Okay, I really want some kind of continuing Pike/Number One/Spock/Enterprise project. But it's not hard to think of reasons that such a show might look problematic to CBS. I'm sure we can think of lots. I'll start: The 23rd century: Kurtzman and company just spent two years struggling with the nuances and frustrations of fitting a series into a predefined setting - only to finally throw up their hands and flee a thousand years hence. And that was without dealing with established characters whose fates are preordained. Why should they feel confident in going through that again? Demographics: Picard pretty much has the nostalgic appeal to older Trekkies covered. Granted that we're talking about CBS, but how much Trek programming whose built-in audience is folks longing for familiarity does a streaming service need? Casting diversity: the three established central characters are white and two of them are at least leaning toward middle age. So, okay, they add some younger folks of different backgrounds in as supporting cast, but...it's still a nut they have to crack. Although, as noted, we are talking about CBS; something approaching token casting is kind of in their wheelhouse. What else?
The fan base. A pre-TOS Pike project would be something that causes an instant divide among fans. The Abrams movies and Discovery have both taken a beating on the internet because of tinkering around in the time period. And with canon being the holy word going forward, you'd further inflame the fan base by trying an alternate reality route. I think it would be an interesting project to watch evolve. Though I think making it line up with TOS is a fools errand.
Pike worked because the Discovery writers treated him like a throwback character and used him sparingly. But a Pike series would put him at the center of things, and I’m sure the showrunners would feel the need to “modernize” that show as Kurtzman and co. have modernized everything else about the 23rd century. If that means injecting a bunch of ugliness, cynicism, graphic violence and endless crying into the Enterprise adventures, I’d rather they didn’t.
It is funny, when I was watching season two, I enjoyed Mount in the role. But looking back, there is nothing about the performance I found memorable beyond the scenes in "If Memory Serves..." with the wheelchair. Mostly, he felt like Generic Starfleet Captain #47. He would have to be written a heck of a lot better than he was in Discovery.
Mount deserves a lot of credit for getting as much out of the material as he did. That said, Pike confronting his fate is my favorite moment in all of Discovery. So I’d argue he had more to work with than most of the regulars.
Calling an upstanding, moral, principled character like Pike a "throwback" is one of the saddest things I've read lately.
For diversity you have a whole bridge crew to fill up and they can bring back Cadet Sidhu and/or Lucero(who got demoted for the whole “Edward insademt )both of whom would have really interesting story’s
If They were to do it, it will NEVER be what an old TOS fan like me has fantasized about for the last 50+ years. Knowing that going in, I'd settle for it just being as entertaining as DISCOVERY and the Trek Shorts have been and PICARD will be.
I've no idea what Picard will be like or whether it will be entertaining. I liked everything about Mount as Pike, which is a big reason I'd like to see more. Similar for Number One. Peck was decent as well.
Screw Pike, let’s see a new show where Number One is the main character, promoted to captain of her own ship. Can easily throw in some cameos from Pike. It doesn’t screw up any cannon from TOS.
This topic reminds me of another discussion I once had about making a show about the Enterprise-C. The argument was basically that it wouldn't matter what happened in the show because we all know the fate of the ship in "Yesterday's Enterprise," to which I countered by pointing out: How is that any different from someone knowing the fate of the Enterprise-D by watching ST: Generations but not watching seven years of TNG? The fate of the ship doesn't matter; it's what you do with the material you are given. We only ever saw Pike once, in "The Cage/The Menagerie," which portrayed him as someone long since tired of his life as a ship captain. We never saw him any other way, but does that automatically mean he was always like that? Of course not. Just like how Jean-Luc in STP will be quite a different person than he was in TNG, if the writers utilize Pike in a different and interesting way than the one time Jeffery Hunter played him, it will be fine.
I'm not convinced they shouldn't make this series. The Short Treks imply they're gearing up to make it and are testing the waters before embarking on something that wasn't part of their original plan.
I think the big turn-off is that it likely wouldn't be materially different from TOS, TNG, VOY, ENT or DSC in that it would just be "another ship show." And it seems CBS and Kurtzman are looking to try and do something unique with each new show. I'm not sure they'd want two shows with the same basic format (Starfleet ship based) airing simultaneously.
I just watched the three Short Treks yesterday and was really impressed. Blown away actually. The tone was quite different from what we've seen in the other Trek shows, with moments of levity, humor and absurdity, so I'm more confident that we can get something different even if the format is the same. And with the Arrowverse getting a Superman spin-off, I'm also a little more confident that a Pike show could happen. What could be problematic? - More of the same despite their attempt to try something different with the tone. - Too much of a good thing. Just because people liked Pike in season 2 doesn't mean that a whole series would be just as well received.
Star Trek: Early Voyages is hands down my favourite Star Trek comic book series ever. If they just made a live action show in the style of that it would be dope as hell.
Make Una gay. We still haven't met the Enterprise's doctor in this era, and the Welsh engineer can be written out effortlessly if necessary. Or, ditch the Enterprise. Jump closer to that Pike flashforward and do an academy series where Pike and Una are the faculty, but focus the show on the diverse cadets.