La'an Noonien Singh quotes from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

La'an

My real name is La'an Noonien-Singh. My ancestor is Khan Noonien Singh. And his legacy is genocide, torture and me.

La'an

You don't have sunsets in your time?

From the videos I've seen, we mostly have clouds of ash that won't clear for a thousand years and underground lunar habitats with no view of the sun at all. [pulls himself together, smiles and turns to La'an] My advice? [offers her one of his hot dogs] Don't skip good hot dogs when you can get them.

La'an

I've seen your timeline. You're at war. Your Earth is a ruin.

We've made the stars our home. The moon, Mars, Venus, Europa.

La'an

In my timeline, humanity has spread across dozens of worlds. We're part of a federation of species.

We don't need anyone else's help to survive.

La'an

And just surviving is good enough for you?

Oh, and I suppose you come from some sort of a utopia.

La'an

My Earth still has sunsets.

La'an

You know, if I was in your position, I don't know that I would have gone along with this. I don't think I could have gotten this far without you.

You'd definitely would have frozen to death on the first night. Or starved. That hot dog saved your life.

La'an

Well, how many people can say that?

I might be the only one. Truth is, if we can only save one timeline, I'd rather live in yours. I mean, I know that's not how it works. Like I mentioned, I missed a few lectures in temporal mechanics, but...

La'an

What if you could? Come to my time.

I'm not sure one timeline is big enough for two of me.

La'an

I've been carrying something around for a long time. Something in my heritage.

You come from a long line of axe murderers?

La'an

Oh, no, we never use axes.

Christopher Pike

Run me through it again.

Spock

Respectfully, sir, there is nothing to run through. Given a longer time frame, I might be able to brute force a solution, but as of now, there is no way to track the Orions.

Brad Boimler

Uh, I know how to track the Orions.

La'an Noonien-Singh

Didn't we talk about that?

Brad Boimler

Yes, uh, using future knowledge, yes I know I shouldn't, but um, what if I could use it, and you guys just, um... don't look?

Una Chin-Riley

[laughs] That's ridiculous. We can't just not look... can we?

Una Chin-Riley

We sure this is wise?

Christopher Pike

No, but I'm going with it.

Una Chin-Riley

You have an energy.

La'an Noonien Singh

What?! I'm just waiting for our visitor to arrive so I can run a security clearance on him.

Una Chin-Riley

I'm aware. But you came in here hot. On fire. It's making me sweat.

Spock

Imagine an area of space where quantum uncertainties collapse so rapidly and randomly that new realities are created. In one such reality, people sing uncontrollably.

Pelia

A musical reality.

Spock

Indeed.

La'an

So, what's next? More improbability? Or will we just suddenly poof into bunnies?

Dr. M'Benga

I would prefer not to be a bunny, either.

La'an Noonien Singh

Okay, I need to just say this before it comes out in the form of a 17th-century sea shanty. I know you. I mean not you you. We ... Well, I know you now, but I mean before. In a different time, I met another you.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. I don't love rules, but I'm pretty sure you're about to break a big one.

La'an Noonien Singh

The other you, He saw the real me. Beyond my name, beyond all that name stands for. He'd never even heard it before. And I liked it. I liked the way he looked at me. Because through his eyes, I could finally see the person I had the potential to be. And it was someone who wasn't burdened by tragedy and darkness. Someone who could find hope and live in that hope. Someone free. Free to feel and take chances and and make connections. But then, he was gone. And with him, that version of myself was gone, too. And that's ... That was what I wanted to say.

Am I anything like the other me?

La'an Noonien Singh

No. And yes. I like how you look at me, too.

In what way?

La'an Noonien Singh

Like you really see me.

Christopher Pike

Sometimes hope is a choice.

La'an

Yeah, you've told me that one before.

Christopher Pike

Maybe I'm saying it 'cause I need to hear it.

La'an Noonien Singh

You had quite a bit of cash to lose from the cancellation of The Last Frontier, didn't you?

I had three clients on that show. You do the math. But I didn't kill Tony Hart, though I wish I had.

La'an Noonien Singh

And why is that?

Because cancelling The Last Frontier is the stupidest thing Tony's ever done. Do you realize how rare a show like this is? TK wanted to give audiences a digestible reflection of their own world through the lens of fantasy. Social commentary with rubber masks and buried metaphors. You know, science fiction.

Spock

And the studio did not agree with this vision.

They were more cautious. Didn't want to make waves. The cowards. TK wanted Frontier to take our rotten world with its warts and injustices and give audiences something better.

La'an Noonien Singh

And all of that with weekly space adventures?

You don't find the idea inspiring? You don't think some kid out there is going to see this show and spend the rest of their life searching the stars? You don't think a person can love a piece of art or music or a story so much that it heals them, shows them parts of themselves they've never even seen before, and give them hope?

La'an Noonien Singh

You know, of course I do.

A show like this could have gone on forever. Given generations of fans a place to feel seen, to belong, something to believe in again, no matter who they were or where they came from. But you can't do any of that without a season two.

Pelia

I suppose I can direct you from the bridge. Five Vulcans should be more than enough down there.

Four. And one half.

Chapel

Spock is only half-Vulcan, whereas the four of us...

Spock

Are fully Vulcan.

La'An

Is that not logical, Spock?

Spock

Indeed, it is.