Published Jul 23, 2026, 3:00 PM EDT
John Orquiola is a New & Classic TV Editor, Senior Writer, and Interviewer with a special focus on Star Trek. John has over 5,000 published articles at SR, and he has interviewed the biggest names in Star Trek on the red carpet and VIP events, among other beloved shows, movies, and franchises.
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Warning: SPOILERS For Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4, Episode 1 - "Valles Marineris"Star Trek: Strange New Worlds finally gave an iconic character a promotion they waited 60 years for. Written by Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers and directed by Chris Fisher, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4's premiere sends the USS Enterprise 65 million years into the past, where Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) makes a decision that rewrites human history.
Promotions have been few and far between since Star Trek: Strange New Worlds began. The ranks of Captain Pike's USS Enterprise crew have remained static since Strange New Worlds' series premiere. The exceptions have been Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) being promoted from Starfleet Academy cadet to Ensign, and James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) becoming a Lt. Commander and First Officer of the USS Farragut.
In the case of Captain Pike and Number One (Rebecca Romijn), who debuted in Star Trek's original pilot, "The Cage," their ranks have been set for the last 60 years. However, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4 finally moves them up the ladder, or sets up their climb. Pike was actually offered a promotion first, and refused, but he made sure Number One got her long-deserved due.
At the end of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4's premiere, Una Chin-Riley is finally promoted to full Commander. It's shocking but true that Number One was only a Lieutenant Commander, and has been since "The Cage," even though Una was considered the finest First Officer in Starfleet, and was second in command of the USS Enterprise, the flagship of the United Federation of Planets.
As Captain Pike reminded her upon breaking the news, Una's bump up to Commander is one step closer to her becoming Captain of her own starship. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is hinting that Number One will become a Captain by the time the prequel ends in its fifth and final season. Although Pike and Una don't know it at this point, Number One won't get the USS Enterprise. That's James T. Kirk's destiny.
Number One was First Officer and a Lt. Commander in "The Cage," which took place in 2254 in Star Trek's timeline. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4 happens in the early 2260s, so Una has been frozen as a Lt. Commander for nearly a decade. However, if Chin-Riley gets promoted to Captain, it will happen a lot faster, in the span of just the next few years.
An explanation for why Una Chin-Riley's promotion took so long is her imprisonment and court-martial after she outed herself as a genetically engineered Illyrian. Una won her trial and the right to return to Starfleet and the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2. Starfleet may have been hesitant to promote Una afterward, but Captain Pike's request was honored by Admiral Robert April (Adrian Holmes).
Captain Pike Refused Promotion, But A Different One Will Still Happen
Captain Pike was the one who was initially offered a promotion by Admiral April in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4's premiere. Pike refused to be bumped up to a Commodore, however. One reason is that Chris wants to stay as Captain of the Enterprise and enjoy exploring strange new worlds for as long as he can. Pike knows his destiny of being horribly disfigured is coming up fast in just a few years.
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01
The USS Enterprise is the most iconic starship in science fiction. What is the registry number of Captain Kirk’s original Enterprise from The Original Series?
ANCC-1701-D BNX-01 CNCC-1701 DNCC-74656
✓ Correct! NCC-1701 is the registry of Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise. The “-D” suffix belongs to Picard’s Galaxy-class ship, NX-01 is Archer’s Enterprise, and NCC-74656 is Voyager.
✗ Red alert! The answer is NCC-1701. Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise carried this now-legendary registry. NCC-1701-D is Picard’s Enterprise from TNG, NX-01 is Captain Archer’s, and NCC-74656 belongs to Voyager.
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02
Kirk’s most trusted officer is a half-human, half-Vulcan science officer famous for his logic and iconic salute. Who is this legendary character?
AData BSpock CTuvok DSarek
✓ Correct! Mr. Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy, is the half-Vulcan science officer whose “Live long and prosper” salute became a cultural icon. His struggle between logic and emotion defines the heart of the Original Series.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Spock. Data is an android from TNG, Tuvok is Voyager’s Vulcan tactical officer, and Sarek is Spock’s Vulcan father. Only Spock is the half-human, half-Vulcan first officer of Kirk’s Enterprise.
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03
Starfleet’s most important regulation forbids interference with the natural development of alien civilizations. What is this guiding principle called?
AThe Temporal Accord BGeneral Order One CThe Omega Directive DThe Prime Directive
✓ Correct! The Prime Directive (also known as General Order 1) is Starfleet’s most sacred law. It prohibits interfering with less-developed civilizations — though Kirk, Picard, and Janeway have all famously bent or broken it when lives were at stake.
✗ Red alert! The answer is the Prime Directive. While “General Order One” is technically another name for it, the Prime Directive is the universally known term. The Omega Directive and Temporal Accord are separate, more specialized Starfleet protocols.
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04
“Resistance is futile.” This chilling declaration belongs to a cybernetic collective that assimilates entire civilizations into its hive mind. What is this fearsome species called?
AThe Borg BThe Dominion CThe Romulans DSpecies 8472
✓ Correct! The Borg are Star Trek’s most terrifying villains — a hive-mind collective that forcibly assimilates species and technology. Captain Picard was famously assimilated and transformed into Locutus in the landmark TNG episode “The Best of Both Worlds.”
✗ Red alert! The answer is the Borg. The Dominion is the Gamma Quadrant empire from DS9, the Romulans are a rival empire, and Species 8472 is actually one of the few species that the Borg themselves fear. Only the Borg declare “Resistance is futile.”
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05
Captain Jean-Luc Picard commands the Enterprise-D in The Next Generation and later received his own series, Star Trek: Picard. Which acclaimed actor portrays him?
AWilliam Shatner BAvery Brooks CPatrick Stewart DScott Bakula
✓ Correct! Sir Patrick Stewart brought gravitas, Shakespeare, and Earl Grey tea to the captain’s chair for seven seasons of TNG, four films, and three seasons of Star Trek: Picard. His “Make it so” is one of TV’s most iconic catchphrases.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Patrick Stewart. William Shatner plays Captain Kirk, Avery Brooks is Captain Sisko on Deep Space Nine, and Scott Bakula captains the NX-01 Enterprise. Only Sir Patrick Stewart portrays the legendary Jean-Luc Picard.
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06
Starfleet vessels travel faster than light by bending space around them using a matter-antimatter reaction. What is this propulsion system called?
ATranswarp Drive BWarp Drive CSlipstream Drive DSpore Drive
✓ Correct! Warp Drive is the standard faster-than-light propulsion in Star Trek, powered by dilithium-regulated matter-antimatter reactions. Zefram Cochrane invented it in 2063, which led to humanity’s first contact with the Vulcans.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Warp Drive. Transwarp is an advanced Borg technology, Slipstream is an experimental quantum drive, and the Spore Drive uses mycelial network navigation (from Discovery). Standard Starfleet vessels use Warp Drive.
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07
At Starfleet Academy, cadets face a notorious no-win scenario designed to test their character under impossible circumstances. James Kirk is the only cadet who ever beat it — by cheating. What is this test called?
AThe Prometheus Trial BThe Omega Simulation CThe Corbomite Maneuver DThe Kobayashi Maru
✓ Correct! The Kobayashi Maru is an unwinnable rescue simulation that tests how cadets handle certain death. Kirk reprogrammed it so he could win — earning a commendation for original thinking. It was memorably featured in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
✗ Red alert! The answer is the Kobayashi Maru. The Corbomite Maneuver is a TOS episode, not an Academy test. The Kobayashi Maru is the famous no-win scenario that Kirk defeated by reprogramming the simulation — because he doesn’t believe in the no-win scenario.
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08
In the widely regarded greatest Star Trek film, a genetically enhanced superhuman from Earth’s past seeks revenge against Captain Kirk. “KHAAAAN!” Who is this iconic villain?
AKhan Noonien Singh BGeneral Chang CQ DGul Dukat
✓ Correct! Khan Noonien Singh, played by Ricardo Montalbán, is Star Trek’s greatest villain. First appearing in the TOS episode “Space Seed,” he returned in The Wrath of Khan (1982) for a devastating revenge plot that cost Spock his life.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Khan Noonien Singh. General Chang is a Klingon from Star Trek VI, Q is TNG’s omnipotent trickster, and Gul Dukat is DS9’s Cardassian antagonist. Only Khan inspired Kirk’s legendary scream across the cosmos.
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Since Pike has a clear vision of the details of his tragic future, he may also be aware that he will be promoted by the time it happens. In Star Trek: The Original Series' "The Menagerie," Pike (Sean Kenney) holds the rank of Fleet Captain. Chris was already a temporary Fleet Captain when he led the USS Enterprise, the USS Farragut, and a deuterium refinery in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2's "Lost in Translation."
In Star Trek, Fleet Captain is more of a temporary rank when commanding a major operation involving multiple ships, while a Commodore is a fixed rank roughly equivalent to a rear Admiral. A Commodore typically leads a small fleet or is in command of a starbase. Either way, it's not a rank that grants permanent command of a starship on a five-year mission of exploration, which is why future Fleet Captain Pike turned down being a Commodore.
Commander Una Chin-Riley's long-awaited promotion is a major building block towards Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' inevitable ending. Meanwhile, her promotion means Una now outranks her fellow First Officer, Lt. Commander James T. Kirk, unless the USS Farragut's Number One also gets bumped up in rank en route to his future as Captain of the Enterprise.
It took four seasons and 60 years, but Star Trek: Strange New Worlds finally ended the longest wait for a promotion in Star Trek history.
Release Date 2022 - 2027-00-00
Network Paramount+
Showrunner Henry Alonso Myers, Akiva Goldsman
Writers Onitra Johnson
English (US) ·