The Starship Enterprise is filled with love stories inStar Trek: Strange New Worlds, but all of them must end before the events ofStar Trek: The Original Series. The highly anticipatedStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 3premieres July 17 on Paramount+.Strange New Worldsseason 3 resumes the genre-bending intergalactic adventures - and many romances - of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and the crew of the USS Enterprise.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’co-showrunners, Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers, have referred to their series as"love stories in outer space.“WhileStrange New Worldsreturns to the episodic format ofStar Trek: The Original Series, the prequel’s character arcs are serialized.Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' charactersevolve as the show progresses, growing, learning, sometimes dying in the case ofLt. Hemmer (Bruce Horak), and yes, falling in love.
WhileStar Trek: Strange New Worldshas been liberally pairing up its attractive cast in various couples (and triangles),these love stories can’t last intoStar Trek: The Original Series.Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner)and his USS Enterprise crew do not have permanent romantic relationships, especially theStar TrekcharactersTOSshares withStrange New Worlds. As entertaining asStar Trek; Strange New Worlds' romances are, they all, sadly, have a shelf life.
5Lt. La’an Noonien-Singh & Lt. James T. Kirk
La’an Is Never Mentioned In Star Trek: The Original Series
Emotionally distant from her childhood trauma of surviving a Gorn abduction,Lieutenant La’an Noonien-Singh(Christina Chong) fell in love with an alternate reality Captain James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) inStar Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 3, “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.” Kirk died in La’an’s arms after being shot by a Romulan time agent named Sera (Adelaide Kane).La’an quickly learned she is similarly attracted to Lieutenant James T. Kirk, her Jim’s Prime Timeline doppelgänger.
Lieutenants Kirk and Noonien-Singh confessed their mutual attraction inStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 2, episode 9, “Subspace Rhapsody.” However, Kirk shot down pursuing a romance with La’an because he has a girlfriend, Carol Marcus, who is pregnant. Even ifStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseasons 3 and 4 bring Kirk and La’an’s love story into full bloom,there is no future for them. La’an is never mentioned inStar Trek: The Original Seriessince she was created forStar Trek: Strange New Worlds.
4Lt. Spock & T’Pring
T’Pring & Spock Have Already Taken A Break
Perhaps Mr. Spock’s (Leonard Nimoy) most famous episode ofStar Trek: The Original Seriesis season 2’s “Amok Time,” which introduced his estranged fiancée, T’Pring (Arlene Martel). Utilizing the Vulcan ritual ofkal-if-fee, T’Pring manipulates a ‘divorce’ from Spock so she can marry a different Vulcan.Star Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 1 springs back nearly a decade to showLieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck) and T’Pring (Gia Sandhu) in happier times, but this also didn’t last.
Spock’s insecurities about not being"Vulcan enough"for T’Pring drove a wedge in their relationship even before the USS Enterprise’s Science Officer acted on his growing feelings toward Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush). InStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 2, episode 5, “Charades,“T’Pring and Spock decided to take “a break"from their relationship.It’s unclear if T’Pring will return inStrange New Worldsseason 3 or if this is it for Spock and T’Pring until they see each other again inStar Trek: The Original Series.
3Lt. Spock & Nurse Christine Chapel
Chapel Has Unrequited Love For Spock In Star Trek: The Original Series
Nurse Christine Chapel(Majel Barrett-Roddenberry) had a famously unrequited love for Mr. Spock inStar Trek: The Original Series, butStar Trek: Strange New Worldsturned it on its ear, revealing thatChapel and Lieutenant Spock were a couple,albeit briefly. Christine and Spock were attracted to each other from the onset ofStrange New Worlds,and it quickly grew into a full-blown romance, with Spock enjoying expressing his human side with Christine.
Chapel has a different beau en route in Strange New Worlds season 3.
InStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 2, Spock and Nurse Chapel became a couple, but it soon ended when Christine was accepted for a fellowship in archaeological medicine.Chapel chose her career ambitions and leaving the Starship Enterprise over Spock, and theVulcan was heartbrokenby their public breakup. Although Spock saved Chapel from the Gorn inStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 2’s finale, their romantic status remains unclear. Regardless, Chapel has a different beau en route inStrange New Worldsseason 3.
2Nurse Christine Chapel & Dr. Roger Korby
Korby & Chapel’s Engagement Doesn’t Last
Dr. Roger Korby(Michael Strong) was introduced inStar Trek: The Original Seriesseason 1, episode 9, “What Are Little Girls Made Of?” Described as"the Louis Pasteur of archeological medicine,“Korby was also the former fiancée of Nurse Christine Chapel.Star Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 3 reintroduces Dr. Roger Korby (Cillian O’Sullivan), and will show his love story with Chapel that was long over in 1960sStar Trek.
No matter how Nurse Chapel and Dr. Roger Korby’s love story plays out inStar Trek: Strange New Worlds,they do not marry or end up together. However,it will also be fascinating to see Chapel and Korby in love, and to see the details and circumstances of their relationship. How Korby and Chapel’s engagement ends, and whether Spock plays a role in it, is something to watch for inStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 3 (and possibly beyond).
1Captain Christopher Pike & Captain Marie Batel
Pike’s Destiny Isn’t Happily Ever After With Batel
Captain Christopher Pike bucks the classic Captain of the Enterprise mold bynot being ‘married to his starship.‘SinceStar Trek: Strange New Worlds’ series premiere, Pike has been in a relationship with his peer,Captain Marie Batel(Melanie Scrofano). Admirably, Pike and Batel have weathered the challenges and distance of commanding their own starships to make their love story work.
However, Captain Pike is destined to be horribly disfigured by delta rays in a tragic accident inStar Trek: The Original Series. Pike will spend the remainder of his life on Talos IV in an illusion with Vina (Susan Oliver, Melissa George). Meanwhile, Captain Batel is on death’s door after being infected by Gorn eggs inStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 2’s finale. Whether or not Marie dies inStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 3, there is, sadly, no future for Captains Pike and Batel.
