Charles Pike

Charles Pike was a recurring character in the third season. He was portrayed by actor Michael Beach and debuted in "Wanheda (Part 2)."

Former earth skills teacher, Pike led the Ark survivors of Farm Station out of Ice Nation territory. He was elected chancellor of Arkadia after Mount Weather disaster, but later captured and sent to be executed for his crimes against the Grounders. After assisting in defeating A.L.I.E., he was stabbed to death by Octavia, avenging Lincoln's death.

Early Life
Pike was born on the Ark and became a teacher. He taught all things necessary for survival on the Earth, Earth Skills, a mandatory course passing skills down from gen to gen that no one alive expected to put into use. He was good friend with Kane and at some point in his career, he taught both Bellamy and Clarke.

In the two weeks before the delinquents were sent to ground. Pike was tasked by the Council to prepare them with an Earth Skills crash-course. After realizing that the delinquents are unknowingly being sent to the ground, seeing their lack of interest in learning, and failing to persuade Chancellor Jaha to let him go with them, Pike takes graver measures. He hits Murphy, forcing the class to stand for him. The key to survival on Earth, he says, is to never stop fighting, this is life or death, no one is coming to help any of you.

During the Ark exodus, Pike made landfall in Farm station landing in Azageda territory. His knowledge in Earth Skills allowed him to adjust to the ground quickly and made him leader of the Farm Station survivors. He was also able to lead his people and helped them to successfully defend themselves from the Ice Nation grounders for months.

Throughout the Series

 * -|Season Three =

In Wanheda (Part 2), Bellamy, Monty, Indra, and Kane have been trapped in Sector 7 in the rover for three hours waiting for something to happen. Bellamy pokes his head out the moon roof and suddenly has a knife to his throat. The rest of them are ordered out of the rover as Bellamy is yanked out through the moon-roof. Indra, Kane, and Monty are quickly taken hostage by what appear to be Ice Nation warriors who find the Farm Station beacon on Monty. Monty tries to fight them and Bellamy calls out his name to get him to stop. One of the warriors repeats Monty's name and Monty recognizes her voice as his mother's. Monty's mother, Hannah, removes her face mask and she and Monty embrace. Pike orders the rest of them to stand down and greets Kane and Bellamy. Monty asks where his dad is and Hannah tells him that he didn't make it. Kane asks Pike how many of them from Farm Station survived and Pike says only 63 have survived and the rest of them are camped in the mountains to the north. He calls them "Grounder killers" and everyone cheers, "Hoo-rah!" Bellamy interrupts and tells them they need to find Clarke. Pike recognizes Clarke's name as a former student of the Earth Skills class that he taught on the Ark. They go to move the trees blocking the rover and Bellamy asks Monty if he is okay. Monty replies that he has to be. Pike tells Kane that everyone from Farm Station survived the landing, three times as many as the 63 who are still alive. Indra tells Pike the Ice Nation can be ruthless and he should take pride in those he saved. Kane introduces Indra and Pike. They get the trees out of the way of the rover and Kane sends the Farm Station warriors to collect the rest of their people and head to Arkadia. Pike and Hannah go with Kane, Bellamy, and Monty after Clarke.

At the trading post, Niylah is getting beaten up and interrogated by Roan's bounty hunter partner as he asks her where Roan and Clarke went. He is about to cut off her hand when Bellamy shoots him dead. Indra tells Niylah in Trigedasleng they are there to help. Pike demands she speak in English and Kane orders him to scout the perimeters with Monty and Hannah.

Pike and Bellamy are walking through the same field where Roan and Clarke were previously Pike asks Bellamy why they seem to be getting along with the Grounders and Bellamy tells him it was because they had a common enemy and they won. Indra calls for everyone to be quiet as they hear war drums coming from a distance. Indra recognizes them as Azgeda by the three dead scouts in the field. Pike tells everyone they need to get the bodies off the field before the army arrives or they will be blamed for it. Bellamy spots Roan and Clarke far on the other side of the field as Kane spots the incoming army advancing from another end of the field, separating them from Clarke. Monty points out a cave for them to hide in until the army passes through and Indra leaves to warn the Commander because the Ice Nation has just marched into Trikru lands. Bellamy wants to go after Clarke but they are stuck in the cave with the corpses of the three Ice Nation scouts as they wait for the army to clear out. Monty asks Hannah what happened to his father. Hannah tells him how Farm Station landed in snow, absorbing some of the impact. She starts crying and Pike takes over the story, telling Monty that the children were playing in the snow and were the first to die. Monty's father saved four of fifteen kids but was killed when he went back for the fifth and he died a hero. Kane tells Pike that not all Grounders are the same as the Ice Nation and Pike says they are to him. Later, Monty finishes telling them how forty-two people got out of Mount Weather alive and they did what they had to do. Pike tells Monty he did the right thing and asks if Mount Weather belongs to the Sky People now. Kane tells him they use it for supplies because of the established truce. Pike warns Kane the Grounders will break the truce and they need the Mountain. Monty notices that Bellamy had stolen a scout's uniform and was no longer in the cave. They find Bellamy limping along, still trying to follow after Roan and Clarke. Kane and Pike try to get Bellamy to give up but he is worried about losing Clarke. Monty convinces Bellamy to head back and try again later.

In Ye Who Enter Here, Bellamy, Raven, Gina, and Octavia arrive in the dining room on Level 5 of Mount Weather, finding it filled with Farm Station survivors, eating and having fun. Pike welcomes them and both Raven and Octavia are uncomfortable with how they made themselves at home. Pike tells them there are thirty-six people there. Octavia warns the Grounders are going to think the Sky People have moved into Mount Weather before leaving in disgust. Sinclair arrives and tells Raven to get working on the electrical problems. Later, after Echo is captured and brought into the mess hall Pike and Bellamy question her as other Farm Station members are grabbing weapons and arming themselves. Echo tells them the summit is a trap. Bellamy tells Pike they can trust Echo because she saved his life. Sinclair arrives and he and Pike get into an argument about using the missiles in Mount Weather. Raven says she might be able to help get the launch codes.

Bellamy, Octavia, Echo, and Pike arrive at the outskirts of Polis and park behind the truck Kane and Abby arrived in. Octavia discovers the two guards Kane left behind had their throats slit and that is why they did not respond when radioed about the threat. Pike starts to go after Echo but Octavia steps in and tells him that Echo warned them. Octavia tells Echo she is not leaving her blade behind before entering Polis and Echo says she will take them through the tunnels so they can keep their weapons.Under Polis, Bellamy, Echo, Octavia, and Pike move through the tunnels toward the elevator shaft to the Polis tower. Two guards spinning the wheel that raises and lowers the elevator are in their way. Pike and Bellamy attack and kill the two guards running the elevator. Octavia is upset that they killed the guards when they did not have to. Bellamy insists they did. They proceed to climb the ladder up the elevator shaft to the top floor. Octavia, Bellamy, and Pike barge into the throne room, holding a guard captive. Bellamy warns everyone the summit is a trap.

In Watch the Thrones, he was elected to be the new chancellor of Arkadia. Pike was elected by a narrow majority, on a declared mandate of preemptive action against the grounders, Arkadian independence from The Coalition, and militarization against a perceived grounder threat. Pike officially declared his candidacy after being arrested for attempting to lead Farm Station, with illegally obtained weapons, in an attack on the Trikru peacekeeping force, though he had been campaigning for his policies for some time prior to entering the race for Chancellor. Pike's candidacy was notably supported by Bellamy Blake, Zoe Monroe, and a sizable portion of the Arkadian Guard.

His first official actions as Chancellor were pardoning himself, and his supporters, for their crimes, rejecting the brand that made Skaikru the Thirteenth Clan, and ordering an attack on the Trikru peacekeeping force camped outside Arkadia.

In Hakeldama, Pike addressed Arkadia, and announced his "one sacred goal", the creation of a self sustaining, prosperous, and safe Arkadia. He then informed Arkadia of the attack he led against the Trikru peacekeeping force, proclaiming it a message to the grounders, and a tribute to the fallen. Pike was met by thunderous shouts of approval as he declared Arkadian sovereignty over the surrounding land, and promised death to anyone who resisted.

Later, in a private meeting, Pike states his immediate goal as securing access to water and defensible terrain around Arkadia. In order to achieve this goal, Pike orders that a 15 kilometer perimeter around Arkadia be secured. Bellamy notes that there is a grounder village located within that perimeter, causing Pike to worry that the village will be used as the staging ground for retaliatory attacks. Pike proceeds to order that the village be cleared, as the "first order of business" for the offensive. Upon being criticized by Bellamy for his lack of mercy for grounders, Pike cites logistical and strategic concerns involved with sparing wounded grounders, and asks that Bellamy think of the lives saved, not taken.

It is revealed later on that Pike had implemented a ban on grounders entering Arkadia, and that he has stripped Kane and Lincoln of their respective positions within the Arkadian Guard.

After hearing of the return of Thelonious Jaha to Arkadia, Pike calls him to meet. While Pike initially greats Jaha as a friend, he quickly becomes aggressive, demanding to know why Jaha has returned. A.L.I.E. perceives Pike as having felt threatened by Jaha. Against A.L.I.E's urging, Jaha informs Pike of the City of Light. While Pike is visibly confused and skeptical of the concept, he gives Jaha approval to do what he will, so long as he stays out of the way.

Pike later ordered the imprisonment of all grounders, including Lincoln, still within Arkadia.

In Perverse Instantiation (Part 2), he is stabbed to death by Octavia, after he helped the Delinquents to defend Clarke while she defeated A.L.I.E.. This act was presumably revenge for Pike executing Lincoln earlier on in the series.

Physical Appearance
Pike is a middle-aged African-American of average stature, with a bald head and a short beard.

Personality
Pike is a "tough and charismatic member of the Ark with a staunch moral code." He is shown to be pragmatic in fighting the Ice Nation and protecting his people, willing to do morally ambiguous things to survive.

Pike's overall demeanor is stern and unyielding, and he fully commits himself to his work, never resting or participating in recreation. Like Marcus Kane, Charles is willing to do whatever it takes to protect his people, even if his methods are seen as draconian, such as massacring grounders, and waging war to establish Arkadia's independence and security. Charles is very stubborn and steadfast in his own beliefs, often rejecting conflicting evidence to preserve his own beliefs. This is shown when he does not want to work with the Woods Clan, despite their oath to protect the Sky People. His irrational excessive hatred for grounders stems from the fact that Farm Station, which was separated during its crash landing, had to fend for itself against Ice Nation marauders, who killed approximately two-thirds of Farm Station by the time they were found by an Arkadian search party consisting of Bellamy, Marcus, Monty, and Octavia. As a result, he is strongly prejudiced against all grounders, regardless of their history or intentions.

His dominant and hard-working personality give him strong leadership skills, evidenced by the fact that he is able to rally large numbers of Arkadia residents to support his anti-grounder movement with their lives and convince Bellamy to grant him access to automatic rifles that were to be used against the 300 grounders who were sent by Lexa to protect them from Ice Nation aggression. His leadership skills were even strong enough to win him the majority of votes for the most recent chancellor re-election.

Relationships
Pike and Bellamy bond over the loss of people closest to them inside Mount Weather. Pike served as sort of mentor to Bellamy.
 * -|Bellamy Blake =

Pike and Kane were very good friends on the ark. They were close, respected one another and really care about each other's points of views. However, on Earth with fate of their people at hand, they found themselves on opposite sides, each guided by drastically different experience on the ground.
 * -|Marcus Kane =

Quotes

 * Monty: "Forty-two of us got out alive. We did what we had to."
 * Pike: "You did the right thing. Kill or be killed."
 * -- Wanheda (Part 2)


 * Pike (to Abby): "So, now we're trusting Grounders to punish Grounders? I'm sorry Madam Chancellor, but I lost more than half of my remaining people yesterday. And four times the many since we landed. In my experience, Grounders understand one thing - strength. It's simple, we need to hit them now, we need to hit them hard.


 * Pike (to Arkadia residents): "All that's certain is that we die. How we die is up to us."


 * Abby: "We're all grieving. This has been hard on all of us. But, we can't let anger drive our policy.
 * Pike: "Anger...is our policy."


 * Pike: (to Arkadia residents): "We do not attack our own. Fighting each other only makes us weak. The enemy is not in this camp. The enemy is out there."


 * Pike (to Bellamy): "Every life we honored at the memorial was lost because we trusted a Grounder."


 * Abby: "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
 * Pike: "What you didn't have the guts to."


 * Kane: "Our people are now your responsibility Charles. I hope you take that seriously.
 * Pike: "Thank you, Marcus. I certainly intend to."
 * -- Watch the Thrones


 * Pike (to Arkardia residents): This morning on the muddy field, our people paid tribute to those who have been taken from us by sending a message to the Grounders. This land is ours now. Resist and you will be met by force. Fight and you will be greeted by death. Today is a new beginning. Mark it down, remember it, just like the Grounders will remember it."
 * --Hakeldama


 * Kane: "Public opinion is a funny thing, Charles."
 * Pike: "My job is to keep us safe. Not to be liked."
 * -- Bitter Harvest


 * Pike (to the Delinquents): "The key to surviving on the ground and on the Ark is to keep fighting at all costs against all odds. The minute you give up, you're dead."
 * -- Join or Die


 * Pike: "If we're gonna survive this, we'll need to stand together."
 * Octavia: "Now you say that."


 * Pike: "Wasn't the wrong side. If the Grounder army was still there when Lexa died, they would have attacked, and you know it."
 * Bellamy: "I wanted to see things like you. I needed that, to believe that they were bad and we were good. I don't know what I believe anymore. I just know I have to live with what I've done."
 * -- Perverse Instantiation (Part 2)

Killed Victims

 * Numerous Ice Nation warriors (with other Farm Station survivors)
 * One Polis Guard
 * 299 Grounders (with Bellamy and 8 other Sky People)
 * Lincoln
 * Several chipped Sky People including Chase (with Indra)
 * Two Grounders in Polis

Notes and Trivia

 * Pike's was the second leaked audition tape, although a different actor than the one who had auditioned was chosen to portray him.
 * Pike was an "Earth Skills" teacher on the Ark and knows many of the delinquents from when he taught them. The lessons he taught helped them on the ground.