An odd decision by La'an Noonien Singh (Christina Chong) in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' series premiere remains a bit of a mystery and hasn't been fully explained. La'an is a new character introduced in Star Trek canon, and she quickly emerged as a fan favorite. Although La'an's ancestor is Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalbán), the genetically engineered supervillain from Star Trek: The Original Series, La'an was haunted by her past with the Gorn in Strange New Worlds season 1.
In Strange New Worlds' series premiere, La'an refuses a sedative when Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) altered her DNA and turned her into a Kiley 279 alien for the mission to rescue Lt. Commander Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn). La'an held to her decision despite the "excruciating pain" of her transformation, and not even Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) could talk her out of it. Why did La'an bear the full brunt of this pain? It's not fully explained, but the answer lies in her past trauma with the Gorn. La'an refuses to be a victim or give up any aspect of control over her life, and this includes any possible numbing effects of a sedative. La'an is so hardcore, she would rather accept pain than surrender control of her own self.
La'an Is Defined By Her Past Trauma With The Gorn
La'an is a strikingly different and intriguing new character introduced by Strange New Worlds. Rarely has there been a Star Trek character who is obviously coping with severe trauma from a violent childhood abduction. Strange New Worlds season 1 gradually revealed that La'an was kidnapped by the Gorn as a child, and the alien reptiles consumed her entire family. Although she was left to die by the Gorn, La'an managed to survive, and she was eventually rescued by Una Chin-Riley. But the Gorn never stopped owning real estate in La'an's mind, and her PTSD endures into her adulthood as a Starfleet Officer.
It was a bold move by Strange New Worlds' producers to center La'an's trauma around the Gorn, instead of Khan, although she also bears no love for her ancestor. This enabled the Gorn to emerge as major villains who were reconceived in Strange New Worlds season 1 to be even more fearsome and violent. The Gorn's aggression and attacks on the USS Enterprise, in turn, allowed La'an to face her trauma, and her intimate knowledge of the Gorn allowed her ship and crew to survive and even defeat them. But the scars the Gorn left La'an are mental and emotional, not physical, and they have not fully healed.
La'an Can Finally Put The Gorn Behind Her In Strange New Worlds Season 2
The Gorn will return in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, which was set up by La'an leaving the Enterprise before season 1 ended so that she can reunite another young Gorn survivor with her family. This is a big step towards healing for La'an, just as her Strange New Worlds season 1 encounters with the Gorn showed her the monsters can be beaten with the help of her crew. La'an is already confirmed to return to the Enterprise in Strange New Worlds season 2, so she should be back with her Starfleet family for the inevitable rematch with the Gorn.
La'an also slowly broke down some of her walls in Strange New Worlds season 1. While she maintained her armor as the Enterprise's no-nonsense Security Chief, La'an had moments of levity with Una, and she warmed up to her shipmates like Cadet Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding). La'an also respects and admires Captain Pike, who earned her loyalty. La'an may never fully explain her rationale for refusing Nurse Chapel's sedative in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' premiere, but tracking her growth and changes throughout season 1 shows that La'an will one day heroically overcome her Gorn trauma.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 will premiere in 2023 on Paramount+.