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Bruce Greenwood on Playing Captain Christopher Pike and Star Trek Movie Secrecy

By GustavoLeao / 15:55, 23 October 2008 / Feature Films

UGO posted a new interview with actor Bruce Greenwood, who plays the role of Captain Christopher Pike in J.J. Abrams upcoming Star Trek movie. Here are excerpts of the interview (beware of minor spoilers)

UGO: Well, there's a role that you've recently wrapped, another great leader, not of our time, but of the future, and this of course is Captain Christopher Pike, who is a captain of The Enterprise prior to Kirk. (Not the first captain of course, there were others in between.) Can you tell us a little about your role as Captain Pike, on Star Trek?

BG: Well, I'm literally sworn to secrecy in many ways. So I can't give you any story points at all.

UGO: But you did work with Chris Pine on some of the scenes, correct?

BG: Oh, yeah. I worked with all the kids. I think, I don't know, but it felt to me on set, particularly with the vibe that JJ creates on set, that it's going to come off really well. I mean Chris is fantastic, Zack [Quinto] is really, really good. I think they made really wise choices in the cast. And JJ, of course, is force of nature.

UGO: Had you seen any of the episodes with Chris Pike in the old days? Did you go back and look at those tapes?

BG: Yeah, I went back and watched all the Jeffrey Hunter stuff.

UGO: Are you gonna' rock that same hair style he had?

BG: No, I'm not going to look like him. I haven't got that kind of ‘do going on.

UGO: He did have a killer ‘do going on. Can you tell me if your second in command on your Enterprise is a female like it was on the episode, The Cage that saw Christopher Pike?

BG: (giggling) I'm sorry you're breaking up.

More from Greenwood on the secrecy on the set and his other projects can be found here.

12 comments Post New | Help

That One | Report this post to moderator
By: c.p. (Odo's file, contact) @ 18:27:39 on Oct 23, 2008 | (1)

The fulcrum of the new movie's plot is Number One.

I said it. That's my guess.

As casting rumors leaked last year and one by one we found out in which characters those actresses landed, the game of musical chairs left one woman glaringly without a chair: Pike's Number One.

Or did it? Majel Barrett played two characters in Trek Lore. Number One was one of them. Might there be some weird parallel to this accident of casting and fate in the new movie? If there is, would it be too clever by half? Or would it be a coup of gasp-producing proportions?

I ask because of the coy answers in response to the question of Number One from the writers and now from Greenwood. This is a simple thing to answer isn't it? You don't have to give anything away by acknowledging her existence do you? In fact, dotting all the "i's" they have while forgetting to dot that one is utterly voluntary on its face.

EW's report that the opening scene involving the Kelvin will leave fans crying, "Heresy!", makes me think we're in for a real mindfuck of a roller coaster ride. And unlike some of the earlier pessimistic fervor around here that they would blow up the Trek universe out of ignorance, in the end they may do it out of acute insight. "It's about questioning what we know," they answered in the EW article.

In the end, if I had to guess, I think canon will technically allow for whatever they have in store for us. But it will defiantly challenge conventional assumptions-at least regarding some of these early characters who's stories remain cloudy even for the most well read, well watched fan.

And frankly, that's what Star Trek needs. A shake-up cruise.

Quote

RE: That One by rassmguy @ 20:21:38 on Oct 23
    RE: That One by c.p. @ 21:10:48 on Oct 23
       RE: That One by DixonHill @ 12:14:00 on Oct 25
          RE: That One by c.p. @ 13:31:11 on Oct 25

Hmmm ... | Report this post to moderator
By: sb2004 (Odo's file, contact) @ 17:59:52 on Oct 23, 2008

Hmmm ... I wonder if Greenwood's response means we might see Number One in the film? I wonder who'll play her? Majel Barrett's free. :eek:

Al

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When and where Kirk met Captain Pike ? | Report this post to moderator
By: GustavoLeao (Odo's file, contact, web site) @ 17:38:59 on Oct 23, 2008

In "The Menagerie", Kirk explains he first met Pike when Pike was promoted to fleet captain. But according to Greenwood, it appears Pike met Jim Kirk while Kirk was still a cadet on board the Enterprise. Another retcon in this new timeline ?

Gustavo

--------

TrekWeb.com Supervising Editor

gl2000@uol.com.br

Quote

Another Retcon by Jean-Luc @ 13:22:18 on Oct 24
RE: When and where Kirk met Captain Pike ? by DixonHill @ 13:12:41 on Oct 24
RE: When and where Kirk met Captain Pike ? by OV-101 @ 07:17:59 on Oct 24
RE: by rassmguy @ 08:24:14 on Oct 24
RE: by OV-101 @ 09:36:54 on Oct 24

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That One | Report this post to moderator By: c.p. (Odo's file, contact) @ 18:27:39 on Oct 23, 2008 | (1)

Hmmm ... | Report this post to moderator By: sb2004 (Odo's file, contact) @ 17:59:52 on Oct 23, 2008

When and where Kirk met Captain Pike ? | Report this post to moderator By: GustavoLeao (Odo's file, contact, web site) @ 17:38:59 on Oct 23, 2008

That One | Report this post to moderator
By: c.p. (Odo's file, contact) @ 18:27:39 on Oct 23, 2008 | (1)

Hmmm ... | Report this post to moderator
By: sb2004 (Odo's file, contact) @ 17:59:52 on Oct 23, 2008

When and where Kirk met Captain Pike ? | Report this post to moderator
By: GustavoLeao (Odo's file, contact, web site) @ 17:38:59 on Oct 23, 2008