How Anson Mount Made Star Trek: Discovery A Bigger Hit

Star Trek: Discovery season 1 was a hit, but introducing Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike made Star Trek: Discovery season 2 even more popular. Discovery's premiere in 2017 ushered in a new era of Star Trek TV shows. The diverse cast of characters on Star Trek:Discovery made it popular with a new generation of Trekkers. Mount ensured that popularity didn't fade through his excitement about being a part of the Star Trek franchise and the continued support for his rendition of Captain Pike, who was originally portrayed by Jeffrey Hunter and Sean Kenney in the 1960s.

Star Trek: Discovery season 2 not only brought back Captain Christopher Pike but added a dark twist: Pike discovers he will be horrifically disfigured in Star Trek: The Original Series. Pike's vision will haunt him even as his character continues to develop as Captain of the Enterprise in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Although Star Trek: Discovery ended with season 5, Mount still makes Discovery season 2 memorable. Anson portrayed Captain Pike's strengths through bravery and vulnerability, all while being a huge Star Trek fan behind the scenes.

Anson Mount's Captain Pike Added Original Series Appeal To Star Trek: Discovery

Mount reprised the role and earned Discovery major nostalgia points

Part of the reason many argue that Star Trek: Discovery season 2 is Star Trek at its best is that Anson Mount reintroduced a classic Star Trek: The Original Series character to a new audience. The original Star Trek pilot, "The Cage," featured an adventure involving Captain Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) and the USS Enterprise crew traveling to the dangerous world of Talos IV. While NBC rejected the pilot and requested a new one with William Shatner replacing Jeffrey Hunter as the series lead, Star Trek:Discovery season 2 gave Captain Pike a second chance over 50 years later.

Star Trek: Discovery ended a 12-year stretch without a Star Trek TV show, but Discovery season 2 leaned more into Star Trek's past, successfully evoking nostalgia to bring older audiences aboard. Along with Number One, who was given the name of Lt. Commander Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijin), and a young Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck), Anson Mount's Captain Pike started to gather the original USS Enterprise crew. This inevitable setup of Star Trek: The Original Series garnered a lot of excitement for Star Trek: Discovery season 2. Mount being a Star Trek fan behind the scenes definitely helped harness that excitement.

Unlike in the previous golden eras of sci-fi, newer Star Trek projects can appeal to more audiences than ever before through the use of social media. Anson Mount took to Instagram while filming Star Trek: Discovery and shared behind-the-scenes pictures to excite fans and increase the hype for season 2. Mount even hinted at the canon fate of Captain Pike with pictures depicting him being life-casted for "future Pike." Check out his post below:

Because Jason Isaacs' Captain Lorca exited Star Trek: Discovery season 1 with a dark plot twist, the USS Discovery's crew needed a new leader who could reestablish their faith in the mission at hand. Mount teased set pictures and bolstered excitement for Captain Pike's addition to the Star Trek: Discovery crew to ensure fans that Discovery was in good hands. Sharing a picture of the first time he sat in "the chair," Mount got fans excited about seeing Star Trek: The Original Series' Captain Pike in modern action. Check out the picture below:

Anson Mount's portrayal of Captain Pike created a hunger for more Captain Pike content, so Mount shared a never-before-seen set picture from Star Trek: Discovery season 2 during the show's hiatus. The picture not only reminded fans of Pike's popularity but also featured Vice Admiral Katrina Cornwell (Jayne Brook) accompanying Mount on the bridge of the Discovery—and Mount's dog, Mac. The picture was shared by Commander Will Riker himself, Jonathan Frakes, who is a recurring director for Star Trek projects. See the post below:

Anson Mount's Captain Pike Was So Popular, Fans Demanded Strange New Worlds

Star Trek's newest hit show exists thanks to Mount's popularity

In Star Trek: Discovery season 2, Anson Mount's Captain Christopher Pike juggles this dark destiny with selfless charm and charisma, never letting the knowledge of the future deter him from trying to be Starfleet's best captain. Mount was so popular as Captain Pike that fans demanded his own show after his Star Trek: Discovery exit. Petitions were signed, executives were begged, and social media was ablaze over the desire for Mount's return as Pike. Since Mount's breakout role on AMC's Hell on Wheels ended, the actor could take on another award-winning series.

In May 2020, Paramount announced Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the newest addition to Star Trek's streaming family. The show would follow Anson Mount's Christopher Pike as Captain of the USS Enterprise. Strange New Worlds features classic Star Trek: The Original Series characters played by new faces, including Discovery's Peck and Romijin as Spock and Number One, and new actors such as Jess Bush as Nurse Chapel and Celia Rose Gooding as Cadet Uhura. Without Anson Mount's part in Star Trek: Discovery season 2, Captain Pike couldn't have boosted the show's popularity, eventually leading to one of Star Trek's best new shows.