The character is Jaylah, a new face in the Trek universe, played by the nimble Sofia Boutella from “Kingsman”. According to the film’s co-writer, Simon Pegg, Jaylah was inspired by the character played by Jennifer Lawrence in the 2010 backwoods drama “Winter’s Bone”, a young woman forced by circumstances to become tough beyond her years.

“We started off calling her ‘Jennifer Lawrence in ‘Winter’s Bone”, because we wanted that kind of resourceful young girl”, explained Pegg. The writers soon began using Lawrence’s nickname, J-Law, as shorthand, “and then that became Jaylah.”

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