We’re over halfway through our articles exploring the significant characters of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. And who better to discuss next but the no-nonsense La’an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong)! The show has revealed much about her past, and we’ve seen her character develop in the last two seasons. Read on for a summary of La’an’s story as we warp ever closer to Strange New Worlds Season Three!
Making an Entrance
We first encounter La’an Noonien-Singh in season one’s first episode, ‘Strange New Worlds’. Captain Pike (Anson Mount) assumed Spock (Ethan Peck) would be standing in for his first officer for this first mission back at the helm. So it came as a surprise to discover that Starfleet had assigned him a new Number One, albeit temporarily. Enter La’an, who quickly makes an impression on the bridge by making herself heard and disagreeing with Spock. Turns out Spock was wrong (doesn’t happen often!), which quickly establishes La’an as a competent bridge officer.
However, some mysteries surrounding the Enterprise’s new security chief are also established in this first episode. During our first visit to sick bay, La’an and Doctor M’Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) exchange an odd greeting. They run a finger underneath their eye, making it clear they know each other. Pike puts this down to M’Benga certifying La’an for duty, but this mysterious welcome suggests something more.
Then there’s her surname, recognisable by many fans of The Original Series show and movies. Could La’an really be related to the infamous augment, Khan? Well, yes, she is, although she shares none of his super-human abilities. She’s skilled in her own way, though, bringing an intellect and combat skills critical to her new security role.
For the Love of Kirk
Initial impressions of La’an Noonien-Singh are similar to those of Una Chin-Reily (Rebecca Romijn). She is dedicated, takes her job seriously, and keeps her personal life very much to herself. But finally, La’an opens up in season two’s ‘Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow’. A series of events lands her on twenty-first-century Earth with an alternate reality version of James Kirk (Paul Wesley). Initially, there’s a friction between the two as they establish their setting, plan, and how to best work together. It’s not long before they realise they have feelings for each other, which end in tragedy when Kirk is killed.
La’an is successful in restoring her timeline, and the Kirk we know is still very much alive. But due to the temporal Prime Directive, she cannot tell him anything about what happened. She’s left to grieve alone, unsupported, and regularly reminded that a version of Kirk lives on. This is because Kirk has been a recurring character across the series so far, visiting the ship for a variety of reasons.
However, there is another important part of this episode that ties directly to La’an. In a shocking twist, we discover that to restore her timeline, she must protect an ancestor. Yes, the infamous, afore-mentioned, augmented, genocidal super-human we all know as Khan.
Here we see him as a defenceless child, and La’an is faced with a difficult choice. Kill him to prevent the augment wars, or save him to save her present, knowing the atrocities he would play a part in. This truly tests her character and resolve, and she doesn’t disappoint with her decision!
The Gorn Connection
We’ve established that La’an Noonien-Singh isn’t without her ghosts. Khan is undoubtedly one of them. She also has strong, hostile feelings towards the Gorn, describing them as “monsters” in the season one episode ‘Momento Mori’. We learn that she was captured by the Gorn as a child and taken to one of their breeding planets. She managed to escape with the help of her brother, who sacrificed himself so she could survive.
The knowledge La’an gained from her traumatic experience as a child becomes crucial to the Enterprise crew’s survival. They encounter the Gorn multiple times through seasons one and two, most recently during the season two finale and cliffhanger ‘Hegemony’.
Ironically, the climax of this episode sees La’an captured once again by the Gorn. This time, alongside some of her Enterprise crewmates and the colonists they had been sent to rescue. There’s no doubt her prior experience with the Gorn will once again become vital to their survival. But will she be able to pull off a daring escape once more, or will the Gorn have learned from their prior mistakes?
Set Phasers to Stun!
La’an Noonien-Singh has been a great addition to the Enterprise crew from the start of Strange New Worlds. Her multi-layered character and interesting backstory have significantly contributed to and advanced the narrative of the show. I could say her fate has been left uncertain with season two’s cliffhanger. But the eagle-eyed amongst you will know if that’s the case from the season three trailers. That said, it will be interesting to see how La’an’s story continues to unfold in the coming series!
And we won’t have long to find out! Star Trek: Strange New Worlds returns to our screens on July 17th on Paramount Plus!
More From Trek Central
- 🚨EXCLUSIVE – NEW Star Trek Series In-Development
- 🔥Will Wheaton talks Star Trek Prodigy & New Podcast Adventure
- 🖖Review: Star Trek Adventures 2E Technical Manual
Join the Star Trek conversation via our social media platforms:
- Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TrekCentral
- Instagram – https://instagram.com/TrekCentral
- Twitter – https://twitter.com/TheTrekCentral
- YouTube – https://youtube.com/TheTrekCentral
- Mastodon – https://mastodon.social/@[email protected]
- Discord – https://discord.gg/fF2heMbfW8
