Captain Christopher "Chris" Pike is a fictional character in the Star Trek science fiction franchise. He is the immediate predecessor to James T. Kirk as captain of the starship USS Enterprise.

Why was Pike replaced with Kirk?

Jeffrey Hunter wasn't available to do the second pilot (he was pursuing his film career, and some claim his then-wife convinced him science fiction was beneath him; they divorced a couple of years later), so the role was recast with William Shatner and along the way renamed (Christopher Pike became James Kirk).

Who was captain of the Enterprise before Kirk?

Enterprise NCC-1701 was built in the San Francisco Yards orbiting Earth. The Constitution-class starship was previously captained by Robert April and Christopher Pike, before coming under the command of Captain James T. Kirk.