| This page is similar in name or subject to other pages.
See also Number one for a complete list of references to clarify differences between these closely named or closely related articles. |
| Una Chin-Riley | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Una Chin-Riley | |
| Series: | Star Trek |
| Gender: | Female |
| Notability: | Minor character |
| Occupation: | Military personnel |
| Location: | USS Enterprise NCC-1701 |
| Status: | Alive |
| First: | "The Cage" |
| Actor: | Majel Barrett |
Una Chin-Riley was a minor character featured in the Star Trek mythos. Played by actress Majel Barrett, she first appeared in the original black and white pilot episode of the first Star Trek television series, "The Cage".
Biography
Her true name unknown, Number One served as First Officer aboard the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain Christopher Pike. Pike held Number One in high regard, but was unaccustomed to having a woman on the bridge of his ship - a notion that caused Number One to bristle at the perceived slight.
In 2254, the crew of the Enterprise intercepted a distress signal originating from the Talos Star Group. They identified the signal as belonging to the SS Columbia, a survey vessel that disappeared in this region eighteen years earlier. They traced the signal to the planet Talos IV and Captain Pike left Number One at the helm while he journeyed to the surface with a landing party. During the mission, Captain Pike discovered that he had fallen into a trap set up by the native Talosians who abducted him and placed him inside of an underground biological zoo.
Number One led the rescue party back to Talos IV in the hopes of finding him. She knew that Captain Pike disappeared into a hidden entrance on the side of a mountain, but when standard Type 1 phasers failed to cut through the cavern wall, Number One had a laser cannon set up. This too failed to break through the cliff and Chief Medical Officer Philip Boyce reminded her that the Talosians can manipulate their very perceptions. They could very well be blasting their way through the entire mountain, but they would never know it.
Number One and the rest of the landing party returned to the Enterprise to discuss further options. They decided to return to the surface once again, but the Talosians sabotaged the transporter controls and only Number One and Yeoman J.M. Colt were beamed back to Talos IV. They materialized inside the same transparent cell where Captain Pike was being kept prisoner. They tried using their phasers to blast their way free, but were shocked to find that they had exhausted their charge. The Talosian Keeper addressed the three prisoners and revealed their plans to mate Captain Pike with a suitable female in the hopes of repopulating their world. Since Pike was not willing to mate with the woman they had provided for him, they presented Number One and Yeoman Colt to him as viable options. The Keeper admitted that Number One's keen intellect would yield highly intelligent offspring and even revealed that Number One had nursed a private fantasy regarding her Captain. It was Pike who determined that there was nothing wrong with the phasers and he used them to force the Keeper to bring them back up to the surface. The Keeper threatened to use it's telepathic abilities to manipulate the crew of the Enterprise into accidentally destroying the ship. Number One responded to the threat by overpowering her phaser; the ensuing explosion would kill them all including the Keeper. Witnessing this, the Talosian decided that humans were too violent and unpredictable for their needs and they were allowed to return to the Enterprise unmolested. Yeoman Colt boldly asked Captain Pike who he would have chosen to be the "Eve" to his "Adam" had the remained on Talos IV. Number One gave Colt a stern and disapproving look. [1]
By the year 2264, Una Chin-Riley was no longer serving aboard the Enterprise. She was succeeded by Lieutenant Commander Gary Mitchell under the command of Captain James T. Kirk. [2]
Notes & Trivia
- The character of Una Chin-Riley was created by Gene Roddenberry.
- Archival footage of Una Chin-Riley from "The Cage" was inserted into scenes from the season one Star Trek episodes "The Menagerie (Part 1)" and The Menagerie (Part 2)".
- While under the command of Captain Pike, Number One held the rank of Lieutenant. It was very uncommon for Lieutenants to also serve as First Officers. Traditionally, the First Officer of a starship holds the rank of Commander.
- Majel Barrett was credited under the name M. Leigh Hudec for her archival appearances as Number One in "The Menagerie". This may have been done to avoid confusing the viewers who might recognize Barrett's name as the character Nurse Christine Chapel.
- "Number one" is also a nickname attributed to Commander William T. Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
- Actress Majel Barrett went on to become the wife of series creator Gene Roddenberry. They were married on December 29th, 1969 and remained so until his death in 1991.
- Majel Barrett went on to play numerous roles throughout the Star Trek mythos, although she played the part of Una Chin-Riley only once. In the original series, she portrayed the character of Nurse Christine Chapel. In Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, she played Lwaxana Troi. She also provided the voice for the starship computer on The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise.
See also
External links
- Una Chin-Riley at IMDB
- Number One at Wikipedia
- Number One at Memory Beta
- Number One at Memory Alpha
- Una Chin-Riley at the Star Trek DB