While most of the Starship Enterprise's crew members are human, a few aliens are serving aboard under Captain Christopher Pike's (Anson Mount) command. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds follows the precedent set by other versions of the USS Enterprise in Star Trek. The USS Enterprise-D in Star Trek: The Next Generation had an android, Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner), a Klingon, Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn), and a Betazoid, Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), all of whom had special abilities.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1 introduced the late Lt. Hemmer (Bruce Horak), the Starship Enterprise's Chief Engineer. Hemmer was an Aenar, an offshoot of the Andorians. Despite being blind, Hemmer's other senses were heightened, and he was a skilled engineer and mentor to Ensign Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding). One might even consider the singing talent of many of Captain Pike's crew to be a special ability. However, here are 6 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds characters who are more than meets the eye.
6Lieutenant La’an Noonien-Singh
Descendant of Khan Noonien Singh
Despite La'an's fears, she has not displayed Khan's super strength or physical endurance in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. However, this doesn't mean La'an lacks latent abilities derived from Khan's augmented DNA. La'an is highly intelligent, singularly focused, driven, and she was the lone survivor of a Gorn attack that killed her family when she was a child. La'an may be more special than she lets on, and perhaps we'll see aspects of Khan in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3.
5Captain Christopher Pike
Future Knowledge Of His Own Fate
Captain Christopher Pike is completely human, but he was granted foreknowledge of his own future in Star Trek: Discovery season 2. At a Klingon monastery on Boreth, a time crystal allowed Pike to see that, in less than a decade, Chris will be horribly disfigured by delta rays and confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Pike was burdened by his awareness of his destiny throughout Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1.
In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1's finale, "A Quality of Mercy," Captain Pike learned that avoiding his fate means transferring the tragedy to Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck). Thus, Pike must live his life to the fullest before the inevitable happens. However, Pike's foreknowledge also grants Chris a certainty and clarity he would otherwise lack as he commands the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
4Dr. Joseph M’Benga
Starfleet Assassin With Chemical Enhancements
Dr. Joseph M'Benga is Chief Medical Officer of the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, but he's a physician who may have taken more lives than he has saved. During Star Trek: Discovery's Klingon War, M'Benga was known as "The Ghost," an operative of Starfleet Special Forces with more confirmed hand-to-hand kills than anyone. M'Benga is one of the best hand-to-hand fighters in Starfleet and regularly spars with his crewmates on the Enterprise.
Babs Olusanmokun is a real-life Brazilian jiu-jitsu master.
3Commander Pelia
Long-Lived Lanthanite
Commander Pelia (Carol Kane) looks human, but the Chief Engineer of the USS Enterprise is a Lanthanite, an alien species that lives for an extremely long time. Pelia has seemingly lived on Earth for thousands of years; she claims she knew Pythagoras when he invented mathematics, and Pelia also says she knew Cary Grant.In the 23rd century, Pelia not only knew Lt. Spock's mother, Amanda Grayson (Mia Kirshner), but Amanda was one of the few humans to whom Pelia revealed her true nature as a Lanthanite. Remarkably, Pelia knew nothing about engineering before mastering warp theory to become an engineering instructor at Starfleet Academy. Pelia even taught Lt. Hemmer, Lt. Montgomery Scott (Martin Quinn), and Lt. Commander Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn).
Lieutenant Spock
Half-Vulcan
Lieutenant Spock is the most famous Vulcan in Star Trek, and his abilities have been established since Leonard Nimoy portrayed Mr. Spock in Star Trek: The Original Series. As a Vulcan, Spock is fiercely intelligent with a keen logical mind. Spock's Vulcan physiology makes him stronger than a normal human. Spock also possesses Vulcan touch telepathy, which allows him to perform mind-melds and nonviolently subdue others with a Vulcan nerve pinch.
Although Spock is also half-human, this doesn't diminish his Vulcan abilities. Spock controls his human emotions through Vulcan logic, but his humanity has been unleashed occasionally, to great effect. In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1, episode 9, "All Those Who Wander," Spock, tapping into his innate rage, helped him face the Gorn.
1Lt. Commander Una Chin-Riley
Genetically Engineered Illyrian
Number One might be the most physically powerful person aboard the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Because genetic engineering is banned by the United Federation of Planets, Una hid her augmented nature when she joined Starfleet. Ultimately, Number One revealed that she's an augment and won a court-martial that recognized her rights and allowed her to return to the USS Enterprise as First Officer. Proud to let her crew know who she really is, Number One might be the most physically powerful person aboard the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
