10 Star Trek Characters Who Have Appeared In The Most Shows
6. Christopher Pike - 4
Star Trek
Star Trek: Discovery
Star Trek: Short Treks
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Contrary to popular belief, Kirk was not the first captain of The Enterprise.
That honour goes to Captain Christopher Pike, who took the captain's chair in Gene Roddenberry's original pilot 'The Cage', where he investigates the planet Talos IV and the inhabitants who can project powerfully realistic illusions. Studio executives found the episode too cerebral but enjoyed he premise, so Roddenberry retooled the show into the Kirk fronted version we all remember.
Pike would return later in The Original Series during two parter 'The Menagerie', where a crippled and catatonic Pike is returned to Talos by Spock and the Enterprise, so that he may live out the rest of his days in an illusory existence, freeing him from the confines of his useless body.
Pike would make a much more lasting impact during his run as captain during Discovery Season 2, proving instrumental in the fight against Control, and bravely taking a time crystal from the Klingon monastery on Boreth, despite knowing that doing so would lead to his crippling fate.
Becoming a fan favourite due to the serious charm of actor Anson Mount, Pike would then reappear in two episodes of Short Treks, and is due to head up the upcoming Strange New Worlds, taking the Enterprise for a spin along with Spock and Number One before Kirk gets a go.