Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Episode 2 - "Children of the Comet"
They are two of the greatest Captains of the Enterprise but Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode 2 subtly argued two ways that Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) is superior to Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). In Strange New Worlds, which is set over a century before Star Trek: The Next Generation, Captain Pike leads the Starship Enterprise on a new five-year mission of galactic exploration in the 23rd century. Of course, Captain Picard commanded the USS Enterprise-D on a seven-year trek through the stars in TNG before he led the Enterprise-E in four Star Trek: The Next Generation movies.
Jean-Luc Picard is a legendary Captain of the Enterprise but he was known for his idiosyncrasies as much as for saving the galaxy on countless occasions. In his TNG prime, Captain Picard was respected for being wise, diplomatic, fair-minded, and compassionate but he was also not known for his personal warmth. Picard didn't socialize with his crew and he preferred quietly reading books or listening to classical music in his downtime. Captain Picard also infamously disliked children. As time went on, Picard's curmudgeonly traits became endearing, and his closest friends like Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) teased him about them, especially when Jean-Luc got older. Star Trek: Picard season 2 delved into Jean-Luc's buried past and answered the question of why he chose to remain without a romantic partner for his entire life. By the end of Star Trek: Picard season 2, Jean-Luc put his lifelong trauma to bed so that he could have a love affair, at last, with Laris (Orla Brady).
In Strange New Worlds episode 2, Captain Pike proved he's a very different man than Picard by hosting a "family dinner" for members of his crew in his quarters. Among the guests who enjoyed Pike's food and wine were Number One (Rebecca Romijn), Spock (Ethan Peck), Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush), Lt. Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia), Chief Engineer Hemmer (Bruce Horak), and Cadet Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding). Although he's haunted by his tragic future, Pike entertained his guests with stories about his youthful misadventures in Starfleet. It's hard to imagine a relaxed and affable Captain Picard doing the same, and he never actually socialized in this way during the glory years of TNG. In fact, Picard joining his crew for a game of poker in the TNG series finale, "All Good Things," was such a momentous occasion because it had never happened before, which is why it was the perfect final moment to end the popular Star Trek series. However, beyond his general camaraderie, there's another reason why Pike is the superior officer.
Amusingly, Pike regaled his dinner party with a story of his youthful encounter with a Nausicaan. The punchline of his tale where he barely survived meeting the fearsome alien is that he wasn't cut out to be the Security Chief of a starship, which is the position La'an Noonien Singh (Christina Chong) now holds on Pike's Enterprise. But Picard wasn't so fortunate when he met a Nausicaan. When Jean-Luc was a Cadet, he got in a bar brawl with Nausicaan who nearly killed him. Picard was stabbed through the chest which is why he had an artificial heart for the rest of his life until he was reborn as a synthetic in Star Trek: Picard season 1. So, surviving against a Nausicaan when he was younger is another point Captain Pike scores over Captain Picard.
Of course, until Anson Mount resurrected the character and launched him into a newfound stratosphere of popularity in Star Trek: Discovery season 2, Captain Christopher Pike was a mere footnote in Star Trek's lore. Meanwhile, for over 30 years, Captain Picard became arguably the most celebrated of all Star Trek Captains, surpassing even James T. Kirk (William Shatner). While Pike technically predates Picard (and Kirk), the version who is now Captain of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is essentially a 21st-century reboot taking the character to new heights. Time will tell if Captain Pike will eventually become greater than Captain Picard, but Chris has Jean-Luc beat in two specific ways, at least.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streams Thursdays on Paramount+.