Star Trek: Strange New Worldsstar Rebecca Romijn reacts to the fact that her real-life husband, Jerry O’Connell, outranks her at Starfleet. Romijn portrayed Lieutenant Commander Una Chin-Riley inStar Trek: Discovery, before the character was spun out into another series.
Romijn can currently be seen inStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 3. O’Connell voiced Jack Ransom, the First Officer of the USS Cerritos inStar Trek: Lower Decksbefore being promoted to Captain in the series finale.
In an interview withScreenRant’s John Orquiola, Romijn was asked about her reaction to her husband’s character now outranking hers in Starfleet. While the two characters exist at different points in the overall timeline,Romijn jokingly says that O’Connell “never lets me forget"that he is now the higher-ranking officer. Check out her quote below:
When Jerry thinks that he can outrank me, he never lets me forget it. Let me tell you, he reminds me all the time that he outranks me.
What This Means For Star Trek
The Marriage Is A Fun Connection To The Franchise
Romijn and O’Connell have been married since 2007, and their off-screen relationship is a fun added bonus to the overallStar Trekfranchise.The two characters have never officially interacted, and most likely never will.Star Trek: Lower Decksdid crossover withStrange New Worlds, but O’Connell’s Ransom did not make the journey.
How high Romijn’s Una will climb in Starfleet ranks remains unknown. Outside of her portrayal inStrange New Worlds, the character was originally played by Majel Barrett,Star Trekcreator Gene Roddenberry’s future wife, in the unaired pilot.
The footage of her was later reused inStar Trek: The Original Seriesepisodes 15 and 16, “The Menagerie” parts 1 and 2. Barrett also played Nurse Chapel inTOS, Lwaxana Troi inStar Trek: The Next GenerationandStar Trek: Deep Space Nine, and voiced the computer in multiple series and movies.
Our Take On Their Competing Ranks
Romijn’s Character Has A Lasting Legacy
While O’Connell’s character may currently outrank Romijn’s, it has been established thatUna Chin-Riley has a legacy long past her time aboard the Enterprise. It is revealed that in the year 2381, she is used as promotion for cadets joining Starfleet. Ensign Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) describes her as his inspiration for wanting to be a Starfleet officer.
Despite Ransom being promoted to Captain of the Cerritos, it is still just a California-class starship. Una Chin-Riley’s role as Number One on the Enterprise inStar Trek: Lower Decksstill arguably has more prestige to it. She also has a confirmed legacy that viewers don’t know if Ransom ever came close to achieving.
