STACK #182 Dec 2019

TV FEATURE

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Anson Mount already knew the responsibility that comes with wearing a Starfleet uniform when taking on the role of Christopher Pike in the second season of Star Trek: Discovery . Words Scott Hocking PIKE PERFORMANCE

Shatner or Stewart, if you had to choose one?

[Laughs] “They both have endearing qualities but they’re quite different. It’s like asking me ‘balls or brains?’ Why not both?”

enough to make it worthy of being canon going forward?” When auditioning for a part on Discovery ’s second season, Mount had no idea that he would be playing Pike. “I was originally in talks with the creators about playing Lorca in the first season, and they very wisely cast Jason Isaacs,” he says. “So when they were gearing up for the second season, they came back with, ‘What about playing this new captain named Parker? Would you mind putting yourself on tape?’ So I did and they said, ‘You got the part, but it’s not Captain Parker, it’s Captain Pike.’ “I wasn’t sure if I was going to vomit or faint,” he laughs. “I immediately knew what that meant, right? And I couldn’t believe it that it was me! “ Guiding the Discovery crew through a perilous encounter with a mysterious future visitor dubbed The Red Angel, Pike forms a strong bond with the ship’s commander, Michael Burnham (played by Sonequa Martin-Green) – a character he considers to be captain material. “One of the things I kind of felt at the outset, and it was important to the relationship, is that as soon as Pike sees Michael Burnham he clearly recognises captain material. And that’s what allows him to say to her, ‘Look, we’re going to trust each other. We’re going to have a special kind of relationship where I’m the new kid in school but I’m also the captain. You’re very ingrained in the culture of this ship, but you’re captain material. Let’s collaborate.” Although only contracted for one season of Discovery , Mount’s take on Pike was a hit with Trekkers, who launched an online petition to bring the character back in a spin-off series. “I’ve never had a fan reaction like this to anything I’ve ever done, and I could not be more flattered that there is this fan base out there that is so moved to do something like a petition. I’ve just never seen anything like it. I’m not entirely sure that I deserve it,” he

C hristopher Pike is a hugely popular figure among Star Trek fans, even though the character isn’t exactly a major player in the Trek universe. Prior to taking the captain’s chair for the second season of Star Trek: Discovery , Pike had only appeared in the unaired Original Series pilot (played by Jeffrey Hunter) and briefly in the J.J. Abrams’ films (played by Bruce Greenwood). “It’s crazy, isn’t it?” says Anson Mount. “I don’t think there’s such a brief character anywhere in canon that is so revered. I think it’s because Christopher Pike is Gene Roddenberry’s first vision of what a Starfleet captain should be.” A longtime Trekker, Mount credits his mother with introducing him to the show. “The original series started airing on our local UHF channel, which is local access, when I was about eight. I can still tell you the timeslot – Sunday nights at 6 o’clock. I’ve seen every episode of the original at least three times.” Needless to say, he was all too aware of the responsibility that comes with wearing the uniform of a Starfleet captain when joining the Discovery crew. “It’s a small club, isn’t it? I was saying to my wife, and Ethan Peck who plays Spock,

that it’s more than just a show to the fans. It really makes me double-check my homework, and be very sure of my choices, particularly playing Christopher Pike. The quality of those choices being in line with the Starfleet code of conduct, but also in terms of the specificity – have I really drilled down on this scene

Jeffrey Hunter as Pike in the unaired StarTrek pilot The Cage

laughs, “but at the same time I can’t take too much credit for it because I’m just the guy who says the words. I think the lion’s share of the credit goes to the writers.”

• Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 is out Dec 4

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DECEMBER 2019

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