Number One (Star Trek)

Appearances

The character debuted in the 1966 episode 'The Menagerie,' which incorporated footage from the unaired 1965 pilot 'The Cage.' 'The Cage' was not broadcast until 1988. Number One was absent from live-action Star Trek until 2019, when she became a recurring character in the second season of Star Trek: Discovery. Her official biography notes she is secretly attracted to Pike. She appears in three Discovery episodes, beginning with 'An Obol for Charon,' where she visits Pike on the USS Discovery, briefs him on Enterprise repairs, and provides information on Lieutenant Spock. She is described as resourceful, with a taste for spicy food. The second-season finale reveals her first name is Una; the third episode of Strange New Worlds gives her full name as Una Chin-Riley and reveals she is Illyrian. She also appears in two installments of Star Trek: Short Treks.

Controversy

During development of the first Star Trek pilot, Gene Roddenberry wrote the part of Number One for Majel Barrett. NBC executives were reluctant to cast an almost unknown actress; Roddenberry auditioned others but considered no one else. According to Roddenberry and Stephen Whitfield, the prominence of a woman among the starship crew was one reason NBC rejected the pilot, which they also called 'too cerebral,' believing audiences would reject the alien Spock and a female senior officer.

Roddenberry claimed women of the era had difficulty accepting her. Executive producer Herb Solow tried to sell NBC on a fresh face bringing believability, but executives knew Barrett was Roddenberry's girlfriend; they agreed to her casting to avoid upsetting him. After the pilot was rejected, a second pilot was produced. Solow later wrote that 'no one liked her acting' and that the network was infuriated by the casting of an unknown actress due to an affair.

Roddenberry compromised by eliminating Number One, but aspects of her character—her cool demeanor and logical nature—were merged into Spock.

Influence

On Star Trek: The Next Generation, Commander William Riker is informally called 'Number One' by Captain Picard because of his position as first officer; Picard states he always addresses his first officers that way. On Star Trek: Discovery, Commander Michael Burnham is referred to as 'Number One' by Captain Georgiou. Series creator Bryan Fuller originally intended to call the character only Number One in honor of Majel Barrett's character, but the name Burnham was revealed in the first episode. In Star Trek: Picard, retired Admiral Picard owns a Cane Corso dog named 'Number One.' The character was first referred to as 'Una' in the non-canonical 2016 novel trilogy Star Trek: Legacies, published for the original series's 50th anniversary; authors gave her a first name because of her central role. The name became canon with its use in Star Trek: Discovery's second-season finale.

Reception

Barrett's role as Number One led to her casting as Nurse Chapel in the original series. Footage from 'The Cage' was incorporated into the 1966 episode 'The Menagerie,' which Space.com ranked the third best episode of all Star Trek television in 2017. 'The Cage' was supplied to NBC in 1965 but not released on VHS until 1986 or broadcast until 1988. In 2016, Wired ranked Number One the 57th most important Starfleet character out of 100. In 2017, CBR ranked her the ninth 'fiercest' female character of the Star Trek universe. Rebecca Romijn was cast as Number One for Discovery season 2 in 2018, saying she was 'honored to play such an iconic character.' Her performance received positive reception, leading to her return for Short Treks and as a main character on Strange New Worlds.