RIP to Jeffery Hunter the actor who played the original Christopher Pike … I’m actually watching The Original Series with my wife (which is a small miracle) and as we watch, we research and look up little facts and details about the show. Jeffery Hunter at the time was a handsome leading man with a great career in film and television. He had a stunt accident in 1969 which injured him and led to his death shortly after, at the age of 42 - five years after making his appearance as the first Star Trek captain in 1964. He would never know his important place in Star Trek fandom almost 60 years later.
Kinda wish Boimler and/or Mariner had let slip that his mind was going to be able to exist in a computer simulation, unbound by the chair. But I guess that would cheapen his willing sacrifice.
No matter when/how this show ends, it’ll be the same way, and it’ll be far too soon.
Also: is Pike aware that he’s functionally immortal until the clock runs out? There’s ample evidence that his future is unavoidable, so he’d have to come to this conclusion by now, right?
Yeah, I’m reminded of one of the things the Emissary himself tried to explain to the Prophets. In this case, however, the past experience guiding Pike’s choices in the present is already in the future…
Prophet - OPS OFFICER: You have no regard for the consequences of your acts.
SISKO: That’s not true. We’re aware that every choice we make has a consequence.
Prophet - CAPTAIN: But you claim you do not know what it will be.
SISKO: We don’t.
Prophet - JAKE: Then how can you take responsibility for your actions?
Sisko: We use past experiences to help guide us. For Jennifer and me, all the experiences in our lives prepared us for the day we met on the beach, helped us recognize that we had a future together. When we married, we accepted all the consequences of that act, whatever they might be, including the consequences of you.
The entire point of the season 1 finale is that if Pike’s fate gets retconned it’ll turn out very, very poorly. If Pike doesn’t end up the way he did in TOS, it means he doesn’t vacate the captain’s chair on the Enterprise, and when the events of Balance of Terror happens, Pike’s inclination towards compromise and peaceful negotiations leads the Romulan empire to conclude that the Federation is weak and declare war, causing the death of millions. Future!Pike even says at the end “every timeline where you don’t end up in that accident ends up with something horrible happening, and someone else taking your place.”
By my accounting Pike has four chances to walk away from his fate. Chronologically:
The very scene this quote is from in Discovery, where Tenavik gives him the option to take the time crystal or walk away from his bad future. He chooses the former, but to downplay his decision a little it was his personal future versus everyone’s bad Skynet future.
Lift Us gives us the Majalans, whose medical tech is a “maybe” for fixing Pike while keeping the timeline intact. Pike walks away (from Omelas) because he can’t abide by how their society works.
Quality of Mercy gives us Future Pike and subtle hints that the Romulan War has been going on about 20 years. That plus offloading his suffering to Spock makes Pike stop trying to tinker with the timeline.
TOS’ The Menagerie of course, gives us the Talosians, who have mellowed out a bit from their original appearance and offer Pike a mental paradise with Vina, who they’re also helping. Aside from a spot of insubordination on Spock’s part, there’s nothing wrong here so it becomes the good ending of his story.
Basically it’s a story of principles. He won’t let others suffer for his personal comfort, and even tells Spock (via beep chair) not to risk his career for him.
Add comment