Star Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 3 can pay off a romance between two USS Enterprise officers that was first teased 59 years ago. As anewStar Trekshowabout the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount),Star Trek: Strange New Worldsis already paying off the very first version ofStar Trek.In 1965, the firstStar Trekpilot, “The Cage”, starred Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Pike, Leonard Nimoy as Spock, and Majel Barrett-Roddenberry as Number One; now all three of those characters have been reimagined for a modern audience.
Anson Mount’s Captain Pike is a strong, compassionate leader dedicated to a personal code of ethics and the welfare of his crew. Haunted by knowledge of the future accident that will doom him to a locked-in state,Pike is able to risk his life and his career in support of Commander Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn)—also known as Number One.In addition to reimagining old characters,Star Trek: Strange New Worldsintroduces a new love interest for Pike, the USS Cayuga’sCaptain Marie Batel(Melanie Scrofano). As Pike’s peer, Batel also knows how tough maintaining a relationship can be in Starfleet.
Star Trek First Teased Romance Between Captain Pike & Number One In “The Cage”
Number One “Often Has Fantasies” About Captain Pike
Star Trekfirst teased the possibility of a romance between Captain Pike and Number One 59 years ago, in “The Cage”. When brought to Talos IV, Pike must choose a mate; if he won’t mate withVina (Susan Oliver), then Yeoman J.M. Colt (Laurel Goodwin) or Number One will do. The mind-reading Talosians push the merits of each potential mate: Yeoman Colt is young and strong, whereasNumber One is prized for her intelligence, and the Talosian confirms,“She often has fantasies involving you.“Pike balks at all the choices, refusing to be forced into the Talosians' menagerie.
Strange New Worlds' Number One Timeline: When Does “The Cage” Happen?
Does “The Cage” happen before or after Strange New Worlds, and how does this affect Number One’s timeline? We explain.
If this original concept forStar Trekhad actually continued, a romance between Hunter’s Pike and Barrett-Roddenberry’s Number One might have been inevitable. In “The Cage”, Pike sees Number One as his First Officer before he sees her as a woman, butthe revelation that Number One entertains romantic fantasies about Pike suggests that might have eventually changed. BecauseStar Trek: The Original Serieswas progressive for its time, a 1960s romance between Captain Pike and the highly competent Number One could have been a surprisingly equitable variation on the trope of pairing off two attractive leads.
Captain Pike’s Romance With Captain Batel Might Not Last
Captain Batel Might Not Survive Strange New Worlds' Gorn Attack
Captain Pike’s romance with Captain Batel inStar Trek: Strange New Worldsmight not last.ThroughoutStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 2, Pike has been reluctant to commit to a long-term romantic relationship, which puts Pike and Batel on rocky terms. Pike only seems absolutely certain about Batel when his memories are lost inStrange New Worldsseason 2, episode 4, “Among the Lotus Eaters”, and Chris' love grounds his sense of self. InStrange New Worlds' musical episode, “Subspace Rhapsody”, Pike’s sung confession reveals their frequent miscommunication makes Pike “compelled to hide”, even though he loves Marie.
The most damning evidence for the short-lived nature of the Pike and Batel romance is that Captain Batel is a new character created forStrange New Worldswho might not survive. At the cliffhanger ending ofStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 2’s finale, “Hegemony”,Marie Batel’s life still hangs in the balance thanks to being infested with Gorn eggs.Batel ends the season safely aboard the Enterprise, but as Lieutenant Hemmer (Bruce Horak) proved, becoming a Gorn incubator is almost certainly a death sentence. Marie’s miraculous recovery might not be enough to save Batel and Pike’s tenuous relationship.
Why A Pike & Number One Romance Could Work In Strange New Worlds
Pike & Number One’s Long History Proves How Far They’ll Go For Each Other
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’potential Pike and Number One romance could work.Captain Pike and Number One’s friendshipis based on years of trust; Chris guarded Una’s secret of being a genetically-enhanced Illyrian, and Number One knows about Pike’s ill-fated future. Even when Pike starts doubting the certainty of that vision,Pike still puts his life and career on the line to save Number One inStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 2, episode 2, “Ad Astra Per Aspera”. And Una being in jeopardy on Kiley 279 actually brings Pike back to the Enterprise inStrange New Worlds' premiere.
Star Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 2, episode 2, “Ad Astra Per Aspera” also tests Pike’s loyalty to Commander Una Chin-Riley against his relationship with Captain Marie Batel, when Batel represents Starfleet’s interests in prosecuting Number One for being an illegal Augment. Captain Pike isn’t forced to choose, but it’s clear he’d pick Commander Chin-Riley if he had to.
One fact deterring a Captain Pike and Commander Chin-Riley relationship might be that Pike is Number One’s commanding officer. Relationships between Starfleet captains and officers aren’t expressly forbidden, but Starfleet might frown upon the potential conflict of interest.Pike is attracted to intelligence and confidence, qualities that Una also has in spades,but Pike and Batel’s relationship was more above board as equals serving on different ships. One line in the nearly60-year-oldStar Trekpilotdoesn’t confirmStar Trek: Strange New Worldswill pair off Pike and Number One, but it opens the door for a possibility.
