Robert April is a
fictional character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life perso ...
in the ''
Star Trek'' media franchise. April was the
USS ''Enterprise'''s first commanding officer, preceding Captain
Christopher Pike.
The character first appeared in the ''
Star Trek: The Animated Series'' episode "
The Counter-Clock Incident
"The Counter-Clock Incident" is the series finale of the American animated science fiction television series ''Star Trek'', the 22nd episode overall. This episode was the sixth and final episode of the second season. It first aired in the NBC Sat ...
" (1974), in which he is voiced by
James Doohan
James Montgomery Doohan (; March 3, 1920 – July 20, 2005) was a Canadian actor, author and soldier, best known for his role as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the television and film series '' Star Trek''. Doohan's characterization of the Scottis ...
. April's first live-action appearance was in the
pilot episode of ''
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds'' (2022), where he is portrayed by
Adrian Holmes.
Development and casting
A prison chaplain named "Robert April" appears in two episodes of ''
Have Gun – Will Travel
''Have Gun – Will Travel'' is an American Western series that was produced and originally broadcast by CBS on both television and radio from 1957 through 1963. The television version of the series starring Richard Boone was rated number t ...
'' (1957–63), for which ''Star Trek'' creator
Gene Roddenberry wrote.
The name stuck with Roddenberry, and "Robert M. April" commanded the starship ''Yorktown'' in his 1964 ''Star Trek'' proposal to CBS.
The captain's name was changed to "Christopher Pike" when NBC accepted the ''Star Trek'' project later that year.
Fred Bronson
Fredric M. "Fred" Bronson (born January 10, 1949) is an American journalist, author and writer. He is the author of books related to #1 songs on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and other books related to various music charts as well. He is also k ...
(writing as John Culver) came up with the idea of the ''Enterprise'' having a captain who proceeded Pike for "The Counter-Clock Incident". He selected the name "Robert April" from Roddenberry's original list of possible ''Enterprise'' captain names.
During the development of ''Star Trek: Strange New Worlds'',
Adrian Holmes submitted two taped auditions for the role. Producer Henry Alonso Myers said Holmes had the gravitas to play April, who is "mythic" by virtue of being the first captain of the ''Enterprise''.
Depiction
Television
; Star Trek: The Animated Series (1974)
In "The Counter-Clock Incident", the ''Enterprise'' crew begins to rapidly age in reverse. The old age of Commodore April and his wife Sarah (voiced by
Nichelle Nichols
Nichelle Nichols (, born Grace Dell Nichols; December 28, 1932 – July 30, 2022) was an American actress, singer, and dancer best known for her portrayal of Nyota Uhura in ''Star Trek'' and its film sequels. Nichols' portrayal of Uhura was g ...
) affords them more time at maturity, allowing them to save the crew and undo the reverse aging process.
; Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022)
In the
pilot episode of ''
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds'', April (now an Admiral) orders Captain Pike, in command of the ''Enterprise'', on a rescue mission. Although Pike violates
General Order 1 on the mission, April uses his influence with Starfleet Command to keep Pike from being charged.
Reference
April is listed as one of Starfleet's most decorated officers in the ''
Star Trek: Discovery'' episode "Choose Your Pain" (2017), along with
Jonathan Archer
Jonathan Archer is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' franchise. He is the protagonist of the television series ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', where he is portrayed by Scott Bakula.
Archer is the commanding officer of the first starship ' ...
, Matthew Decker,
Philippa Georgiou
'' Star Trek: Discovery'' is an American television series created for Paramount+ (originally known as CBS All Access) by Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman. Set roughly a decade before the events of the original ''Star Trek'' series and separate fr ...
, and
Christopher Pike. In the second season's "Brother" (2019), Pike states that he was April's first officer aboard the ''Enterprise''.
Literature
April appears in the novels ''Final Frontier'' (1988) and ''Best Destiny'' (1992) by
Diane Carey
Diane L. Carey-Brodeur (born October 2, 1954) is an American fiction writer, publishing under the pen names Lydia Gregory, Diane Carey, and D. L. Carey.
Background
Diane L. Carey was born on October 2, 1954 in Flint, Michigan, United States. Sh ...
as the captain of the ''Enterprise''. Carey's version of April comes from
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...
, and he wears
cardigan sweaters over his uniform due to a blood disorder that causes him to feel slightly chilly most of the time. Lacking a "live action" image of April, designer and author
Michael Okuda
Michael Okuda is an American graphic designer best known for his work on ''Star Trek'' including designing futuristic computer user interfaces known as "okudagrams".
Career
Work in ''Star Trek''
In the mid-1980s, he designed the look of ani ...
created a collage of Roddenberry's head on
William Shatner
William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship ''Enterpris ...
's body to illustrate April in ''
The Star Trek Encyclopedia
''The Star Trek Encyclopedia: A Reference Guide to the Future'' is a 1994 encyclopedia of in-universe information from the '' Star Trek'' television series and films. It was written by Michael Okuda and Denise Okuda, who were production staff o ...
'' (1994). April is militaristic in the ''
Star Trek: Early Voyages'' comics (1997–1998), and another timeline's version of April appears in a comic prologue to ''
Star Trek Into Darkness
''Star Trek Into Darkness'' is a 2013 American science fiction action film directed by J. J. Abrams and written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof. It is the 12th installment in the ''Star Trek'' franchise and the sequel to t ...
'', "Countdown to Darkness" (2013).
Reception
Timothy Donohoo, writing for CBR.com, said Robert April "had elements of both Kirk and Pike", noting that he was heroic but also faced with self-doubt about his leadership. He said the character concept was "revolutionary in many ways" because "the idea of the hero doubting himself and questioning his own actions" was rare in that era's movie and television scripts.
"The Counter-Clock Incident" writer Fred Bronson thanked Adrian Holmes for "bring
ng Aprilto life" in ''Strange New Worlds''.
Michael Okuda, who created the photo-collage depiction of April for ''The Star Trek Encyclopedia'', also commended Holmes's casting.
Keith DeCandido
Keith Robert Andreassi DeCandido (born April 18, 1969) is an American science fiction and fantasy writer and musician, who works on comic books, novels, role-playing games and video games, including numerous media tie-in books for properties such ...
said outcry over casting a dark-skinned actor as April, having been previously depicted with light skin in animation and print, "has served as a nice way of revealing the racists among ''Trek'' fans". ''
Screen Rant'' said April's re-envisioning "does not disappoint" and is "part of the fun" of ''Strange New Worlds'' reiterating on 1960s-era ''Star Trek'' characters.
References
External links
"April" at startrek.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:April, Robert
Star Trek: The Animated Series characters
Starfleet officers
Starfleet captains
Television characters introduced in 1974