Inside Rebecca Romijn’s journey as Una in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Rebecca Romijn is ready once again to boldly go where she’s never gone before as Number One, aka Una Chin-Riley, in Season 3 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. As the series heads into its latest season with Season 4 already in the works, Romijn opened up about what fans can expect. She discusses how her character has evolved, and what it’s really like stepping onto the iconic bridge of the Enterprise.
Una Steps Into the Captain’s Chair
Season 3 wastes no time putting Una in situations that push her leadership skills to the forefront. She’s now trusted with stepping in for Captain Pike multiple times. Fans are given a glimpse of what kind of captain she could be if the moment came. “In Season 3, Una is now placed in, there are several times where she has to take over for Pike,” Romijn says.
“We get to see who Una would be as captain, potentially how Una would take over as in command, and how she would deal with a crew member who’s insubordinate. So it was fun to explore that and to see what kind of captain Una could possibly be. I think Una has always been very connected with her crew. She prides herself on that. But we also see a more stern side of her when it comes to insubordination.”
The role is a dream for any actor.
However, it comes with the added weight of honoring the legacy of a character created over six decades ago. “Not only that, add to the fact that I’m playing a character that was created 60 years ago by Majel Barrett Roddenberry and never got to get fleshed out,” Romijn explains.
“So there’s this added pressure of fleshing out this character, which has been really fun to explore and to create, and we now know so much more about her. But the pressure of getting that right on top of all the other things that we have to attempt to get right, yeah, we feel the pressure. We also feel the support. We really enjoy the support of the Trekkies and the fandom. We listen to them, they make requests, and give us notes and comments. Some we take to heart, some we don’t, but we’re very proud of this show, and we feel the love when we meet the fans of the franchise in person.”
Part of what makes Strange New Worlds stand out is its ability to hop from one genre to another.
Romijn says Season 3 keeps that playful spirit alive. “Season 3, we continue to play with genre and jump from one genre to another,” she says. “We really didn’t think we could outdo ourselves after Season 2, but Season 3 is so strong. We continue to jump from horror into straight-up comedy into another genre that I can’t mention. But here we are at the end of Season 4, we’re just about to wrap up. Season 4, and I have to say it might be my favorite season yet. There’s so much to look forward to, and we don’t know how the writers come up with their ideas, but they keep thinking way outside the box, and it’s really fun as an actor to try and tackle it every time.”
The Bond With Pike and the Crew
A big part of Una’s journey this season is her friendship with Captain Pike, which fans have loved watching grow. Romijn says that connection has deep roots. “Never romantic! I would say very good old, old friends. We imagine, and we don’t know because it’s never been fleshed out for us, so we decided between the two of us that we were probably at Starfleet Academy together and knew each other since way back when and have always admired each other and trust each other deeply,” she says. “In fact, every time Jonathan Frakes comes to direct, whenever we have a Pike and Una scene, he starts every time, he goes, ‘Old friends.’ He always starts with that.”
That bond is a big reason they work so well together, the perfect mom-and-dad duo for the Enterprise crew. “I imagine that their friendship goes back so far because they share the same values,” Romijn says. “I imagine that they have always admired each other’s adherence to protocol and commitment to Starfleet. They have the same value system, which is, I think, why they work so well together and why they admire each other so much as friends.”
What to Expect
Fans can expect to see Una tackle more complicated dynamics with her crew as well, especially when insubordination comes into play. Romijn says it’s just part of the job now. “I would say business as usual. We know what our roles are. At this point, hopefully, I’ve been playing this character for close to seven years now. So I think we’re able to slip comfortably into these roles, and we’ve taken ownership of them. Obviously, our dynamics between our characters are completely different from our dynamics in real life. We’re a very tight-knit cast. And it’s fun to suss out these relationships that are scripted for us.”
The Role of Hair and Makeup
The star also revealed that working with the hair, makeup, and costume departments plays a big role in bringing Una to life. “It’s really fun and I’m grateful for the amount of freedom and trust that our producers put in me and our wonderful, talented hair and makeup departments to play within the realm of our show,” she says. “I really try to consider the retro side of the Enterprise and embrace the fact that the original series was filmed in the late ‘60s. I try to keep a little bit of that nostalgia in with Una and the choices we make for the look of the character.”
When asked which classic Trek character she’d love to see brought back, Romijn doesn’t hesitate. “Khan. Definitely Khan.”
Playing Lucille Ball and Embracing the Legacy
She even teased some unique moments ahead. She spoke about one of her favorites and most challenging, playing a version of Lucille Ball in a holodeck episode. “To be asked to play a version of Lucille Ball is like a dream come true and also super, super challenging and scary but really fun,” she says.
Through it all, Romijn says she tries to lead by example, just like Una. “I like to think of myself as a good girl. My mother raised me right, and I support the tenets that hold up society. I don’t believe in stealing. I believe in the basic rules that we all must follow to keep civilization civilized. So yeah, I would say that I am, I follow the rules. I’m really not much of a rule breaker. I adhere to protocol much like Una does. There’s a lot I do have in common with Una, actually.”
The Star Trek legacy means everything.
“It’s really the most out-of-body experience I’ve had so far was the first time I walked onto the set of the bridge of the Enterprise,” Romijn says. “It was really like, it was really one of the most ‘pinch me’ moments I’ve ever experienced in my life because the set itself is 360 degrees, including the ceiling, and you feel like you are in Star Trek. Also, it’s the bridge of the Enterprise, that’s what I grew up watching as a child, so to step on it and realize that’s where I get to work now was really one of the greatest moments of my life.”
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 premieres with two episodes on Thursday, July 17, on Paramount+. New episodes will roll out every Thursday through September 11. The final frontier just keeps getting bigger, and Romijn’s Una is more than ready to lead the charge.
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Sean Tajipour
Sean Tajipour is the Founder and Editor of Nerdtropolis and the host of the Moviegoers Society and Reel Insights Podcast. He is also a member of the Critics Choice Association. You can follow on Twitter and Instagram @Seantaj.
