A trailer for the next entry in the Star Trek: Short Treks series sees the return of Captain Pike from Star Trek: Discovery. One of the original Star Trek characters, Pike was the Enterprise captain in the series’ initially unaired pilot episode “The Cage” in 1965, before the series was retooled and almost entirely recast.
Pike was introduced in season 2 of Discovery to take over interim command of the vessel after the revelation that Lorca was in fact his evil counterpart from the mirror universe and his subsequent betrayal of the ship and its crew. Although Pike is a familiar character in Star Trek lore, comparatively little salient information is known about his actions as a captain, meaning that he was free to be developed as necessary to the series, with Anson Mount’s portrayal of him being popular enough with fans that many are eager for a spinoff series chronicling more of his adventures.
Uploaded to YouTube channel of CBS All Access, the trailer appears to take place a short time after the end of the finale of Discovery season 2, seeing Pike in the brig of the Enterprise and presumably en route to questioning for his actions in the Discovery disappearing into future under the guise of destruction. A surprise attack on a Starbase leave him under the guard of inexperienced cadet Thira Sidhu, who he attempts to convince to release him.
Short Treks began last year to partially alleviate the wait for season 2 of Discovery, airing short monthly episodes of self-contained episodes featuring characters from the series, the events of some of them returning to have significance in the series ongoing narrative. The second set of them further expands the universe of Discovery, featuring events not tied to the series and characters no longer playing a role in it, if they even did in the first place.
Short Treks episodes often take place in a single setting, so it’s likely that the episode will be a dialogue-based two-hander between Pike and Sidhu, similar to the structure of “Runaway,” “Calypso,” and “Q&A.” It will probably feature shifting levels of psychological control over a situation that neither of them wants to be in, striking a balance between an experienced starship captain currently lacking any command and a cadet without authority who likely once held him in high regard. Exactly why Pike feels it essential for him to be in command of the rescue is not clear, but since he is not one given to making threats, especially ones he has no intention of carrying out, there may be something specific he knows about the situation that would make his presence invaluable.
Next: What To Expect From Star Trek: Discovery Season 3
Source: CBS All Access
