I thought Pike's arc had largely played out by the end of season 1 and that it was difficult to see where the the character would go from that point on but I had faith the writers would innovate and that he'd continue to be a compelling presence and a focal point of the show but I don't think that's happened. Instead, he's partially become a comedic relief character (the holodeck and Vulcan episodes). He's been undermined by Pelia at least twice and Uhura once (Pelia contadicting his 'evil is a relative term' comment and the high five nonsense. Uhura volunteering to communicate with the alien after Pike actually said it was too dangerous in the documentary episode). He barely has any interaction with Spock anymore. He was reduced to playing the damsel in distress in the zombie episode. There are probably a multitude of other things that can be referred to but what has happened to this character?
Why have they marginalised Captain Pike and turned him into a weakling?
- Thread starter MrShinzoff
- Start date
Um... they haven't.
IMO - the character as presented in the show and Anson Mounts performance is right up there with Kirk / William Shatner.
The character doesn't come across as marginalized at all, just a very well-rounded and very capable human being.
IMO - the character as presented in the show and Anson Mounts performance is right up there with Kirk / William Shatner.
The character doesn't come across as marginalized at all, just a very well-rounded and very capable human being.
Not even approaching this from any kind of Culture War point of view:
Season 1 Pike was far better than season 2 and 3 Pike.
I think part of this is just making room for other characters. Which is... Good? But they've done this almost entirely at the expense of what make Pike my favorite captain in season 1. He pretty much single-handedly made me adore new Star Trek again.
I watched Strange New Worlds (the pilot) three times the first week. I haven't done that since Farpoint.
Season 1 Pike was far better than season 2 and 3 Pike.
I think part of this is just making room for other characters. Which is... Good? But they've done this almost entirely at the expense of what make Pike my favorite captain in season 1. He pretty much single-handedly made me adore new Star Trek again.
I watched Strange New Worlds (the pilot) three times the first week. I haven't done that since Farpoint.
There is certainly an argument to be made that there has been less of a Pike focus compared to S1. I wouldn't say he's weak but Pike, as portrayed by Anson Mount, basically launched the show starting in DSC, so S1 featured him a lot. In order to focus on some of the other ensemble cast with such short seasons he had to take a back seat. It seems pretty clear they're trying to launch Kirk Year 1 now though. Space is big and Kirk sure pops up a lot on Enterprise.
Pike has become more like O'Neill in Stargate Season 7. Mileage will vary if people regard that as good or bad.
But weak? No, not even close.
But weak? No, not even close.
Pike is hardly weak, but SNW has become more of an ensemble series than "the Pike show." We are also seeing the transition from Pike's crew to Kirk's as well.
He takes a back seat in places where he shouldn't. The shuttlecraft episode with M'Benga is a notable standout.
When Pike is featured he is usually dealing with Pike Things on his own (the memory loss thing on Rigel) or he's the backup character in another character's arc.
It's not just that he's not featured as much as I'd like, it's that when he is it isn't as The Captain.
Ok. But that's not weak to me.
In what way did Pike take a back seat to M'Benga in that situation?
- The only reason they're doing what they did in the first place is because Pike has decided to disobey Starfleet orders and regulations to save his friend ( and yes she's more than just a friend.) That's a major decision that takes both guts and fortitude to make.
- Once on the planet, since they are picking up a dangerous plant to be used in a ' medical procedure; you find it surprising that Captain Pike would defer to chief medical officer M'Benga's recommendations? Seriously?
- and in the Final Act of the episode, the Klingon is specifically after Dr. M'Benga and even Pike knows that Dr M'Benga's hand to hand fighting skill is way above his own - so why would he want to step in and fight for him?
They presumably wanted him to be a warmer, more approachable figure than Kirk and Picard, with a more gentle and empathetic form of authority. In itself, this is a great idea, and could easily have made him my favourite captain. I always thought Janeway struck a great balance between emotional sensitivity and command presence, and they clearly wanted the same for Pike, with more of a focus on the former than the latter.
Unfortunately I agree with people who call him a weakling - he really doesn't seem fit for command at this point. Freezing on the bridge during the Gorn attack while Una repeatedly requested orders was just bizarre, and the dynamic between M'Benga and him makes him look almost pitiful IMO.
I did like a lot of his personal touches in the first season - breakfast briefings, open displays of emotion on the bridge, etc - but I feel like in subsequent seasons it's not tempered by authority in the way it should be (and by "authority", I don't mean gruffness or harshness, but simply the ability to inspire confidence and trust). Una seems much more suited to captain the Enterprise than Pike at this point.
Unfortunately I agree with people who call him a weakling - he really doesn't seem fit for command at this point. Freezing on the bridge during the Gorn attack while Una repeatedly requested orders was just bizarre, and the dynamic between M'Benga and him makes him look almost pitiful IMO.
I did like a lot of his personal touches in the first season - breakfast briefings, open displays of emotion on the bridge, etc - but I feel like in subsequent seasons it's not tempered by authority in the way it should be (and by "authority", I don't mean gruffness or harshness, but simply the ability to inspire confidence and trust). Una seems much more suited to captain the Enterprise than Pike at this point.
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You proceed from the false premise that the character is weak.
Other than that, this is a modern ensemble show, not a remake of a 60 year-old sf adventure series.
That's not bizarre at all.
It absolutely is bizarre for the writers to include such a prominent case of the captain bricking himself in front of his crew, all of whom (including an Ensign about thirty years his junior) calmly press him for orders while he stands there gawping in paralysed terror. There's having the captain be sensitive and deeply emotional (both good aims), and then there's writing him as the least professional, most frantic person on the bridge, to the point of freezing during a time-sensitive crisis while his First Officer tries to snap him out of it.
If there's some kind of long-form plot emerging where Pike concludes that he's not necessarily got what it takes and hands the reigns over to someone else (which I assumed was being set up in the Balance of Terror remix) then I'd get it, but until then, he is just coming across as not necessarily someone you'd want in charge of the safety of over a hundred people.
/THREAD
Nope.