Christopher Pike

For the mirror universe counterpart, see Christopher Pike (mirror).

For the counterpart in the timeline created by Nero's incursion, see Christopher Pike (alternate reality).

Christopher Pike was a 23rd century Starfleet officer. He was captain of the starship USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) for many years, as the immediate predecessor to later Captain James T. Kirk, succeeding Captain Robert April.

Known canon data

Early Starfleet career

Christopher Pike attended Starfleet Academy, where he met Philippa Georgiou, and graduated on stardate 3201.14. His first post-Academy assignment was as a test pilot. (DIS: "Saints of Imperfection", "Light and Shadows"; Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: "Ad Astra Per Aspera", "Among the Lotus Eaters") Pike had officer billets on the starships Antares, Chatelet and Aryabhatta, then was executive officer to Robert April on Enterprise before succeeding him as commanding officer in 2250. (DIS: "Brother")

Rigel and Talos

Kalar fortress on Rigel VII.

In 2254, Captain Pike led a landing party to Rigel VII. Attacked by Kalar warriors, three crewmen were killed, including Pike's own yeoman, Zac Nguyen. Spock and six others were also injured. The incident weighed heavily on Pike's mind for some time, causing him to consider resigning his commission. (TOS: "The Cage"; "Among the Lotus Eaters")

It was in that state of mind, while was en route to Vega colony, that Pike and the Enterprise crew made first contact with Talos IV. The highly-telepathic Talosians abducted Pike, and later his first officer and new yeoman, J.M. Colt, to breed a race of slaves in order to rebuild their society. While captive, Pike met and fell in love with Vina, but left her behind on Talos in order to preserve her illusion of youth and vitality. ("The Cage"; DIS: "If Memory Serves")

In the aftermath of the Talos incident, Starfleet enacted General Order 7, forbidding contact with the Talosians, under penalty of death.

Promotion and tragedy

Pike commanded the Enterprise for at least 11 years, during which time Spock served as his science officer. In the mid-2260s, he was promoted to fleet captain and relinquished command of the Enterprise to James T. Kirk. Shortly thereafter, Pike was supervising a group of cadets aboard a training vessel. There was an accident, and Pike fell victim to delta radiation though he saved the lives of the midshipmen.

Horribly disfigured, Pike was placed in a life-supporting wheelchair, which could translate his brain's encephalographic signals into blinking lights - one for "yes," two for "no." (DIS: "Through the Valley of Shadows", TOS: "The Menagerie")

Return to Talos

Christopher Pike would have lived out the rest of his life a prisoner in his own body, were it not for the Talosians, who made Commander Spock aware of his former captain's ordeal. Spock then devised an elaborate plan to use the Enterprise to take Captain Pike from Starbase 11 and return him to Talos IV, where he could at least have the illusion of health. Spock was court-martialled for his actions, but the charges were later dropped by Starfleet Command, in recognition of his service to Pike.

Returned to Talos, Pike was reunited with Vina, and the two lived an idyllic life of illusion free from their physical disabilities. ("The Menagerie")

The Kelvinverse

In an alternate reality created by the incursion of the Romulan ship Narada, Christopher Pike completed a dissertation prior to graduation from the Academy, about the Narada's attack on the USS Kelvin.

Later, he would be the individual that encouraged the embittered, arrogant version of James T. Kirk to make something of himself and attend Starfleet Academy. During Kirk's Academy tenure, the crisis on Vulcan coupled with an attack on the Laurentian system stretched Starfleet's resources so thin that the Academy classes were pressed into service. Pike was the commander of one of the ships staffed largely by cadets--the Enterprise.

In this capacity, Pike was taken captive by the captain of the Narada and tortured for information about Earth's defenses. He was rescued by Kirk and Spock, and although he appeared to have suffered an injury that cost him the use of his legs (whether temporarily or permanently is unknown), he remained in Starfleet and was promoted to admiral. (Star Trek)

Non-canon continuities

With little canon data on Christopher Pike, prior to season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery, different interpretations of his early life and career had sprung up over the years. The Marvel Comics series Star Trek: Early Voyages and the 2006 Pocket Books novel Burning Dreams depict contradictory information on Pike's childhood.

Early life

The Early Voyages

Christopher Pike was the son of retired Starfleet Admiral Joshua Pike, and was born on April 11th 2220 in Mojave, California, Earth. (EV comic: "The Flat, Gold Forever").

Burning Dreams

Christopher Richard McKinnies was born in Mojave, California in 2219, the son of architect Willa McKinnies, and would not know his biological father until adulthood. When Christopher was nine, his mother married terraformer Heston Prescott, and his stepson took his surname.

In 2228 the family moved to the colony world of Elysium. There he was befriended by Charlie Pike, an apparent drifter and hired hand, who helped the family in their horse breeding endeavor. Willa and Heston died in 2231 when intense wildfires swept across Elysium. While aboard a Starfleet ship aiding rescue operations on Elysium, Chris learned that Charlie was a Starfleet petty officer who had been on extended leave. Pike brought Christopher back to Mojave, to the home he shared with his wife, Hobelia. Charlie also brought Tango, a horse that Chris and Charlie had been raising back to Mojave as well. The day after Christopher's thirteenth birthday, the couple formally adopted him and gave him the surname Pike. Pike would later learn that Charlie Pike was actually his biological father.

Starfleet

Different novels and comics sometimes present conflicting data about Pike's pre-Enterprise career though the various sources fit together well just as often.

Academy and early career

Pike attended Starfleet Academy, and graduated in 2241 at the top of his class. Fellow members of his class included Lucien Murat, Akiko Torunaga, and Kadish of Vulcan, all of whom also became Starfleet legends. (TNG novel: The Forgotten War) Other notable classmates included Michaela Harrari, Loman Stocker, and Dmitri Vlasidovich. (TOS novel: The Children of Kings) In another continuity, Pike's closest friends at the Academy were Jack Morrison -- later a captain in Starfleet Intelligence -- and Igor Belza. (Expanding the Oecumene)

Around 2240 he was executive officer of the USS ShirKahr under Pingmei Zhou. (TOSS #20 "Transporter Room")

In 2246, he held the rank of lieutenant commander, and was temporarily assigned as first officer of the USS Aldrin under Captain Kamnach. Pike was forced to relieve Kamnach of duty when the captain launched an unprovoked attack on a Vestian ship. Pike was charged with mutiny, but all charges were dismissed following a court-martial, and Pike given a promotion to Commander, and assigned to the USS York. (TOS novel: Burning Dreams)

It is possible that the York was supposed to be a reference to the Yorktown.

Pike served as the executive officer of the USS Enterprise under Captain Robert April for a time. Here, he met a young Spock for the first time. (TOS novel: Crisis on Vulcan)

In Short Treks: "Q&A", set in 2254, Pike met Ensign Spock for the first time.

Pike's third command was the USS Yorktown, where he first met the mysterious Number One and Dermot Cusack. (TOS novel: Vulcan's Glory)

At some point, Pike along with his trusted Yeoman Cusack were involved in a conflict with the Tholians. (EV comic: "The Fires of Pharos")

Enterprise

In 2251, Captain Robert April announced to the UFP Grand Assembly that he was stepping down as commanding officer of the USS Enterprise. Pike was given command of the Enterprise, bringing Number One with him as his XO and Cusack as captain's yeoman. (TOS novels: Final Frontier, Vulcan's Glory; EV comic: "Flesh of My Flesh")

For extensive details of Pike's command of the Enterprise, according to the novels and comics, see this section of his article at Memory Beta.

After Enterprise

In 2264, following the end of his second five-year mission on the Enterprise, Pike accepted a promotion to Fleet Captain. Shortly after this promotion, Pike was at Babel and aided Leata, an Orion woman. (Star Trek Alien Spotlight: Orions)

Early in 2265 he was assigned to the USS Ballarat, escorting a convoy including the USS Mumbai. (TOSS #20 "Transporter Room")

Later in 2265, aboard the USS Tereshkova, he participated in a joint Starfleet-Trill study of a rogue comet in the Trill system. At the request of Trill scientist Audrid Dax, he agreed to keep the discovery of a parasitic life form inside that comet classified. (TOS novel: Where Sea Meets Sky; DS9 short story: "Sins of the Mother")

Later life

On Talos, Pike and Vina lived a life of illusion, freeing them from their ruined bodies. But soon, the illusions came to feel empty to them. So, Pike, still an explorer at heart, looked for a way to give his life meaning again. He found it in the abandoned technology of the Talosian race. He studied their history, their rise to power eons ago, and their fall when the illusions they had created consumed them. Pike also learned the Talosians mental abilities. With the Talosians' help, he repaired the equipment that had manipulated the environment long ago and started the world back on the road to new life. The Talosian robots even built a home for Pike and Vina in a reclaimed part of the surface.

Pike also studied the ancient Talosians' medical techniques. Using them, he and Vina finally were able to have the only thing missing in their lives -- a child. Phillip Joshua Pike was born in 2276, ten years after his father had returned to Talos.

In 2289, then-Captain Spock made a return visit to Talos. He had been sent by Starfleet to offer Pike a way to return home -- to undergo an experimental procedure that would put Pike's brain inside a partly-cloned, partly-bionic body. After Phillip attacked Spock out of fear that his father would leave forever, Pike refused the offer and remained on Talos with his wife and son. (TOS comic: "Door in the Cage")

On Talos, Pike helped inspire the Talosians to reclaim the surface of their planet and rebuild their former culture. By the time of his death around 2320, Talos IV had again become a thriving world, and Pike (in a recorded message, relayed after his death) appealed to Spock, now an ambassador, to take some of his ashes back to Earth, and to help bring Talos into the Federation. (TOS novel: Burning Dreams)

In 2373, the Talosians created an illusion of Pike to assist Omega Squad in repelling a Jem'Hadar invasion of Talos. (Starfleet Academy comic)

What became of Phillip Pike after his parents' deaths is unknown, and with DC Comics' loss of the Star Trek publishing license, the tale will likely never be told.

Legacy

• The Christopher Pike Medal of Valor was named in Fleet Captain Pike's honor. Benjamin Sisko and Solok received the award in the 24th century.
• There was also a shuttlecraft Pike carried onboard USS Enterprise-D.
• On the planet Cestus III, there is a Pike City, which has a baseball team named the Pike City Pioneers.
• Several Starfleet vessels have been named in his honor.
• By the mid-2360s, the Christopher Pike Hall of Honor had been established at Starfleet Command in San Francisco. ("The Devil We Know")

Fanon continuities

Expanding the Oecumene

Pike is said to be a third-generation Starfleet officer. Prior to taking command of Enterprise, Pike commanded the USS Ares.

Whether or not this Ares was a Saladin-class destroyer was not revealed in the story.

"Friend or Foe"

Then-Lieutenant Pike was navigator of the Enterprise in 2250, during Robert April's command.

Orion Press

Christopher Pike and Montgomery Scott were at Starfleet Academy together, but had lost touch between graduation and 2259, when Pike had been captain of the Enterprise for some years. (Orion Press: "By the Back Door")

USS Star League

While in many continuities, no siblings for Christopher Pike were alluded to, in this one, he had a sister named Joan who was married to Randy Warren, a brother of Ambassador Christopher Warren. (Starfleet Supplemental Communiqué 1:9)

Star Trek is...

Marie Pike, a relative of his, was a non-commissioned officer aboard the SS Yorktown in the 2220s.

Star Trek: New Voyages

Christopher Pike was promoted to Fleet Captain in the 2250s. Enterprise participated in an experiment that transported a living being through a wormhole. He met Cadet James Kirk at this time. (Origins: The Protacted Man)

In 2266, after his tenure aboard Enterprise, Pike commanded the USS Daedalus (NCC-129).

In an alternate timeline, Pike was destroyed along with the USS Enterprise by the Planet Killer. This event set up the Doomsday War. ("In Harm's Way")

Star Trek: Sigils and Unions

In an alternate, Narada-affected timeline, Ensign Christopher Pike was assigned to a clandestine diplomatic mission to Cardassia Prime one year after the Narada's attack. In this timeline, the Federation opened negotiations with the Cardassian Union, and Ensign Pike served as an aide to Ambassador Sarek and Captain ch'Maashan, who were present at the covert preliminary negotiations. In the Vulcan crisis, the Federation and Cardassian Union would go on to sign a mutual defense pact aimed at countering Romulan and Klingon aggression against either entity.

Pike would note the receptive--though very carefully hidden--attitude of a young aide to Councillor Telor...and years later, Varec Berat still regretted that fear of the Obsidian Order had kept him from being able to reciprocate Pike's display of friendliness during his visit to the planet. (Star Trek: Sigils and Unions--"Cardassian Sunrise")

Star Trek II Biographies

In this continuity, Christopher had a brother, Holden, and a namesake nephew, Christopher Pike II.

Biographical timeline

• 2210s: Born in Mojave on Earth.
  • 2213: (Star Trek: Origins)
  • 2219: (TOS novel: Burning Dreams)
  • 2220: April 11 (Star Trek: Early Voyages)
• 2235: As an ensign, he's assigned to USS Yorktown (NX-1531) as helmsman. (Star Trek: Origins)
• 2236: The SS Columbia crash-lands on planet Talos IV; only one survivor named Vina. (TOS: "The Cage")
• 2245: USS Enterprise NCC-1701 is launched under Captain Robert April.
• 2250s: Christopher Pike takes over command of the Enterprise.
  • 2254: Ensign (later Lieutenant) Spock begins service as science officer on the Enterprise under Captain Pike's command, becoming a loyal and long-serving officer. (Short Treks: "Q&A") The Enterprise visits Rigel VII, Talos IV, Vega colony. (TOS: "The Cage"; DIS: "If Memory Serves")
  • 2257 Pike is put in temporary command of the USS Discovery. (DIS: "Brother")
• 2260s:
  • 2264: Pike is promoted to fleet captain; the Enterprise is turned over to the command of Captain James T. Kirk.
  • 2266: Fleet Captain Pike is bound by delta rays to a wheelchair by an accident aboard a training vessel. He is taken by Spock and the Enterprise to Talos IV, goes into retirement and lives with Vina in illusory bliss.
• 2276: Son born on Talos IV. (TOS comic: "Door in the Cage")
• 2320: Dies on Talos IV (Burning Dreams, Starfleet Academy comic)

Background information

• The USS Enterprise Officer's Manual gives Pike's full name as "Christopher Robin Pike," most likely a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Winnie the Pooh character.

Portrayals

Pike was portrayed by Jeffrey Hunter in TOS: "The Cage", "The Menagerie, Part 1", "The Menagerie, Part 2", by Sean Kenney (TOS: "The Menagerie, Part 1", "The Menagerie, Part 2"), and by Anson Mount in the second season of Star Trek: Discovery. In Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness, he was portrayed by Bruce Greenwood.

In the Star Trek: Phase II episode "In Harm's Way", released in 2004, Pike was portrayed by Kurt Carley. In Origins: The Protracted Man (not yet released officially), Pike was portrayed by Colin Cunningham.

In Starship Valiant: Cageless (2017), Pike was portrayed by Scott J. Smith.

External links

• Christopher Pike article at Memory Alpha, the canon Star Trek wiki.
• Christopher Pike article at Memory Beta, the non-canon Star Trek wiki.