Kurtzman said it was his idea to incorporate Captain Pike the second season of “Star Trek: Discovery”, but it was writer and executive producer Akiva Goldsman who saw the possibilities for the character. Goldsman pointed out that there was a potential five- to seven-year stretch of Pike’s story that could still be explored in the “Star Trek” universe before the Kirk years, and he was happy to delve into it. Kurtzman, wanting to be more cautious, knew that if anything was to be considered with Pike, the perfect actor had to be found first.
Anson Mount, however, turned out to be the perfect actor in question. Kurtzman said:
“I said, ‘We need to cast a successful Pike first, so let’s see if it works. Let’s find out who Number One is and who Spock is,’ which are extremely tall orders. I hadn’t seen Anson Mount in other things […], and when he sent in his recorded audition it was that wonderful moment where you say, “That’s exactly the person we’re looking for.” Everyone loves Pike because he is the kind of leader you want, definitive and clear but open to everyone’s perspective and humanistic in his response to him.”
Indeed, Mount’s version of Pike is much more relaxed and personable than Hunter’s 1966 portrayal. This Pike smiles, gives orders politely, and secretly whispers “I love my job” to his closest colleagues. In “Strange New Worlds”, it is later revealed that he regularly has officers in his quarters for breakfast, as his quarters, unlike those previously seen in “Star Trek”, were equipped with a full-sized kitchen. natural. Mount deftly captured the sparkling generosity required by the character. It’s no wonder Trekkies fell in love instantly.
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