Bruce Greenwood's Pike -- amazing character!

[Michael]

I don't think I have seen anything with Greenwood where I didn't love his work! He has an amazing presence and a very natural way of performing. I can't recommend him enough in his 90s mystery series Nowhere Man. Great surreal show which really works because of his performance.

 

[2takesfrakes]

Greenwood's a solid actor and one of the many aspects that have worked so well in these new STAR TREK movies. It's very hard to picture anyone else having played Pike ...

 

[austen_pierce]

I like Greenwood in the part far more than I do Jeffery Hunter.

Yes, not even worth comparing... although the wheelchair scene at the end of ST09 got a grin from me for the TOS nod.

I am assuming Kirk graduated as a full Lt. (with test scores "off the charts"...and being older...he must've had some college credits that "transferred" over...and possibly served an "internship" on a couple of starships.

Hm, I didn't get the impression that Kirk had any *formal* education prior to the academy. So I don't know which credits could have been transferred... He spent most of his time drunk. He must have taken some of the aptitude tests according to the bar scene, but otherwise he was pretty much wasting his time and talents.

Pike makes Kirk FO upon arrival at Vulcan. Kirk doesn't take the captain's seat until much later in the movie, after the destruction of Vulcan and the events on Delta Vega. In universe, it's a matter of hours, maybe a day, but on screen it was spaced adequately enough. Kirk isn't captain until deep into the third act.

 

[Morpheus 02]

Out of the 28 responses so far...all of themhave been loving Greenwood. Not even a "he's OK!" (now that i've said it, i'm sure someone will vote otherwise! )

I am assuming Kirk graduated as a full Lt. (with test scores "off the charts"...and being older...he must've had some college credits that "transferred" over...and possibly served an "internship" on a couple of starships.

Hm, I didn't get the impression that Kirk had any *formal* education prior to the academy. So I don't know which credits could have been transferred... He spent most of his time drunk. He must have taken some of the aptitude tests according to the bar scene, but otherwise he was pretty much wasting his time and talents.

Doesn't that describe many college students?

And who was his Number One?

It doesn't seem there would have been a place for the female Number One of "The Cage". Spock already has the logical personality in these films, but maybe she was serving with Pike for years before the first film starts, and had gone to a different ship, or was a casualty.

Since the Enterprise was made later, Pike had another ship prior to it....one where he got to know Spock. I would be interested to hear that background...

I don't think I have seen anything with Greenwood where I didn't love his work! He has an amazing presence and a very natural way of performing. I can't recommend him enough in his 90s mystery series Nowhere Man. Great surreal show which really works because of his performance.

Tangent -- I thought Nowhere Man was awesome...but UPN should've held on to it one or two more seasons....they had just missed the X-Files wave that would've gained interest for the show.

 

[Claudia]

Hm, I didn't get the impression that Kirk had any *formal* education prior to the academy. So I don't know which credits could have been transferred... He spent most of his time drunk. He must have taken some of the aptitude tests according to the bar scene, but otherwise he was pretty much wasting his time and talents.

Doesn't that describe many college students?

*g* Quite possible. But then again, I hope not many are described as delinquents.

 

[BillJ]

I liked Greenwood but wished he had been April instead of Pike. He just didn't remind me of Pike at all in what limited exposure we had to the character in TOS.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Greenwood's Pike was excellent. Even though his death was predictable, it was excellently done and a big part of the ID plot (looking at you, Trip Tucker). It was a big shame to lose him.

I'd love to see Pike's backstory explored either in a later film or even in novels and comics. Not long after ST'09 was released, Bob Orci talked about an "underground railroad" freeing Orion slave girls - I can imagine Pike having been a big part of it. Gaila, rescued by Pike and joining Starfleet to honour him? Awesome.

 

[austen_pierce]

I liked Greenwood but wished he had been April instead of Pike. He just didn't remind me of Pike at all in what limited exposure we had to the character in TOS.

I like the concept of April, and want to know more about that era of Enterprise history, but I think they went the right direction in making Greenwood play Pike. Why? Because I'm betting most casual Trek fans have no idea who Robert April is supposed to be.

Hmm, I'm going to test that bet on a friend of mine who if anything knows more about Trek than I do. I'll let you know if I have to eat my words. Stay tuned.

 

[fireproof78]

Greenwood's Pike was excellent. Even though his death was predictable, it was excellently done and a big part of the ID plot (looking at you, Trip Tucker). It was a big shame to lose him.

I'd love to see Pike's backstory explored either in a later film or even in novels and comics. Not long after ST'09 was released, Bob Orci talked about an "underground railroad" freeing Orion slave girls - I can imagine Pike having been a big part of it. Gaila, rescued by Pike and joining Starfleet to honour him? Awesome.

And, if we include the deleted scene, there are at least two Orion women in Starfleet

It would be great to have a series about Pike and his background. I would take that very quickly. I would be curious to see more of the evolution from the Kelvin era to the nuEnterprise, and Pike's part in all of it.

One of the reasons I like Trek 09 so much is because Greenwood was the type of Starfleet officer that I felt should be admired. Same thing with Captain Robeau. Both are dedicated leaders.

"Punch it!"

 

[xavier]

definitely one of the best things about the new films and yes I will miss him. he was the dumbledore/gandalf/yoda figure of new trek.

too bad trek is not fantasy because if it was he would have been able to come back as a ghost.

 

[Capt_n_Admiral]

Couldn't be any sadder that he been cut out, he was my total fave in the new movies.
And he is indeed one of those actors, that no matter how little the role is he owns it.


I wish they would've explored his character some more, or just give him a spin-off.

 

[Morpheus 02]

So out of 43, 41 love him (95%). 1 vote for he's good, and 1 for a neutral reaction.

definitely one of the best things about the new films and yes I will miss him. he was the dumbledore/gandalf/yoda figure of new trek.

too bad trek is not fantasy because if it was he would have been able to come back as a ghost.

With all the TWOK ripoffs in STiD, don't forget Spock did a mindmeld with Pike...one of the things TOS wasn;'t able to do is show what internally a mindmeld looks like.

The movies have the effects where they could have Pike appear as an hallucination or a dream. (Mr. Nimoy might not be up for a 3rd appearance, unfortunately).


P.S. there's always a Mirror Universe too!

 

[Melakon]

P.S. there's always a Mirror Universe too!

Evil Pike would definitely be dealing in green animal women and slaves.

 

[austen_pierce]

I liked Greenwood but wished he had been April instead of Pike. He just didn't remind me of Pike at all in what limited exposure we had to the character in TOS.

I like the concept of April, and want to know more about that era of Enterprise history, but I think they went the right direction in making Greenwood play Pike. Why? Because I'm betting most casual Trek fans have no idea who Robert April is supposed to be.

Hmm, I'm going to test that bet on a friend of mine who if anything knows more about Trek than I do. I'll let you know if I have to eat my words. Stay tuned.

I was half right. My friend who reads most if not all of the Trek books 1) immediately recognized the name April from TOS Trek but 2) could not pin down exactly who April was.

 

[Brutal Strudel]

Greenwood's Pike is easily one of the best things in either movie BUT his lack of resemblance to Hunter's--in terms of age, temperment and appearance--is one of the many, many things that makes me view these movies as straight-up reboots, with the alternate timeline stuff as a fig-leaf of sorts as well as a way to shoehorn Nimoy in.

As such, I think it makes better meta-narrative sense for Greenwood to be Pike rather than, say. April. Pike was the cornerstone to one (or two, depending on how you want to look at it) of Trek's better and better-known episodes. April was in a little seen and forgettable episode of TAS. Pike is a better nod to semi-serious fans, the type who know trek pretty well but don't talk about it in online forums.

 

[F. King Daniel]

April's meant to be British - or at least he was in the novels which TPTB based their George Kirk on, and I think that's what James Doohan was attempting in "The Counter Clock Incident". Having an American play the role.... well that would just be unacceptable

 

[C.E. Evans]

I remember Greenwood from his days on St. Elsewhere and recall not particularly liking him that much (not Greenwood himself, but the somewhat arrogant young character he was playing at the time). Saw him in various other productions here and there over the years, so I was familiar with him when he was cast as Pike. I liked what they did with the Pike character by having him be Obi-Wan to Pine's Luke--uh, Kirk.

But when I heard that Greenwood would be returning for Star Trek XII, I couldn't help but think straight away they were going to continue the "hero's journey" thing by having the mentor/father figure removed permanently from the equation.

 

[fireproof78]

Greenwood's Pike is easily one of the best things in either movie BUT his lack of resemblance to Hunter's--in terms of age, temperment and appearance--is one of the many, many things that makes me view these movies as straight-up reboots, with the alternate timeline stuff as a fig-leaf of sorts as well as a way to shoehorn Nimoy in.

As such, I think it makes better meta-narrative sense for Greenwood to be Pike rather than, say. April. Pike was the cornerstone to one (or two, depending on how you want to look at it) of Trek's better and better-known episodes. April was in a little seen and forgettable episode of TAS. Pike is a better nod to semi-serious fans, the type who know trek pretty well but don't talk about it in online forums.

Well, the Pike in The Cage was far more serious, far more brooding and introspective, due to the some missions that had not gone very well, and people died. It definitely was a different feel than Greenwood's Pike but I think the experiences were supposed to be different. Rather than brooding, Pike in the new movies still has that sense of adventure and exploration that Cage Pike had lost.

Yeah, I knew that Pike was going to die and that annoyed me to no end. Yes, it is part of the hero's journey, but I still miss Pike.