10 Times When Star Trek Re-Cast Its Actors
1. Captain Pike
Christopher Pike was the original Captain. Jeffrey Hunter was a movie star when he took on the role. He displayed a brooding man, full of regret and loss, dealing with the deaths of several crew-members in the recent past. He laments the pressures of command.
He is tired of deciding who lives and who dies. When The Cage failed to win the producers over, the script was rewritten. Hunter however decided he did not want to return. He died in 1969. However, his version of the character was reworked into The Original Series' only two-part episode The Menagerie. Here, much of The Cage was shown in flashbacks and Pike, portrayed now as a crippled invalid by Sean Kenney, appeared in heavy make-up, in a non-speaking capacity.
2009's Star Trek brought Captain Pike back to the franchise. This was a captain who was in command of his strengths and abilities and he has no plans on giving up the captaincy of the Enterprise. Bruce Greenwood plays the character with a confidence and maturity over the younger Kirk.
He holds the room to task when breaking up a bar fight. He gets to work with Kirk in the take down of Nero's vessel. He is elevated to Admiral and even returns for Star Trek Into Darkness, although his character has a less happy ending than Hunter's version.
One of the best elements of Discovery's second season was the introduction of Anson Mount. The quality of his performance cannot be overstated. He dominates the series from start to finish. He was very much welcomed back in the Short Trek episodes and it would be a crime if he is not seen in the role again.