Star Trek: Discovery season 2 just ended with a thrilling cliffhanger as the crew of the titular Starfleet vessel flew through a wormhole that whisked them 1,000 years into the future. As interesting as this will be to follow, though, it seems that most of the Trek fandom is currently more psyched about staying put in the timeline and continuing the adventures of Pike’s Enterprise instead.
Anson Mount’s take on Captain Christopher Pike across season 2 was acclaimed by Trek lovers, who’ve inundated the internet with calls for a spinoff based around his character. For instance, a petition to CBS is currently nearing 25, 000 signatures. Mount has previously shown how thankful he is for the fan reaction, too, and now he’s made it clear that he would also love to return as Pike. When asked by the Calgary Herald about a potential comeback, he said:
“It checks all the boxes. It’s a character I love, it’s a franchise I love, it’s an experience that I have already loved. Obviously, any opportunity to go back and play with that incredible team, led by (executive producer and co-creator) Alex Kurtzman and all of those incredible artisans from costumes, to makeup, to art, to props. Everybody in that crew is operating at the top of their game.”
Of course, you couldn’t have a Pike spinoff without Spock, who also joined Discovery in season 2 as played by Ethan Peck. Fans have taken to Peck’s younger, less assured take on the Vulcan icon as well and the good news is that the actor likewise wants to return as his character. He told TV Guide:
“I would like to come back, because being a part of Star Trek is like magic. It’s funny, I think Star Trek is so divisive amongst people in the world that are like, “Never seen it, not interested.” And those that do see it are very attached and find themselves very connected with it. To be a part of something like that is just really special. Now I feel like I’ve done a lot of the groundwork and Spock is very much a part of me. I’m the same but different having finished it. So would I like to continue? Yeah. I think it would be great.”
So, the show itself perfectly set up a spinoff in the season 2 finale. The fans are begging for it. And the actors want to come back. Why exactly haven’t you already commissioned this show, CBS?!
In all seriousness, there is a good chance that something’s brewing behind the scenes. After all, the Trek TV universe is going to expand exponentially in the next couple of years, with the Picard series, a Georgiou series and two animated shows on the way. Now that Star Trek: Discovery has its own sandpit to play in, it would certainly make sense for the Pike show to take over covering the period prior to The Original Series.