Even before the second season finale of Star Trek: Discovery fans were talking about wanting to see more of Anson Mount’s Captain Pike and his adventures on the USS Enterprise, including launching a popular petition. Last week we reported that Mount had some concerns about returning to the role and the time it would take away from his family. But his latest comment on the subject opens the door up a bit more. Mount’s co-star Ethan Peck also continues to indicate he is available for more Spock.
Playing Pike again would check all the boxes for Anson Mount
Promoting his appearance this weekend at Calgary Expo, Mount has been talking to some of the Canadian press, including telling the Calgary Herald he would love to return to the role of Christopher Pike, noting:
It checks all the boxes. It’s a character I love, it’s a franchise I love, it’s an experience that I have already loved. Obviously, any opportunity to go back and play with that incredible team, led by (executive producer and co-creator) Alex Kurtzman and all of those incredible artisans from costumes, to makeup, to art, to props. Everybody in that crew is operating at the top of their game.
Revealing what it meant to him to land the role as Pike on Discovery, Mount talked about how it fulfilled a childhood fantasy:
I got surprisingly emotional when I sat in the Captain’s chair. There is this weird full 360 to realize that I was still playing make-believe and now I was doing it for a living and I was going to play the same game that I played when I was a child. It was wild.
Anson Mount as Captain Pike (CBS)
Speaking to the CBC, Mount talked about how much he admires the character of Pike:
I like him as a man. He probably had good parents and he definitely had good mentors and he treats the crew the way he would want to be treated — with respect and best idea wins. That’s how he runs his ship. And I like it.
Showing how much he loved his time on the show, earlier this week Mount shared a shot of himself and his USS Enterprise co-stars Ethan Peck and Rebecca Romijn with the simple message “BFFs.”
https://twitter.com/ansonmount/status/1120742565823823881?s=09
Ethan Peck ready for more after doing the groundwork as Spock
Actor Ethan Peck was already on the record saying he would be happy to return to the role of Spock, telling TrekMovie last month he thinks it would be “pretty cool.” In a post-finale interview with TV Guide, he elaborated, saying:
I would like to come back, because being a part of Star Trek is like magic. It’s funny, I think Star Trek is so divisive amongst people in the world that are like, “Never seen it, not interested.” And those that do see it are very attached and find themselves very connected with it. To be a part of something like that is just really special. Now I feel like I’ve done a lot of the groundwork and Spock is very much a part of me. I’m the same but different having finished it. So would I like to continue? Yeah. I think it would be great.
Speaking to Rotten Tomatoes, Peck also discussed returning to the role:
Is there hope [we’ll see the Enterprise and Spock again]? Yes, I hope so.
Pictured: Ethan Peck as Spock (CBS)
Yesterday Peck also posted a behind-the-scenes photo from the Enterprise set, this time with show star Sonequa Martin-Green in the captain’s chair and the message: “In the moments after I wrapped S2… We journeyed through so much. I’m proud to have worked with you, to have learned from you, to call you my friend.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwsDjRmhXcf/?igshid=1r30s3dcr0keu
Pike’s Enterprise show buzz not slowing down
In the ten days since TrekMovie reported on the fan petition for CBS to launch a show focused on Pike’s Enterprise, the number of signatures has more than doubled and is now reaching 25,000. The fan buzz about bringing back Pike has been picked up by a number of media outlets including Digital Spy, ScreenRant, Comicbook.com and others. Last week executive producer Alex Kurtzman stated that “the fans have been heard,” adding “The idea of getting to tell more stories with them would be a delight for all of us.”
Of course, Kurtzman’s Star Trek plate is already pretty full with the Picard series, season three of Discovery, the Section 31 series, two animated series and Short Treks. But, there are always possibilities.
Ethan Peck as Spock (CBS)
Keep up with all the news regarding possible upcoming Star Trek TV shows at TrekMovie.com.
Given CBS have big ambitions for Trek and see it as integral to reducing churn on their streaming platform commissioning a Pike show makes perfect sense. The production quality on Discovery has been first rate and I think it’s fair to say we can expect the same from Picard and Section 31 so it’s clear that we can expect more than 12 months between seasons for these shows and it seems the animated projects will be no different. Therefore adding another series to the roster seems logical if you want to have new Trek almost all year round. There are practicalities to sort out of course, the majority of these shows are being made in Toronto so they may need to partner with other studios but we’re almost certainly going to have more new Trek TV projects announced in the next few years and it would be surprising if this is not one of them. I still think we might have something announced at the Vegas con.
Corinthian7 studio space in Toronto is tight but there is a lot under construction now and will be coming on line by the time production for other series might get underway.
Pinewood Studios is expanding, so more capacity is coming available where Discovery is produced.
On the other side of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in Mississauga, CBS is building it’s own studio complex.
This would be a challenge in terms of splitting production between two studios (which the Expanse does), but CBS is definitely committed to a presence in Toronto.
There’s also a new Netflix studio and another mega studio for cinematic productions currently under construction.
Yeah this sounds vaguely familiar TG47. It’s these type of developments that will allow for CBS to produce more content more quickly for their platform. You would have to assume that the latest reports on the merger will have a bearing too as it would allow for the sharing of assets and building a successful competitive streaming service is going be just as much a priority for the larger combined organisation. Obviously Trek remains just one string on the bow and they will need to commit towards developing a variety of original content in order to attract as wide a subscriber base as possible but it’s clear they see the franchise as important to this and given the huge interest in a Pike show amongst the fanbase it seems unlikely they’ll ignore it when the two leads seem very interested.
Yes Corinthian7, CBS seems to be committing seriously to production in Toronto for its various platforms.
Vancouver still has more than double Toronto’s production overall across the industry, and CBS is producing The Twilight Zone there, but growth is happening in the GTA.
Having two of the Oscar best pictures of the last 3 years made in Toronto has created a buzz.
And Guillermo del Toro’s newest film Nightmare Alley has just been announced as going forward at either Pinewood Toronto Studios or Cinescape.
More of a concern is that Tamara Deverell, who has been brilliant taking over the reins for Discovery, is reportedly going to head production design for del Toro.
That might be a better fit, her work is probably better suited for Del Toro’s expressionist fantasy than what is I suppose is intended to be nuts&bolts space opera/science fiction.
Now if they could get somebody like Steve Burg in as production designer, I’d be intrigued.
I really couldn’t care less about a Section 31 series and two animated series. I initially disliked the Short Treks concept, although I’ve changed my mind due to the excellent writing and the way they enhanced the main storyline — but they’re still ultimately part of DISCOVERY, and who knows what the shelf life of DISCOVERY is after the Grand Canyon-sized shift in premise.
So if CBS wants year-round Trek content for All Access, why not? The actors have undeniable chemistry, and some of the main sets are built. (“The hall is rented, the orchestra engaged,” as I recall Q putting it.) So let’s see if they can dance.
They should do a Pike show, and cancel everything else. Couldn’t care less for a Section 31/Picard/Animated Series shows. And by changing the whole premise of Discovery (which had spotty writing and huge plot holes), I doubt it will be around after it’s 3rd season.
We don’t need a whole Pike and/or Section 31 series. How about: a couple of “Short Treks” with a few Pike and Spock adventures, ending with the day Pike “hands over the keys” (and Spock) to Kirk and company?
Nope, I want a complete stand alone Pike/Spock/Number One on board the Enterprise series with at least a five year run.
I’d split the difference and settle for a tightly-plotted miniseries, if it would mean the difference between doing this and not doing it. (Although I suspect that if they did do a miniseries, the fan reaction would be so overwhelmingly enthusiastic they’d regret not doing a full-blown series.)
Also they’ve not greenlit Section 31 yet so maybe that becomes the mini.
Oooh, I like your thinking, Corinthian7!
Totally agree. TV movie or miniseries is the way to go and, damn it, get the story and script right and tight before it goes anywhere near a camera.
I agree, that would be awesome.
Yep, go back to when they get the commission prior to the Klingon war.. and perhaps we can even meet Capt April or Garth… I love Trek but im not loving the section 31 angle or the lost in the future either.
I am not up on my canon to recall how much time Pike has on the Enterprise after Discovery’s second season, but even just seeing the rest of Pikes command would be cool.
I really want to like Discovery and even get excited about the other Treks but I just am not unfortunately.
Oh, please don’t say “We don’t need a whole Pike series”, because WE need it. Short Treks are too short.
I admire Kirk, and Kirk had his time and a great actor to portray him, it is impossible to find someone better than Shatner. Pike deserves his own adventures, and there is a great actor who brings life into this character. We need him.
I want a minimum of 150 Pike/Spock/Number One episodes before I die. I’m 55 so there’s time.
“There’s time” is never a good argument if you want things get done. People tend to procrastinate when “there’s time” (until there isn’t).
Kirk: “You told me you could have the ship operational in two weeks. I gave you three. What happened?”
Scott: “I think you gave me too much time, Captain.”
(Thanks for reminding me. I think I’m gonna go watch Star Trek V to cleanse my palate a bit. ;))
I disagree completely. There has been more than enough fan interest about a full Pike/Spock series. In the 1960s when Star Trek was about to be cancelled after season 2, the fans spoke up very loudly and kept it going another season. If Star Trek was just another show, the whole idea would have died out right there. But here we are, 50+ years later and Trek is still going strong because of a great fan base. And if that fan base desires a Pike, Spock and Enterprise series? Bring it on. They’ve done a great job of interpreting NCC-1701 so far, I would also love to see more.
I feel the same about the Picard series. To this day TNG, is the series I enjoyed the least.
The bridge set. That’s how it should have been done for the JJ-verse movies. It’s modern yet respects the original. Ethan Peck as Spock is the best we’ve seen since Nimoy. He has the voice and the gravitas and the right approach to the character.
Agreed, that bridge and the ship are perfect. Plus that cast (Number One, Spock) just phenomenal. I like Michael, she should have transferred to the Enterprise on failure of the Discovery due to horrid spore drive.
But that wouldn’t make any sense since the entire point (from the production view) of sending Discovery to the 32nd century was to erase her from 23rd century canon. Putting her on the Enterprise would surely make matters MUCH worse lol.
I don’t like Michael, she’s always frowning or crying but never laughing. Would not invite to a party.
Agree. She’s off my guest list too.
Yes, absolutely. I love the look of this Enterprise bridge. I watched the 2009 movie again the other day, that bridge just holds no comparison to this one. DSC did a great job of putting this one together.
The Pike show would be a killer hit. No brainer. Make it so!
If the rumored merger takes place with Viacom, perhaps one day that may also mean a future motion picture for Pike, Spock and the crew of the Enterprise!! I would prefer a mini series of shows on the small screen but there are all sorts of possibilities.
Or they could give us several seasons of Pike and co and then transition Peck and any other actors they’ve cast as classic TOS characters into a movie that charts Kirk’s first mission onboard the Enterprise. If it’s popular any sequels can jump a few years and chart the end of the first 5 year mission/2nd 5 year mission. There’s enough gaps to fill without stepping on TOS toes and it allows them to cast somebody to play Kirk that has enough box office clout to bring in an audience.
“Spock, for the last time, get rid of those sideburns!”
“I still like him better than Steinbrenner.”
:-D
Baffles the mind that we *might* get this…but Kurtzman fought to make sure we *are* getting Section 31, which no-one asked for.
Completely agree! Let’s put Section 31 on the back burner (or better yet in cold storage) and fast track a Captain Pike series.
Agreed.
I think it’s pretty obvious it was on the cards the whole time. Why else would they have been able to get Rebecca Romijin as Number One when the role barely did anything.
Thats not much of an argument though. I mean its not like Romijjn is busy with movies or TV. I can’t even remember the last time I seen her in something. I know she was on a TV show for awhie (which I never saw or ever heard much about) but that ended a year ago. And looking at her resume, she basically does a lot of bit work these days appearing in an episode on shows or small movie roles. This is par the course.
People are making Romijin and her being on Discovery a much bigger deal than reality suggests. This is probably the most note worthy role she’s done since X Men.
She played a central character on Ugly Betty for two seasons about ten years ago.
Well OK. But 10 years ago, I mean….
They may have gotten her precisely because it was a limited engagement. Some actors don’t want to lock themselves in multi-year contracts that take up most of their time. They want to be able to take up interesting projects that might come their way.
I like her, but she is hardly an in-demand actress. Most recently, she was in the little-known and now-canceled “The Librarians” for a few years. A successful run on Discovery and the potential follow-on series could raise her stature significantly. Her agent’s only question was probably “how soon can we sign on?”
It is so bizarre lol. No one seems to truly want a Section 31 show in general. I don’t MIND a Section 31 show, but I wasn’t exactly begging for one to ever happen. And whats more odd is that the entire season of Discovery was about Section 31 and it look like it only made people like them less. I think their plan kind of backfired of making S31 a more popular group on the show and ironically has made people even more skeptical of the show when I think the point was to make them more interested in it.
Its clear they are not backing away from it, but it seem like at LEAST readjust the premise a bit and find a way to include Pike in a recurring role and he’s part of whatever Section 31 is doing on the show. Now that they have made it (very) clear Starfleet works directly with them, its not a problem anymore. That seem like a win-win for everybody involved.
It doesn’t help that seemingly Tyler will be a big part of the Section 31 series. Georgiou is already bad enough, although it seems that she at least has some fans. But does anyone really like Tyler? His backstory is a convuluted mess and I have seen so far no one rooting for the stupid Burnham/Tyler romance. He is also not particular charismatic. I think he is the weakest main character.
Well I was rooting for it! About a year ago I predicted that the way they would deal with the Spock-never-mentioned-her issue was that Burham would be somewhere lost in time, which would be really sad, but she would be with Tyler, which would be melancholy and sweet. The final scene of the series would be Michael and Ash, hugging each other and staring off into a starry night sky on a beautiful, deserted alien world. And… fade to black.
And now that won’t happen. >:( So the hell with it, bring on Star Trek: Pike!
Does anyone really like Tyler? Yes, I do. He is my favorite character of the 1st season (next after Lorca), and he looks better in the 2nd. His romance with Burnham doesn’t work, I agree, but it isn’t his fault. He has “chemistry” with any other character. Honestly I wish he was a new head of security on “Enterprise” after Nhan’s transfer on “Discovery”.
I like Tyler as well. He reminds me a bit of the gritty Lebenzon character in the novels. And yes, great idea about ditching S31 and bringing him on to ENTERPRISE.
I’m happy that I’m not the only one who likes Tyler!
I like Shazad Latif. Tyler himself is a pretty garbage character.
I really think TPTB underestimated how much Mount, Peck and Romijn resonated with the fans. It wasn’t just the characters that they played but their respective approaches to them. All came across as strong but also likeable and relateable. You’d like spending time with those people.
Even with my misgivings about the talent of the writing team I’d far prefer a Captain Pike show to Discovery or any of the other spinoffs announced so far.
I personally think they introduced these characters hoping for such a reaction. It felt a lot like when Frank Castle was brought into the Punisher, it’s likely they always hoped it would lead to a spin off and I’ve always felt the same with Pike and Spock. Time will tell I guess.
I think that’s likely, yes; remember that VOY “Flashback” was a test case to see if fans wanted a Sulu series (not so much, as it turned out).
I’ve never heard that was intended as a test for a Sulu series, and certainly Berman never showed any interest in century 23 storytelling. If anything that probably killed the modest but present interest in such a show.
As far as I know, George Takei himself lobbied hard to make the Sulu series a reality but as you said Berman was never a fan of that era.
Yeah, Sulu for captain began as a convention joke in the early 70s I think (there are references to it in THE MAKING OF THE TREK CONVENTIONS, a book that still has one of of the most memorable titles for me ever, just because it exists), but in the early 90s, I think it was a growing thing — and that FLASHBACK had nothing to do with that thing except giving Takei a paycheck and a corporate need to do something on VOY to commemorate the 25th. It’d be like using FREE ENTERPRISE as a pilot for a new Kirk series, doing the first one with Sulu turning out to be a figment of a regular’s imagination.
Can’t see the forest for the trees.
“Baffles the mind that we *might* get this…but Kurtzman fought to make sure we *are* getting Section 31, which no-one asked for.” They are making same mistake that the folks running Lucasfilm made doing the Solo movie. It crashed and burned at the box office. No one is interested in Section 31 now. Going forward with it and not a Pike “Enterprise” would be the same mistake. They need to take a hint from what happened to Disney and listen to the fans and not ignore them or they will sow disaster !
What’s baffling Doug? They refused to be drawn on the Picard show until they were ready to announce it. Does it mean that we’re guaranteed a Pike show? Of course not but even if they are planning one I would expect them to release the news on their terms. It hardly hurts them for fans to build up hype and demand for the show first. I still wouldn’t be surprised if we get a big reveal at the Vegas Con.
The best part of Discovery was the Enterprise, Pike, Spock etc. That’s what lots of people want. Not Discovery.
Please stop that.
A lot of people *may* want that.
I want BOTH. I love Discovery and I love the idea of Pike’s Enterprise. I’m “meh” about a Section 31 show; maybe that should be a limited-run series.
As for the Picard show, that’s already been sold as a limited-run series, so we shall see. I’ll certainly enjoy seeing Sir Patrick Stewart again; another magnetic, admirable actor!
Keep the Section 31 link by making Georgiou a permanent crew member on Pike’s Enterprise. Two birds, one show.
No, please keep Star Trek: Pike as far away from anything Discovery as possible. Have the Enterprise go out on another five-year mission and never mention Discovery again. Be closer in tone to TOS than DSC. That’s what I want anyway.
Picard is an ongoing, not a limited.
Agreed. I want both, and im super stoked for the Picard show. Lots of room in Trek for GOOD stories (…”good” being the operative word here)
The Picard series isn’t a limited one.
https://trekmovie.com/2018/10/06/exclusive-star-trek-executive-producers-reveal-picard-series-production-details/
“Speaking to TrekMovie at New York Comic Con on Saturday, executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Heather Kadin confirmed that actually, the plan is for new Picard show to be an ongoing Star Trek series. Heather Kadin specifically confirmed they are planning for the Picard series to run multiple seasons.”
Totally agree. Pike and the Enterprise were the entire reason I subscribed to All Access this season.
Sack off the S31 series. Retool as a Pike Enterprise series.
Love Discovery but Ash Tyler is terribly written and Georgiou is far too OTT. They are really going to have to put in the work to get that show off the ground.
Its not too late.
#wewantpike
Pike is by far the best DIS character. I really like him. I am less convinced by Spock so far, but he has potential. On a shallow note though if Spock shall be back, please make his sideburns smaller. They are way too big and massive and don’t work well with the hairstyle.
Haha Mel, that “shallow note” seems such a small thing, but I thought the same. They weren’t even as pointed as they should be! They should re-style the bangs/fringe a little too, they overemphasize Peck’s somewhat square face [which is close to opposite from Nimoy’s elongated face].
But heck, they didn’t get Nimoy’s Spock hairstyle perfect till late Season 2 and Season 3 :^)
Peck needs some of Spock’s eyeshadow too.
It’s odd Mel because in a number of the production stills Anson Mount’s sideburns as Pike are exactly like what we saw Kirk and Spock wearing in the first two seasons of TOS.
They may have been trying to balance the hair, but a thinner, less Muppet-like wig would be truer to Nimoy’s portrayal.
I agree with Trellium that the make-up needs a tweak: less rosy foundation and more olive to get the half-Vulcan look, some sculpting and maybe even some eyeshadow might make a difference.
But as previously noted, it seems to be difficult for the make-up team to get very fair-skinned actors make-up looking quite right for the HD out of the gate — even with pretests. And from Olatudne Osunsamni’s directors notes, it turns out that the directors are changing the video format from episode to episode for dramatic effect.
Rebecca Romjin’s make-up in her first appearance with the hamburger looked very pancake, but she looked great in episodes 13 and 14.
I disagree. Peck/Spock looks great–beatnick hair and all.
I have zero doubt we will see them again. They were the biggest hits of the season. I didn’t personally want them there at the beginning (I mean all season) and they completely won me over. I knew Mount was going to be great as Pike but I didn’t think I would like him as much as I did. I’m still skeptical we will get a full on show, I think they have a have plan napped out and sticking to it. But it doesn’t stop a mini-series or TV movies down the line.
But that said if stuff like the Academy show (which AFAIK is still being considered) doesn’t work out, this would be the obvious replacement.
Of course they are. Pine, Quinto, and Urban also say the same thing when asked. That doesn’t mean it’ll happen.
Forget about the Section 31 series. Give us Pike instead!
That “BFFs” photo of Anson, Rebecca, and Ethan is ridiculously adorable.
Come on CBS All Access, this should be a no-brainer.
Star Trek: Discovery detractors: “The series should have never been a prequel to The Original Series! The production values are too high for that point in time in Trek history! The technology does not match!”
The same Star Trek: Discovery detractors: “DO A PIKE PREQUEL SERIES TO THE ORIGINAL SERIES WITH THE SAME PRODUCTION VALUES SEEN IN THE LAST TWO EPISODES OF THE SECOND SEASON OF DISCOVERY!”
Yeah, don’t you just love it?
Lost in all this was Mount himself throwing cold water on this in earlier conversations. It seems this show chewed up a ton of his time, something he’s not willing to repeat. It’s doubtful CBS is going to spend more money to accommodate talent that may be finicky unless they find it somewhere else. That means fewer FX, and more shows where Pike is left to ponder his fate. Not what we saw in the last two episodes of Discovery, which was pretty good television.
Good. I hope they give the show a smaller budget. Take some of the focus away from the spectacle and then maybe they’ll have to actually focus on having good writing. Some of the best episodes have always been the “bottle shows” where they were trying to save money.
To be FAIR about this Michael, there is a difference. Discovery was basically the brain child of Bryan Fuller and ALL of the ideas (including making Burnham Spock’s sister and the weird Klingons) came from him. FIrst season was WILDLY out of plac to TOS but it was meant to be and the fans balked.
In second season, clearly they were trying hard to now correct those mistakes (but not completely) and make the show feel closer to the time period its actually set in. They still have a lot of ridiculously crazy tech but its at least starting to resemble Star Trek of old a bit. They pain stakingly made the Enterprise bridge be EXACTLY what many of us was whining about Discovery and that (shocking) you can still keep some of the aesthetics of the old show but update them in a modern way. I have probably written that line on these boards about 50 times now. Thats ALL people wanted in the first place. Discovery practically went out of its way NOT to remind you of TOS outside of the phasers but in season 2 they finally went the other direction and people simply took notice.
Thats the thing, plenty of people didn’t want a prequel, me included. It doesn’t mean we couldn’t like the idea in time if they did it right and had some great character and stories to tell with it. I always said I didn’t like the idea of a prequel but of course I want to love it anyway and I hope I will. Season 1 didn’t do that for me at all, but season 2 certainly got closer to it. And Pike proved its not impossible to have it feel like it belongs in the 23rd century even if everything still looks wildly more modern than TOS. At least attempt to do it and they did. Pretty successfully IMO.
Just to be contrary, I LOVED Season One [except the Lorca reveal; I wish he had just been a crusty captain, not an eeeevil guy]. I loved the look of the bridge and so on. The only thing I did NOT love was the dark and blue lighting. Season Two, with its warmer lighting, was a pleasure to see.
Plot elements to save money: How about the occasional “bottle” show, like the Harry Mudd one in first season.
The last ep of season two was a filmic spectacular. I mean I felt like I was in the cinema. I’m pretty sure they blew a bit o’ budget on that!
There was nothing wrong with the way the first season of the series unfolded. The root of the problem is that people have ALWAYS hated any iteration of Star Trek that does not conform to their preconceptions of what Trek is and should be.
The hatred directed at Discovery is no different from the hatred directed at Enterprise, Voyager, and Deep Space 9 before it (specially DS9).
There is not ONE single thing people have hated about Discovery that they did not hate about any of the previous series and even condoned about the previous series.
Michael’s mutiny? She wasn’t the first Starfleet officer to do so and she won’t be the last. Kirk’s crew did as lot worse in Star Trek III, and many other officers committed mutiny in the various series, from Spock in The Menagerie to Reed, Trip, and other members of Archer’s crew in The Hatchery.
The only difference between them and Michael is that she was actually punished for her crime while everyone else got off with a slap on the wrist, even though much of what they did was MUCH worse, from Sulu beating up a prison guard to Uhura holding a transporter engineer at gun point to Reed, Trip, et all assaulting the MACOS and threatening them with their phasers.
And that was just the start. Sisko bombarded a Maquis world and conspired with Garak to murder a Romulan Senator.
As for DIS being “out of place”, it wasn’t. People just have this idea that the way the 23rd Century was depicted in the 1960’s is the ONLY way it can be depicted in 2017/19, which is absurd.
If DIS wanted to show the alien species TOS depicted as a dog with a plastic unicorn glued to its head, they should be able to do it in a way that makes more sense than that, not be expected to replicate the limitations that constrained science fiction TV series 50+ years ago.
It’s a fair criticism, I was/am one of those who was unhappy about another prequel, though I do like Discovery. I think the thing with Pike etc. Is that the actors have totally won us over, rather than the idea. I would still have rather Discovery started where they are ironically now going to end up in season 3, but from what we’ve had, the best part has surprisingly been the Enterprise and it’s crew.
Nailed it Phil23 …’won us over’ is the best way to describe what’s happened.
While I was always curious about Pike after seeing The Cage, I was skeptical. And all the more so about how well yet another interpretation of Spock might go.
But it worked. Totally.
And the production design on the Enterprise is gorgeous.
Case made.
That’s because they were taking steps in the right direction to line this show up with TOS.
I personally like the “fill in the blanks” part of Star Trek. I want to see and know more about Andorians and Tellerites. More about Number One, Doctor Boyce, etc. A Pike series could work.
What I don’t like are what is probably the huge sums of money thrown at sets that are clearly too large and so dark, you can’t see most it as a result. One of the things Roddenberry went for was believability of the sets (and writing) in context. This new Enterprise set is so large, that Spock has to lean and reach to touch any of the buttons at the ends of his station, which is not ergonomic and would look undignified. You can’t tell where everyone is relative to one another because they are so far apart. This results in whipping the camera around and other goofy camera tricks to help the viewer understand what’s going on. Those lights at eye level would blind you.
Spend money on scripts. Story. Location shooting. Please. Less on fist fights, flying through asteroids–that stuff is boring.
Well said!
Astronauts do not have to wear uncomfortable uniform and use non-ergonomic equipment. It would be… illogical.
And the best CGI make no sense when we see holes in the plot.
That said, Gary, I’m not sure how Nimoy survived three seasons of leaning over that science station viewer. Non-ergonomic in the extreme.
Accommodations for television have to be made. (1) That viewer reduced production costs and let the audience imagine what Spock was seeing. The audience’s imagination has zero production cost. (2) If you visit the Star Trek set in Ticonderoga (and I recommend that you do!), you’ll notice that OSHA would report that the red rails are too low. But if they were where they need to be, it wouldn’t look right.
That’s a way for Vulcans to do ab crunches while on-duty.
He could have always rigged a prism to reflect the hooded viewer’s info onto a horizontal plane so he could watch it while seated, or copy Sulu’s 2nd season weapon viewer that pops out of the helm (and remains my favorite moving part in STAR TREK history. I would have so worn that thing out playing with it, while making my own sound effects as it deployed.)
The art direction on this show doesn’t reflect any of the real-world concerns that MJ and the rest like Joe Jennings considered when doing their design work on TREK, and so it is for me to reject a lot of this on a kneejerk basis that the work can’t be taken seriously. That’s not to say TOS got it all right first time out (one exit out of the bridge?), but the work was successful in a lot of ways that didn’t just relate to eye candy (which I think the new stuff also fails at most of the time, it is way too generic to be compelling, which is a deadly combination with not being credible.)
But you find the Orville PD credible?
Not at all. I find the control surfaces to be as generic as pretty much every other space show these days, and as you know I hate the lighting, so there’s no way to hide how uninteresting it all looks.
I’ve always hated insanely spacious (or even moderately spacious) interiors on spaceships — although it permitted good visuals, even the height of engineering in TOS seemed very wasteful to me — and ORVILLE has got corridors that you could have tandem bowling competitions inside of.
And I don’t like the colors either. Coupled with the anachronistic jokes and lack of original material, it is amazing that I like ORVILLE at all — and yet, charm combined with downer endings usually keep bringing me back. I’d really miss the show if it was not renewed, even with all these grumblings and misgivings. Gotta go back two decades to be able to say that about a TREK series.
I think 100% of Trekkers would sign up for a Pike/Spock/Enterprise show and most of them wouldn’t even be interested in a Section 31 show.
It would be like hiring Sebastian Shaw to play young Luke Skywalker in one scene in a Star Wars film – but then making an entire show about the sand people.
A Pike/Spock/Enterprise mini series would be almost a guaranteed hit.
Section 31 ? Who cares ?
If you’ve spent any time on Trek fansites you should know that there’s never anything 100% of Trekkers agree on.
It’s speculation but I guess CBS asked Kurtzman to build a show around Michelle Yeoh and that’s how the Section 31 show was born. Also it seems that there is an audience for spy shows which they probably hope to hook with this.
“…there’s never anything that 100% of Trekkers agree on.”
Agreed Diginon, which is why Kurtzman and CBS are strategically smart to try to develop a menu of Trek offerings rather than over-sell a single flagship show.
But if we have a choice between a TOS-era “Section 31” show or a TOS-era “Pike’s Enterprise” show, how many fans are going to pick Section 31? I’d guess no more than 20%.
“Whiskey Cavalier” argues against there being an audience for spy shows. I like it, but I haven’t met anyone else who watches the show.
I am one of the few people who watches that show. I actually kinda like it in a drop your brain on the way kind of entertainment.
With regard to Pikes Enterprise show, as the man would say himself “Get it done”
Do this and just have Section 31 involved from time-to-time. Seriously don’t get the appeal of a Mirror Georgiou led show one bit.
No one does. They’d be foolish to go ahead with it. And it may harm the Trek landscape if they insist on trying. It’s a one off Netflix movie at best.
Chris R,
It’s bc of Michelle Yeoh; she is extremely popular with moviegoers, especially overseas.
They’ll have to reform her character somewhat. Perhaps she will undergo a life-changing event.
But I definitely agree, if a Section 31 show is to happen, let it be limited or let it cross over with Pike’s Enterprise now and again.
…which is why they never should have killed off Philippa Georgiou to begin with. But they did, and I see the character as near-unredeemable and too cartoonish.
I really think they should go for a mini-series a couple of made-for-tv (or rather “made-for-streaming”) films – something where the writing staff can for once focus on a really coherent and consistent plot but still have enough breathing room (overall length-wise) to get to dig into philosophical or moral ramifications. Just four or five episodes or maybe two feature-length films that kinda feel like Discovery’s “New Eden”, that’s all I’m asking for…
“Of course, Kurtzman’s Star Trek plate is already pretty full with the Picard series, season three of Discovery, the Section 31 series, two animated series and Short Treks…”
They could literally cancel all of these and make this show instead. Although Discovery is about to get real interesting…
…but the Picard show will only be a one off… and the others are gonna be lame. No one wants a Section 31 series, the shorts are pointless, the animated series are gonna be stupid, so just go with the hot hand and don’t oversaturate the market by forcing unwanted drizzle down our throats. We want Pike, end of.
Excuse me, Andy, but there are some Discovery fans here
Picard show is going to have 3 seasons minimum if its successful.
Please stop the crying on Discovery. No show especially a “Star Trek” needs some much emotion and tears.
No.
Well, that’s a matter of taste. Norman Spinrad’s take on William Windom’s performance as Matt Decker was that it was too weepy and emotional for a character he’d written as strong and defiant. Decker, needless to say, is a fan favorite, and it’s a fine thing in my view that Trek is allowed to have its emotional side. You don’t get to make such choices for the rest of us.
Well, if they’d been able to get Robert Ryan for the role (He might have been making HOUR OF THE GUN at that time, that came out nearly the same time as DOOMSDAY aired — then again, Windom is in that movie too, so there must be another reason he didn’t do it), he’d have delivered something more to Spinrad’s tastes, I’m sure. (got a lot of trek folk out of that movie — Steve ‘Garth’ Ihnat is in it as well.)
It’s not surprising that the only elements of DSC that worked were all characters that featured in the original series. It’s a testimony to the genius of the original creators of the show. They really knew what they were doing!
Pike, Spock, Number One, and the beautifully reimagined Enterprise were the best part of Discovery IMO.
I am really glad that you guys enjoyed Pike and Spock and Number One. I really am. But would you please stop ragging in Discovery?
I don’t want it shelved. I want it to continue. AND I want to see a Pike series as well, if they can work it out with Anson Mount. He wouldn’t have to be featured in every single episode. Avery Brooks made 60-second appearances in some DS9 episodes. Just sayin’, in case Mount likes the idea but shies from the intense commitment of time.
Ideally we could have Star Trek two or three times a year, which would sure reduce the “withdrawal” some of us go through after the 14 episodes are over ….
I only rag about the premise of Discovery being changed to a different show after 2 seasons of sticking with it, Marja.
Season 1 was enjoyable and Season 2 was fun too, but IMO, the second season quickly became Pike’s show for most of it. Which makes me wonder if they might be regretting bringing in the classic Trek characters.
Those characters did indeed work very well, but in the context of “The Cage” they were drastically re-interpreted for Discovery. I’ve been critical of the show, but it’s almost as if some people can’t bear to give the producers credit for anything at all.
Get it done. Pike Enterprise series
Don’t be foolish, CBS. It has the potential to be the best Star Trek show in your line-up.
Make it so
(I love how some made the picture of Mount, Romijn and Peck their home screen picture. Definitely a fan base there already.)
All my Trekkie-friends love captain Pike and admire Anson Mount in this role. Both character and actor outrank all expectations. I didn’t believe that Ethan Peck could be “real” Spock for me, but he is. Rebecca Romijn is a dream. They are stealing hearts! Please give them enough time and a worthy script, and the audience is yours.
This the version of 21st century Star Trek that is the new gold standard for so many fans. The producers hit all nails on the head, not only with their interpretations of legendary characters, but with the actors, who absolutely knocked the ball out of the park with their performances. The ship is beautiful, and the chemistry on the bridge is wonderful. I say “Hit it.”
Not really feeling it. Unless it was done just as a miniseries. A continuing Pike/Enterprise TV series just feels redundant in my opinion.
There are a lot of projects that are loosely based on Star Trek that are on the drawing board, so there is bound to be something for you to watch instead of a long running Pike series.
I’m sure I’d give everything they put out at least a fair chance, including the S31 show. If I ever insisted I flat-out wouldn’t watch whatever the next Trek was, I’m sure no one on here would buy it. I never do when someone says that.
I agree. This worked out better than anyone could have expected, and if there’s a very special story to tell about these people, then by all means tell it. But I don’t need a series of adventures featuring the stalwart captain and his half-Vulcan Science Officer; been there, done that.
I hope CBSAA comes up with an episodic series with a starship crew exploring space but still have some elements of serialization.
After watching The Orville two-part finale, it is clear that Discovery is the Star Trek parody.
I hope that Kurtzman is righting the wrongs of Byran Fuller and the way Pike/Spock/#1 were written give me hope, but I have doubts.
Yeah, I kinda came to the same conclusion (although not quite as harsh on Disco) after “Identity”. I really do believe that in season two The Orville managed to out-Trek Star Trek. And wasn’t that season finale marvelous?! Very much looking forward to Dénes House’s review.
I just hope it won’t be his last review of the series. #RenewTheOrville
I thought the Orville was rubbish after seeing the first 4 or so episodes of Season 1 and I stopped watching it.
I recently went back to it and watched the rest of season 1 and all of season 2 and I have to say it is the superior show without a shadow of a doubt in my mind.
I have no interest in a Section 31 show, but if they did a Pike show I’d give it a chance.
I think the reason that the producers don’t want to make a Pike series just yet might be because of how much the character and Spock became much more popular than they estimated and more popular over the characters that they created themselves. There might be some ego involved here. There was always going to be the danger of these original series characters taking over the Discovery crew, this is why I believe they should have introduced them a little bit later until we were fully familiar with the Discovery crew themselves, and this is exactly what happened. They basically took all the attention away from the Discovery crew and I believe secretly the producers don’t really like this.
I think it is a proper retribution for attempt to use popularity of original by making a new lead character Spock’s relative.
Agreed. Michael Burnham, bless her heart, has not been allowed to stand on her own as a character for a single episode of her own series. What a travesty that is! Martin-Green deserves so much better than what’s been given to her by this series.
Thats right, there is an enormous amount of ego and narcissism in the entertainment industry – much more so than other industries that are more mass production or bureaucratic.
Executives, Producers, Directors, Writers and of course Actors are all an extremely self absorbed bunch of people. I wouldn’t put it past them to intentionally sabotage a good business case in order to satisfy their own personal ego.
These producers didn’t create Discovery’s characters, though.
I’d think this is a preoccupation if we were not talking about the guy who did two movies with all the original characters, and then created a series intertwined with the original characters from the get go, and then, after playing with B original characters for one season, decided to bring the big guns in the second season, in proeminent roles… It’s all Star Trek, and CBS is paying Kurtzman to make popular Star Trek, not original. If the mission would be originality first, it wouldn’t even be Star Trek. And, as originality second, we can always see new takes on old characters…
I didn’t get how originality wouldn’t be Star Trek? You can have an original crew, original characters in the Star Trek universe and it would be original. Your argument here seems a little farfetched. So you believe Discovery wouldn’t have been as popular if they hadn’t brought in Spock and the big guns in season 2? I think if you make a good show, it will be popular even if you don’t use any previously established characters.
Pike and Spock on Discovery aren’t popular because of their names but because of how they were written and portrayed by the current creative team. So the notion that the producers are jealous of Pike’s success is ridiculous because they’d be jealous of their own work. They wrote those characters to (hopefully) be loved by the audience. That wasn’t an accident.
How about NOT KURTZMAN!! In fact, anyone but him.
I must confess my enthusiasm at the notion of a Pike show. Given how well Mount knocked it out of the park, I think there would need to be a story worthy of Pike (…and Mount, for that matter).
The tact that the writers have taken with the character of Pike I think could make for really great television. This could be the first time that Star Trek could do a “Greek tragedy in Space” in the franchise. Pike knows his fate, but doesn’t know the details. You can do a whole movie and/or show about this man who knows he’s going to suffer this cruel fate and is waiting around for it to happen. This is very rich and fertile dramatic territory that I would love to see put into a Star Trek context.
Pike, Spock & No1 have such great onscreen chemistry together they could easily fill an entire season on the Enterprise & I hope they get the chance to do several seasons but how many more Trek TV Series will CBS be allowed to greenlight?
I have to say Pike and Number One have an instant chemistry and familiarity I would have liked to see more of than that infamous burger scene and then a limited guest role in the last two episodes. And we know even less about this pair than Pike and Spock, so here’s a literally unwritten chapter for the writers to fill in! I’m not sure if its the actress or the role as written (or both) but Number Ones comes across as all these things we are told we must believe about Burnham but that just don’t show up on screen. Burnham is the obnoxious know-it-all, Number One exudes authority without the need to artificially weaken her superiors. And her relationship with Pike – I realized this is literally the first time since TNG that Captain and First Officer are on amicable terms from the get go; (Kira: Bajoran terr… freeedom fighter. Chakotay: Maquis. T’Pol: Vulcan nanny. Discovery doesn’t count because It’s all about Burnham); you can easily believe these two know each other for a long time and can guess each others requirements in sleep. So for me the success of a Pike series actually hinges on Number One participating; and we havent heard from her about that have we?
I say make it so. And make sure Rebecca Romijn is in the show, too.
A Pike show seems more likely to me than not.
They could have easily went the CGI route for re-imagining the Enterprise bridge, yet they put the time and effort into building it out as a full walk on set in its own building adjacent to the Disco sets. Yes, maybe they thought the fans deserved it, but it seems such a waste of time and money for something that would feature for such a small amount of time in the grand scheme of things. By having a physical set, the largest, most often used set for a new series is already in place – ready to be put to use. There is already a crews quarters as seen when Michael visited Spock’s quarters, a turbo-lift, and some corridors that should be ready to be reused.
With a few scripts to begin with, all they would need to do is get the actors on-board, build a transporter room (or just use shuttles), and they could fast track production with a handful of away mission style episodes until they build the rest of the needed standing sets. Theoretically, they could have the series ready to air nearly as fast as they will have season three of Discovery ready.
With the fan interest and the pieces already in place, it just seems like a giant misstep if CBS doesn’t capitalize on this. It seems like a smart way to quickly add more content and make a profit for very little additional investment, while listening to the fans and looking like heroes.
would be awesome to get a Pike/Spock series and have Michael/Red Angel drop in once a while
If all the fan reaction is valid and not hyped at all, it seems like a no brainer, clear money maker for CBS. Perhaps even putting it on the “real” CBS. Pike is more of a “family man” which bodes well for some of the CBS programming. It could also help drive people to All Access. My own opinion is that is should not include Spock as a regular character, or even necessarily the Enterprise. That would give them much more room to play within Cannon without pissing everyone off when a viewscreen is in the wrong place, or looks to ‘modern.’
We already know Pike and Spock can’t die, so putting them as both starring characters puts them in the same position as Discovery. It could be set after Kirk takes over the Enterprise, before his accident, perhaps on a star base or on Earth. I think a star base works better, more in the vein of DS9. Earth requires things to be too familiar, not sure it works for a serious about the Final Frontier.
Kirk died. Bones died. Scotty died. Chekov died. Even Rand died. All in TOS. Spock and Kirk (twice!) died in movies. The storytelling thrill would be ‘They can’t really be dead! How will they undo this’?
this should would not include Kirk, Bones, Scotty, Chekov, or any of that crew. Spock is the only known entity from that crew, and we know his fate. HE can not be in serious jeopardy in any pre-TOS era series. We also know through the time- crystal (and trek cannon) what pikes fate is. The threat of him being killed is 0. Yes, they all die and come back, but Those two characters who we have seen a lot this year, have an established fate.
My point is that those characters died in various TOS episodes, but came back at the end of the episode. So if Pike or Spock dies in a new episode, that doesn’t mean he’s really going to be dead. Just a little dead. :-)
Perhaps even putting it on the “real” CBS. Pike is more of a “family man” which bodes well for some of the CBS programming.
No. Putting it on All Access signals that it’s a high quality offering, not procedural-of-the-week like MacGyver. And of course the business case for the series hinges on its ability to bring in subscriptions to All Access (including commercial-free ones, may I add).
Exactly me point. Putting a series that may have more mainstream appeal on big CBS would be a tool to leverage people to invest in All Access.
It seems as though they put some thought for the future in rounding out the bridge crew of the Enterprise too. (Other than listing the alien as Yeoman Colt.)
The bridge casting also has the air of being more than a one-off, several seem much more intentional than just extras.
Samara Smallwood, the navigator Lt. Amin, seems to have had a bit of backstory provided to her. She’s posted that ‘leadership’ is what Lt. Amin is all about. Smallwood identifies as Cape Verdean-Newfoundlander. It was great to see a woman of colour up front on the bridge of the Enterprise at navigation where Urhura started out.
The actor who plays Lt. Nicola is American…which suggests he was cast in California and brought up for just the two episodes.
I wonder if Samara Smallwood is related to Tucker Smallwood, who previously guest starred as Xindi Primate leader in Enterprise.
It’s unlikely that they’re related alphantrion unless Tucker Smallwood has some unpublicized Newfoundland connections. (He’s American.)
Samara Smallwood originally performed under her full last name Smallwood da Castas.
On her mum’s side, she’s from a historic Newfoundland family. Her great uncle Premier Joey Smallwood brought the British colony of Newfoundland into Canada’s confederation, and carried on as premier of the new province for a couple of decades.
Her dad was an African refugee from Cape Verde, and there’s a tale that Joey Smallwood intervened with then Prime Minister Trudeau (senior, Pierre Elliott) so that his niece’s fiancé would not be deported.
Here’s a feature on Samara from CBC Newfoundland
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/joey-smallwood-samora-smallwood-niece-1.4543701
Looking forward to Section 31.
I am all for a Pike series. Would rather them go full series than mini series. I think we will see it since they built many of the Enterprise interiors. Would be a waste to let that go.
Really not interested in a section 31 series because I like the idea of them being this secretive organization.
It is like the Borg. They were so menacing in the early days of TNG…then Voyager over used them and watered them down.
More interviews are coming out of Calgary.
Anson tweeted a link to this one which has some new angles.
http://theyyscene.com/2019/04/25/anson-mount-beams-back-to-calgary-as-part-of-the-star-trek-universe-for-this-years-calgary-expo/
Here’s an interesting exchange:
Q: Is this goodbye for good or is this a character you might return to in some form?
A: You’re asking the wrong guy. Are you asking me if I’d like to play Pike again? Sure but that’s a question that exists in a vacuum, there are a lot of other creative conversations that would accompany that. And, yeah, people keep trying to catch me, catch me up on a trick. It’s like being approached by several matadors trying to get me to charge through a cape and I’m not a bull. I’m not an executive at CBS, I’m just an actor trying to make a living.
BTW Anson Mount is huge in Calgary based on his 5 years there making Hell on Wheels. He was in a parade and received an honourary white cowboy hat from the mayor.
I realize I’m on record as a skeptic about the entire current incarnation of Star Trek. That said:
It seems to me that the current production team has been given an unexpected gift: the appearance of Pike, Number One, Spock, and Enterprise-1701 has been successful beyond anyone’s expectations going in. Given that, isn’t it only logical to embrace this gift? To push forward with a new series featuring these characters and etc., even if it means that there has to be some changes to the plan? (Other series postponed or delegated, for example.) Isn’t it great to be in the position of changing plans due to an unexpected success, rather than the more common unexpected failure? Wouldn’t anyone reading this comments thread jump at the chance, as a show-runner, to bring back the original show Gene Roddenberry had proposed in 1964, with the original characters, but with modern technology and a reasonable budget?
yes
Amen, Brother, Amen.
Pike/Enterprise show >>>> Section 31 show
I think a cool idea, but it would take a gifted writer, would be to have the universe split at some point in the next 10 years as Pike is Captain. In the split universe, he never leaves the Enterprise or gets radiation poisoning, and Kirk never becomes captain. The Enterprise adventures would be the same as the original series adventures, only the outcomes would be different with Pike on board. The stories could be broader and more in depth. There may be some legal issues with piggybacking off of someone else’s stories, but I think the idea would be pretty cool. I thought that would be how the Kelvin movies would go, which would have been cool. You could have had a series of 10 movies all reflecting various aspects of the original series, but it didn’t turn out that way. Obviously, this is rehashing to a degree, but if you keep in mind that the original series stories are almost Shakespearean in their ability to be recycled, I think it would be a great bridge to bring classic stories to a new generation of fans.
Put S31 on hold for Pike. I just think there are better characters, actors, and star trek there than is S31.
I agree with most of what you say, but from a CBS suit perspective, they have a chance to sign Michelle Yeoh to star in a series. She is a name that can carry the show and will draw people who know nothing about Trek.
We all want a Pike show now, including me, but as soon as we get it, we will nitpick the crap out of it, for not being Cannon, or looking too modern for a series contemporary to TOS. Why do you think they are booting Discovery to the future?
“they have a chance to sign Michelle Yeoh to star in a series. She is a name that can carry the show and will draw people who know nothing about Trek. “.
And I say THAT is a premise that still needs to be proven! I think she is not nearly the name (anymore) in the West outside of niche HK martial art movie circles, and in Asian locales anything Star Trek does not succeed, with or without Yeoh, due to people not appreciating this kind of scifi and having no history with it (see abysmal performance of the last Abramstrek movies and Star Wars movies). So TPTB may be in for a nasty surprise if they think it’s only us old schoolers who reject this (perverse) concept of a Space Hitler themed Star Trek show!
Simple Solution – keep Michelle Yeoh on the Discovery in the 33rd century as a lead with Martin-Green and Jones. If her name is a draw, then they need it on Discovery. The name Pike and Spock are a draw, and will provide it’s own draw to a show. The S31 show is still 10 months at best before it starts rolling in front of cameras, so nothing is set about that show. There are more Enterprise sets at this time than there are for the S31 ships. They have more roles cast for any possible Pike series, with Romjin, Mount, Peck, Latif, and the bridge crew. For any S31 show, they only have Latif and Yeoh.
I would love to see a Pike-Spock Sail the Big-E series. Preferably on broadcast TV.
As for Section 31… I think we now know how it goes from a badge-wearing, in-your-face agency to a covert cadre no one’s ever heard of… They put it on CBS All Access.
Cancel discovery then give me pike and the enterprise
It seems like the overwhelming consensus among the fans is we want Pike! I haven’t heard nearly as many people clamoring for a Section 31 show. Seems to me that a good business decision would be to green light a show featuring Pike and the Enterprise. Either cancel Section 31 or reduce it to a miniseries.