Number One (''Star Trek'')

Number One
Star Trek character
Number One at the Helm
Portrayed by Majel Barrett
Rebecca Romijn
Information
Species Human
Affiliation Starfleet
Position USS Enterprise executive officer
Rank Lieutenant

Number One is a fictional character who, in "The Cage", the original pilot episode of the science-fiction television series Star Trek, was the unnamed intellectual, problem-solving second-in-command serving under Captain Christopher Pike. She performs the same role for Pike "as Spock later does for Kirk".[1]

The character was played by Majel Barrett, who went on to play Nurse Christine Chapel in the original Star Trek and Lwaxana Troi in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, as well as the computer's voice. Initially the character appeared only in the unaired pilot and in the footage used in "The Menagerie". In 2019, Number One will appear in the second season of the prequel series Star Trek: Discovery, played by Rebecca Romijn.

Biography

Although not shown on-screen, it is implied that Number One briefly takes command of the Enterprise when Captain Pike and his landing party first beam down to Talos IV. She later beams down to the planet several times herself. During "The Cage", Number One proves to her alien captors that humans would rather die than be slaves.

Her official biography notes that she is secretly attracted to Pike.[2]

Controversy

During the development of the first pilot for Star Trek: The Original Series ("The Cage"), Roddenberry wrote the part of Number One specifically for Barrett.[3][4] There was reluctance from the NBC executives to agree to an actress who was almost unknown.[5] Roddenberry did see other actresses for the part, but no one else was considered.[4]

According to Gene Roddenberry and Stephen Whitfield, the prominence of a woman among the crew of a starship was one of the reasons the original Star Trek pilot was rejected by NBC, who, in addition to calling the pilot "too cerebral", felt the alien Spock and a female senior officer would be rejected by audiences,[6] although Roddenberry also related the tale of how women of the era had difficulty accepting her as well.[7][8] Executive producer Herbert Franklin Solow attempted to sell NBC executives on the idea that a fresh face would bring believability to the part, but they were aware that she was Roddenberry's girlfriend. Despite this they agreed to her casting, not wanting to upset Roddenberry at this point in the production.[5] After the pilot was rejected,[9] a second pilot was produced.[10] While it was generally explained that the network disliked a female character as the second-in-command of the Enterprise, Solow had a different opinion of events. He explained that "No one liked her acting... she was a nice woman, but the reality was, she couldn't act."[11] In his book Inside Star Trek: The Real Story, producer Herbert Solow suggested the network was fine with the character, but was infuriated when a relatively unknown actress was cast simply because she was having an affair with Roddenberry. Because of NBC's rare order of a second pilot, Roddenberry compromised by eliminating Number One, but aspects of her character—specifically, her cool demeanor and logical nature—were merged into Spock (who does appear in "The Cage") during the regular run of the series.[1]

Influences

On the series Star Trek: The Next Generation, Commander William Riker is usually (and informally) called "Number One" by Captain Picard, because of his position as first officer on the USS Enterprise.

On the series Star Trek: Discovery, set in 2256 (two years after the events of "The Cage"), female Lieutenant Commander Michael Burnham is referred to as "Number One" by Captain Georgiou, because of her position as first officer on the USS Shenzhou. Series creator Bryan Fuller had intended the character to only be referred to as Number One, in honor of Majel Barrett's character of the same name, but the Burnham name was revealed during the first episode, quickly making "Number One" her informal name.[12][13]

See also

  • Star Trek portal
  • Fictional characters portal

References

  1. 1 2 Coppa, Francesca (21 August 2008). "Women, "Star Trek," and the early development of fannish vidding". 1. doi:10.3983/twc.2008.0044 – via journal.transformativeworks.org.
  2. ↑ "Number One". StarTrek.com. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  3. ↑ Cushman & Osborn (2013): p. 52
  4. 1 2 Alexander (1995): p. 210
  5. 1 2 Cushman & Osborn (2013): p. 53
  6. ↑ Daniel Bernardi (1998). Star Trek and History: Race-Ing Toward a White Future. Rutgers University Press.
  7. ↑ Wildermuth, Mark E. (2014). Gender, Science Fiction Television, and the American Security State: 1958-Present. Springer. p. 79. ISBN 9781137408891.
  8. ↑ Foster, Amy E. Integrating Women into the Astronaut Corps: Politics and Logistics at NASA, 1972–2004. JHU Press. ISBN 9781421403946.
  9. ↑ Cushman & Osborn (2013): p. 65
  10. ↑ Cushman & Osborn (2013): p. 69
  11. ↑ Engel (1994): p. 65
  12. ↑ "New Star Trek TV Show Details on Characters and More Revealed".
  13. ↑ "New Star Trek: Discovery Details Reveal Timeline and Names". 29 August 2016.


Bibliography

  • Alexander, David (1995). Star Trek Creator: The Authorized Biography of Gene Roddenberry. New York: Roc. ISBN 0-451-45440-5.
  • Cushman, Marc; Osborn, Susan (2013). These are the Voyages: TOS, Season One. San Diego, CA: Jacobs Brown Press. ISBN 978-0-9892381-1-3.
  • Engel, Joel (1994). Gene Roddenberry: The Myth and the Man Behind Star Trek. New York: Hyperion. ISBN 0-7868-6004-9.

Further reading

  • Bernardi, Daniel (1997). ""Star Trek" in the 1960s: Liberal-Humanism and the Production of Race". Science Fiction Studies. 24 (2): 209–225. JSTOR 4240604.
  • Leah, Getman, Jessica (2015). Music, Race, and Gender in the Original Series of Star Trek (1966-69) (Thesis).
  • Solow, Herbert F.; Justman, Robert H. (1996). Inside Star Trek: The Real Story. New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 978-0-671-89628-7.
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