Number One (Rebecca Romijn) returns to the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, but it's not necessarily because of the events of Star Trek's original pilot, "The Cage." Starfleet arrested Lt. Commander Una Chin-Riley in the SNW season 1 finale, but the trailer for Strange New Worlds season 2 revealed that she's back aboard the USS Enterprise. While audiences could have easily assumed that Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) would be able to free his second-in-command from prison, it's still surprising that Una's freedom has already been revealed ahead of the season 2 premiere.
Interviewed about Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 in the latest issue of SFX Magazine, showrunner Akiva Goldsman spoke about why Una's fate was revealed in the trailer. However, Goldsman's explanation may not tally with the established continuity for the character of Number One and her service aboard the USS Enterprise. In response to Una's appearance in the SNW season 2 trailer, Goldsman said (via SlashFilm) that "We all know that Number One is on Pike's Enterprise for 'The Cage', right?" which perhaps hints that "The Cage" happens after Strange New Worlds. While Number One is indeed on Pike's Enterprise during "The Cage", there may be confusion to clear up about Una's Star Trek timeline.
Number One's Strange New Worlds And Star Trek Timeline
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 takes place six years after the USS Enterprise's first visit to Talos IV in "The Cage," meaning that Number One's presence on the bridge during "The Cage" is before the character's appearances in Star Trek: Discovery season 2 and Strange New Worlds. In an effort to understand what was happening to her brother Spock (Ethan Peck), Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) visited the planet Talos IV in Star Trek: Discovery season 2. This established that the events of "The Cage" had happened in 2254, three years before Spock's disappearance in Discovery. However, Strange New Worlds season 2 could delve deeper into Una's backstory as a genetically engineered Illyrian, and perhaps "The Cage" factors into Number One's history in a previously unknown way.
In SFX, Akiva Goldsman also intriguingly spoke about Strange New Worlds being bound by and how the series addresses Star Trek canon: "We will body check canon when we need to, and we have. We've moved some folks around in of timelines, we put some folks together who aren't necessarily canonically together at the same time, we pull some things forward because ultimately story wins." Goldsman referenced Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) being part of Pike's Enterprise crew, which hadn't been established in prior canon, but this also could hint that Strange New Worlds may toy with past events and possibly create shifts in what fans believe is established canon. Perhaps the events of "The Cage," including when it happened, may be reassessed by Strange New Worlds season 2.
Strange New Worlds Sets Up Big TOS Events
Rather than leave everyone where they were for "The Cage", Star Trek: Strange New Worlds charts the crew's adventures from Talos IV to the arrival of Kirk in Star Trek: The Original Series. SNW season 2 will continue to explore the rise of Lieutenant James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley), following Pike taking an interest in the young officer in SNW's season 1 finale. Pike's foreknowledge of his tragic accident and the importance of the Kirk and Spock dynamic will presumably drive SNW's setup for big TOS events. Star Trek canon has already established that Pike leaves the Enterprise to become Fleet Captain before the tragic accident that he spent SNW season 1 trying to avoid.
Therefore, the other big Star Trek plot point left to explore by Strange New Worlds is Number One's eventual departure from the Enterprise. Viewers know that Una Chin-Riley isn't Kirk's Number One in Star Trek: The Original Series so it will be interesting to see where she turns up. The most likely outcome is that, after being exonerated in the season 2 premiere, Una will eventually prove herself worthy of her own command in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds eventual series finale. Una's departure from the USS Enterprise for a new starship could also see Captain Chin-Riley promote Lieutenant La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) to become her Number One.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 premieres Thursday, June 15 on Paramount+.