4. Una Chin Riley, Number One
Number One is a legacy character who essentially existed as an intriguing question mark for decades, and SNW seizes that opportunity by giving her a detailed cultural and ethical framework. Making her an Illyrian with a forbidden background in genetic engineering cleverly ties her personal history to one of Trek’s longest debates about augmentation and Federation law.
Una's trial and the fallout from her secrets’ exposure give her a distinct arc that feels thoroughly modern while still resonating with classic Trek themes about prejudice and principle.
However, the very ambition of this reinvention sometimes clashes with how relatively sparingly the character is used. When Una is in focus, the portrayal is strong: she is disciplined, fiercely loyal, and quietly humorous, with a commanding presence that clearly justifies Pike’s trust.
Yet Una occasionally feels more like a concept, “the augmented first officer with a hidden past,” than a continuously evolving presence in the ensemble. That slight unevenness keeps her just below Chapel and Spock in terms of overall legacy impact, even as her best episodes rank among the show’s most thematically potent.