Bruce Greenwood to Play Captain Pike in 'Star Trek XI'
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Casting, Fandom, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels
Rumors had been spreading throughout these internets for quite awhile that the character of Christopher Pike would play some sort of role in the upcoming Star Trek XI. Pike, as some of you may or may not know, was the first Enterprise captain before Kirk; he was featured in the TV show's unaired rejected pilot, then re-surfaced later on during a two-part episode where his backstory was explained. The Hollywood Reporter tells us Bruce Greenwood has landed the part, and while you might not recognize the name, dude's been around the block and then some. Greenwood, who most recently played two parts in Todd Haynes' I'm Not There, also has a role in the upcoming National Treasure: Book of Secrets and has played parts in the HBO show John from Cincinnati as well as a number of films over the years.
Pike was first played by Jeffrey Hunter in the pilot, and then by Sean Kenney in a two-parter called The Menagerie. In that episode, Pike is confined to a wheelchair due to a previous accident that found him trying to rescue cadets from a baffle plate rupture onboard a J-class training vessel (thanks Wikipedia!). The film will most likely take place much earlier than that episode however, because Kirk is already captain at that point. Originally, Spock had served with Pike for more than a decade. Greenwood looks like he'd play a good Pike; then again, I'm not a huge Trekkie and never watched either of those episodes ... so what do I know? What do you think? Should they have gone after a bigger name for the role of Pike? Should Pike be in the film? And how big of a part do you think he should play?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-08-2007 @ 10:35AM
Cincinnati Mike said...
Even if he's not a "name," Bruce is a fine actor. As Pike, no less. Speaking as a mild-to-moderate Trekker, one of the things we bitch about consistently is "they're ignoring the canon!" As if a pile of scripts from 1967 is equal to the Old Testament or something. That doesn't seem to be the case here. So what will we compain about now? Trust me, we'll figure it out!
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11-08-2007 @ 2:31PM
Xoriat said...
I'm quite familiar with Bruce Greenwood and as a super, mega, massive Trekker (a fan of the Next Generation and beyond), I think he's make a good Captain Pike. In fact, a prequel of Star Trek wouldn't be a prequel without word from Pike himself. What would really be icing on the cake is references to Enterprise (Captain Archer) and a cameo from T'Pol as an Academy instructor would REALLY get the fans going...come on JJ, throw us fans a bone!
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11-08-2007 @ 2:45PM
Aberdeen said...
I think Greenwood's a fantastic choice for Pike! Heck, he even looks a little similar to Jeffrey Hunter. I love the idea of doing a prequel - but please, keep Scott Bakula out of it!
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11-08-2007 @ 5:55PM
Chris said...
Greenwood is great, and has been in far more movies than people realize. He played JFK in Thirteen Days, the CEO of USR in I, Robot, and loads of roles in other major films. His TV series Nowhere Man was pretty original too. He definitely falls under the "that guy" category of actors that you recognize from something. Good Pike.
As for Trekkies bitching - let's start with this. Christopher Pike was the second commanding officer of the Enterprise. Robert April was the first.
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11-11-2007 @ 8:07AM
What Ever said...
I did see the Pilot but not certain I saw the 2 parter.
However, seeing this actor to play Pike is a bit of a letdown. Pike was....stunning to look at.
And I believe they did not go with him because he fell down a flight of stairs and broke his neck.
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11-20-2007 @ 10:16AM
MICHAEL said...
I LIKE GREENWOOD BUT I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAVE SEEN RAY LIOTA PLAY THE PART INSTEAD. LOOKALIKES AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE ARE SIMPLY PARAMOUNT AND CRUCIAL IN A LEGENDARY SERIES LIKE THIS. THEY WILL HAVE TO MAKE GREENWOOD A LOT YOUNGER WITH MAKEUP THAN HE IS TO MAKE IT WORK. I HAVE BEEN AN ORIGINAL SERIES FAN FOREVER BECAUSE IT WAS THE BEST OF THEM ALL AND WILL ALWAYS BE. THE ONLY SPINOFF I EVEN HALF WAY LIKED THAT HAD THE BEST FINISH WAS VOYAGER WHICH STILL FRUSTRATED ME GREATLY WITH JANEWAY AS CAPTAIN. CHIKOTE AND THE SEVEN OF 9 SAGA STANDS OUT TO ME AS THE BEST LOVE STORY OF ANY OF THE SERIES AND KEPT ME HOOKED FOR THE LAST 2 OR 3 YEARS OF THE SHOW. ANYWAY I AM COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS UNTIL NEXT YEAR TO STAND IN LINE TO SEE WHAT I KNOW WILL BE A GREAT ACTION PACKED SCI-FI MOVIE. I JUST HOPE THAT WILLIAM SHATNER WILL MAKE A SMALL APPEARANCE AT LEAST. ABRAHMS DIRECTION IN MI3 WAS GREAT AND THATS WHY I EXPECT THIS MOVIE TO A HIT WITH ORIGINAL SERIES FANS OF THE SHOW AND SCI FI FANS IN GENERAL AND A FLAT OUT BLOCKBUSTER. HOPEFULLY THEY WILL STAY WITH THE SAME COSTUMES (STARFLEET UNIFORMS) OF THE ORIGINAL SERIES AND ALSO KEEPING THE KLINGONS WITH THEIR REAL KLINGON LOOK INSTEAD OF TRYING TO SPIN THEM AS THEY DID IN THE ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURES AS RIDGE-HEADED MONSTERS. I ALWAYS THOUGHT THIS WAS A MISTAKE WHEN THE SHORT LIVED PREQUEL STAR TREK ABOUT 5 OR 6 YEARS AGO CAME OUT. PLEASE DON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE HERE AND STICK TO THE ORIGINAL LOOKS AND COSTUMES AND STORY OF THE ORIGINAL SERIES. MOST OF ALL THE SPIN OFFS ARE FORGETTIBLE SO LETS KEEP THEM THAT WAY. LIVE LONG AND PROSPER.
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