Christopher Pike

Captain Christopher Richard "Chris" Pike (né McKinnies) was a 23rd century male Human Starfleet officer who served as commanding officer of the USS Enterprise in 2254.

Pike was born in Mojave, California, Earth on 25 November 2219. He was born Christopher Richard McKinnies. He was the illegitimate son of Starfleet petty officer Charlie Pike. His mother was architect Willa McKinnies, who claimed to be a distant collateral descendant of 20th century Human actor Jeffrey Hunter. In 2228, Willa married terraformer Heston Prescott and shortly later moved to the planet Elysium. In 2231, wildfires swept across Elysium, killing Willa and Heston. Following this, Chris was sent back to Mojave to live with his biological father.

In 2237, Pike entered Starfleet Academy. He graduated at the top of his class in 2241, shortly before the outbreak of the Four Years' War. During the war, he served aboard the USS Ares under Captain Kelvar Garth. There, he became friends with Ensign Dermot Cusack, Lieutenant Commander Cassian Kilkenny, Doctor Philip Boyce, and Cadet Jila Pallix. Following the war, Pike would be promoted to Lieutenant Commander and assigned as first officer of the USS Aldrin. He would later be transferred to the USS York and eventually the Enterprise in 2250, replacing previous XO George Kirk, Sr..

In 2251, when the Enterprise's commanding officer Commodore Robert April was given the post of Ambassador-at-Large, Pike was given command of the Enterprise in April's place. During his early years as captain, he befriended a young bridge officer named Rigmor Schou Overgaard, who he would later appoint as first officer, as well as a young security officer named Serena Christian who would later become his Chief of Security. In 2254, on Rigel VII, an away mission went awry causing the deaths of three crewmen, including his now-Yeoman Cusack, along with the injuries of Pallix and Christian. Shortly later, Pike was captured by the Talosians and kept in a zoo where they attempted to force him to become the progenitor of a line of captive humans along with a woman named Vina Picard, Overgaard, or his new Yeoman J. Mia Colt.

Shortly later, Pike helped control an incident at Vega Colony with the Orion slave trader Zaminhon trying to provoke a second Federation-Klingon war. Pike and the Enterprise's involvement, along with the help of Vice Admiral Samuel Travis, manages to narrowly avoid war.

Despite this, only one month later war would break out between the Federation and the Sheliak Corporate. Pike would become one of the main commanders in the Federation-Sheliak War.