These Two Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Characters Were Both Originally Played By The Same Actress

Double-dipping in the Star Trek universe is pretty standard. Brent Spiner is most famous for portraying Lt. Commander Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation, who helps Captain Jean Luc Picard and Co. navigate the stars in the USS Enterprise-E. But Data isn’t where Spiner’s journey in the final frontier ends. He also plays Data’s evil twin, Lore, as well as their creator, Doctor Noonien Soong. Star Trek: Picard also gives Spiner the chance to portray a different character, having him bring Adam Soong, a geneticist, to life. However, another actor has Spiner beat because their road to the small screen is even windier.

Despite being a modern show, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds serves as a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, highlighting the crew of the Enterprise before Captain Kirk’s arrival. There are quite a few familiar faces, including Spock, with Ethan Peck taking over the role brilliantly played by Leonard Nimoy. Peck has big shoes to fill because Nimoy was one of the original cogs in the Star Trek machine, being one of the few things that carried over from Gene Roddenberry’s first pilot. Spock isn’t the only character in Strange New Worlds that has a connection to the Star Trek episode that never was, though.

Gene Roddenberry Originally Envisioned a Very Different Kind of Star Trek

Roddenberry’s original goal when creating Star Trek was to deliver a science fiction show that would challenge its audience. Rather than focusing on action and cheap gimmicks, the series would pose strong moral debates and teach lessons about inclusivity. Well, that idea didn’t work for NBC. After the company received the pilot episode, titled “The Cage,” and shot it down, Roddenberry went back to the drawing board. He removed Spock’s red skin and cut two major characters, Captain Pike and Number One, from the story altogether. However, he still liked them as characters and wanted to find a place for them once Star Trek found its footing.

In the two-part Season 1 episode, “The Menagerie,” Pike and Number One return via archival footage when Spock goes rogue in an effort to save his former captain. Despite NBC being initially against the characters, the reception to them was positive. With that in mind, Roddenberry found another role for Majel Barrett, who portrayed Number One in both “The Cage” and “The Menagerie,” casting her as Nurse Christine Chapel, one of the medical personnel aboard the Enterprise who has a strong connection to Spock. Chapel appears in a good number of episodes, so much so that more recent entries in the franchise have been unable to ignore her.

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Since Pike leads the charge in Strange New Worlds, it’s only natural that his right-hand woman is by his side. Number One plays a major role in the streaming show, which provides more information about her background and mindset. She’s fiercely loyal, always going above and beyond to protect members of her crew, including Pike, who always seems to find himself in trouble. Of course, being a prequel, Strange New Worlds must recast all of its roles, since the original actors have either passed away or are no longer a fit for their characters. Rebecca Romijn has taken over as Number One for Barrett, who sadly passed away in 2008. However, Romijn has essentially made the character her own, as she appears in The Original Series only briefly.

As for Jess Bush, who plays Nurse Chapel in Strange New Worlds, the situation is very different. Her performance takes inspiration from Barrett’s, though there are some differences. For starters, Chapel is at a very different place in her life in Strange New Worlds, believing there is more to life than sitting around on a starship. But her passion for helping people remains, and it will continue as the series draws to a close, setting the stage for the events of The Original Series. It’s a shame that Barrett isn’t around to witness Chapel and Number One reach new heights, but there’s no doubt she would be proud of not only them but their actors as well.

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