La'an's Noonien-Singh Family Augmentations In Star Trek: Strange New World Explained
In the latest episode of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," called "Ad Astra Per Aspera," Commander Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn) is put on trial for her genetics. It seems that she was not human as initially thought, but a genetically enhanced Illyrian. Chin-Riley lied about her species and her genetic status on her applications to Starfleet Academy and is now facing a court martial. While this may not seem like a big deal to non-Trekkies, those versed in Trek lore will know that genetic alteration is a massive no-no.
In the timeline of "Star Trek," Earth underwent a series of devastating wars in the 1990s called the Eugenics Wars. It was a time when genetically enhanced humans moved to conquer the Earth, and largely succeeded. One of the more notorious conquerors of the Eugenics Wars was Khan Noonien-Singh, the character played by Ricardo Montalbán in the 1967 Trek episode "Space Seed" as well as the 1982 feature film "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." As anyone who has seen Khan's episodes know, genetically enhanced supermen are prone to domination and villainy.
Because of the Eugenics Wars, the Federation became incredibly draconian about the practice, strictly outlawing anyone who engages in genetic tinkering. This is not just bad news for Commander Chin-Riley, but also for Lieutenant La'an Noonien-Singh, Khan's long-lost granddaughter. As a descendant of Khan, La'an bears the same genetic enhancements. Despite inheriting the trait from birth, her genes might put La'an in legal trouble with the Federation.
Genetic augmentation was most deeply explored in a notable three-part story arc on "Star Trek: Enterprise." "Borderland," "Cold Station 12," and "The Augments" aired on October 29, November 5, and November 12, 2004.
The Augments
Trek's ban on genetic augmentation was always lurking in the background of the franchise, but it was rarely spoken of aloud. It seemed generally accepted that tinkering with a child's genes prior to birth ... well, it merely wasn't done in the future. It was not just taboo, it was illegal.
It seems that Khan, the other genetically enhanced tyrants of the Eugenics Wars — and a lot of Earth's genetic manipulation in general — was perpetrated by several generations of men named Soong.
In "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Dr. Noonien Soong (Brent Spiner) was the creator of the android Data (Spiner), his evil twin Lore (Spiner), as well as his prototype B-4 (Spiner). Later on, in the above-mentioned three-part arc of "Enterprise," audiences would learn about an ancestor of Noonien's named Dr. Arik Soong (Spiner). It was Arik, a villainous character, that had fully implemented an intergenerational gene manipulation project that stemmed from Khan and the Eugenics Wars. Arik was keen to enhance people for his own nefarious eugenics purposes and had been implanting Klingons with altered human DNA to make them stronger. His goals were wholly nefarious, and an illustration as to why altered genetics were banned.
It seems, in so doing, the Klingons began to look more human. This was the in-canon reason why Klingons looked the way they did in the original series, but had enlarged craniums by "Star Trek: The Motion Picture." It seems the altered Soong genes were merely being thinned by normal Klingon reproduction. At the end of the "Enterprise" arc, Arik realized genetics was not an ethical way to build a superman. Maybe, he posited, an android would be better. It might take a few generations ...
And he wasn't the last we'd hear of the Soong family.
The star of the Khan Project
If we reach all the way back to 2024, we'll meet Dr. Adam Soong (Spiner again). In the second season of "Star Trek: Picard," the show's main cast would travel back in time and meet one of Data's earliest ancestors keen on genetic manipulation. Yes, the goal to create a "perfect being" has been continuing apace for centuries. Adam — also a villainous character — was attempting to build a daughter from scratch, ridding her system of imperfections and illnesses. Adam would eventually ally himself with the Borg (don't ask), and try to assassinate an ancestor of Picard's (again, don't ask).
Adam's adult daughter (Isa Briones) would eventually learn that her genes were being manipulated against her will, and would destroy Adam's research and flee. The despondent Adam, in digging through the rubble of his burned-out lab, would find a file folder detailing something called the Khan Project. Yes, it seems that Data's great-great-great-great grandfather was the man responsible for kicking off Earth's eugenics project in earnest. One family created both Data and Khan. This would be a shocker if it weren't ... well, if it weren't so silly.
One might note that I said earlier that the Eugenics Wars took place in the 1990s, and that "Picard" takes place in 2024. Yeah, Trekkies are keen to ignore that. It seems that the future of "Star Trek" keeps getting pushed back.
Which leads us right back to La'an. During the Eugenics Wars, it seems Khan had a child, and that child had La'an. While La'an was not genetically altered, she still carries her grandfather's augmentations. Technically illegal, but given that she is a generation removed, it's likely Starfleet gave her special dispensation. She's certainly not hiding, as she still uses the name Noonien-Singh.