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{{Sidebar character
[[Image:Christopher Pike, The Cage.jpg|thumb|[[Captain]] Christopher Pike in [[2254]]]]
 
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| image-top = Christopher Pike, The Cage.jpg
'''Christopher Pike''' was a [[23rd century]] [[Starfleet]] officer. He was [[captain]] of the [[starship]] {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701}} for many years, as the immediate predecessor to [[James T. Kirk]] and succeeding [[Robert April]]. Pike was a native of [[Mojave]] on [[Earth]].
 
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| caption-top = Christopher Pike in 2254
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| image-bottom = Christopher Pike, The Menagerie.jpg
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| caption-bottom = Christopher Pike in 2267
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| image-bottom2 =
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| caption-bottom2 =
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| gender = Male
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| species = [[Human]]
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| affiliation =
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| rank = [[Fleet Captain]]
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| occupation = [[Starfleet]] [[officer]]
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| serial number =
 
| status = Incommunicado, retired on planet [[Talos IV]] ([[2267]])
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| born =
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| died =
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| father =
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| mother =
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| owner =
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| sibling =
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| martial_status =
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| spouse =
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| children =
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| relative =
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| blood type =
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| actor = [[Jeffrey Hunter]] (healthy);<br>[[Sean Kenney]] (injured)
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}}
   
 
'''Christopher Pike''' was a [[23rd century]] [[Starfleet]] [[officer]]. He was [[captain]] of the [[starship]] {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701}} for many years, as the successor of [[Robert April]] and immediate predecessor to [[James T. Kirk]]. Pike was a native of [[Mojave]] on [[Earth]].
== Encounter at Rigel ==
 
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== Career ==
 
=== Encounter at Rigel ===
 
[[Image:RigelVII-Holberg917G fortress.jpg|thumb|left|''[[Kaylar]]'' fortress on [[Rigel VII]]]]
 
[[Image:RigelVII-Holberg917G fortress.jpg|thumb|left|''[[Kaylar]]'' fortress on [[Rigel VII]]]]
 
In [[2254]], Pike led a [[landing party]] to [[Rigel VII]], in which they were attacked by [[Kaylar]] warriors in what seemed to be an abandoned fortress. Three crewmen, including Pike's own [[yeoman]], were killed, while an additional seven, including [[Spock]], were injured, some severely. The loss weighed heavily on Pike; with all the strain and overwork that followed, he began to question his own continuance as starship [[commanding officer|commander]].
 
In [[2254]], Pike led a [[landing party]] to [[Rigel VII]], in which they were attacked by [[Kaylar]] warriors in what seemed to be an abandoned fortress. Three crewmen, including Pike's own [[yeoman]], were killed, while an additional seven, including [[Spock]], were injured, some severely. The loss weighed heavily on Pike; with all the strain and overwork that followed, he began to question his own continuance as starship [[commanding officer|commander]].
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The ''Enterprise'' then set out for the [[Vega colony]] to hospitalize the sick and injured, but intercepted an old-style [[radio-interference distress call]] carrying the call letters of the [[SS Columbia|SS ''Columbia'']], a survey expedition from the [[American Continent Institute]] which was lost in the [[Talos star group]] in [[2236]].
 
The ''Enterprise'' then set out for the [[Vega colony]] to hospitalize the sick and injured, but intercepted an old-style [[radio-interference distress call]] carrying the call letters of the [[SS Columbia|SS ''Columbia'']], a survey expedition from the [[American Continent Institute]] which was lost in the [[Talos star group]] in [[2236]].
   
== The Talosian Incident ==
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=== The Talosian Incident ===
 
[[Image:Mojaveremaster.jpg|thumb|left|Vina, Pike, and [[Tango]] near Mojave]]
 
[[Image:Mojaveremaster.jpg|thumb|left|Vina, Pike, and [[Tango]] near Mojave]]
 
At Pike's reluctant command, the ''Enterprise'' diverted and traced the signal to the crash site on [[Talos IV]]. After an initial encounter with supposed survivors, including an out-of-place young beauty named [[Vina]], it was revealed that the native [[Talosian]]s had used [[telepathy]] to create the illusion of an encampment; all the survivors except Vina were dead.
 
At Pike's reluctant command, the ''Enterprise'' diverted and traced the signal to the crash site on [[Talos IV]]. After an initial encounter with supposed survivors, including an out-of-place young beauty named [[Vina]], it was revealed that the native [[Talosian]]s had used [[telepathy]] to create the illusion of an encampment; all the survivors except Vina were dead.
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Pike managed to escape; after a standoff, he convinced the Talosians to restore the disfigured Vina's illusion of health and beauty while letting the Humans of Pike's crew free. The Talosians believed this violent reaction made Humans unsuitable for breeding and agreed. Although the experience with the illusory worlds restored Pike's confidence in his command, it was recommended that all contact with the Talosians' powers be restricted. [[General Order 7]] was enacted, threatening the [[death penalty]] should any travel there, for fear of the [[Federation]] falling to illusory indulgence. ({{TOS|The Cage}})
 
Pike managed to escape; after a standoff, he convinced the Talosians to restore the disfigured Vina's illusion of health and beauty while letting the Humans of Pike's crew free. The Talosians believed this violent reaction made Humans unsuitable for breeding and agreed. Although the experience with the illusory worlds restored Pike's confidence in his command, it was recommended that all contact with the Talosians' powers be restricted. [[General Order 7]] was enacted, threatening the [[death penalty]] should any travel there, for fear of the [[Federation]] falling to illusory indulgence. ({{TOS|The Cage}})
   
== Tragic Fate ==
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=== Tragic Fate ===
[[Image:Christopher Pike, The Menagerie.jpg|thumb|left|[[Fleet Captain]] Christopher Pike, disfigured by [[delta ray]]s]]
 
 
After a long tour as captain of the ''Enterprise'' (11 years, four months and five days of which were spent with junior science officer Spock as a loyal member of his crew), Pike was promoted to [[fleet captain]] in the mid-[[2260s]] when James T. Kirk took command. Only a few years thereafter, he was aboard a [[training vessel]], an old [[Class J starship]], when a [[baffle plate]] ruptured and exposed many helpless [[trainee]]s and [[cadet]]s to [[delta radiation]]. Pike dragged many cadets from the danger, but in the process was hopelessly crippled by the rays. The disfigured Pike was put on a form of advanced life support which sustained his withered body and life functions, but he was too weak and incapacitated to ever move or respond to physical stimuli again. A [[wheelchair]] that was tuned to his brain could use blinking light signals to respond to simple queries in the affirmative (one beep) or negative (two beeps), but that was the extent to which he could communicate.
 
After a long tour as captain of the ''Enterprise'' (11 years, four months and five days of which were spent with junior science officer Spock as a loyal member of his crew), Pike was promoted to [[fleet captain]] in the mid-[[2260s]] when James T. Kirk took command. Only a few years thereafter, he was aboard a [[training vessel]], an old [[Class J starship]], when a [[baffle plate]] ruptured and exposed many helpless [[trainee]]s and [[cadet]]s to [[delta radiation]]. Pike dragged many cadets from the danger, but in the process was hopelessly crippled by the rays. The disfigured Pike was put on a form of advanced life support which sustained his withered body and life functions, but he was too weak and incapacitated to ever move or respond to physical stimuli again. A [[wheelchair]] that was tuned to his brain could use blinking light signals to respond to simple queries in the affirmative (one beep) or negative (two beeps), but that was the extent to which he could communicate.
   
== Return to Talos ==
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=== Return to Talos ===
[[Image:Talosians 3.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Talosian]]s]]
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[[Image:Talosians 3.jpg|thumb|The [[Talosian]]s]]
 
In [[2267]], [[Commander]] Spock devised a plan to divert the ''Enterprise'' (which he was now [[first officer]] of, under Captain James T. Kirk) to [[Starbase 11]], where Pike was hospitalized, with a fake message. Spock's intention was, risking execution if caught, to deliver Pike to Talos IV, where the Talosians could tap Pike's mind with telepathy and illusions so he would be spared dying helpless in that dead body.
 
In [[2267]], [[Commander]] Spock devised a plan to divert the ''Enterprise'' (which he was now [[first officer]] of, under Captain James T. Kirk) to [[Starbase 11]], where Pike was hospitalized, with a fake message. Spock's intention was, risking execution if caught, to deliver Pike to Talos IV, where the Talosians could tap Pike's mind with telepathy and illusions so he would be spared dying helpless in that dead body.
   
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== In Memoriam ==
 
== In Memoriam ==
The [[Christopher Pike Medal of Valor]] was named in Pike's honor. [[Benjamin Sisko]] and [[Solok (Captain)|Solok]] received the award in the [[24th century]]. There was also a [[shuttlecraft]] ''[[Pike]]'' carried onboard the {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701-D|-D}}. On the planet [[Cestus III]], there is a Pike City, which has a [[baseball]] team named the [[Pike City Pioneers]]. ({{TNG|The Most Toys}}; {{DS9|Family Business|Tears of the Prophets|Take Me Out to the Holosuite}})
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The [[Christopher Pike Medal of Valor]] was named in Pike's honor. [[Benjamin Sisko]] and [[Solok (Captain)|Solok]] received the award in the [[24th century]]. ({{DS9|Tears of the Prophets|Take Me Out to the Holosuite}}) There was also a [[shuttlecraft]] ''[[Pike]]'' carried onboard the {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701-D|-D}}. ({{TNG|The Most Toys}})
 
== Dossier: Fleet Captain Christopher Pike ==
 
* Current Status: Incommunicado, retired on planet Talos IV since mid-[[2260s]].
 
* Last Active Rank: Fleet captain.
 
* Duty Record: Commanding Officer, U.S.S. ''Enterprise'' until the early 2260s.
 
 
== Biographical timeline ==
 
;early [[23rd century]] : Christopher Pike born in Mojave on planet Earth.
 
;[[2236]] : The SS ''Columbia'' crash-lands on Talos IV, only one survivor, named Vina.
 
;[[2245]] : USS ''Enterprise'' (NCC-1701) is launched under Captain Robert April.
 
''It has been suggested that Christopher Pike may have been April's First Officer, but this has not been confirmed canonically.''
 
;early [[2250s]] : Pike takes over command of the ''Enterprise''.
 
;[[2254]] :
 
* Spock begins his service on the ''Enterprise'' under Pike's command, becoming a loyal and long-serving officer.
 
* The ''Enterprise'' under Captain Pike is involved in a violent conflict on Rigel VII, three crewmembers, including Pike's yeoman, are killed and seven are injured, including Spock and [[José Tyler]].
 
* Upon setting out for [[Vega]], Pike and the ''Enterprise'' receives distress signal from Talos IV.
 
;early [[2260s]] : Pike is promoted to Fleet Captain, the ''Enterprise'' is turned over to the command of Captain James T. Kirk in [[2265]]
 
;[[2266]]: Fleet Captain Pike is bound to a wheelchair after exposure to [[delta ray]]s during an accident aboard a cadet ship.
 
;[[Stardate]] 3012 ([[2267]]) : Pike is taken by Spock and the ''Enterprise'' to Talos IV, goes into retirement and lives with Vina in illusory bliss.
 
   
 
== Appendices ==
 
== Appendices ==
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{{EnterpriseCommandingOfficers}}
 
{{EnterpriseCommandingOfficers}}
 
{{Featured}}
 
 
 
[[Category:Humans|Pike, Christopher]]
 
[[Category:Humans|Pike, Christopher]]
 
[[Category:Starfleet personnel|Pike, Christopher]]
 
[[Category:Starfleet personnel|Pike, Christopher]]

Revision as of 21:50, 20 July 2008

Template:Featuredremoval

For the mirror universe counterpart, please see Christopher Pike (mirror).

Template:Sidebar character

Christopher Pike was a 23rd century Starfleet officer. He was captain of the starship USS Enterprise for many years, as the successor of Robert April and immediate predecessor to James T. Kirk. Pike was a native of Mojave on Earth.

Career

Encounter at Rigel

File:RigelVII-Holberg917G fortress.jpg

Kaylar fortress on Rigel VII

In 2254, Pike led a landing party to Rigel VII, in which they were attacked by Kaylar warriors in what seemed to be an abandoned fortress. Three crewmen, including Pike's own yeoman, were killed, while an additional seven, including Spock, were injured, some severely. The loss weighed heavily on Pike; with all the strain and overwork that followed, he began to question his own continuance as starship commander.

The Enterprise then set out for the Vega colony to hospitalize the sick and injured, but intercepted an old-style radio-interference distress call carrying the call letters of the SS Columbia, a survey expedition from the American Continent Institute which was lost in the Talos star group in 2236.

The Talosian Incident

File:Mojaveremaster.jpg

Vina, Pike, and Tango near Mojave

At Pike's reluctant command, the Enterprise diverted and traced the signal to the crash site on Talos IV. After an initial encounter with supposed survivors, including an out-of-place young beauty named Vina, it was revealed that the native Talosians had used telepathy to create the illusion of an encampment; all the survivors except Vina were dead.

Pike was overpowered and kidnapped, and placed in a Talosian zoo where they attempted to get him to mate with Vina to create a population of illusion-controlled Human servants. They forced Pike to relive old memories and placed him in illusionary scenarios of lives he could have if he abandoned his career as a starship captain. The scenarios including reliving the fight on Rigel VII, a picnic on Earth with his favorite horse Tango, and an illusory day in the life of an Orion slave-trader dealing in green animal women. When Pike refused to mate with Vina, the Talosians began to take steps to convince Pike to breed with other females of his crew; to this end, Yeoman J.M. Colt and Pike's first officer, Number One, were captured.

Pike managed to escape; after a standoff, he convinced the Talosians to restore the disfigured Vina's illusion of health and beauty while letting the Humans of Pike's crew free. The Talosians believed this violent reaction made Humans unsuitable for breeding and agreed. Although the experience with the illusory worlds restored Pike's confidence in his command, it was recommended that all contact with the Talosians' powers be restricted. General Order 7 was enacted, threatening the death penalty should any travel there, for fear of the Federation falling to illusory indulgence. (TOS: "The Cage")

Tragic Fate

After a long tour as captain of the Enterprise (11 years, four months and five days of which were spent with junior science officer Spock as a loyal member of his crew), Pike was promoted to fleet captain in the mid-2260s when James T. Kirk took command. Only a few years thereafter, he was aboard a training vessel, an old Class J starship, when a baffle plate ruptured and exposed many helpless trainees and cadets to delta radiation. Pike dragged many cadets from the danger, but in the process was hopelessly crippled by the rays. The disfigured Pike was put on a form of advanced life support which sustained his withered body and life functions, but he was too weak and incapacitated to ever move or respond to physical stimuli again. A wheelchair that was tuned to his brain could use blinking light signals to respond to simple queries in the affirmative (one beep) or negative (two beeps), but that was the extent to which he could communicate.

Return to Talos

Talosians 3

The Talosians

In 2267, Commander Spock devised a plan to divert the Enterprise (which he was now first officer of, under Captain James T. Kirk) to Starbase 11, where Pike was hospitalized, with a fake message. Spock's intention was, risking execution if caught, to deliver Pike to Talos IV, where the Talosians could tap Pike's mind with telepathy and illusions so he would be spared dying helpless in that dead body.

On Talos IV, with the help of the Talosians, Pike lived out a life of illusion in which his devastating handicap no longer existed. Pike went into retirement from Starfleet active duty and lived on Talos IV permanently, with no further outside contact, since the secrecy of the Talosian power made his fate largely unknown. (TOS: "The Menagerie, Part I", "The Menagerie, Part II")

In Memoriam

The Christopher Pike Medal of Valor was named in Pike's honor. Benjamin Sisko and Solok received the award in the 24th century. (DS9: "Tears of the Prophets", "Take Me Out to the Holosuite") There was also a shuttlecraft Pike carried onboard the USS Enterprise-D. (TNG: "The Most Toys")

Appendices

Appearances

Background

Captain Pike was played by Jeffrey Hunter in the original unaired pilot, "The Cage". Actor Sean Kenney portrayed a disfigured Pike in the present day scenes of the adaptation of that episode, "The Menagerie, Part I", because the part of a wheelchair-bound Captain Pike was a bit role in the context of the script and would not justify the expense of hiring back the more popular Jeffrey Hunter for such a short part, especially since he had moved on to other projects.

The American author Kevin McFadden (b. 1954) took Christopher Pike as his penname.

James Blish noted that the scripts were "heavily revised in various handwritings and Pike confusingly appears from time to time as 'Captain Spring' and 'Captain Winter.'" The revised draft of "The Cage" from November 20, 1964 lists him as Captain James Winter. [1]

In the 1980s science fiction series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century episode, "A Dream of Jennifer" (which starred Felix Silla), Christopher Pike's name is paged over the intercom system in a tongue-in-cheek homage to the Star Trek character.

Apocrypha

Outside of the canon information derived from his one filmed appearance, the old USS Enterprise Officer's Manual (by Doug Drexler and Geoffrey Mandel) suggests his full name as Christopher Robin Pike, while Diane Carey's Final Frontier novel licensed for Pocket Books lists him Christopher Richard Pike.

His adventures as captain of the Enterprise were the center of Marvel's Star Trek: Early Voyages comic book series, establishing his father as retired Admiral Josh Pike. Pike was also featured in a handful of novels and comics, some of them depicting his life after being crippled and left on Talos IV, some of them depicting his earlier adventures. The Pocket novel Vulcan's Glory by TOS scripter D.C. Fontana states that Pike previously commanded the starship USS Yorktown, a reference to the original name intended to be given the Enterprise. Some stories have also said that Pike served as the executive officer onboard the Enterprise under Captain Robert T. April.

Pike wearing one rank stripe as Captain, while James T. Kirk wore two on the same style of uniform, gives rise to an interesting theory that during "The Cage" Pike was actually a Commander (or even a Lieutenant) in rank, and was addressed as Captain by way of his position on the ship rather than his actual rank. This idea is supported that during Pike's tenure, the Enterprise only held a compliment of just over two hundred persons and may therefore not have rated a full Captain as its Commanding Officer. However, most texts and background information simply refer to Pike as a Starfleet captain with this also assumed as his actual rank.

In the Star Trek novel Enterprise: The First Adventure, Pike is promoted to Commodore upon relinquishing command of the Enterprise. This could indicate that "Fleet Captain" was considered a position and not a rank.

Pike is also the main focus of the non-canon novel Burning Dreams, which gives a detailed account of his life and career.

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