Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Episode 4 - "Memento Mori"
Number One AKA Lt. Commander Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn) is known as Starfleet's best First Officer but Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount). But even though La'an is the Enterprise's Security Chief, she has been called upon twice to serve as acting First Officer and Noonien Singh has proven she has what it takes to be a Number One.
Although the original Star Trek pilot, "The Cage," was rejected by NBC, Number One (Majel Barrett) holds the distinction of being the franchise's original First Officer, and a female one, at that, which as too revolutionary for the network in the 1960s. Rebooted for Star Trek: Discovery season 2 and now played by Rebecca Romijn, Number One only made a few appearances but her limited screen time, as well as starring in the Short Trek "Q&A" with Spock (Ethan Peck), conveyed what a high caliber of First Officer she is. Strange New Worlds is now a showcase for Number One's skills. Una showed her mettle in Strange New Worlds episode 3, "Ghosts of Illyria" when she ably commanded the Enterprise through a light contagion crisis while Captain Pike and Spock were trapped on a planet's surface. Pike reaffirmed Una's status as the best First Officer in Starfleet in "Ghosts of Illyria."
However, twice in Strange New Worlds' first four episodes, La'an Noonien Singh has stepped up and successfully replaced Una as the Enterprise's First Officer. In Strange New Worlds' premiere episode, La'an became acting Number One on the mission to rescue Una from Kiley 279. Lt. Noonien Singh displayed her ingenuity when she, Pike, and Spock were genetically altered to look like aliens and infiltrated the planet incognito. Even more impressively, La'an rose to the occasion once more in Strange New Worlds episode 4, "Memento Mori," when the Gorn attacked the Enterprise. Una was seriously injured and incapacitated so La'an was called up once more, and it was Noonien Singh's knowledge of Gorn tactics that helped her starship survive. La'an even had to push past her childhood trauma of being abducted by the Gorn and she was invaluable to Captain Pike, who masterminded the Enterprise's daring escape from a black hole and a Gorn ship.
La'an without a doubt proved her ability to be a Number One against the Gorn. She synced up perfectly with Pike during an incredibly difficult scenario and wisely advised her Captain on how to engage their unseen reptilian enemies. La'an cleverly used the Gorn's own prejudices against them and tricked the Gorn mothership into destroying its own ship. Crucially, La'an stood behind Pike's plan to use the slingshot effect to free the Enterprise from the black hole's gravity, and she reassured the crew that the starship would hold and the Captain's gamble would pay off. As Number One's life-threatening wounds were being looked after by Dr. M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) and Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush), La'an smoothly stepped in as First Officer and was key in guiding the Enterprise out of the crisis.
Although she freely its that other people are challenging for her, La'an has definitely shown she is capable of command. Lt. Noonien Singh doesn't shirk responsibility, always stays level-headed, and provides the Captain with smart, no-nonsense counsel. As a brand new character to Star Trek, La'an's future is an open book but judging from how she has performed on Strange New Worlds already, it's easy to see that La'an could potentially become a fine Number One like her friend and mentor, Una. Strange New Worlds has incapacitated Number One in two episodes so that La'an could step up and prove herself, but "Ghosts of Illyria" is all the proof needed that Una's reputation as the best Number One is deserved. Yet La'an, the student, may yet one day sur the master, Una, as Number One in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds if Lt. Noonien Singh ever decides to trade a gold command uniform for her current red one.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streams Thursdays on Paramount+.