Robert April is a fictional character 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" (1974), in which he is voiced by James Doohan. 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 (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 (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) 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, Matthew Decker, Philippa Georgiou, 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 as the captain of the Enterprise. Carey's version