Anson Mount prefers Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to stick with Captain Christopher Pike's established canon instead of deviating from the inevitable tragedy waiting for Pike in Star Trek: The Original Series. Less than a decade after Strange New Worlds, Fleet Captain Pike (Sean Kenney) suffers a horrific accident that leaves him disfigured and trapped in a wheelchair. Pike became aware of his future in Star Trek: Discovery season 2, and Chris was burdened by his existential crisis in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1.
Appearing on stage with his Star Trek: Strange New Worlds cast mates Rebecca Romijn, Ethan Peck, Celia Rose Gooding, Carol Kane, and Melanie Scrofano at STLV: Trek to Vegas, Anson Mount answered a fan question about the possibility that Strange New Worlds could change Pike's canon and destiny. Noting that the actors don't decide the direction of the show or their characters, Mount said while has "much more specific ideas" about Pike's future, in general, he "would like to stick with canon" but possibly explore "Pike's point of view." Read Mount's quote and watch DTRShow's STLV video below:
I have to preface this by saying what we think doesn’t really matter. It’s not our wheelhouse. It’s not our department. But I will say, we have not been with ourselves too specific about where we are in that particular timeline. Nor are we specific about how long a season is in fictional time. So there’s a lot of give and take…
So, depending upon what the network wants, which we only find out year-to-year, as a project, for my own… I have much more specific ideas about it, but I don’t want to say anything about it. But in general, I think I would like to stick with canon, and just, maybe, from a different point of view. Maybe from Pike’s point of view. So that’s all I’ll say about that.
What Captain Pike's Future Means For Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Anson Mount also points out how Strange New Worlds deals with Star Trek's timeline
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1's finale directly dealt with what happens if Captain Pike attempts to change his fate. Admiral Pike from an alternate future visited Captain Pike and showed him a timeline where Starfleet is mired in a forever war with the Romulans. Worse, Pike avoiding his destiny transfers that tragedy to Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck). While Strange New Worlds has shown a capacity to alter Star Trek canon, Pike's fate seems set in stone. However, Anson Mount's desire to explore Pike's future from his point of view is intriguing.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' executive producers want the show to run for many more years.
Anson Mount also points out that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds hasn't defined how long a season is in fictional time. Strange New Worlds seasons 1 and 2 take place between 2259 and 2260, but it's not a case where a season of Strange New Worlds lasts a full year of real-time. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' executive producers want the show to run for many more years into Star Trek: The Original Series' era, although that depends on Paramount+, which has only greenlit Strange New Worlds season 4 to film in 2025. We must wait and see what Star Trek: Strange New Worlds holds for Captain Pike's future.
