectedly sitting in Discovery’s chair, that does mean we are going to see the “reimagined” Enterprise bridge. Fandom, brace for impact!
Oh boy let the negative fans whine about the choice for Pike
MK,
Why, when we can wait until the show airs and instead complain about how they wasted the hiring of a good actor with bad material?
Hey Mike. Like listening to you on the Giants broadcasts!
Show runners did says that we would see the Enterprise bridge. I bet it’s already built and ready for filming. We should see pics soon.
I’m excited!
Though not for the whining from the “THIS IS NOT THE TOS AESTHETIC!” brigade.
You shouldn’t let other people’s perspectives alter your excitement. You do you. Ad Moonves Per Aspera.
The name seemed familiar, but the photo side-by-side with Jeffrey Hunter’s is one of the worst I’ve ever seen of this handsome guy. Didn’t recognize him!
Quite a switch from his appearance in “Hell on Wheels”
The likeness is good, but they’re just going to stuff him into a 3D-printed catsuit aboard the U.S.S. Visual-Allegory-for-Clinical-Depression-prise.
YAWN.
One symptom of depression is fatigue. You should see your doctor.
Perfect casting. He was amazing in Hell on Wheels. Plus he’s got the Pike look
Great casting decision for Pike! The producers of Discovery are really in tune with TOS Star Trek.
“The producers of Discovery are really in tune with TOS Star Trek.”
Good joke. Nice one.
Maybe you guys are the joke.
HN4
Final warning for personal attack. You need to cut it with the bullying or you will be banned.
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I thought jokes made people laugh.
You think incorrectly. You can be humorous and civil at the same time.
fake news !
Try making one on purpose and we’ll all see.
I have a joke about tRUMP, Mueller and a rolled up copy of the Constitution.
“The producers of Discovery are really in tune with TOS Star Trek.”
That had to be a joke.
Have they also cast number 1, Majel’s character from the cage?
Now we have to meet Number One (not Una, please), Spock, Kelso, Joseph Tyler (related to Ash?), Dr. Boyce and of course Yeoman Colt.
Just read a blog post by Anson Mount; the dude is quite thoughtful and articulate, by actors’ standards. A good sign, for playing the introspective Pike.
This is cool news! I loved him on Inhumans (but didn’t love Inhumans itself). He looks so much like Pike its surreal. I have a feeling Discovery is going to do some really cool things next season.
While I don’t know the guy (I honestly can’t say whether I’ve watched any of the TV shows and films he’s been in), visually he seems to be a great choice. He has that rough-around-the-edges old-timey handsomeness that defined Jeffrey Hunter’s looks. I’m curious as to what direction his interpretation of the character will take. Will he lean more towards the brooding, pensive type that was Hunter’s Captain Pike or rather towards Bruce Greenwood’s “Good Ol’ Boy”-Pike.
I did enjoy Greenwood’s take on Pike, but physically Greenwood is better suited to play, say, an intelligence higher-up who steps out of the shadows and says: “We’ve been monitoring your progress and we’re very pleased…”
Why not just have Quinto do a guest star in the damn show? Why even contemplate a recast or negate the want to do it? Just put in Quinto and be done with it. It is either that or always have Spock off the bridge of the Enterprise during transmissions between ships. Wasn’t he usually present during away missions and boarding parties? How they going to explain a serious GAP in the crew of the Enterprise?
As others have said, Spock’s involvement on the Enterprise is largely unknown to us ten years pre-Kirk. We know he served under Pike during The Cage, and that’s pretty much all we know.
And if they HAVE to recast Spock, which I sincerely hope they don’t, and if they HAVE to use Quinto again, which I sincerely hope they don’t, I hope he leaves his Kelvin Universe “Weepy Mood-Swinging Spock” at home.
I hope Spock gets relegated to a mention in dialogue on DISC, nothing more.
There could be legal issues with using Quinto as well, between Paramount and CBS.
I’d be fene with it because of continuity but I also think it would be a distraction and Quinto plays the role a certain way which isnt my favourite.
But I have no issue with them recasting. If they really dont plan to use the character or have the Enterprise show up regularly, use archival footage…it would be really cool to see Nimoy Spock.
Just by viewing The Cage, one might well get the impression that Number One had the more essential relationship with Pike. But from the replay, it is incontrovertible that Spock’s loyalty and respect for Pike was vital, and forged over years of close contact.
It’s obvious enough, from the extraordinary lengths and repercussions that he engineered on behalf of his old captain, even if the actual danger to his career, might have been overstated, by his logical calculation the impact of also being enabled to go to the bijou, would play out on real Mendez, and by extension, Starfleet.
You people are fooling yourselves if you think DSC won’t give us their version of Spock! Why would they not? If Pike & the Enterprise are in Season 2, which they just confirmed, then why wouldn’t Spock be there? “Oh, he must be in the bathroom!” C’mon. Of course there are a million ways they could explain why Spock isn’t there. But there’s also a million better ways they could have ended Season 1–this is Star Trek Discovery we’re talking about. If there’s a piece of canon they haven’t shat upon yet, they’ll figure it out in time for Season 3!
Bottom line is, from a dramatic stand-point, there is absolutely no chance in hell that the Discovery writers can resist bringing Spock into the story. They can’t resist! They couldn’t help themselves showing the Enterprise at the end of Season 1 and re-designing it, why would they start showing restraint NOW?!? We don’t even know how many dicks Vulcans have yet!
All my money down on this sure bet: Michael Burnham WILL come face-to-face with Spock in season 2. Whether its on the USS Discovery, or the completely unfamiliar and inexplicably re-designed bridge of the USS Enterprise, or someplace else like an alien Juggernaut vessel that’s attacking Sirsa III (oh yeah, that was the whole F-ing point of that book!)… its too tempting of a thread for the Discovery “writers” not to pull on!
Agreed. To now restraint has not been their strong suit. Arguably restraint is not socially valued at the moment.
I certainly hope we get the world-weary Pike that was portrayed by Jeffrey Hunter. I loved Bruce Greenwood’s approach as well, but that Pike was very much a character formed by events in the Kelvin timeline. “The Cage’s” Pike was more withdrawn, sad and cynical, and as we saw, the Talosians were able to play on his apparent lost hopes and forgotten dreams to bring him closer to Vena. And not forgetting, he is a tragic figure in this universe, marked for the heroic cadet rescue that will end his life as he knows it within several years.
Super pumped about Anson Mount’s casting. He’s going to knock it out of the park as Pike. Really disappointed to have Section 31 confirmed to be “massively” involved with season 2. I really wish they’d let that go.
This is great news. I am being taken back to 1966, when I was 12 and loving life…. Thank you