The following contains spoilers for the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premiere and Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1 & 2.
Captain Christopher Pike didn't make his debut in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. The character of Pike appeared in the rejected pilot for The Original Series as the USS Enterprise's original captain, and Anson Mount's version was originally seen in Season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery. The latter shows are closely connected (not like the recent mash-up) and understanding how will deepen viewers’ appreciation for both Pike and Ethan Peck’s portrayal of Spock (whose first name is finally canon).
Star Trek: Discovery introduced Pike when he temporarily left the Enterprise to captain the Discovery. While there, he partook in a time-honored tradition for captains of NCC-1701: searching for Spock. The second season of the increasingly nerdy Discovery was equally about finding and saving Spock and battling elements that did not adhere to the values of Starfleet. Pike was -- and still is -- the example of what Starfleet is supposed to be about.
Throughout Season 2, Pike was often upheld as “the best of Starfleet,” especially in comparison to the morally gray characters on and around Discovery. He was every bit the sort of Enterprise captain that Star Trek fans have come to expect. He deeply believed in Starfleet’s ideals, led with compassion, showed bravery and had a willingness to disregard orders in favor of doing the right thing. He -- and later Spock, when Spock was found -- were just what Discovery needed... both the crew and the series.
Pike's introduction showed fans that despite the bold direction of the new series, the Starfleet fans remembered still existed. He was also what Burnham and the rest of the crew needed to conceivably make them believe in the Federation again. During their first scene together in the fresh Strange New Worlds, Pike and Spock discuss the events of Star Trek: Discovery. Their conversation expresses how much they miss Burnham and the Discovery crew. For Pike, however, the discussion is more than nostalgic.
In Star Trek: Discovery Season 2, Episode 12, "Though the Valley of Shadows," Pike visits a Klingon monastery to retrieve a time crystal. While there, he gets a glimpse of his future -- specifically a training accident in which he is horribly scarred. He then sees the image of Pike The Original Series fans recognize from the epic two-part episode “The Menagerie.” While Discovery ended with a smiling Pike in the captain’s chair, Strange New Worlds starts with him almost broken by what he saw.
Pike’s entire character arc, it seems, will be about how he continues to be the heroic starship captain in the face of his inevitable destiny. It’s not death, but rather “the death of the man [he is] today,” as Pike tells Spock. Pike wanted to hide from his fate, but in this series, he embraces it to find out how much good he can do along the way. In fact, the first thing he does in Strange New Worlds is help clean up a mess he and the crew of Discovery made. The spectacular event that sent Discovery 900 years into the future affected the development of a nearby pre-warp society.
The opening of Strange New Worlds features Rebecca Romijn’s Number One delivering an uplifting speech/log about how special a “first contact” is. Yet when contacting this society, the crew discovers a world at war. This new species used data collected by observing the events of the Discovery season 2 finale out to develop a “warp bomb.” The specifics are left vague, as they should be. What is important is not how they did it -- but the capacity to use scientific advancement for good or ill.
Star Trek: Discovery is about how the individuals in Starfleet and the institution itself are not perfect. Discovery was brave enough to let its heroes fail, again and again. Strange New Worlds is about the best of Starfleet -- so Pike's story and character growth connects these two franchises in a way that fans have not always been able to. Since Star Trek came back, what most fans wanted was an episodic, hopeful series, not a darker show with more serialized storytelling. Yet both stories are equally important.
Discovery has told the tale of a crew that started as Starfleet’s most cynical and became its most hopeful. They are rebuilding the Federation in the future based on the example they got from characters like Pike and Spock. In Strange New Worlds, Pike and company are doing that for the civilizations they find back in the 23rd century. Viewers need not know all the details of both series to enjoy either, yet understanding how one group and one theme influences the other deepens the appreciation for both shows.
New episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds stream Thursdays on Paramount+.