Summary
Star Trek: Stange New Worldsshould bring back the prominent rank featured inStar Trek: The Original Seriesand use the position to revitalize important and unexplored aspects of Starfleet. InStar Trek: The Original Series, yeomen were played by female actors and depicted a yeoman as an administrative type of rank in Starfleet. Despite theStar Trektimelineincluding many progressive themes, this lack of female representation was the norm whenStar Trekpremiered in the 1960s.Star Trek: Strange New Worldscould officially bring back and diversify yeomenand give them a respected place in Starfleet.
Star Trek: Strange New Worldsstarted as a spin-off ofStar Trek: Discoverybut quickly became a staple in the modernStar Trekcanon.Strange New Worldsoften brings back classicStar Trekby reintroducing characters fromThe Original Series, including Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and Lieutenant James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley). Since both of these characters have yeomen assistants,including new (and possibly old) characters with the rank of yeoman seems like the logical next stepforStar Trek: Strange New Worlds' season 3and beyond.
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How Star Trek: Bringing Back Yeomen In Strange New Worlds Can Work
The unused rank can be more than a one-episode plot device
Star Trek: Strange New Worldsincluded a brief segue intowhat aStar Trekyeoman isin the season 2 episode “Among the Lotus Eaters.” Captain Pike discovers Yeoman Zac Nguyen, who had served on the USS Enterprise until the yeoman’s apparent death on Rigel VII, is still alive. However, the episode doesn’t reveal exactly what the position is commonly used for in Starfleet in relation to other lower ranks, like Cadets or Ensigns. Instead,Yeoman Nguyen serves mostly to further the plot of the episodeand give Captain Pike more development.
Yeomen inStar Trek: Strange New Worldscould build on Yeoman Nguyen’s story and introduce a more inclusive, complex position.
With at least a brief yeoman introduction under its belt,Star Trek: Strange New Worldscould easily bring in a yeoman to join the USS Enterprise crew. In doing so,the forgotten Starfleet rank could make a comebackand set up the future of classic characters who held the yeoman position in otherStar Trekprojects. Instead of being female clerical workers, yeomen inStar Trek: Strange New Worldscould build on Yeoman Nguyen’s story and introduce a more inclusive, complex position beneficial to Starfleet’s upper ranks.
Yeomen On Strange New Worlds Can Set Up Star Trek: TOS’s Janice Rand
Star Trek: The Original Series' Janice Rand deserves a new beginning
By bringing back theStar Trekyeomen rank,Strange New Worldscan save Janice Rand(Grace Lee Whitney) and redeem the classic character whose unfair exit marks one ofStar Trek’s darkest events. DuringStrange New World’s timeline, Rand would be the appropriate age for a Cadet, a position for students enrolled in Starfleet Academy. This way, Cadet Rand could have a fresh start aboard the USS Enterprise, andStrange New Worldscould offer a sneak peek into the future of the yeoman position.
BothStrange New World’s Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck) and Lt. Montgomery “Scotty” Scott (Martin Quinn) havebenefited from the show’s foreshadowing techniques, since theirStar Trek:TheOriginal Seriescounterparts have been major parts of some ofStar Trek’s biggest events. SinceStar Trek: Strange New Worldsoften hints at future events that tie into older shows, adding yeomen back to Starfleet could expand the list of current ranks and diversify characters in upcomingStar TrekTV shows and movies.
