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Anson Mount and executive producer Akiva Goldsman reveal what makes Captain Christopher Pike special in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Captain Pike returns in the highly anticipated Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, which premieres July 17 on Paramount+. First portrayed by Jeffrey Hunter 60 years ago in Star Trek's original pilot, "The Cage," Mount's modern-day embodiment of Captain Pike in Star Trek: Discovery proved so popular, fans clamored for Mount to lead a spinoff, which became Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

As reported byTrekMovie, Anson Mount appeared at Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3's world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, along with Ethan Peck, Celia Rose Gooding, Babs Olusanmokun, Carol Kane, and executive producers and co-showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers. At the post-screening panel, Mount and Goldsman mused on the qualities that set Pike apart from other Star Trek Captains. Read their quotes below:

Anson Mount: “After [Star Trek:] Discovery,...

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds fans are aware of what happens to Captain Christopher Pike in the original series. The fact that Pike knows his eventual fate isn’t stopping the character from living life to its fullest in Strange New Worlds -- nor is it slowing down the actor playing him.

Per Trek Movie, Anson Mount opened up about his character's arc at the Strange New Worlds Season 3 premiere event. “Pike essentially learns the journey is the destination, and he continues to learn that lesson as we go along,” the actor said during a panel discussion at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.

Mount’s version of Captain Pike was introduced in the Star Trek: Discovery Season 1 finale. In the Season 2 episode “Through the Valley of the Shadows,” Pike goes inside a Klingon monastery and finds a “time crystal.”There, he is shown his fate -- which is...

Following the announcement that Star Trek: Strange New Worldswill be ending after Season 5, one of the show’s stars is reacting to the news. The news that the fifth season will be the last for the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, led by Captain Christopher Pike, comes as Season 3 is set to premiere July 17, 2025 on Paramount+.

Paramount+ announced June 12 that Strange New Worlds had been renewed for Season 5 -- but also that Season 5 will be the show's final season. It's a very early decision on the show's fate, since Season 3 has yet to launch and Season 4 isn't expected until 2026. But actor Anson Mount, who plays Captain Pike, is already sharing his thoughts on the news.

Mount took to Instagram to express his gratitude for the series. In a post that pictured the actor in full Captain Pike uniform, complete with his signature hair, Mount wrote: “I grew up...

The first pilot forStar Trek: The Original Series, titled "The Cage," was rejected by NBC, leading to another pilot called "Where No Man Has Gone Before" being filmed. The initial installment introduced the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, led by Captain Christopher Pike, and first officer Number One.

Fans of the late Jeffrey Hunter's portrayal of Captain Pike are now able to add a museum-quality action figure of the character to their Star Trek collection. Pre-orders are open until June 30, with an estimated delivery expected in the latter part of 2025. "The 1:6-scale figure re-creates the unique Starfleet costumes seen in the originally unaired first pilot, 'The Cage,'" the description of from the Exo-6 website reads.

Image via Exo-6Image via Exo-6

"Jeffrey Hunter’s portrayal of Pike made him a memorable and admirable character despite only appearing in a single episode," Exo-6's description continues.

Like most classic television shows, Star Trek has its own creation myths and some facts shrouded in rumors. However, some of these have their basis in facts, and one of the most unusual is how a famous comedian helped save Star Trek from NBC’s ash can: Lucille Ball.

Lucy and Desilu Studios

I Love Lucy, which premiered on October 15th, 1951, was a massive hit and the top-rated show for all but the last two seasons of its run. By the end of the series, Lucy and her husband, Desi Arnaz, had the funding to buy and run their own studio, Desilu. After divorcing Arnaz, Ball bought out his share and ran the studio on her own. This was a bold move for a woman in 1962, and it made her one of the most influential individuals in a business mostly dominated by men at the time.

Lucy loves Star Trek...

Star Trek Captains William Shatner and Anson Mount hilariously debate who really replaced Jeffrey Hunter's Captain Christopher Pike in Star Trek: The Original Series. Hunter was the initial actor cast as the lead of Star Trek in its original 1965 pilot, "The Cage." However, NBC ordered Star Trek to be retooled, with every actor replaced except for Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock. When Star Trek premiered in September 1966, William Shatner was the series lead as Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise.

On X, William Shatner replied to a post from Anson Mount about Captain Pike's replacement on Star Trek. Mount started the exchange by sharing a funny meme of Jeffrey Hunter's Captain Pike in "The Cage" telling Spock, "Next episode I'm being replaced by a dude whose overacting could probably make even you laugh out loud." Anson tagged Shatner, joking "Not sure who this one is aimed at.

Captain Christopher Pike is technically the first "Star Trek" starship captain ever. "The Original Series" pilot "The Cage" featured Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) and the starship Enterprise visiting the planet Talos IV, where Pike is abducted by psychic aliens and must weather their illusions. But NBC found "The Cage" to be an unsatisfactory pilot for "Star Trek." Creator Gene Roddenberry went back to the board, overhauling the show with an almost entirely new main cast. (Only Spock/Leonard Nimoy stayed on.)

Instead of just being forgotten, though, "The Cage" became part of "Trek" canon. Two-parter "The Menagerie" used clips from "The Cage," saving money on new footage and telling a compelling mystery. Captain Pike wasn't just a character prototype for Captain Kirk (William Shtner), Pike was literally the captain of the Enterprise before Kirk was. And now, thanks to the 2022 series "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," Pike (now played by Anson Mount...

When they aren't killing and/or eating each other in the remote Canadian wilderness, the Yellowjacketscast needs something to watch. And if they're looking for science fiction, Ethan Peck and Celia Rose Gooding of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds have them covered. And since Yellowjackets and the Star Trek franchise just so happen to share a streaming home, Paramount+, they've got some solid Trek recs for newbies, as seen on Paramount+'s Instagram.

The video opens with Yellowjackets' Sophie Nélisse, who hasn't seen much science fiction, but would like to. Cue Peck, in costume as Spock on the Toronto set of Strange New Worlds. Peck, as logical as the Vulcan he plays, suggests she starts at the beginning, with the very first episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, "The Cage." Not only was it the original pilot for Star Trek, but it serves as the basis for many of...

I would wager that many Trekkies and Trekkers remember their first Star Trek episode. Mine was “The Tholian Web.” It’s a good episode, but it was a lot for an unsuspecting 8-year-old who thought the “Star” in the show’s title meant it was going to be like Star Wars. Clearly, that didn’t keep me from falling in love with both the original Star Trek and its various descendants.

Still, this leads to an interesting conundrum: If you’re a first-time viewer of Star Trek’s original series, you certainly want your initial episodes to be good, right? That also means avoiding the less-than-stellar episodes. A while back, I suggested 3 Tos episodes to show first-time fans but now let’s delve into episodes that first-time fans should maybe avoid until the series has more fully ingratiated itself.

1. “And the Children Shall Lead”

While this list isn’t about...

Oh, for the life of a movie star! To be able to pretend for a living, and in return face the adulation of an adoring public! Except, of course, when one doesn't.

No actor sets out to make a failure, and few seek to be hated, but many over the years have taken on roles that showered them in backlash. Whether it was the role itself that was deemed inappropriate or their particular performance of it, some actors have been associated with roles that risked alienating huge chunks of the public. Some dealt with it better than others: it comes with the territory for veterans but can be devastating for newcomers every so often, though the scorn is deserved.

Some of the names listed below managed to turn things around and prove the haters wrong. Others dug in and made things worse. However they took it, here are 15 of the...

The Star Trek franchise has a long and complicated canon, with the newer additions muddying the timeline of events. When the original series premiered back in the 1960s, it was initially set to focus on Captain Christopher Pike as the man in charge of the USS Enterprise. However, he was later replaced with James T. Kirk.

Nonetheless, Pike became a part of the Star Trek canon thanks to his appearance in the original series and a more prominent role in the second season of Star Trek: Discovery. However, given Pike’s fate in the original series, some fans have speculated that the entirety of the second season did not happen at all. Here is everything you need to know about the darkest Star Trek theory.

Dark Star Trek fan theory suggests Discovery season 2 was just a dream

When Gene Roddenberry first tried to launch the Star Trek universe, Christopher Pike...

Twenty-six years ago, DreamWorks released the starry animated musical “The Prince of Egypt,” which chronicles the life of biblical figure Moses, to both critical and commercial success. The film, featuring music by eventual “Wicked” composer Stephen Schwartz and the voices of Val Kilmer and Ralph Fiennes, is widely regarded as a masterpiece — yet the biblical animated film genre was seemingly abandoned after the turn of the millennium.

Enter “The King of Kings,” Angel Studios’ effort to revive the faith-based children’s movie in theaters. The film, which stars Oscar Isaac as Jesus, Pierce Brosnan as Pontius Pilate, Mark Hamill as King Herod, Forest Whitaker as Peter and Ben Kingsley as High Priest Caiaphas, is cleverly framed as famed author Charles Dickens (Kenneth Branagh) and his wife Catherine (Uma Thurman) seek to teach their King Arthur-obsessed son Walter (Roman Griffin Davis) about the greatest king of all.

Loosely based on...

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It's astonishing how many gorillas turned up on "Gilligan's Island." Gorillas are native to central, Western, and Eastern Africa, so it would be highly unlikely that one would organically find its way to the South Pacific, where Gilligan's Island is likely located. Gorillas, however, were common fodder for 1960s comedy writers, and they were employed frequently. Or rather, actors in gorilla costumes were employed frequently, and created an absurd subset of ape tropes that we, as a culture, still haven't fully and philosophically unpacked. 

Apes were featured heavily in the "Gilligan's Island" episodes "Diamonds Are an Ape's Best Friend", "Beauty Is as Beauty Does" (September 23), "The Chain of Command" (December 2), "Forward March", and "Our Vines Have Tender Apes". It was a profuse plethora of primate pransktership. 

In all of the above cases, the apes were played by prolific Hollywood stuntman Janos Prohaska,...

Actor William Shatner is synonymous with the role of Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek: The Original Series. Shatner was cast in the show’s second pilot after NBC asked creator Gene Roddenberry to film a new episode. However, the actor might have missed out on his most famous role had his first TV show as a lead not been canceled.

William Shatner in Star Trek: The Original Series (Credit: NBC).

Before achieving icon status for his role as Captain Kirk, Shatner landed his first lead role in a continuing series when he appeared in a short-lived legal drama series. The show’s untimely cancellation ultimately paved the way for Shatner to join the crew of the Enterprise and the rest is history. Here is what Shatner had to say about his casting in Star Trek.

William Shatner’s 1st TV show For the People was canceled fairly quickly...

Star Trekis a franchise that is well known for featuring diplomatic solutions as often as it features physical fights. Because they are not as physically strong as some of the other major races in the franchise, namely the Klingons and the Vulcans, human characters in Star Trek: The Original Series often rely more on wit than on strength.

Sometimes human characters on Star Trek: The Original Series still needed to engage in a physical altercation, with some human characters clearly more adept at fighting than others. Over the course of the series' original three seasons, a handful of human characters aboard the Starship Enterprise and beyond proved that they were capable of handling fights when they had to.

Dr. McCoy Could Fight When He Had To

One of the most important characters in Star Trek: The Original Series, Doctor Leonard McCoy was essential to the dynamics between characters on the series,...

Why "The Cage" Tos Talosian storyline needs continuity in Snw

With the upcoming S3 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, headed by Captain Pike (portrayed by Anson Mount), I was intrigued by the potential continuation of Pike’s Klingon Time Stone-induced visions of his future injuries—life-threatening injuries that will eventually render him paralyzed and speechless from a radiation accident that occurred on the U.S.S. Constitution.

To connect all the Starfleet dots in and around the Kelvin versus the Prime Timeline, I recently rewatched S1 E1 “The Cage” of Tos with Captain Pike (portrayed by Jeffrey Hunter) - where the iconic Talosian storyline began. Pike's first adventure on the U.S.S. Enterprise and his life-altering bout with the Talosians of Talos IV, the fourth planet in the Talosian star system. We witness, for the first time, a hostile first contact with an alien species that essentially has...

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock makes an incorrect statement about how old Admiral James T. Kirk's (William Shatner) USS Enterprise was. Star Trek III picked up directly after the events of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, which culminated in the death of Captain Spock (Leonard Nimoy). Star Trek III would feature the death of another beloved and iconic Star Trek: The Original Series 'character': the Starship Enterprise itself.

At the beginning of the underrated Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, the USS Enterprise returned to Spacedock. Admiral Kirk assumed his starship would undergo repairs and be placed back on active duty. However, Fleet Admiral Morrow (Robert Hooks), the Commander of Starfleet, informed Kirk the Enterprise was at the end of its run and would be decommissioned. Morrow's rationale: "Jim, the Enterprise is 20 years old. We feel her day is over." Morrow's reasoning may have been sound,...

Being First Officer of the USS Enterprise in Star Trek isn't always a fast track to the Captain's chair. The Starship Enterprise is the flagship of the United Federation of Planets, and it's one of the most coveted posts for ambitious Starfleet Officers. Captains of the Enterprise enjoy becoming part of the starship's storied legacy, and their crews often become cemented as legendary Starfleet heroes. Yet many Number Ones don't automatically get to succeed their Captains and command the Enterprise.

The various incarnations of the USS Enterprise, and its 22nd century predecessor, the Nx-01 Enterprise, are the most famous starships in Star Trek. In turn, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) are among the greatest icons in Star Trek. But they couldn't have become Starfleet legends without the help of their crews, and, in particular, the best First Officers in Starfleet.

The role of...

Jolene Blalock played Subcommander T'Pol in all four seasons of Star Trek: Enterprise, but Jolene has also embodied a handful of other variants of her Vulcan Science Officer. Introduced in Enterprise's series premiere, Blalock had the unenviable task of developing a new Vulcan character in the shadow of Leonard Nimoy's Mr. Spock. Jolene rose to the challenge with a performance that honored Nimoy's legendary Vulcan while also turning T'Pol into a singular Star Trek heroine who remains beloved 20 years after Star Trek: Enterprise was canceled.

Star Trek: Enterprise was a controversial (for the time) prequel that established the first Starship Enterprise wasn't the Constitution Class vessel commanded by Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) and Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner). Instead, a century before Star Trek: The Original Series, the Nx-01 led by Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) was retconned as the first Enterprise to explore the galaxy. Enterprise's retcon included Subcommander T'Pol,...

Star Trek has one oddly specific death penalty that makes no sense. By the 23rd century of Star Trek: The Original Series, humanity no longer uses the death penalty as punishment, preferring to rely on incarceration and rehabilitation. Gene Roddenberry envisioned the Star Trek universe as a Utopian future. While later Star Trek series explored the darker aspects of Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets, no version of the Federation this side of the Mirror Universe employs capital punishment.

In Star Trek's original pilot episode, "The Cage," Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) and the USS Enterprise visit Talos IV where they encounter a powerful telepathic species known as the Talosians who could create incredibly realistic illusions. Although the Talosians tried to get Pike to remain on Talos IV, he remained too resistant to captivity, and they ultimately released him. After Captain Pike's experience, Starfleet issued General Order 7, forbidding...

This review discusses sensitive subjects including racism and sexual violence. Proceed with caution.

In the end, Ethan Edwards can’t go home again. The central figure of The Searchers, director John Ford’s epic Western, spends most of the movie’s runtime as a murderous, racist bastard. Though Ethan eventually does save the day and rescues his abducted “niece,” Debbie, domestic bliss will forever elude him. In the final shot of the movie, he watches as his family enters their cabin to live happily ever after. Ethan, however, cannot join them, forever damned to the Hell of the Old West.

More than 60 years after its original release, The Searchers lands on just about every list of The Greatest Movies Ever Made. Released in 1956, the movie adapts the novel of the same name by Alan Le May. Ford, the director most closely associated with the classic Western, helms the film from...

In the first pilot for Star Trek: The Original Series, "The Cage," Captain Christopher Pike, played by Jeffrey Hunter, helmed with Enterprise with his Number One played by Majel Barrett-Roddenberry. During Pike's time on Talos IV, he is being forced to choose a mate. His choices are Number One, Yeoman Colt or Vina. During that time, Pike learns that Number One has fantasies about him, and now that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has brought both Captain Pike (Anson Mount) and Number One (Rebecca Romjin) back, Screenrant suggests that there might be a future romance between the two because of what was "teased" in The Original Series.

But one character having fantasies about the other isn't really teasing a romance. It's more like unrequited love or just simply fantasies because the pair worked so closely together. It's not odd for couples that never become couples to have fantasies about one another.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 can pay off a romance between two USS Enterprise officers that was first teased 59 years ago. As a new Star Trek show about the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is already paying off the very first version of Star Trek. In 1965, the first Star Trek pilot, "The Cage", starred Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Pike, Leonard Nimoy as Spock, and Majel Barrett-Roddenberry as Number One; now all three of those characters have been reimagined for a modern audience.

Anson Mount's Captain Pike is a strong, compassionate leader dedicated to a personal code of ethics and the welfare of his crew. Haunted by knowledge of the future accident that will doom him to a locked-in state, Pike is able to risk his life and his career in support of Commander Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn)also known as Number One.

The lore around Star Trek's pilot is fascinating, as the one that everyone saw originally was actually the second one filmed. The original was called The Cage and it featured a vastly different array of characters than the one that made it to air. That one is called "Where No Man Has Gone Before" and it succeeded where the original failed.

A major reason for that was the casting. We've talked before about how William Shatner didn't feature as James Kirk in the original pilot, instead having Jeffrey Hunter play Christopher Pike. A change that made the Star Trek series truly take hold in the modern zeitgeist. Yet, one of the other big additions that often gets overlooked is the casting around Shatner.

Namely, the guest stars. In this case, the performance of Gary Lockwood as Gary Mitchell. Lockwood's turn as Mitchell, a friend of Kirk who starts to...

The original pilot of Star Trek: The Original Series began an unfortunate Star Trek trope that took the franchise more than 50 years to fix. Before Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) took over as commander of the USS Enterprise, Captain Christoper Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) was in command of the iconic ship. In "The Cage," Pike and his crew traveled to Talos IV, where they encountered an incredibly advanced race of aliens who could manipulate thought. The Talosians tried to convince Pike to stay, tempting him with an attractive woman.

For her part, Vina (Susan Oliver) did begin to develop feelings for Pike, and he for her, despite the interference from the Talosians. As the Talosians, Star Trek's first villains, tried to determine what kind of woman Pike wanted, they presented Vina to him in several different guises, creating realistic illusions that felt real to Pike. In the first scenario,...

John D. Kimble, a prominent longtime Hollywood talent agent at agencies including Dhkpr, Triad and William Morris, died Sunday in Dallas. He was 79.

Born in Kingsville, Texas, he was raised in Uvalde, Texas and graduated the University of Texas, El Paso with a theater degree. He started out hoping to act in Westerns, and was offered a contract through Screen Gems. But Kimble pivoted to representing actors rather than performing, and began his agency career working with Joan Scott at Writers and Artists.

Kimble set up his own shingle in 1977, and the next year, merged his company with the agency run by Gene Parseghian to for Kimble/Parseghian in New York. Their roster included William Hurt, Pamela Reed, Kevin Bacon, Griffin Dunne, Martin Short and Andrea Martin.

Kimble moved to California to open the L.A. office of his agency, soon merging with Arnold Rifkin, Nicole David and Jeffrey Hunter to creat Dhkpr.

John Kimble, who had a long career as a Hollywood talent agent at Writers & Artists, Kimble/Parseghian, Dhkpr, Triad Artists and the William Morris Agency, has died. He was 79.

Kimble died Sunday in Dallas, where he retired in 2022 to be close to family, former CBS Entertainment chair Nina Tassler announced. She was his assistant at Triad from 1985-90, and they remained good friends, she said.

Kimble repped Henry Winkler when he was cast as The Fonz on Happy Days in 1974; Jane Curtin when she was hired by Saturday Night Live in 1975; Joan Collins when she joined Dynasty in 1981; George Clooney when he landed on ER in 1994; and Matthew Perry when he signed up for Friends, also in ’94.

Over the years, Kimble’s clients also included Julie Andrews, Ann-Margret, Sara Gilbert, Emilio Estevez, Brooke Shields, Lea Thompson, Cary Elwes, Linda Hamilton, Delta Burke, Victoria Principal, Nell Carter, Rachel Ward and Meredith Baxter.

John D. Kimble, a longtime talent agent who worked for the William Morris Agency and helped launch Triad Artists in the mid-1980s, died November 10 in Dallas, where he retired in 2022 to be close to family. He was 79.

His death was confirmed by former CBS Entertainment chairman Nina Tassler, who worked for Kimble at Triad.

Born in Kingsville, TX, Kimble graduated from the University of Texas in El Paso with dreams of becoming an actor. But he made the critical career decision to represent thespians, instead.

He began working with Joan Scott at Writers and Artists before setting up his own shingle in July 1977. A year later, he and agent Gene Parseghian merged their respective companies to create Kimble/Parseghian in the Fisk Building on 57th Street in New York City. Their early client roster included William Hurt, Pamela Reed, Kevin Bacon, Griffin Dune, Martin Short and Andrea Martin.

The...

In the 1960s, in the first pilot for Star Trek: The Original Series, then known only as Star Trek, Jeffrey Hunter played the role of the Captain Christopher Pike. A product of the current time, Hunter's Pike was unaccumstomed to seeing women on his bridge, was clearly a commander whose authority wasn't questioned, and he didn't seem to take much input from his crew. But that was how he was written and, unfortunately, how things were in the 1960s even though the series was set way in the future.

A recent Screenrant post discusses Pike's biggest change from Star Trek, calling it "his best." And that is his attitude toward women. But Pike's way of leadership and his acceptance in today's society is understandably different than it was in the 1960s because of the time period we're in now. On top of that, Hunter didn't have much time to embody the role of Captain Pike.

Anson Mount perfectly portrays Captain Christopher Pike in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, fixing one very outdated aspect of Jeffrey Hunter's original Captain Pike. Jeffrey Hunter's Pike was initially meant to be the leading man of Star Trek: The Original Series before being replaced by the more dynamic Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner). In Star Trek's original pilot, "The Cage," Pike is captain of the Enterprise, and Leonard Nimoy's Spock is the only crew member who made the transition from "The Cage" to the rest of Tos.

Captain Pike made a brief appearance in the Star Trek: The Original Series two-parter, "The Menagerie," after suffering a horrific injury while saving a group of Starfleet cadets. This officially established that Pike had been captain of the Enterprise before Kirk, and set up several elements of Pike's story. Following his appearance in Star Trek: Discovery season 2, Anson Mount's...

The Captain Pike Trekkies see on "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" is a very different Captain Pike they saw in the original 1966 "Star Trek" pilot "The Cage." The latter Pike was played by Jeffrey Hunter as an angry, passionate figure, quick to lose his temper, and only able to solve problems through sheer force of enraged will. The Pike as seen in the 2009 "Star Trek" movie was played by Bruce Greenwood had a scene so "hideously uncomfortable" that we're shocked he agreed to return for the sequel. The newer Pike, as played by Anson Mount, is a lighthearted, gregarious figure, eager to engage in jocular diplomacy and greet any and all members of his staff into his quarters for breakfast. The Hunter Pike seems like he would be an intimidating boss. The Mount Pike is the boss you always wish you'd get whenever you start a new job. 

Indeed, if...

Warning: Spoilers for Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5, Episode 1 - "Dos Cerritos" and Episode 2 - "Shades of Green"

Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 brought back the blue Orions from Star Trek: The Original Series, but why do the blues pronounce "Orion" differently? Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 is the animated comedy's final season on Paramount+, and it kicks off with former Starfleet Lieutenant D'Vana Tendi (Nol Wells) back home pirating with the Orion Syndicate. While recovering a crashed starship for House Tendi, D'Vana and her crew run afoul of blue Orions, sparking a war between the blues, who pronounce their name "Or-ree-on", and the green Orions, who say it properly as "oh-rye-on".

Orions are among the first aliens ever seen in Star Trek. "The Cage," Star Trek's original pilot that was rejected by NBC, saw Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) shown an illusion of a dancing Orion slave girl...

Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) inherited a particular trait from Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) and took it to a whole new level on Star Trek: The Original Series. Although fans did not get to see Star Trek's original pilot until the late 1980s, "The Cage" represented Gene Roddenberry's original vision for the series. The episode follows Captain Pike and his USS Enterprise crew as they visit Talos IV and encounter a strange alien species. The Talosians capture Pike, imprisoning him in a menagerie and creating various illusions in his head.

When Roddenberry and his crew screened "The Cage," the executives at NBC felt the pilot was "too cerebral" and would not appeal to their audience. They gave Roddenberry a chance to produce another pilot, which eventually became Tos season 1, episode 3, "Where No Man Has Gone Before." Roddenberry kept Leonard Nimoy's Spock from the original pilot,...

In its first pilot episode, Star Trek: The Original Series revealed some dark truths about Captain Christopher Pike's (Jeffrey Hunter) most recent mission. Before Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) took over command of the USS Enterprise, Captain Pike sat in the captain's chair on the iconic ship. As established in Star Trek's original pilot, "The Cage," Pike had an entirely different crew aboard his Enterprise, aside from his science officer, Spock (Leonard Nimoy). In "The Cage," Pike answers a distress call from Talos IV only to learn it had been a trap set by the Talosians.

Upon beaming down to the planet, Pike meets a beautiful young woman named Vina (Susan Oliver) before the Talosians imprison the Enterprise captain. As Number One (Majel Barrett) leads a rescue mission, the Talosians present Pike with various illusions to convince him to stay. The powerful Talosians have tapped into Pike's mind...

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds would not have worked if the show had not updated the character of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount). Anson Mount's Captain Pike made his debut in Star Trek: Discovery season 2 when he took over command of the USS Discovery to investigate a series of mysterious red bursts. Mount's take on Pike turned out to be so well-liked that fans began clamoring for a spin-off following his adventures on the USS Enterprise. Thus, Strange New Worlds was born.

The character of Christopher Pike (as portrayed by Jeffrey Hunter) actually debuted in 1966, in the only Star Trek: The Original Series two-part episode, "The Menagerie." Jeffrey Hunter's Captain Pike was originally meant to be Star Trek's leading man, but NBC rejected the show's original pilot, "The Cage." Pike joined Star Trek canon as the captain of the Enterprise before Kirk, but his story remained mostly untold until Strange New Worlds.

Number One's (Rebecca Romijn) backstory on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds seems partly inspired by a backstory conceived by Majel Barrett-Roddenberry 60 years ago. Majel was the original actor to portray Number One in Star Trek's 1964 pilot, "The Cage," which was rejected by NBC. Number One was the First Officer of the USS Enterprise commanded by Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter), and she was cool, logical, and emotionless - traits that would be given to Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) when Gene Roddenberry revamped "The Cage" into Star Trek: The Original Series.

60 years later, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is essentially the show "The Cage" would have been, but updated for the 21st century. Number One is part of Strange New Worlds' main cast and leadership triumvirate along with Captain Pike (Anson Mount) and Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck). Strange New Worlds also gave Number One her name - Lt. Commander...

In only two seasons of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Anson Mount has turned Captain Christopher Pike into one of Star Trek's most beloved captains, repairing any problems with Jeffrey Hunter's original Captain Pike. When Gene Roddenberry was conceptualizing Star Trek: The Original Series, the story revolved around Captain Pike and his Enterprise crew. Finding an actor to portray Pike was one of Roddenberry's most difficult tasks, but Jeffrey Hunter eventually landed the role. However, after NBC rejected the show's first pilot, "The Cage," Jeffrey Hunter left Star Trek's production.

Star Trek fans first met Pike in Tos season 1, episodes 11 & 12, "The Menagerie," after the former Enterprise captain had suffered his devastating accident. Captain Pike then became a footnote in Star Trek history, until Star Trek: Discovery season 2 reintroduced Anson Mount as a new and improved Christoper Pike. Fans took an instant liking to Mount's portrayal of Pike,...

Star Trek's very first villains established a theme that would continue in every Star Trek TV series and movie throughout the franchise. Star Trek's original pilot, "The Cage," was produced in 1964, introducing the USS Enterprise commanded by Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter). Although NBC rejected "The Cage" and ordered a second pilot that became Star Trek: The Original Series, "The Cage's" events canonically predate the known events of the 23rd century seen in Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and the first six Star Trek movies. Hence, the denizens of Talos IV are Star Trek's original villains who aren't really villains.

Star Trek isn't defined by a simplistic 'good vs. evil' paradigm. While the Starfleet Officers of Star Trek are inherently noble and open-minded, they can fall prey to all manner of weaknesses in human nature. Conversely, Star Trek...

Captain Christopher Pike had two instances in Star Trek where he wanted to quit being Captain of the USS Enterprise. Pike was originally portrayed by Jeffrey Hunter in Star Trek's original, rejected pilot, "The Cage." Sean Kenney portrayed a grievously injured Fleet Captain Pike in Star Trek: The Original Series' "The Menagerie." Over 50 years later, Captain Pike returned to Star Trek canon when he was played by Anson Mount in Star Trek: Discovery season 2. Mount's popularity led to his receiving his own spinoff about Captain Pike's voyages aboard the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Star Trek's "The Cage" was overhauled to become Star Trek: The Original Series, with Jeffrey Hunter's Captain Pike replaced by a brand-new leading man, William Shatner's Captain James T. Kirk. However, "The Cage" established much of the basic foundation of Star Trek, where the Captain of the Enterprise was in...

Star Trek's original pilot, "The Cage," ingeniously fulfilled the Starship Enterprise's mission to explore strange new worlds in a single episode. Produced in 1964, written by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, and directed by Robert Butler, "The Cage" starred Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike, with Majel Barrett as his First Officer, Number One, Leonard Nimoy as the alien Mr. Spock, with Susan Oliver as Vina. "The Cage" was ultimately rejected by NBC but was repurposed in Star Trek: The Original Series' "The Menagerie," and it's the inspiration for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

In Star Trek's "The Cage," Captain Pike's USS Enterprise is diverted to the planet Talos IV. Pike is soon taken prisoner as the planet's natives, the Talosians, hold him in their alien menagerie. A race with the ability to cast powerful illusions, the Talosians intend to mate Pike with his prospective love interest Vina,...

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds takes place in the mid-23rd century, and here's how it slots in relative to Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: Discovery. Strange New Worlds is the third Star Trek series set in the 23rd century, which is also home to the first two seasons of Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: The Original Series, and the six Star Trek movies starring Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his Starship Enterprise crew. Although Star Trek: Enterprise was the first Star Trek prequel series, it depicted the voyages of Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) and the Nx-01 in the 22nd century, about a hundred years before Strange New Worlds.

The origins of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds go all the way back to the first Star Trek pilot, "The Cage," which was rejected by NBC in 1964. "The Cage" introduced Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter...

On September 8, 1966, one episode launched the entire Star Trek franchise. Interestingly, the now iconic series' television debut wasn't exactly what today's audiences would think of as a pilot episode or a series premiere. In fact, the first Star Trek: The Original Series episode seen by the general public was selected, somewhat arbitrarily, as the most mainstream and standalone of the episodes that were completed at that time. The episode in question was "The Man Trap," which seemed to be a chapter ripped right out of a longer story's middle section. Although this episode is classic and brilliant in nearly every way, it doesnt really represent the totality of Star Trek.

To put it another way, if Star Trek: The Original Series was only judged by the standards set by "The Man Trap," it wouldnt have become the series and franchise phenomenon it is today. Today, Star Trek celebrates its 58th...

Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) has a curious limp in "The Cage," Star Trek's original, rejected pilot, but the reason why is hinted at in the episode. Produced in 1964, "The Cage" was creator Gene Roddeneberry's first vision for Star Trek. "The Cage" starred Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike, Susan Oliver as Vina, and Majel Barrett as Number One, along with Nimoy as the Vulcan Mr. Spock. NBC considered "The Cage" "too cerebral" for network television but ordered a second pilot that became Star Trek: The Original Series, with William Shatner's Captain James T. Kirk replacing Pike and only Spock returning from "The Cage's" cast.

In Star Trek's "The Cage," the USS Enterprise is diverted to the planet Talos IV, where its inhabitants laid a trap for Captain Pike. The Talosians possessed the power to cast realistic illusions, and they wanted Pike for their menagerie of aliens.

In its first few minutes, Star Trek: The Next Generation distinguished itself from Star Trek: The Original Series, with a very different and more effective opening scene. Picking up about a century after the adventures of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew, Tng followed an entirely new Enterprise crew, led by Patrick Stewart's Captain Jean-Luc Picard. The television landscape went through significant changes from the 1960s to the late 1980s when Tng premiered. Although television shows had not yet reached the level of serialization they would in the streaming era, they were moving toward a different way of storytelling.

Television pilots and finales were not thought of the same way in the 1960s. "The Man Trap" was the first episode of Star Trek: The Original Series to air, but it simply feels like any other episode of the show. Tos technically has two pilots, one of...

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John Wayne, born in Iowa as Marion Robert Morrison in 1907, grew up to become one of the most famous figures in American film history. His family moved to Southern California when he was young, where he eventually attended the University of Southern California on a football scholarship. After an injury cut his athletic career short, Wayne turned to Hollywood. His first job in the film industry was as a prop boy and extra, before landing his first leading role in Raoul Walsh's 1930 film The Big Trail.

John Wayne's roles embodied the spirit of the American West, making him a symbol of the Western genre in Hollywood. His partnerships with legendary filmmakers like John Ford and Howard Hawks would yield numerous classics, including The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and El Dorado two of the best movies of his career. While it...

Whether due to casting troubles or story issues, several Star Trek characters have been replaced throughout the franchise's long history. From the beginning, Gene Roddenberrys original concept for Star Trek went through several changes. Most of the characters from Star Treks first pilot, The Cage, were replaced by the now iconic cast of Star Trek: The Original Series. In some cases, the replacement characters became even more popular than the originals, while at other times the opposite was true.

Characters are always coming and going within the Star Trek universe, but some have more obvious one-for-one replacements than others. Aside from the first cast shake-up, most of the later character changes had more to do with the actors playing them. Some actors decided they wanted to move on to other projects, which often meant their character had to be replaced. Still, most of these actors remain a part of the Star Trek family,...

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Nana Visitor hails Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Lt. Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia), a character Nana says Star Trek has waited for since the 1960s Releasing October 1st, Visitor's first book, Star Trek: Open a Channel: A Woman's Trek, contains in depth profiles of Star Trek's vast universe of female characters. Nana interviewed women involved in Star Trek in front of and behind the camera, as well as real-world scientists, soldiers, and astronauts who call Star Trek's female heroes their inspirations.

Lt. Erica Ortegas is a new character in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, but one who has roots in Star Trek's original, rejected pilot, "The Cage." In 1964, Gene Roddenberry's first crack at Star Trek centered on the Starship Enterprise led by Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter), aided by Number One (Majel Barrett Roddenberry) and Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy). NBC ordered...

When Star Trek: The Original Series' first pilot, "The Cage," was shot down by NBC, there was no guarantee the series was going to get off the ground even though it was given a second chance to prove itself with a new pilot. Jeffrey Hunter, the actor who played Captain Christopher Pike in the original pilot, elected not to return for another shot at the show so a new captain had to be found, and William Shatner was cast.

And while some actors who worked with Shatner on the set complained about his need to be in front of the cameras as well as other issues dealing with ego, one writer, David Gerrold, who penned the famously popular "The Trouble with Tribbles" came straight out and said that Star Trek: The Original Series and the movies were successful because of Shatner.

In The Fifty-Year Mission The First Twenty-Five Years by...

After publishing a page-turning memoir – Runaway Train: The Story of My Life So Far – actor Eric Roberts is letting skeletons out of closets with stories and reveals related to his lengthy and storied career. Roberts’ book covers a lot of ground. Still, one story about a missed opportunity with Martin Scorsese is making the rounds online. Luckily, our Editor-in-Chief, Chris Bumbray, is quite the bookworm for reading about Hollywood’s inner workings and secret stories and is currently thumbing through Roberts’ memoir.

In the book, Roberts talks about rejecting a primary role in Scorsese’s 1988 drama The Last Temptation of Christ, in which the filmmaker offered him the role of Jesus.

“So when I was asked by Marty Scorsese to audition for the role of Jesus in The Last Temptations of Christ, I thought, Here’s my chance to break out of the straightjacket of typecasting and work with a master,...

A clever detail in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds might be easy to miss, but it honors the original captain of Star Trek: The Original Series. When it premiered in 2022, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds promised to explore Captain Christopher Pike's version of the Starship Enterprise before Captain James T. Kirk takes over. Strange New Worlds boasts an impressive cast of characters, including returning characters from Star Trek: The Original Series.

Anson Mount's Captain Pike was already a fan favorite after Star Trek: Discovery season 2, and his similar success in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is thanks in part to the incredible team of creatives working behind the scenes. Star Trek TV shows have often used callbacks to Star Trek: The Original Series as a means to honor the franchise's source material, without which they wouldn't exist. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds honors its predecessor with easy-to-miss set details that you probably didn't notice.