Warning: This Article Contains SPOILERS For Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2, Episode 7 – “Those Old Scientists”
Summary
- Number One becomes the literal poster girl for Starfleet in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, inspiring fantastic fan art recreations.
- The crossover with Star Trek: Lower Decks shows that Number One’s legacy continues into the 24th century, with her image used for recruitment.
- “Ad Astra Per Aspera” takes on a greater meaning in the crossover, representing the ideal that drove Number One to join Starfleet and reach for the stars.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds‘ crossover with Star Trek: Lower Decks revealed Number One (Rebecca Romijn) becomes the literal poster girl for Starfleet, and fantastic fan art recreates Una’s animated poster in live-action. At first, Lt. Commander Una Chin-Riley can’t understand why the 24th-century time traveler Ensign Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) keeps avoiding her, and Number One fears something ominous about her future. But Ensign Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) finally explained that Una is on Starfleet’s recruitment poster, along with her personal slogan, “Ad Astra Per Aspera.”
On Twitter, @TheScorch1701 shared their beautiful fan art of Brad Boimler’s poster of Number One redesigned in live-action with Rebecca Romijn as Una. Check it out below:
Strange New Worlds‘ crossover showed that Boimler really does have this poster of Number One pinned in his bunk on the USS Cerritos, but it’s only shown in Star Trek: Lower Decks-style animation in the episode. The live-action poster of Number One is so good, Star Trek fans will surely want physical copies of “Numero Una, the hottest First Officer in Starfleet” to pin up on their walls.
Ad Astra Per Aspera” Takes On A Greater Meaning In Strange New Worlds’ Crossover
Strange New Worlds‘ crossover gives “Ad Astra Per Aspera” an even greater meaning since that Latin phrase inspired Brad Boimler to join Starfleet. It also proves that Number One’s legacy continues into the 24th century and that Starfleet no longer holds the fact that she’s a genetically modified Illyrian against her if Una is the symbol Starfleet uses for recruitment. In Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 2, Una revealed that “Ad Astra Per Aspera” is her personal touchstone meaning “To the stars through hardship.” This was the ideal that drove Una Chin-Riley to join Starfleet, so she could fulfill her dream of seeing the stars, although it required her to lie about being Illyrian.
Number One was especially touched that “Ad Astra Per Aspera” is written on the Starfleet recruitment poster featuring her. Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 2 revealed that Number One chose to reveal her true nature to Starfleet and face a court-martial, which she won thanks to her lawyer and oldest friend, Neera Ketoul (Yetide Badaki). Una was able to return to the USS Enterprise as First Officer with her head held high, fully accepted for who she truly is by her crew on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. In the 24th century of Star Trek: Lower Decks, it’s heartening that Number One is held up as a paragon of Starfleet, and “Ad Astra Per Aspera” is an inspiration for others to join and see the stars.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.
Source: Twitter
