Christopher Pike

Christopher Richard Pike was a noted Starfleet officer in the 23rd century. He is most famous for his thirteen-year command of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701). (TOS episode: The Cage; novel: Final Frontier, et al.)

Early Life
The Early Voyages comic series, and the novel Burning Dreams, provide contradictory information on Pike's early life.

The Early Voyages
Christopher Pike was the son of retired Starfleet Admiral Joshua Pike, and was born on April 11th 2220 in Mojave, California, Earth. (EV comic: "The Flat, Gold Forever)

Burning Dreams
Christopher McKinnies was born in Mojave, California in 2219, the son of architect Willa McKinnies, and would not know his biological father until adulthood. When Christopher was nine, his mother married terraformer Heston Prescott, and his stepson took his surname.

In 2228 the family moved to the colony world of Elysium. There he was befriended by Charlie Pike, an apparent drifter and hired hand, who helped the family in their horse breeding endeavor. Willa and Heston died in 2231 when intense wildfires swept across Elysium. While aboard a Starfleet ship aiding rescue operations on Elysium, Chris learned that Charlie was a Starfleet petty officer who had been on extended leave. Pike brought Christopher back to Mojave, to the home he shared with his wife, Hobelia. Charlie also brought Tango, a horse that Chris and Charlie had been raising back to Mojave as well. The day after Christopher's thirteenth birthday, the couple formally adopted him, and gave him the surname Pike. Pike would later learn that Charlie Pike was actually his biological father.

Early Career
Pike attended Starfleet Academy, and graduated in 2241 at the top of his class. Fellow members of his class included Lucien Murat, Akiko Torunaga, and Kadish of Vulcan, all of whom also became Starfleet legends. (TNG novel: The Forgotten War)

In 2246, he held the rank of lieutenant commander, and was temporarily assigned as first officer of the USS Aldrin under Captain Kamnach. Pike was forced to relieve Kamnach of duty when the captain launched an unprovoked attack on a Vestian ship. Pike was charged with mutiny, but all charges were dismissed following a court-martial, and Pike given a promotion to Commander, and assigned to the USS York. (TOS novel: Burning Dreams)

Pike served as the executive officer of the USS Enterprise under Captain Robert April for a time. Here, he met a young Spock for the first time. (TOS YA novel: Crisis on Vulcan)

Pike's third command was the USS Yorktown, where he first met the mysterious Number One and Dermot Cusack. (TOS novel: Vulcan's Glory)

At some point, Pike, along with his trusted Yeoman Cusack, were involved with a conflict with the Tholians. (EV comic: The Fires of Pharos)

In 2251, Captain Robert April announced to the UFP Grand Assembly that he was stepping down as commanding officer of the USS Enterprise. Pike was given command of the Enterprise, bringing Number One with him as his XO, and Cusack as captain's yeoman. (TOS novels: Final Frontier, Vulcan's Glory)

Captain of the Enterprise
Pike commanded the Enterprise for a total of thirteen years, including two five-year missions.

In 2251, while on leave at Earth, he met Janeese Carlisle and fell in love. Though forced to leave her as she was entering Starfleet Academy, they maintained subspace contact over the next two and a half years. When the Enterprise returned to Earth in 2254, he learned she was in love with another man, and was nearly driven to bitterness and disappointment. (TOS novel: Vulcan's Glory)

Two years into his command, Pike's science officer was struck down by Virillian toxic fever, just as the Enterprise was about to begin a long term survey of the Pathiad Nebulatae. Pike managed to secure the then Cadet Spock to take on the science officer role on the Enterprise before proceeding on the mission. (EV comic: Flesh of my Flesh)



On stardate 2252.34 in 2254, the Enterprise was diverted from her mission to the Marrat system to investigate some strange goings on. With the Enterprise acting as bait, the culprit of several disappearances was revealed. An organic starship of the Ngultor attacked the Enterprise and took Pike hostage, probing his mind causing him to flashback to times gone past attempting to research the species and population centers of the region in preparation for their harvest. Fortunately their link worked both ways and Pike was able to discover their plans and with renewed determination break the connection. Pike was promptly rescued by a landing party lead by Number One and after being beamed back to the Enterprise destroyed the Ngultor mothership to prevent it reporting back its findings to Ngultor space. (EV comic: Flesh of my Flesh). The incident had lasting effects on Captain Pike and he still hadn't fully recovered weeks later (EV comics: Our Dearest Blood; Nor Iron Bars a Cage)

The Enterprise proceeded to the Marrat system, arriving just in time to drive off a hostile force from Starbase 13. Proceeding to the Pharos siteworld, the site of Project Pharos to investigate a loss of communication the Enterprise came under attack from the IKS Varchas under command of the Klingon Kaaj. The Enterprise near crippled by Kaaj’s advanced tactics Pike resorted to outside tactics and fired on the dilithium rich planet below, the attack ignited the planet and gave Kaaj a humiliating defeat, the Klingon retreated vowing a blood debt of revenge on Pike for actions. (EV comic: The Fires of Pharos)

The Enterprise's next mission took Pike to Rigel VII, where Pike was taken by the Rigellian Minister's aide Talza to visit the Zemtar fortress the site for a ceremony the next day ratifying the planet's entry into the United Federation of Planets. Unfortunately, Talza was Rigellian traditionalist and part of a conspiracy amongst the planet's warrior elite, the Kaylar, to stage a coup. The trip to the fortress was a trap and Pike only just survived an encounter with a Kaylar warrior. Dermot Cusack was less fortunate and was killed by Talza, who had left Pike to his fate. (EV comic: Our Dearest Blood)

The Enterprise left Rigel for Vega colony to take care of others wounded in the Kaylar attacks. En route the USS Savannah collected the dead and delivered Pike's new Yeoman Mia Colt. Pike, still grieving, did not get off to a good start with Colt when he reacted badly when, following Cusack's eulogy, she, talking with Nano, suggested the outcomes of the incident on Rigel VII might not be all bad. (EV comic: Nor Iron Bars a Cage)



Before reaching Vega, Pike diverted the Enterprise when it detected a distress call from Talos IV. On the planet Pike lead a landing party which discovered a camp of survivors from SS Columbia; however, all but one of these survivors was soon revealed to be the telepathic illusions of the planet's natives, the Talosians, who took Pike into captivity. (TOS episode: The Cage)

While his crew tried to rescue him, Pike endured the mental illusions of the Talosians, reliving the events of Rigel VII, but this time with Vina, the one true survivor. The Talosians allowed two Enterprise crew persons to beam in, Number One and Mia Colt, hoping one of the three women would tempt Pike into staying on Talos IV and mating. Whilst held together, Pike made recompense for his earlier harshness towards his new yeoman. (TOS episode: The Cage; EV comic: Nor Iron Bars a Cage)

Not willing to be held by the Talosians Pike resisted and forced them to allow he and his fellow captives to escape, risking suicide rather than remaining in captivity, Vina chose to remain with Talosians. (TOS episodes: The Cage; The Menagerie)

Not long after, the Enterprise visited Corinthia VII. Though initially believed to be devoid of any advanced life forms, a landing party discovered huge subterranean creatures on the planet. It was his experience with the Talosians that helped Pike battle these dangerous life forms. (TOS short story: "A Private Anecdote")



Captain Pike was also instrumental in defeating the Merkaan Hamesaad Dreen, who had been harassing Federation shipping. Pike convinced Dreen that he wasn't the ideal Starfleet officer, that he could be bought. As part of the plan, Pike talked Dreen into allowing Spock to beam aboard his ship with a gift of dilithium. While Spock was being beamed on board, Pike had his transporter chief beam a security team on to the Merkaan ship at the same time. The Starfleet security team was soon able to seize Dreen's vessel. Dreen was later allowed to return home in disgrace. (TOS novel Legacy)

In 2262, Pike encountered the Kan'ess, a race of reptilian hunters, and was for a time held captive as a pet by one of their leaders. (novel: Burning Dreams)

Fleet Captain Pike
In 2264, following the end of his second five-year mission on the Enterprise, Pike accepted a promotion to Fleet Captain.

In 2265, aboard the USS Tereshkova, he participated in a joint Starfleet-Trill study of a rogue comet in the Trill system. At the request of Trill scientist Audrid Dax, he agreed to keep the discovery of a parasitic life form inside that comet classified. (DS9 short story: "Sins of the Mother")

Tragedy and New Life


In 2266, Pike was taking part in a training cruise on a class-J starship, when a structural rupture flooded the ship with delta radiation. Pike acted to save trapped cadets, taking debilitating doses of radiation in the process. His life was saved, but he was confined to a life-support wheelchair and left unable to speak, other than by the simple blinking of a light on his chair. While technically Pike should've been removed from the active duty lists, Mendez and his fellow officers did not have the heart to remove Pike from the lists.

Commodore Mendez gave Pike a room in the top floor of the medical wing so that he could look out over the starbase and surrounding lands. Mendez also kept in contact with Charlie and Hobelia - who had been asked by Pike not to travel across the galaxy to retrieve him if he suffered such an accident. Charlie and Hobelia began making arrangements to see if Pike could be brought back to them on Earth.

Doctors became concerned that Pike would deteriorate further and would soon be unable to even communicate through blinking the light on his chair. The Talosians, due to their continued telepathic link with Pike, were soon aware of Pike's condition. In early 2267, the Talosians sent a message to Spock, Pike's former science officer, and summoned him to Starbase 11. The Talosians asked Spock to bring Pike to them on Talos IV.

Spock beamed Pike on board the Enterprise, and then commandeered the ship. Spock programmed the ship's computer to take the ship to Talos, locking it so that any attempt to stop the ship would short out the life support systems. Kirk was determined not to lose his ship, and followed the Enterprise in a shuttle. Accompanying Kirk was what was later to be revealed as an illusion of Commodore Mendez.

Using the fiction of a court martial to distract Kirk from regaining control of the Enterprise too soon, the ship headed for Talos IV. The Talosians showed Kirk why Pike should be allowed to live out his life on Talos. Upon reaching the planet, the illusion of Mendez disappeared. At about the same time, Starfleet contacted Kirk and told him that not only would they not be taking any action against Spock, but also would allow contact with Talos IV on this occasion. The Talosians extended an invitation to Pike to live with them, unfettered by his physical body. Pike returned to Talos IV, where he would be reunited with Vina and given the illusion of full health. (TOS episodes: "The Cage"; "The Menagerie")

On Talos, Pike and Vina lived a life of illusion, freeing them from their ruined bodies. But soon, the illusions came to feel empty to them. So, Pike, still an explorer at heart, looked for a way to give his life meaning again. He found it in the abandoned technology of the Talosian race. He studied their history, their rise to power eons ago, and their fall when the illusions they had created consumed them. Pike also learned the Talosians' mental abilities. With the Talosians' help, he repaired the equipment that had manipulated the environment long ago, and started the world back on the road to new life. The Talosian robots even built a home for Pike and Vina in a reclaimed part of the surface.

Pike also studied the ancient Talosians' medical techniques. Using them, he and Vina finally were able to have the only thing missing in their lives -- a child. Phillip Joshua Pike was born in 2276, ten years after his father had returned to Talos.

In 2289, then-Captain Spock made a return visit to Talos. He had been sent by Starfleet to offer Pike a way to return home -- to undergo an experimental procedure that would put Pike's brain inside a partly-cloned, partly-bionic body. After Phillip attacked Spock out of fear that his father would leave forever, Pike refused the offer, and remained on Talos with his wife and son. (TOS comic: "Door in the Cage")

On Talos, Pike helped inspire the Talosians to reclaim the surface of their planet and rebuild their former culture. Pike had died sometime prior to 2320, but by then Talos had again become a thriving world, and Pike (in a recorded message, relayed after his death) appealed to Spock -- now an ambassador -- to take some of his ashes back to Earth, and to help bring Talos into the Federation. (novel: Burning Dreams)

Alternate Timelines
In 2269, the Romulans implemented their Second History project to interfere in human history at a key moment. The Romulans were able to briefly change history, resulting in an alternate timeline in which the United Federation of Planets did not exist. However the Vulcans kept the Romulan Star Empire in check, and became a major Alpha Quadrant power. In this timeline, Pike served on board the VSS ShiKahr - that timeline's version of the Enterprise - as first officer under Captain Spock. Pike was later promoted to Captain himself, and was given command of the VSS T'Ruda. Spock and James T. Kirk were later able to reverse the Romulan interference, preventing the timeline from occuring. (TOS novel Killing Time).