METI, the scientific organization devoted to Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence, is excited to announce that actor Anson Mount has joined its Board of Directors. Mount stars as Captain Christopher Pike of the USS Enterprise in the upcoming CBS All Access television series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. “It is a distinct privilege to be asked to join the outstanding scientists, artists, and innovators that make up the METI team,” said Mount. “I look forward to helping this organization expand its footprint in our cultural landscape and educate the general public about our endeavors to connect with extraterrestrial intelligence through scientific methods as we continue to grapple with the implications of this work. As a Starfleet Captain, it brings me unbridled joy to be able to say that I am actually sending out a hail.”
San Francisco-based METI was founded in 2015 to expand the scientific Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). While other SETI organizations only listen for signals from advanced civilizations, METI reverses the process by sending powerful, intentional signals to nearby stars in the hope of prompting a reply. “If other civilizations are simply listening, and not transmitting, we’ll never make contact if we limit ourselves to standard SETI strategies,” said Douglas Vakoch, President of METI. “We’re delighted to welcome Anson to METI’s leadership team as we continue to reach out to other worlds, letting them know we want to make first contact.”
Also joining Mount as new members of METI’s Board of Directors are Dalia Rawson, Director of The New Ballet Studio Company in San Jose, California, and Ian Roberts, Professor of Linguistics at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. METI’s ten-member Board of Directors gains guidance from METI’s Advisory Council, which includes more than 90 prominent leaders from over 20 countries in hard sciences such as astronomy and biology, as well as diverse disciplines in the social sciences, arts, and humanities.
Mount garnered widespread media attention for his portrayal of Captain Christopher Pike on the second season of Star Trek: Discovery. He will soon reprise his role in the show’s spin-off series, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, centered around his character, Captain Pike. Mount is also well known for starring as Cullen Bohannan on AMC’s hit series Hell on Wheels. Mount first made contact with METI in 2017 when he interviewed Vakoch for a two-part episode of The Well, a podcast written, produced, and hosted by Mount and his longtime friend Branan Edgens. Mount is represented by Brookside Artist Management and the United Talent Agency.