Star Trek: Why Number One Was Cut From TOS (& What Her Return Means)

Number One was cut from Star Trek: The Original Series after the first pilot, but the character is set to make a redeeming comeback in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Star Trek: The Original Series aired from 1966 to 1969, and was the first show in what would eventually become the Star Trek franchise. TOS focused on Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise. However, Kirk and his crew were not part of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s earliest ideas for the show.

The original pilot episode for TOS, subsequently dubbed “The Cage,” had an almost entirely different cast from the one that would come to make up the show. “The Cage” featured Christopher Pike as the captain of the Enterprise, with a crew that included Pike’s female First Officer, Number One. Number One was the first of several Star Trek roles played by Majel Barrett, who at the time was Roddenberry’s girlfriend and would later become Majel Barrett-Roddenberry. The character description from Number One described her as “mysterious” and possessing an “icy façade,” with an extremely efficient work ethic and knowledge of the crew and vessel surpassing that of even the captain’s.

Barrett-Roddenberry portrayed the character true to this description in “The Cage,” but once the episode had been made, NBC rejected the pilot and cited Number One as one of the changes they wished Roddenberry to make to the show. There have been conflicting reports over the years about why NBC disliked Number One so much. Producer Robert Justman and Executive Herb Solow stated that it was because the network thought Barrett-Roddenberry was a weak actress, while Gene Roddenberry asserted that he had been told the idea of a female first officer wouldn’t play well with audiences. This is something that was apparently born out in early audience tests of “The Cage,” with female audience members responding more negatively to Number One than male audience members in a surprising twist.

Regardless of the truth, by the time Star Trek: The Original Series officially aired, Number One had been cut from the show entirely. Many of her characteristics ended up being given to the character of Spock, the only holdover character from the original pilot. As Star Trek fans will know, Barrett-Roddenberry went on to play Nurse Christine Chapel on TOS as well as a number of other characters throughout the franchise. These included Lwaxana Troi on Star Trek: The Next Generation and the voice of the computer for several different series. She is also sometimes referred to as the “First Lady of Star Trek” because of her marriage to Gene Roddenberry and her heavy involvement with the franchise.

Still, for many fans, it has always been a disappointment that Barrett-Roddenberry’s original character was never given the chance to realize her full potential. Number One would have represented a step forward for women on television, precisely because she was so different from the feminine archetype of the 1960s. Unlike most female characters at the time, Number One was emotionally reserved, highly intelligent, and held a position of power over her male counterparts aboard the Enterprise. This is likely why she didn’t play well with 1960s audiences, but for more modern audiences who are used to more dynamic and complex female characters, Number One seems ahead of her time

Fortunately for those fans who have always been curious about her, Number One has recently been given a chance at redemption. After making appearances in Star Trek: Discovery and Short Treks, she is slated to appear as part of the main cast on the upcoming Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Now played by Rebecca Romjin, Number One’s appearances in Discovery season 2 demonstrated that Star Trek’s creative team had fleshed out her character while still keeping the things that made her so originally intriguing. It seems that Strange New Worlds will give fans a chance to find out what Number One could have become if she had been allowed to remain in Star Trek: The Original Series, and her return arguably acts as a tribute to Majel Barrett-Roddenberry and her legacy. Ultimately, Number One’s upcoming return signals exciting things for the Star Trek franchise.

About The Author

Dana Hanson
(110 Articles Published)

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Dana Hanson is a trainer and freelance writer for Screen Rant, covering stories about Star Trek for the Movie/TV feature writing team. She attended Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, graduating in 2019 with a degree in Media Arts production and a concentration in Writing for TV and film. She has previous experience working with an online and print publication as a freelance editor and has been passionate about both writing and Star Trek for years. She currently lives in Pennsylvania.

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