Captain Christopher Pike’s (Anson Mount) greatest love story happens after the events ofStar Trek: Strange New Worlds. As a prequel toStar Trek: The Original Series, Strange New Worldsdepicts Captain Pike’s time in command of the USS Enterprise before Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) takes over. While many of Pike’s adventures were uncharted territory beforeStrange New Worlds, his unfortunate fate has been sealed since theTOStwo-part episode, “The Menagerie.” That story reveals that Pike will suffer a horrific injury in 2266 that will leave him paralyzed, disfigured, and bound to a wheelchair.

“The Menagerie” incorporates flashbacks fromStar Trek’soriginal rejected pilot, “The Cage,” depictingCaptain Pike’s (Jeffrey Hunter) previous mission to Talos IVwhere he and his crew encounter the powerful Talosians. Pike also meetsVina (Susan Oliver), a young woman whose ship crash-landed on Talos IVyears before, and the two form a connection. The Talosians use their telepathic abilities to attempt to convince Pike to stay, but he ultimately escapes, leaving Vina behind.

Spock, Uhura, Pike and Chapel in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Captain Pike Will Ultimately End Up With Vina After Strange New Worlds, Not Batel

InStar Trek: The Original Series'“The Menagerie,” which takes place in 2267,Spock (Leonard Nimoy)hijacks the Starship Enterpriseand risks his Starfleet career to take Pike to Talos IV. Having seen how powerful the telepathy of the Talosians is, Spock knows that they can give Pike a normal life, and perhaps even a happily ever after.Spock successfully gets Pike to Talos IV,where the Talosians create the illusion that he is whole again, allowing him to live out the rest of his life with Vina.

Captain Pike briefly reunited with Vina (Melissa George) inStar Trek: Discoveryseason 2, episode 8, “If Memory Serves,” and the two clearly still shared a connection.

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WhileStar Trekhas not revealed whether Pike actually remains on Talos IV for the rest of his life,this particular future does not bode well for him and Captain Marie Batel (Melanie Scrofano).Star Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 2’s finaleended in a cliffhanger with Captain Batel’s life hanging in the balance after she is infected with Gorn eggs. Batel may not survive , although this would be a particularly tragic turn forStrange New Worldsand Captain Pike. Still, even if Batel does survive, Pike is ultimately destined to end up with Vina.

Why Captain Pike Hasn’t Told Batel About His Tragic Future

Pike Sometimes Struggles To Share His Feelings With Batel

Captain Pike learned about his tragic future inStar Trek: Discoveryseason 2, but he has only shared this information with a select few.Pike confided in his Number One, Lt. Commander Una-Chin Riley (Rebecca Romijn) and Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck),but he has not shared his future with Captain Batel. WhileStar Trek: Strange New Worldshas not fully explained why Pike has yet to tell Batel, the show has provided some hints. In theStrange New Worldsmusical episode, Pike and Batel have an argument (via song) about Pike’s tendency to avoid difficult conversations.

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Captain Pike clearly cares deeply about Batel, and he does not want to burden her with the knowledge of his dark future. He may fear that Batel would treat him differently if she knew his future, and he likely doesn’t want her to feel sorry for him. Pike does not know that he will eventually end up on Talos IV with Vina, and he may still be hoping for a future with Batel even after his injury. Pike has likely been waiting for the right time to tell Batel the truth, but her injury at the end ofStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 2 may force the issue.