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. In addition to reimagining old characters, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds introduces a new love interest for Pike, the USS Cayuga's Captain Marie Batel (Melanie Scrofano). As Pike's peer, Batel also knows how tough maintaining a relationship can be in Starfleet.
Star Trek First Teased Romance Between Captain Pike & Number One In "The Cage"
Number One "Often Has Fantasies" About Captain Pike
Star Trek first teased the possibility of a romance between Captain Pike and Number One 59 years ago, in "The Cage". When brought to Talos IV, Pike must choose a mate; if he won't mate with Vina (Susan Oliver), then Yeoman J.M. Colt (Laurel Goodwin) or Number One will do. The mind-reading Talosians push the merits of each potential mate: Yeoman Colt is young and strong, whereas Number One is prized for her intelligence, and the Talosian confirms, "She often has fantasies involving you." Pike balks at all the choices, refusing to be forced into the Talosians' menagerie.
If this original concept for Star Trek had actually continued, a romance between Hunter's Pike and Barrett-Roddenberry's Number One might have been inevitable. In "The Cage", Pike sees Number One as his First Officer before he sees her as a woman, but the revelation that Number One entertains romantic fantasies about Pike suggests that might have eventually changed. Because Star Trek: The Original Series was progressive for its time, a 1960s romance between Captain Pike and the highly competent Number One could have been a surprisingly equitable variation on the trope of pairing off two attractive leads.
Captain Pike's Romance With Captain Batel Might Not Last
Captain Batel Might Not Survive Strange New Worlds' Gorn Attack
Captain Pike's romance with Captain Batel in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds might not last. Throughout Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, Pike has been reluctant to commit to a long-term romantic relationship, which puts Pike and Batel on rocky terms. Pike only seems absolutely certain about Batel when his memories are lost in Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 4, "Among the Lotus Eaters", and Chris' love grounds his sense of self. In Strange New Worlds' musical episode, "Subspace Rhapsody", Pike's sung confession reveals their frequent miscommunication makes Pike "compelled to hide", even though he loves Marie.
The most damning evidence for the short-lived nature of the Pike and Batel romance is that Captain Batel is a new character created for Strange New Worlds who might not survive. At the cliffhanger ending of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2's finale, "Hegemony", Marie Batel's life still hangs in the balance thanks to being infested with Gorn eggs. Batel ends the season safely aboard the Enterprise, but as Lieutenant Hemmer (Bruce Horak) proved, becoming a Gorn incubator is almost certainly a death sentence. Marie's miraculous recovery might not be enough to save Batel and Pike's tenuous relationship.
Why A Pike & Number One Romance Could Work In Strange New Worlds
Pike & Number One's Long History Proves How Far They'll Go For Each Other
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' potential Pike and Number One romance could work. Captain Pike and Number One's friendship is based on years of trust; Chris guarded Una's secret of being a genetically-enhanced Illyrian, and Number One knows about Pike's ill-fated future. Even when Pike starts doubting the certainty of that vision, Pike still puts his life and career on the line to save Number One in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 2, "Ad Astra Per Aspera". And Una being in jeopardy on Kiley 279 actually brings Pike back to the Enterprise in Strange New Worlds' premiere.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 2, "Ad Astra Per Aspera" also tests Pike's loyalty to Commander Una Chin-Riley against his relationship with Captain Marie Batel, when Batel represents Starfleet's interests in prosecuting Number One for being an illegal Augment. Captain Pike isn't forced to choose, but it's clear he'd pick Commander Chin-Riley if he had to.
One fact deterring a Captain Pike and Commander Chin-Riley relationship might be that Pike is Number One's commanding officer. Relationships between Starfleet captains and officers aren't expressly forbidden, but Starfleet might frown upon the potential conflict of interest. Pike is attracted to intelligence and confidence, qualities that Una also has in spades, but Pike and Batel's relationship was more above board as equals serving on different ships. One line in the nearly 60-year-old Star Trek pilot doesn't confirm Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will pair off Pike and Number One, but it opens the door for a possibility.
