nubian singh star trek

Why La'an Noonien-Singh From Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Looks So Familiar

La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) has a last name that tends to get her in some hot water in the Federation. This is because she is a relative of Khan Noonien-Singh (Ricardo Montalban), a genetically altered human being who, at one point, controlled over a quarter of the surface of Earth during the Eugenics War. He is eventually stopped, but the last name of Noonien-Singh carries some pretty serious stigma. That doesn't stop Captain Christoper Pike (Anson Mount) from trusting her in her capacity as Chief of Security for the USS Enterprise in "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds." 

La'an has a rather serious demeanor and cold personality that tends to keep most people away, though that's not an issue holding back her friendship with Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn), another crew member on the Enterprise that tends to carry an aura of mystery. However, this is far from Chong's first role as an actor, and she actually has had a varied and diverse career up to this point. Where exactly have we seen her before?

Chong appears as a stewardess in Johnny English Reborn

Perhaps one of the first times people may remember seeing Christina Chong is in the 2011 film, "Johnny English Reborn." This particular movie is a spoof on "James Bond"-style spy thrillers and stars Rowan Atkinson, Rosamund Pike, Dominic West, Roger Barclay, and Eric Carte (via IMDb ). Atkinson played the titular character of Johnny English, a bumbling spy who manages to stumble his way through dangerous and unpredictable situations.

In "Johnny English Reborn," Chong portrayed a minor character named Barbara. Although not connected to anything in the high-stakes world of spy games, Barbara is a stewardess on an international flight that sees her serve Johnny a glass of champagne, and the legendary spy attempts to flirt with her. Although she only made a brief appearance in "Johnny English Reborn," the role helped Chong get some notoriety, and she went on to star in bigger and more important roles.

Chong is a specialized doctor in the short-lived British series Monroe

The next big adventure for Chong was in the short-lived British medical drama, "Monroe." Running from 2011 to 2012, "Monroe" is about a brilliant neurosurgeon, and it starred James Nesbitt, Tom Riley, Sarah Parish, Luke Allen-Gale, and Susan Lynch (via IMDb ). Chong played the character of Sarah Witney, who appeared in all 12 episodes of the show. Inspired by television series like "House," writer Peter Bowker told The Guardian in 2010 , "It may be foolish to compare the two but with neurologists, as with House, there is this very intense 10 days when you work with them on a case and then you say goodbye – it is really quite fascinating and will hopefully make great drama."

Chong's character of Witney is subordinate to Dr. Bremner (Parish) and is a cardio-thoracic registrar on the show, which is a specialized doctor in the British National Health Service that focuses on the heart, lungs, and other organs of the chest. According to Broadcast , the show was eventually canceled due to low ratings, but that certainly didn't slow Chong's career down.

Chong is a CIA operative in 24: Live Another Day

Casting aside her stewardess and doctor's uniforms, Christina Chong lent her talents to the television miniseries "24: Live Another Day" in 2014. This series is a direct and limited sequel to the popular series "24," and it starred Kiefer Sutherland, Yvonne Strahovski, Tate Donovan, Mary Lynn Rajskub, William Devane, and Kim Raver (via IMDb ). "24: Live Another Day" picks up with Jack Bauer (Sutherland) in exile, and immediately casts the character into a vast global conspiracy involving drones, China, Russia, and the U.S. president.

Chong played Mariana, a CIA operative tasked with mostly administrative work. Appearing in five episodes, Mariana is important because she works at the London office of the CIA and helps maintain the flow of information between agents and the section chief. She even interacts with Bauer as he interrogates a suspect. In the last episode Mariana appears in, Bauer sets off an explosion to act as a diversion, but Mariana remains unharmed. 

Chong helps fill in the story between Halo 4 and Halo 5 in Halo: Nightfall

Utilizing her previous acting experience as government agents, Christina Chong's next notable role was in the limited series "Halo: Nightfall." Based on the hit video game series and created with the help of Ridley Scott's production company, the five-episode "Halo: Nightfall" series starred Steven Waddington, Mike Colter, Christian Contreras, Alex Bhat, and Luke Neal (via IMDb ). "Halo: Nightfall" is about a far-flung human colony that is exposed to an incredibly virulent biological agent. Its storyline helps connect the stories of the video games "Halo 4" and "Halo 5."

Chong played Talitha Macer, who is part of the Sedran Colonial Guard, and appeared in every episode of "Halo: Nightfall." Speaking with the Evening Standard about her role on the show and how it was the most intense thing she had done up to that point, Chong stated, "We were shooting in Iceland and Belfast. It was minus 40 in Iceland but we had to pretend it was 50 degrees as we ran over ragged rocks in the rain." 

Having played a stewardess, doctor, government agent, and soldier, Chong definitely has what it takes to be the USS Enterprise's Chief of Security.

Screen Rant

Star trek’s khan noonien singh strange new worlds & tos history explained.

Khan Noonien Singh is the greatest enemy Kirk's Enterprise ever faced in Star Trek: The Original Series, and Strange New Worlds seeds his return.

WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, season 2, episode 2, "Ad Astra per Aspera." Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has added new layers to the history of Star Trek: The Original Series' genetically enhanced tyrant Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban) proving that the character still has a lasting influence on Star Trek decades after his first appearance. In "Ad Astra per Aspera" Number One (Rebecca Romijn) was put on trial for concealing the truth about her own genetic enhancements. The court case exposed the considerable prejudice that Starfleet had towards so-called Augments, rooted in their fear of the emergence of another Khan Noonien-Singh.

The shadow of Khan hovered over the proceedings in the court, as the reality of the Federation's ban on genetic enhancements became clear. In seeking to avoid the creation of another brutal warlord, Starfleet are revealed to be unwittingly condoning the persecution of species like the Illyrians, for whom genetic engineering is a part of their culture. Una's trial in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds revealed that, long after his self-imposed exile, Khan continued to assert his influence. Khan's return 8 years after Una's trial will surely only exacerbate progress in the fight against the Federation's augment ban.

RELATED: What “Ad Astra Per Aspera” Means In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Who Is Khan Noonien Singh In Star Trek

Khan Noonien Singh was one of several genetically enhanced humans who outgrew their creators to become rulers of more than forty nations on Earth. Star Trek has never confirmed for certain whether Khan was the product of selective breeding or was instead genetically engineered at a young age. Star Trek: Picard teased Project Khan , which implied that Khan was definitely created, although no further details have since been given. Khan had superior physical strength and intellect to his fellow humans and this superiority bred an ambition for world dominance in Khan and his fellow Augments.

Khan was the most prominent superhuman and ruled over a quarter of the Earth's population. Although he was described as a benevolent dictator, Khan disapproved of individuality, which stunted the financial and scientific growth of his region. Not satisfied to simply rule over their own territories, the Augments began warring with each other, leading to the devastating Eugenics Wars. Khan and 84 of his most loyal followers escaped the conflict aboard the SS Botany Bay, bound for space but without direction. They would continue to float through space for centuries until they were discovered in 2267.

What Happened When Kirk Woke Up Khan In Star Trek: TOS

In the classic Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Space Seed", the USS Enterprise discovered the SS Botany Bay adrift in space, and Captain James T Kirk (William Shatner) woke Khan from cryogenic sleep. When Kirk and Lt. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) realized that they'd awoken a notorious tyrant, they confined Khan to quarters. However, Khan's attempted takeover of Captain Kirk's Enterprise had already begun in earnest. Khan read up on the history he'd missed and he seduced Lt. Marla McGivers (Madlyn Rhue) so that she would assist his escape. With Marla's help, Khan awoke his followers and then staged a hijacking of the Enterprise, intending to use the Federation flagship to conquer a nearby colony.

Kirk and the crew fought back, with the help of a guilty McGivers. With his dreams of conquest shattered Khan attempted to destroy the USS Enterprise by overloading the warp core, but he was foiled by Kirk. Left with the problem of how to deal with the tyrant, Kirk offered Khan the chance to " rule in hell " by taming the hostile world of Ceti Alpha V and setting up a colony there with his followers and Marla. Khan accepted Kirk's challenge, but life on Ceti Alpha V would prove to be arduous even for a genetically enhanced superman.

What Happened In Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan

In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , the USS Reliant discovered Khan and his followers on what they believed to be the barren and uninhabited Ceti Alpha VI. However, the sixth planet in the system hadactually been destroyed six months after Khan and his followers were exiled to Ceti Alpha V, causing widespread ecological devastation. Khan was able to keep his followers alive, but it was hard, and he lost his wife in the process. Khan rightly hated Kirk , as neither he nor Starfleet checked in on the colony in the 15 years since they were exiled there. Presented with a Starfleet vessel, Khan hijacked the Reliant and cruelly abandoned the majority of its crew on Ceti Alpha V.

Khan then set out to steal the Genesis Device and lure Admiral James T Kirk into a final battle, luring the USS Enterprise to Regula and eventually trapping him underground. Khan felt this was a suitable punishment as he had marooned Kirk " for all eternity at the center of a dead planet. Buried alive… buried alive. " Kirk wasn't buried alive for long, and was soon back aboard the Enterprise, pursuing Khan and the stolen Genesis Device. Once again, Khan resorted to the nuclear option by intending to detonate the Genesis Device inside the Mutara Nebula, which would destroy both the Reliant and the Enterprise. Thanks to the heroic sacrifice of Spock, the Enterprise escaped the explosion, which claimed the life of Khan and his Augment supporters.

How Is Khan Related To Strange New Worlds’ La’an Noonien-Singh?

Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) is a descendant of Khan, presumably via a son or daughter that he had left behind on Earth. It's clear from "Space Seed" that the Eugenics War had torn the world apart, likely making it difficult for Khan to locate his family members before leaving on the SS Botany Bay. Beyond La'an's parents Ronu and Sa'an, and her brother Manu, not much is known about the Noonien-Singh family tree in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . Tragically, La'an no longer has any family following her ordeal on the Gorn breeding planet, which makes her Khan's only known living descendant at this stage in Star Trek 's 23rd century.

Prior to her ordeal at the hands of the Gorn, La'an's childhood was difficult because of her family name, leading to playground taunts from the other children. It was confirmed in "Ad Astra per Aspera" that La'an inherited Khan's enhancements , leading her to worry about one day becoming as dangerous as her ancestor. La'an's heritage briefly put her at odds with her mentor, Commander Una Chin-Riley after she disclosed that she too was genetically enhanced. La'an's super strength and analytical mind will make her a valuable asset in the Federation's potential war with the Gorn Hegemony.

RELATED: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Sets Up A Star Trek Canon-Breaking Gorn War

Why Does The Federation Always Fear Khan In Every Star Trek Era?

Khan Noonien Singh casts a long shadow across Federation history, from Star Trek: The Original Series to Star Trek: Prodigy . Starfleet's fear of the rise of another Khan has stood in the way of the careers of budding cadet Dal R'El (Brett Gray) and has almost ended the careers of Number One in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . That fear is well-placed given the chaos that was unleashed when Khan was awoken in the 23rd century, prompting the elderly Spock to observe that the Augment was the most dangerous threat the Enterprise crew ever faced.

A good example of why Khan is still so feared is what happened when the Kelvin Timeline's Admiral Alexander Marcus (Peter Weller) discovered the SS Botany Bay in Star Trek Into Darkness . As a member of Section 31, Khan Noonien Singh (Benedict Cumberbatch) strategized a military offensive to considerably weaken the Klingon Empire, while also contributing to the construction of the new Dreadnought-class warships overseen by Marcus. Khan's super strength, his sense of superiority and his ability to single-handedly strategize a full-scale military campaign is what makes the idea of another Augment like him so terrifying across every Star Trek era and timeline.

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‘star trek: strange new worlds’ star christina chong discusses her heartbreaking childhood connection to la’an noonien-singh.

In a revealing chat with THR, Chong discussed turning pain into strength and using all those emotions to better capture and understand the complexities of her character.

By Ryan Parker

Ryan Parker

Former Senior Reporter

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[Warning: This story contains spoilers for the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode “Memento Mori.”] 

Christina Chong instantly understood her Star Trek: Strange New Worlds character, La’an Noonien-Singh. It was a heartbreaking realization.

With an English mother and Chinese father, the actress was brutally teased in her youth because of her ethnicity. Mostly, it was the last name that made her an easy target for the spewed venom, she explains to The Hollywood Reporter.

La’an, the Enterprise’s newly assigned chief of security, faced similar struggles in her youth as a descendant of the Augment tyrant Khan Noonien-Singh (Ricardo Montalban). She is tormented and ridiculed, and thus as an adult struggles with self-acceptance and building personal relationships. Bottom line: She has some serious walls.

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But in Thursday’s episode, “Memento Mori,” La’an begins to soften as some complicated layers are peeled back while she faces her greatest fear, in arguably the most intense and emotional chapter yet in the new Paramount+ series.

In her chat with THR , Chong discussed turning pain into strength and using all those emotions to better capture the complexities of La’an, all the while developing a new appreciation for the lessons of Star Trek .

We are finally getting to see what a deep and complex person La’an truly is. Between feeling like an outcast for being Noonien-Singh to a horrifying Gorn survival backstory, can you talk about developing her character’s composition?

What I connected to was being judged for who you are and your name. Although my mom is English, my dad is Chinese. And I don’t necessarily look English, and I don’t necessarily look Chinese, but my name is Chong. And throughout my childhood, that brought on bullying and racism. The whole journey of both being judged, having that stigma attached to a name and who you are, was easily translatable and easy to personalize.

How awful you connected to La’an for such a horrible reason.

I had this deep kind of feeling of being ashamed growing up. I remember being at school and if my mom would say, “Your dad is picking you up tonight,” fear would set in because I thought, “If Dad comes to pick me up, everyone will be reminded I’m part Chinese, and the next day the bullying is going to be even worse.” I felt that shame, and I never really wanted to be seen around my dad because of that. I remember this one time walking through the playground to the car and people pulling their eyes in front of my dad.

It was only really when I was about 14, and I went to a performing arts school where everyone was from a different background, that for the first time I felt accepted for who I was. They all were talented, and they all wanted the same thing. And that’s parallel to the crew on the Enterprise. La’an comes onto the Enterprise, and they accept her for who she is. It’s been an incredible journey, how Star Trek has enabled me to use my experience and put that into her. Timing-wise, it all sort of clicked.

In addition to the deep, emotional connection, did you realize right away the strong, classic Star Trek threads in her DNA via Khan and the Gorn?

I had to do a lot of research. There was a two-week quarantine period where I just completely blitzed The Original Series and Discovery . I didn’t really know anything when I’d been given this role. I accepted the job obviously knowing that it’s a huge franchise, and when they told me about Khan, I was just like. “Wow, this is an amazing character arc!” And it’s crazy that you get to know so much about her in such a short period of time, especially in episode four. You get a full history of what she’s been through and understand why she’s so guarded.

On top of all those layers, it seems to me she is plagued with serious survivor’s guilt over the Gorn massacre, which is making her even more closed off to any personal connections. Am I on the right track?

You’ve nailed it on the head. It’s the fibers of guilt, but it’s also accepting her personal loss. The Enterprise crew is her new family. In a way, she’s taken her role as security chief to protect her new family. I think why she’s holding herself back is for her, if you love somebody, they then get killed. So, it’s better to remain guarded, keep that distance. But then when she is faced with her biggest fear, her walls do start to come down. And I think she really starts to realize she’s got to take these risks if she wants to really live. She has to start opening up and connecting and letting people in. She’s still got a long way to go, and that’s her main journey throughout the season.

Backtracking for a moment, that was an intense fight between La’an and Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn) in episode three. Tell me about training for that moment.

A lot of rehearsal went into that because we didn’t film the fight when we filmed the episode. That was filmed later as a pickup day, so we had a lot of time to rehearse. But it’s funny, every time we came into the rehearsal room, it would change. So it was like, that fight you learned last week, it’s now this. That happened about five or six times because of things still working out, like the set and different ideas. We did do a lot of it ourselves, but I have to say that the credit goes to our stunt doubles. We did do a lot, but those tricky big throws and lands — all them.

And lastly, I would love to hear what the show has come to mean for you. In my previous cast interviews, I was told the bonds and friendships became strong instantly. Accurate for you, too?

I had no expectations for this show coming in because I had no real knowledge of how Star Trek was loved because if you don’t watch, you don’t understand. For me, coming in, it’s been such a huge gift to slowly unravel. The cast is incredible. We all bring something unique. I love that we all have different personalities, which somehow, weirdly gel on- and off-set. But the biggest revelation for me, on a personal level, was the message that Strange New Worlds continues to pass on of hope, diversity and inclusion.

Interview edited for length and clarity. 

New episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds stream Thursdays on Paramount+.

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Den of Geek

Christina Chong’s La’an Noonien-Singh Is Rewriting Star Trek History for the Better

Exclusive: Strange New Worlds star Christina Chong breaks down La’an’s trip to an alternate timeline, reckoning with her last name, and her relationship with Captain Kirk.

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This Star Trek: Strange New Worlds article contains spoilers.

The fact that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds features a character with the last name Noonien-Singh meant that we would eventually get an episode like “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow,” an hour that finally attempts to address the long-tail impact and trauma of growing up in the shadow of Khan’s bloody legacy. But, like so many other aspects of this show, the series found an unexpected way to explore this story—one that doesn’t rely solely on nostalgia to carry its plot but rather uses familiar elements to find something new to say about its characters and the larger world they inhabit.

To be fair, security officer La’an Noonien-Singh has absolutely been through it over the course of her life so far—heck, even just over the course of this series’ 13 episodes to date!—and it’s hard to know whether surviving a Gorn attack or being related to an infamous mass murderer has caused her more long-lasting distress. But “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” manages to center her emotional and psychological journey in a way that doesn’t feel exploitive, and offers some timely lessons on historical prejudice and its impact along the way.

“It’s something I’ve struggled with my entire life—being of Chinese descent and feeling ashamed of that because I was bullied for it,” Christina Chong, who plays La’an, tells Den of Geek when asked about her character’s complex relationship with her own past. “It’s not all of me, I’m also English, but it’s been there. And very much so as a child, I always felt ashamed of being Chinese, pushing it away and not wanting to embrace my culture and heritage. The almost…personalization of [La’an’s story] felt very linear to me.”

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“Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” isn’t the first time we’ve seen Strange New Worlds confront the issue of La’an’s heritage. She struggled with her own anger over the revelation that Una—her mentor and confidant—was secretly a genetically modified Illyrian and more than one person over the course of the series’ run has raised their eyebrows at the mere mention of her last name, quietly judging her for a connection that’s little more than an accident of birth. Season 2 is the first time we’ve ever actually seen anyone—namely, Una’s Illyrian lawyer Neera—really sit down and actually spell out to La’an that she’s more than who she’s related to. 

“I never told my parents I was bullied as a kid. I kept it inside,” Chong says. “And it actually takes people around you to accept you for who you are—or it did for me anyway—people who go ‘You’re amazing, how great that you’re from a Chinese background.’ You realize those other people were wrong, and it’s all just ignorance, racism, all those things… you start to realize it wasn’t something to be ashamed of.”

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Episode 3 Easter Eggs Just Changed Khan Canon

La’an’s complicated relationship with her family identity—as well as the Gorn attack that defined her childhood—means that her seemingly tough exterior masks a damaged and emotional core. And the tension that exists between these two aspects of herself is something that Chong says is particularly appealing as a performer.

“Playing her vulnerability against that badass kind of ‘I don’t need anybody’ energy is a push and pull that’s very interesting,” she explains. “It’s not just ‘Hey I’m here and I’m great,’ it’s not one note. People who are so standoffish, they’re the ones who need a big hug. And having that deep trauma, that deep vulnerability at her core, that can come out when needed. It gives me more to play with as an actor. “ 

In the season 2 episode “Ad Astra Per Aspera,” Neera tells La’an that her genetics are not her destiny, a lesson that we see play out in “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” when she’s given a chance to change the timeline by killing Khan before he ever grows up to cause her (and humanity) so much pain. But when push comes to shove, she can’t bring herself to harm a child, and that’s what ultimately makes her different than the man she shares a surname with.

“In that moment, looking into that boy’s eyes…he’s just a kid, he’s innocent,” Chong explains. “Things didn’t turn out well for Little Khan . [But] he wasn’t born like that. She’s not Khan—she can’t kill him. She has to save his life.”

That realization—that she can choose her own path and decide what kind of person she’s going to become without being beholden to her own genetics—is an important emotional catalyst that, in some ways, helps La’an make a sort of peace with herself she hasn’t managed to achieve before. 

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“That moment [when she declares herself as much a part of Khan’s legacy as his genocide and torture] really helps her,” Chong explains. “That’s when she [realizes] ‘No, I’m not going to do this.’ And that acceptance is going to help her grow and move on throughout the rest of the season.”

According to Chong, it’s James Kirk’s (from an alternate timeline) lack of reaction to her last name in “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” that finally helps her begin to let go of the identity others insist she wear.

“Kirk doesn’t judge her for who she is. He says ‘Who? Noonien who?’ He doesn’t know that she’s related to Khan,” she says. “Part of La’an’s journey [in this episode] is letting her guard down with him and having that connection and love develop despite where she’s from. That culminates in her accepting [herself] too.”

Despite an adversarial introduction, the two quickly form an intense, surprisingly charming bond as they explore the delights of life on mid-twenty-first-century Earth. 

“I think they both felt they could be their full selves with each other,” Chong says. “The adventure that brings them together, all the things they go through, it just brings them closer.”

The “freedom” of that relationship is part of the reason its tragic end feels so exceptionally bittersweet. Kirk sacrifices himself in the name of helping La’an restore the primary timeline and, thanks to the technically-doesn’t-exist-yet Department of Temporal Investigations, she can’t even talk to anyone about what she’s been through.

“It’s heartbreaking!” Chong says. “The whirlwind of that romance and the loss, then coming back to the ship, going back to her quarters and not being able to say anything to anyone. And still kind of half-believing or hoping that maybe he does remember her…and he just doesn’t. He really is gone forever.”

​”Well, we do know Paul is going to be in more episodes!” she laughs when asked about whether the La’an and Kirk of the primary Strange New Worlds timeline might have a chance to be together again. “I think we will see more of them but how, when? We don’t know. We don’t know if it’s going to be romantic or not. I would love there to be more Kirk and La’an stuff, but that’s up to the writers, up to Henry [Alonso Myers] and Akiva [Goldsman, the series showrunners].”

Whether or not a romance with this timeline’s Kirk is in the cards for her character, Chong says La’an’s emotional journey is far from over—and may be headed in a slightly more positive direction for the remainder of season 2.

“She’s growing,” she explains. “I think she now has obviously accepted who she is. That shame and that trauma are always going to be there for her on some level, but it’s not prominent. She is going to be more ready now, I think, for connection. For real connection. She’s seen it’s possible.”

In the final moments of the episode, La’an reaches out to the real Kirk, hoping against hope to find a remnant of the man she knew in the alternate timeline. She’s disappointed, but that doesn’t mean she won’t fight to find that relationship—or something like it—again. 

“She’s lonely. She’s on that bed in that moment [after returning to the Enterprise ]. And she’s the loneliest she’s ever been. But she’s a fighter and she’s not going to let it win. She’s going to open up and see what could come from, but it’s not going to be suddenly day and night. It’s going to be a slow build, but she’s [finally] going in the right direction.”

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 is streaming now on Paramount+.

Lacy Baugher

Lacy Baugher is a digital producer by day, but a television enthusiast pretty much all the time. Her writing has been featured in Paste Magazine, Collider,…

Who is Khan Noonien Singh from Star Trek?

Star Trek is a 60-year saga known for its gorgeous starships and equally gorgeous heroes but Khan Noonien Singh is the series' most important villain.

The galaxy far, far away has Darth Vader, the Emperor, Grand Admiral Thrawn and a host of other iconic baddies. Yet, Star Trek and the galaxy right, right here isn't as focused on individual villains that way. However, if the universe created by Gene Roddenberry has a single, identifiable villain it's a 20th Century human who found himself in the future. Khan Noonien Singh is an important villain in Star Trek , and those who don't already know his story are in for an incredible adventure. The character has a long history in the nearly 60-year-old saga, and he remains important to its past and future.

Originally appearing in the Star Trek: The Original Series Season 1 episode, "Space Seed," the character was conceived as a Viking-style character. Roddenberry, however, wanted to subvert the audience expectations of the 1960s by changing that background. The character was named Khan Noonien Singh, in part because Roddenberry hoped a similarly-named acquaintance from World War II would see it and seek him out. (Alas, he never did.) The character was conceived as an actor of West Asian heritage, but the only actor they could convincingly cast to play the futuristic super man was Ricardo Montalban. In 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness, Benedict Cumberbatch was cast to play Khan Noonien Singh, despite him looking more "Viking" than West Asian. While "Space Seed" is an iconic Star Trek: TOS episode, it wasn't until his return in 1982's Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan written and directed by Nicholas Meyer. Not only did this revitalize the character, but the film reenergized the entire Star Trek franchise after The Motion Picture failed to spark joy in the hearts of Trekkers.

RELATED: This Star Trek: TOS Character Would Fit Perfectly In Strange New Worlds

Who Is Khan Noonien Singh In the Star Trek Canon?

The "Space Seed" episode revealed two things about the Star Trek universe. It revealed the "Eugenics Wars," which involved Khan Noonien Singh. Khan, among others, were genetically engineered to be "perfect" humans. The episode also revealed that as a result of these wars the "records" of that time were mostly lost to Starfleet. Still, Spock told Captain Kirk Kahn ascended into power in 1992 and was defeated in 1996 (30 years from the show's real-world present-day). Khan and 96 of his fellow genetic augments were put into a kind of stasis and sent off into space, where they drifted until the USS Enterprise found the vessel and awakened them. A historian on the Enterprise, Marla McGivers, was charmed by Khan and, almost, helped him take over the ship. Once Kirk and company retook the vessel, he allowed Khan, McGivers and his people to settle on Ceti Alpha V to build a new life for themselves.

In the beginning of The Wrath of Khan , Pavel Chekov (a character not added to The Original Series until Season 2) landed on what they believed was Ceti Alpha VI. They soon found Khan and what remained of his people, because the planet had "shifted" its orbit after a cataclysm. Kahn captured Chekov's ship, the USS Reliant, and used it to take possession of the Genesis Device. Created by Kirk's former partner Carol Marcus and Kirk's son David, it could take a lifeless world and make it teeming with life in hours. Khan wanted to use it as a weapon, but he also wanted to visit vengeance on Kirk. At the end of the film, he's defeated and famously quotes Moby Dick before he uses the Genesis Device to destroy his own ship. "From Hell's heart I stab at thee," he says, "for hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee."

In Strange New Worlds Season 2, Khan's descendant, La'an Noonien Singh , was sent back in time to the early 21st Century to stop a cataclysm. In Star Trek: Voyager , the crew was sent back to 1996, but instead of a Eugenics War-ravaged landscape, they found the dawn of the internet age. This was established as the "fault" of another time-travel accident. When La'an arrived in her past, she encountered Sera, a Romulan agent from the "Temporal Wars." She was sent back to 1992 to kill Khan in order to prevent the Federation and Starfleet from ever existing. Yet, because of the other time-shenanigans, Khan wasn't born until the 21st Century. "Time pushes back," she told La'an, implying that "canon events" aren't just limited to the Spider-Verse.

RELATED: Kevin Feige's Secret Ingredient in the MCU Came From Star Trek's 'Worst' Movie

Why Khan Noonien Singh Is So Important to Star Trek Fans and Storytellers

Khan Noonien Singh remains important to the larger Star Trek story because of what he represents about the universe's past. The Eugenics Wars, now set in the mid-21st Century also coincided with "World War III," the cataclysm from which Star Trek 's ideal future emerged. In Star Trek: First Contact , the crew of the USS Enterprise-E are sent back to ensure that Zefram Cochrane makes the first warp-drive flight, causing the Vulcans to visit Earth. Khan represents the personification of the worst of humanity. Notions of superiority, violence and authoritarianism are the main impediments, Roddenberry believed, to the idyllic future humanity was capable of achieving.

His many returns, from "Space Seed" in Star Trek: The Original Series to The Wrath of Khan are a warning that these human foibles, like Star Wars ' Palpatine , will somehow return if people aren't careful. Yet, Khan didn't just help create the universe in the narrative. After The Motion Picture , fans hoped for a return to the type of storytelling Star Trek: TOS was known for. Nicholas Meyer delivered a film that felt a bit like an episode of the show on a grander scale. Yet, it also kicked off a run of four more movies that helped cement Star Trek as an enduring franchise. Fans were enamored by the film and its sequels. Even when he's not present, he influences the story. Star Trek: Picard Season 3 thematically echoed the "trilogy" that started with The Wrath of Khan through Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home .

Khan is a genetically altered super man who was so cruel, violent and despotic he almost destroyed the planet. Yet, like most real-world villains, the actual Khan was charming, seemingly measured. Ricardo Montalban infused the character with gravitas and even humor, along with his impressive bare chest (which was not a prosthetic in the movie). If the heroes of Star Trek represent the best of humanity, Khan represents the worst of it. Heroes are defined by their villains, and any hero that can take out a guy like Khan Noonien Singh is an impressive one indeed.

Trek Central’s Who is La’an Noonien Singh in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

By chad porto | oct 7, 2021.

La’an Noonien Singh is set to appear in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

The upcoming new show Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is promising to go back to the “adventure of the week” format that made Star Trek so popular in the 60s, 80s, and 90s. It’s not only going back to a format that worked very well for the franchise but is also going back to the ship crew that started it all. Not only will the show be set in the U.S.S. Enterprise, but it will also feature known characters likes Captain Christopher Pike, Una Chin-Riley (aka Number One) Uhura, and Spock. They won’t be the only familiar names as La’an Noonien Singh will debut with the series.

Noonien Singh is suspected to be related to khan Noonien Singh, one of Star Trek’s ultimate bad guys.

There isn’t a lot known about La’an just yet, and what her relation to Khan is, if there is any. That’s why Trek Central did a video breaking down all the possibilities that could come with who she is and what possible storylines she could be involved in.

La’an Noonien Singh does muck up the Star Trek timeline a bit.

One of the great key points brought up in the video is how will they explain away her potential to Khan, while still respecting cannon. After all, Spock never once brings up the fact that he knew Khan’s relative during the events of Space Seed or Wrath of Khan.

Sure, there might be an easy way to figure this out, simply make it “classified” or some such thing as that but considering the relationship with Spock and James Kirk, and how personal the issues with Kirk and Khan were, it would make plenty of sense for the two to have had several discussions pertaining to her familial relations.

This actually might be a hint that Kirk does in fact show up in the early seasons of Strange New Worlds. If there is some profound moment involving Kirk, Spock, and La’an, then maybe that may explain the whole bit.

Maybe she’ll end up getting erased from history; which would then bring up the question of why she was ever mentioned in the first place.

Who knows? It does leave fans a good reason to tune in, however.

Next. The Top 100 episodes in Star Trek franchise history according to metrics. dark

You've Heard That Name Before: The Name 'Noonien Singh' Explained

When the crew of the Enterprise on "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" was announced, fans might have been shocked to see the name of the ship's chief of security: La'an Noonien Singh. Played by Christina Chong, the character shares her name with one of the franchise's most infamous villains. While the exact connection between La'an Noonien Singh and Khan Noonien Singh is still a mystery, it's guaranteed that having such a controversial surname is going to cause some problems for the franchise's newest security chief. Khan was Captain Kirk's (William Shatner) greatest foe, a genetically-engineered superhuman who at one point ruled over nearly a quarter of Earth's population. 

Casual fans recognize Khan best from the 1982 film "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," in which Ricardo Montalbán, who also played Khan on the original series, seeks revenge on his nemesis. Kirk infamously screams his name in rage in one of the franchises' most memeable moments, with Shatner's face contorted into an angry grimace, his fists shaking. So how, exactly, does a character who is a member of Starfleet end up with the name of one of the worst war criminals in the universe? 

Star Trek: The Original Series

It's important to realize just how big of an impact Khan had on humanity in the "Star Trek" timeline. He was part of a eugenics program that was intended to create a race of superhumans, and 1993 (remember, "Trek" was originally produced in the '60s), these genetically-engineered people took over more than 40 nations, and Khan himself became absolute ruler of about one-quarter of the planet. Despite being an authoritarian dictator, Khan's rule was relatively peaceful, though he kept his citizens on a tight leash. The superhumans, called Augments, began to fight amongst themselves before involving other nations. The Eugenics Wars ended with most of the dictators overthrown or killed, but Khan found himself and 84 of his most devout followers exiled on a ship named the SS Botany Bay, after the Australian penal colony. The escapees were put into stasis and the ship set off for an unknown destination, eventually being discovered by Captain Kirk and the USS Enterprise in 2267, an event we see firsthand in the original series episode "Space Speed." Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) rescues Khan from stasis, and the crew of the Enterprise chooses to leave the remaining inhabitants undisturbed.

It doesn't take too long for Khan to take advantage of Kirk and the rest of the crew, reawakening many of his followers and taking over the Enterprise. When the crew fights back and his plan is foiled, Khan tries to explode the Enterprise's warp core ... though Kirk is able to defeat him by smacking him with a large metal rod. Kirk offers Khan and his followers two options: face the Federation's justice or try to start a new colony on the nearby planet Ceti Alpha V, which is habitable, though definitely not a paradise. Khan and the followers choose the colony and Kirk gives them some basic supplies to start their new lives. Unfortunately, there is a massive environmental disaster on the planet only six months after the Enterprise leaves, leaving only the colonists and indigenous, horrifying Ceti eels alive. Many of the Botany Bay colonists die slow, horrible deaths as the eels' young invaded their brains ... including Khan's wife.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn

22 years later, the USS Reliant sends members of its crew down to the planet, which they believed to be uninhabited, as a part of a project tied to terraforming. Commander Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig), formerly of the Enterprise, and his captain, Clark Terrell (Paul Winfield) are captured by Khan, who uses some Ceti eels to take over their minds and discover Kirk's location. He sets a course for his revenge, growing more obsessive as time goes on. He seems to get his revenge, at least in part, when he maroons Kirk and his away team inside of the planetoid Regula I, much like Kirk had marooned him on Ceti Alpha V. But the Enterprise rescues Kirk and the away team, as they always do, and head off to battle with Khan and the commandeered Reliant. In a final act of desperation, Khan activates the experimental Genesis device that was intended for Ceti Alpha V, hoping to take the Enterprise out with him. Instead, the Enterprise zips off at warp, leaving Khan to die alone. 

Khan and the other Augments were considered so potentially dangerous that genetic engineering was outlawed by the Federation in the late 24th century, though scientists continued researching it in secret and it was possible to get black market genetic engineering to enhance traits, which we saw with Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ." His parents had illegally paid someone to augment their son, to make him smarter and stronger, and though Bashir never demonstrated any of Khan's narcissistic or tyrannical tendencies, he did struggle with his genetically altered status for much of his life.

Who is La'an?

That's everything there really is to know about Khan Noonien Singh, but what about the woman on "Strange New Worlds" who bears his name? We know that she is related to Khan in some way, though the series' co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman was very dodgy about how, exactly: 

"She's related to Khan, for sure, and, uh, and the deal will unfold ... We don't want to bring folks into the show to be splashy. We want to dig deeply into characters that are part of our ensemble and then, obviously, we're open to getting our arms ... but right now, what you see is what you get."

Having a character that's related to Khan is an interesting way to approach the character, though I hope they don't try to actually bring him back. "Strange New Worlds" is a prequel series to the original series, which means it's possible for Khan to be woken up at some point during this show. Theoretically . Khan is just such an emotionally charged character for everyone involved, from the fans who love him in "Star Trek II" to those who would rather forget the Kelvin timeline version (where he was played by a forgettable Benedict Cumberbatch). 

As far as La'an's concerned, she will have to reconcile sharing a name with one of history's greatest villains. From what we've seen so far, she seems like a tough, no-nonsense security officer, but could that be a way to protect herself from any cruelty she might experience on account of her name and heritage? Many of the characters on "Strange New Worlds" have ties to other "Trek" characters and stories, but hers might be the most complicated, with potential to explore what it means to have the blood of a monster inside you. 

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La'an Noonien-Singh

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Biography [ ]

Born in 2228 , La'an Noonien-Singh was the daughter of Ronu and Sa'an Noonien-Singh and the younger sister of Manu Noonien-Singh . ( SNW episode : " Strange New Worlds ") La'an was a descendant of the infamous Human Augment Khan Noonien Singh , though by all indications, she did not inherit any Augment DNA. Her heritage resulted in her being bullied in her youth, causing her to develop a prejudice against Augments. ( SNW episode : " Ghosts of Illyria ")

As a child, La'an was aboard the colony ship SS Puget Sound when it was captured by the Gorn . While the rest of her family perished, La'an was spared as part of the Gorn ritual to lure more humans to them. Instead, La'an was rescued by Ensign Una Chin-Riley aboard the USS Martin Luther King Jr. . ( SNW episode : " Memento Mori ")

In 2259 , La'an was assigned as the temporary first officer of the USS Enterprise when Chin-Riley had gone missing when investigating Kiley 279 . After rescuing Una, the Enterprise crew discovered that the Battle near Xahea had exposed Kiley 279 to warp signature and allowed the technologically 21st century society to develop warp technologies. Once Pike had defused global tensions, he welcomed La'an aboard as Security chief . ( SNW episode : " Strange New Worlds ")

When the crew investigated the disappearance of an Illyrian colony , they were struck by a contagion that made them crave light . After being sedated, La'an was taken to sickbay only to wake up in time to overhear Una confess that she was an Illyrian. Knocking out Christine Chapel , La'an's sickness drove her to the warp core , whose containment protocols she overrode. When Una confronted her, La'an expressed her disgust for Augments before being knocked out as the deck was flooded with radiation . Una's Illyrian physiology allowed her to instantly create antibodies that healed her with La'an's proximity allowing a human compatible variant to be made. After being cured, the two made amends. ( SNW episode : " Ghosts of Illyria ")

On Starfleet Remembrance Day , the Enterprise fell into a Gorn trap, with La'an again acting as first officer following Una being injured in the initial attack. To survive the Enterprise hid in a gas giant that was being consumed by a black hole as the Gorn craft closed in. To escape, La'an consented to Spock performing a mind meld so she could remember the light patterns that the Gorn used to communicate, tricking the larger Gorn craft into destroying the smaller one. The Enterprise then played dead, hiding in the accretion disk of the black hole and ejecting broken machinery to fool their pursuers into thinking they had been destroyed. ( SNW episode : " Memento Mori ")

The Enterprise subsequently returned to Earth for repairs and a shore leave . As La'an and Una oversaw crew departures, she informed Pike that the R'ongovian delegation had arrived ahead of schedule. After most of the crew had disembarked, La'an and Una responded to an airlock opening, discovering two ensigns playing " Enterprise bingo ". After admonishing the ensigns, the two senior officers decided to play the game themselves, finishing the game in time to see the R'ongovians announce their intent to join the United Federation of Planets . ( SNW episode : " Spock Amok ")

When the Enterprise passed through the Jonisian Nebula , the ship was ensnared by a boltzmann brain , later dubbed Debra . Bonding with Rukiya , Debra molded the Enterprise into a recreation of The Kingdom of Elysian , La'an acting out of the role of Princess Thalia . ( SNW episode : " The Elysian Kingdom ")

La'an was later part of a landing party to Valeo Beta V to rescue the crashed USS Peregrine only to discover that Gorn hatchlings had caused the crash. Managing to lure the hatchlings into areas of extreme cold, the away team endured until the Enterprise returned, save for Lieutenant Hemmer , who had given his life to save the crew. In the aftermath, La'an chose to take a leave from the Enterprise , hoping to reunite fellow Gorn survivor Oriana with her family. ( SNW episode : " All Those Who Wander ")

Alternate timeline [ ]

In an alternate timeline created by Christopher Pike when he avoided his own exposure to delta radiation in 2266 , Noonien-Singh was promoted to Commander and served as XO under Captain James T. Kirk aboard the USS Farragut . ( SNW episode : " A Quality of Mercy ")

Appendices [ ]

Connections [ ], appearances [ ], external link [ ].

• La'an Noonien-Singh article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
• 1 The Chase
• 2 Preserver (race)
• 3 Totality (Andromeda)

Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series)

Brothers (1990), brent spiner: lieutenant commander data, lore, dr. noonien soong.

• Quotes (17)

Photos 

Quotes 

Dr. Noonien Soong : I, uh... I never felt too comfortable living anywhere without a prearranged route of escape. I admit, I, uh, I wouldn't have guessed I'd be running from a giant snowflake, but, uh...

[shrugs] 

Lore : [pretending to be Data]  Often Wrong's got a broken heart - Can't even tell his boys apart.

[Data has theorized that humans need a sense of continuity to give their lives meaning] 

Dr. Noonien Soong : And, uh... this continuity - does it only run one way? Backwards? To the past?

Lt. Commander Data : I suppose it is a factor in the human desire to procreate.

Dr. Noonien Soong : Oh. So you believe... that having children gives humans a sense... of immortality. Do you?

Lt. Commander Data : It is a reasonable explanation to your query, sir.

Dr. Noonien Soong : And to yours as well, Data.

Lt. Commander Data : You know that I cannot grieve for you, sir.

Dr. Noonien Soong : You will - in your own way. Goodbye. Goodbye, Data.

Lt. Commander Data : Goodbye... Father.

Dr. Noonien Soong : [examining Data]  I always loved that face.

Dr. Noonien Soong : This is your lucky day, Data. You've found your long-lost father, and he's alive. What do you think of that?

Dr. Noonien Soong : [upon the arrival of Lore]  Looks like we have ourselves a... family reunion.

Lt. Commander Data : Why did you create me?

Dr. Noonien Soong : Why does a painter paint? Hm? Why does a boxer box? You know what Michelangelo used to say? That the sculptures he made were already there before he started, hidden in the marble. All he needed to do was - ssht - remove the unneeded bits. Wasn't quite that easy with you, Data. But the need to do it, my need to do it, was no different than Michelangelo's need.

[last lines] 

Lt. Commander Data : The boys appear to have reconciled their differences.

Doctor Beverly Crusher : They're brothers, Data. Brothers forgive.

Lt. Commander Data : [Data has commandeered the bridge and driven the rest of the crew out. Riker and Worf are attempting to regain access through a Jefferies tube]  Computer: configure a perimeter field charge, Sections 9K through 12T.

Commander William T. Riker : [the field charge takes effect]  What the hell was that?

Lieutenant Worf : He's activated a force field, sir.

Commander William T. Riker : Great. Just great.

Lt. Commander Data : [entering security code]  1-7-3-4-6-7-3-2-1-4-7-6-Charlie-3-2-7-8-9-7-7-7-6-4-3-Tango-7-3-2-Victor-7-3-1-1-7-8-8-8-7-3-2-4-7-6-7-8-9-7-6-4-3-7-6 Lock.

[Dr. Soong is dying] 

Dr. Noonien Soong : Everybody dies, Data. Well... almost everybody.

Lt. Commander Data : Do you believe that we are... in some way alike, sir?

Dr. Noonien Soong : In many ways, I'd like to believe.

Lt. Commander Data : Then it is all right for you to die. Because I will remain alive.

Lt. Commander Data : I am not less perfect than Lore.

[Soong has presented to Data an emotion chip, which he has developed to equip him with simple feelings] 

Lore : You'd be surprised, Data. Feelings do funny things. You may even learn to... understand your "evil" brother. To forgive him.

Lore : [singing]  There were brave men aplenty, All well known to fame, Who served in the ranks of the Tsar. Bababa bababa bababa bababa...

Lore : [Lore is pacing the room]  You did what you had to do! What kind of an answer is that?

Dr. Noonien Soong : It's the only one I can give you. You were not functioning properly.

Lt. Commander Data : Lore told me the colonists envied him, because you made him so completely human.

Dr. Noonien Soong : I wouldn't exactly have used the word "envious" Data.

Lore : You disassembled me. You took me apart!

Lt. Commander Data : Lore also told me the colonists petitioned you to create a less perfect android.

Dr. Noonien Soong : The last thing you should think of yourself as Data is less perfect. The two of you are virtually identical... except for a bit of programming.

Lt. Commander Data : [to himself]  It was a lie.

[to Lore] 

Lt. Commander Data : Another lie.

Lore : [rolls his eyes and then turns back to Soong]  I would have proven myself worthy to you if you'd just given me a chance.

[irritably] 

Lore : But it was easier to turn your back and build your precious Data.

Dr. Noonien Soong : [Lore starts pacing again]  You were the first. You meant as much to me as Data ever did. But you were unstable. The colonists were not envious of you. They were afraid of you. You were unstable.

Lt. Commander Data : [to himself]  I am not less perfect than Lore.

Lore : Why didn't you just fix me? It was within your power to fix me.

Dr. Noonien Soong : It wasn't as easy as that. The next... the next logical step was to construct Data afterward. I planned to get back to you... to fix you.

Lore : [to Data]  Next logical step.

Lt. Commander Data : [still to himself]  I am not less perfect than Lore.

Lore : [aping Data's voice]  I am not less perfect than Lore!

Dr. Noonien Soong : Enough! Both of you... sit down!

[Data does but Lore doesn't] 

Dr. Noonien Soong : Sit down, Lore.

[Lore grudgingly grabs a seat and sits with great reluctance] 

Dr. Noonien Soong : For all these years, I've been plagued by what went wrong with all of your complexities, Lore. Your nuances. Basic emotion seemed almost simple by comparison. But the emotion turned, twisted... became entangled with ambition. Lore, if I had known that you weren't lying in pieces on some distant shelf. If I had known I could simply press a button and bring you here, I would have spent those years trying to make things right for you as well.

Lore : You didn't fill Data with substandard parts, did you, old man?

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Gets Season 4 Renewal, Lower Decks to End After Season 5

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has been renewed for a fourth season, while Star Trek: Lower Decks will end after Season 5.

Per Variety , Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has officially been renewed for a fourth season. 

"On behalf of the cast and crew of Strange New Worlds, we are thrilled and grateful to continue our voyages together," creators Akiva Goldsman, Henry Alonso Myers, Alex Kurtzman said. "We can't wait for you to join us and the crew of the Enterprise on another season of exploration and adventure."

Having premiered in 2022, Star Trek : Strange New Worlds stars Anson Mount as Christopher Pike, Ethan Peck as Spock, Jess Bush as Christine Chapel, Christina Chong as La’an Noonien-Singh, Celia Rose Gooding as Nyota Uhura, and more.

The second season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds launched in June 2023, while the third season is expected to premiere in 2025.

Star Trek: Lower Decks is coming to an end

Star Trek: Lower Decks, meanwhile, is an animated series that debuted in 2020. The show has now run for four seasons, the most recent of which concluded in November 2023. The fifth and final season will be released this fall.

"We remain hopeful that even beyond Season 5, Mariner, Boimler, Tendi, Rutherford, and the whole Cerritos crew will live on with new adventures," Kurtzman and showrunner Mike McMahon said. "While five seasons of any series these days seems like a miracle, it's no exaggeration to say that every second we've spent making this show has been a dream come true."

Jeff Grossman, the executive vice president of programming for Paramount+, added, "It has been incredibly rewarding to continue to build the Star Trek universe, and we're so grateful to Secret Hideout and our immensely talented casts and producers. Strange New Worlds has found the perfect blend of action, adventure, and humor. Similarly, Star Trek: Lower Decks has brought the laughs with an ample amount of heart to the franchise across its four seasons. We can't wait for audiences to see what is in store for the crew of the U.S.S. Cerritos in this final season."

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Published Apr 12, 2024

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Renewed for Fourth Season

The acclaimed hit original series is currently in production for its third season.

StarTrek.com

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will return for a fourth season.

Co-showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers and executive producer Alex Kurtzman confirms in a statement, "On behalf of the cast and crew of ‘ Strange New Worlds ’ we are thrilled and grateful to continue our voyages together. We can't wait for you to join us and the crew of the Enterprise on another season of exploration and adventure."

The third season, set to debut in 2025, is officially under way with production continuing in Toronto.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds  is based on the years Captain Christopher Pike manned the helm of the  U.S.S. Enterprise . The series features fan favorites from Season 2 of  Star Trek: Discovery  — Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Number One and Ethan Peck as Science Officer Spock. The series follows Captain Pike, Science Officer Spock and Una Chin-Riley (Number One) in the years before Captain Kirk boarded the  U.S.S. Enterprise , as they explore new worlds around the galaxy.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds  also stars Jess Bush as Nurse Christine Chapel, Christina Chong as La’An Noonien-Singh, Celia Rose Gooding as Nyota Uhura, Melissa Navia as Erica Ortegas and Babs Olusanmokun as Dr. M’Benga.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds  is produced by CBS Studios, Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment. Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers serve as co-showrunners. Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet serve as executive producers in addition to Alonso Myers, Heather Kadin, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth and Aaron Baiers.

Watch the first two seasons of  Star Trek: Strange New Worlds  now!

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, South Korea, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In addition, the series airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave in Canada and on SkyShowtime in the Nordics, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Central and Eastern Europe. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Renewed for Season 4

Time for another adventure with the Enterprise crew!

The Big Picture

• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is renewed for a 4th season.
• The series is currently in production on Season 3 in Toronto.
• The anticipated premiere for Season 3 is in 2025, with no release date yet for the 4th season.

The mission continues for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . The popular spin-off of Star Trek: Discovery has been renewed for a fourth season, ahead of the premiere of its third season, which is set to hit Paramount+ in 2025. The sci-fi series is currently in production on Season 3 in Toronto, Ontario, and it is an optimistic sign that it has secured a fourth season renewal so early.

In a joint statement, executive producers and showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers and executive producer Alex Kurtzman welcomed the show's early renewal. "On behalf of the cast and crew of Strange New Worlds , we are thrilled and grateful to continue our voyages together. We can’t wait for you to join us and the crew of the Enterprise on another season of exploration and adventure." The series is currently filming in Toronto, with a first image from the new season emerging last week; so far, few details have emerged about the new season, although we now know that Martin Quinn , who made his debut as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the second-season finale, will recur on the third season, adding one more member of the classic Star Trek ensemble to the cast.

What Is 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds'?

Set a few years before Captain James Kirk's adventures on the USS Enterprise , Strange New Worlds depicts the ship's voyages under Kirk's predecessor, Captain Christopher Pike ( Anson Mount ). The show features several familiar faces from Kirk's crew, including Spock ( Ethan Peck ), Nyota Uhura ( Celia Rose Gooding ), Christine Chapel ( Jess Bush ), and Joseph M'Benga ( Babs Olusanmokun ); it also features Una Chin-Riley ( Rebecca Romijn ), from Pike's briefly-glimpsed tenure as Enterprise captain during the 1960s' Star Trek: The Original Series , and several totally new characters, including La'an Noonien-Singh ( Christina Chong ) and Erica Ortegas ( Melissa Navia ). Over the course of the series' two seasons, which has embrased a more episodic form of storytelling than its parent series, Discovery , the crew has been trapped in a musical , crossed over with the animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks , and confronted with the menace of the marauding reptilian Gorn aliens.

Strange New Worlds ' third and fourth season will join a fleet of upcoming Star Trek series on Paramount+. In addition to Discovery , which is currently airing its fifth and final season, fans have a fifth (and, unfortunately, also final ) season of Lower Decks to look forward to, as well as the new series Star Trek: Starfleet Academy , and the streaming-original film Star Trek: Section 31 . Netflix subscribers can also enjoy the animated Star Trek: Prodigy , whose second season is due this year.

There is currently no release date for Strange New Worlds Season 4. Season 3 is set to premiere in 2025. Past seasons are streaming now on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds follows Captain Christopher Pike (played by Anson Mount) and the crew of the starship USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) in the 23rd century as they explore new worlds throughout the galaxy in the decade before Star Trek: The Original Series.

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Nubian was a term used to describe someone of African decent.

In 2267 , Trelane asked Captain Kirk if Lieutenant Uhura was " a Nubian prize, taken on one of your raids of conquest ...? " ( TOS : " The Squire of Gothos ")

External link [ ]

• Nubians at Wikipedia
• 3 Ancient humanoid