The Surprise Star From ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Is Known as Pike’s Peak

Anson Mount’s hair on ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’

Marni Grossman / Paramount Anson Mount’s hair on ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’

It appears that Paramount has a hit on its hands. Their newest version of their crown jewel franchise, “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” is beloved by both fans and critics. Rotten Tomatoes, the site which averages out comments, reviews, and reactions by professionals and viewers alike, reports that “Strange New Worlds” ranks at a 98% level among critics and 80% among fans. That is the highest rating for any Trek show — even higher than the beloved “Next Generation.” And Parrot Analytics reports that the show is in the Top-5 of the most “in demand” shows for May 2022.

The media has focused on the new cast of actors populating the show, with many articles on Ethan Peck’s performance as Spock. Looper’s Shane O’Neill reports that most fans are happy with Peck as Spock. ScreenRant has made a point to talk about how the show has made the Uhura character even more significant. Actress Celia Rose Gooding has been able to portray Uhura’s background story and motivations in a way Nichelle Nichols never could.

Heavy’s Ian Spelling interviewed nearly every member of the main “Strange New Worlds” cast, including Gooding (Uhura), Bruce Horak (Hemmer), Christina Chong (La’an Noonien-Singh), Babs Olusanmokun (Dr. M’Benga), Jess Bush (Nurse Christine Chapel), Rebecca Romijn (Una), and Peck (Spock). 


Anson Mount with the SyFy Sistas

The show’s star, Anson Mount, has been interviewed many times about his portrayal as Captain Christopher Pike. One of the most interesting interviews conducted with Mount was by the SyFy Sistas podcast team, where he told the Sistas his philosophy on life:

“I was taught that the reason why we’re here is to explore, and to figure out what [life] is all about,” Mount said during the interview. “And I think that gels pretty well with ‘Star Trek.’”

Mount’s answer sounded almost like something that his character would say. If his real-life perception and outlook bleed into his character’s, that might not be a bad thing, and it appears to go both ways. Something that fans have noticed and has made hundreds and hundreds of comments on is Captain Pike’s hair. 

Pike’s Peak, as many call it, has gotten a massive conversation started on social media. Some have compared Mount’s hairdo to Elvis Presley’s famous pompadour from the early 1960sOthers say his hair is like the Cartoon Network character Johnny Bravo. Some are just fans of the hair and do not try to figure it out. Still others, like media personality and Trek fan Danny Epperson, have embraced Mount’s hair on “Star Trek.” Shortly before the “Strange New Worlds premiere,” Epperson created a Twitter handle named “CaptPikesHair.” This account regularly comments on Mount’s hair and Trek-related news. Epperson also created a companion Instagram feed.


CaptPikesHair on Twitter

Heavy asked Epperson why he created the account and why Mount’s hair has become such a sensation among Trek fans. Epperson said that he feels the hair itself almost like another character on “Strange New Worlds,” and he took it upon himself to give it a voice here on Earth.

“It felt like it could be a character of its own because it added some visual excitement to a show that, you know, is already full of it,” said Epperson. “So it’s something unique.”

Epperson noted that some Trek fans believe that Pike’s hair is getting taller in each episode. He disagreed, saying that Mount’s hair has something special in each episode. 

“It depends on the story,” said Epperson. “And then we’ve seen that. His hair was a little high, fun, and fancy when he was in his quarters hosting dinner, you know. But when he goes on the away mission, it has a hard heart slant.”

In the most recent episode of “Strange New Worlds,” Epperson said that Pike’s hair was straight and serious, rather than “wavy” as it was when he hosted dinner in Episode 2.


Pike’s Lecture from Episode 1

“It was taller, meaning that he wanted a kind of prominence over,” said Epperson, who also noted that the Episode 6 hairstyle was similar to what Mount sported in Episode 1 when the captain gave his famous lecture.

Epperson also theorizes that Mount’s commanding hairstyle would not be appropriate for the other characters on the show.

“You wouldn’t see hair like that on Kyle (André Dae Kim),” said Epperson. “They wouldn’t give him that style. They wouldn’t give Kyle a ‘hair quiff.’”

Epperson did say that the comparisons to Elvis and other ’60s stars make sense, as the show is a spinoff from “The Original Series,” which did air back then. Others have also made this comparison. Epperson noted that many of the other characters have distinct hairstyles as well. 

“Spock’s hair is a little messier, as it reflects from ‘The Cage’ when [Leonard] Nimoy had that messy look to it,” said Epperson. “And then there’s Uhura, and it’s really interesting how they just went with shorter-cropped hair. But Nichelle Nichols had varying hairdos on TOS and even into the movies, so we’ll see.”

Mount seems to be aware of this surge in hair popularity, as he’s responded to some on Twitter, saying he needs to start “renegotiating for a development deal” for his hair. 

Heavy attempted to reach out to the hair team at Paramount for comment but ultimately did not get a response.

READ NEXT: How Long Will ‘Star Trek’ Have Anson Mount?