How Each Star Trek Captain Got Cast
11. He May Have Been Hell On Wheels, But Could He Command A Starship?
One of the single best additions to the Star Trek franchise was Anson Mount, taking on the role of the original captain of the Enterprise, Christopher Pike.
Mount has been a die-hard fan of Star Trek for years. He has a long list of acting credits to his name, though he may have been best known for his role in Hell on Wheels or the infamous Inhumans misfire.
He originally auditioned for the role of Captain Lorca back before season one started filming, though of course this went to Jason Isaacs. Mount felt no bad blood about the decision at all, calling the pick a wise move - though this could be a subtle, joking shade as Lorca doesn't make it to the second season!
When that second season was coming around, the producers remembered Mount's audition for Lorca and contacted him again, sending him dummy scripts to keep the secret about which legacy characters would be returning. He was sent a script for a 'Captain Parker', and asked to put an audition on tape.
Mount later joked that he though 'Parker' was a bland name for a captain, but gave it his best effort regardless. Thankfully he did, as they came back to him a day later with the information that it was for Captain Pike and that he had been cast!
He dominated the second season with his stage presence and has fans everywhere excited to see what's coming in Strange New Worlds!