How Each Star Trek Captain Got Cast
8. That Time That JFK Was The Captain Of The Enterprise
Bruce Greenwood is a Canadian actor and musician, who joined the Star trek universe as Captain Pike in J.J. Abrams' 2009 reboot. The inclusion of the Pike character made him the third actor to portray him, after Jeffrey Hunter and Sean Kenney.
According to Roberto Orci, Greenwood's performance in 2000's Thirteen Days, a dramatisation of the Cuban Missile Crisis where Greenwood played JFK, was chiefly responsible in considering him for the part. He displayed a gravitas that was necessary in Pike's portrayal - he is a leader, a mentor and above all, a teacher.
Greenwood for his part researched the history of Pike before coming on board, studying the earlier performances. With that, he still brought his own interpretation to the character and, most of all, he was excited to depict the relationship between Kirk and Pike, something he felt was key to understanding what drives Kirk throughout the film.
His dare to Kirk to do better is the drive that pushes the action of the story forward. His subsequent kidnap by Nero then results in a daring rescue mission by Kirk and Spock, something that builds on this relationship with them.
Greenwood returned for Star Trek Into Darkness, with this film depicting the death of Pike, an event that affects both Kirk and Spock deeply. While Greenwood may not have had an enormous amount of screen time in the role, he left a stamp on the character that carried on and, if a fourth movie is ever actually coming, will continue to play a part in Kirk's psyche going forward.