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Star Trek: Christine Chapel and Spock's Romance, Explained

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Star Trek: How Spock’s Characterization Has Evolved Over The Years

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• Nurse Christine Chapel's unrequited affection for Spock adds depth and complexity to her character, showcasing the challenges of relationships in the Star Trek universe.
• In Strange New Worlds, Chapel and Spock's relationship is explored with newfound depth and complexity, showcasing their growing closeness and genuine emotions.
• Chapel's decision to prioritize her career over a romance with Spock highlights the complexities of human-Vulcan dynamics.

Star Trek is a universe brimming with iconic relationships, from the bromance of Kirk and Spock to the enduring romance between Riker and Troi. However, one of the most overlooked, yet most intriguing, love stories in the saga revolves around Nurse Christine Chapel and the enigmatic Spock.

Chapel was the first character to openly show romantic feelings for Spock. In the 1960s, Chapel's affection for Spock was a source of comedic relief, given Spock's perceived lack of emotions. However, the evolution of their relationship takes on new meaning in Strange New Worlds. In this series, the dynamics of their connection are explored in depth, shedding light on a love story that has remained in the shadows for decades.

Spock, Star Trek's iconic half-human, half-Vulcan, has evolved over the years, from concepts in the 1960s to new iterations in the 21st century.

Who is Christine Chapel?

Christine Chapel is known for her appearances in the original Star Trek television series and subsequent films. Portrayed by actress Majel Barrett, Chapel serves as the head nurse aboard the starship USS Enterprise under the command of Captain James T. Kirk.

Chapel is introduced in the first season of Star Trek: The Original Series , where she is depicted as a compassionate and competent medical professional. Chapel often assists the ship's chief medical officer, Dr. Leonard McCoy, in medical procedures. One of her defining characteristics is her unrequited romantic feelings for Mr. Spock, the Vulcan science officer. This unspoken and often subtle infatuation adds a layer of complexity to Chapel's character and contributes to the interpersonal dynamics among the crew.

Chapel's role extends beyond her medical duties , and she takes on additional responsibilities as the need arises. Her character undergoes further development in the animated Star Trek series and in the later feature films. But no matter the story, her dedication to the well-being of the crew remains a consistent theme.

In addition to her appearances in the original series, Chapel is also featured in the Star Trek films The Motion Picture , The Voyage Home , and The Undiscovered Country. More recently, the character has appeared in Strange New Worlds .

Christine Chapel and Spock's Relationship in The Original Series

Christine Chapel's relationship with Mr. Spock in Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) is a poignant and nuanced aspect of the show. Chapel's feelings for Spock are revealed in the episode "The Naked Time." Under the influence of a contagion, Chapel confesses her love to Spock :

I’m in love with you, Mr. Spock. The human Mr. Spock. The Vulcan Mr. Spock.

Spock, being Vulcan, is characterized by his logical and emotion-suppressing demeanor. He acknowledges Chapel's feelings, but maintains his stoic composure. He explains that he is incapable of returning her affection in the same way, due to his Vulcan nature. This dynamic creates a bittersweet undertone in their interactions. For the rest of the show, Chapel continues to serve alongside Spock while grappling with her unrequited feelings.

Throughout TOS , Chapel's love for Spock adds depth to her character, offering viewers a glimpse into the challenges of navigating relationships in the world of Star Trek . Despite the unfulfilled romantic tension, Chapel remains a dedicated and professional member of the Enterprise crew.

Christine Chapel and Spock's Relationship in Strange New Worlds

In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (SNW) , the dynamic between Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) and Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck) unfolds with a depth and complexity that distinguishes it from Spock's previous encounters, notably with his fiancée T'Pring in the original series. While T'Pring was portrayed as emotionally detached in TOS , SNW has breathed new life into her character . The new iteration of the character has a personality, family, and a career rehabilitating Vulcans who have committed crimes.

Meanwhile, SNW explores the evolving connection between Spock and Christine Chapel. The series shows their growing closeness, starting with gentle flirting in Season 1. In "Spock Amok," Chapel offers relationship advice, providing insights into her own history of avoiding serious commitments. Their collaboration continues in "The Serene Squall," where they feign a romantic involvement to thwart a space pirate's plot. This facade reveals an undercurrent of genuine emotions beneath the surface.

SNW takes an unexpected turn in the musical episode "Subspace Rhapsody," marking the apparent end of Chapel and Spock's relationship . The seeds of their breakup were sown in the Lower Decks crossover episode "Those Old Scientists," where Ensign Brad Boimler's observations trigger Chapel's realization. Understanding that Spock's inclination to explore his human side is temporary, Chapel recognizes the inevitable conflict between his Vulcan nature and the demands of their relationship.

The decision comes to a head when Chapel secures a place in Dr. Roger Korby's fellowship, which gives her the opportunity to advance her career. Understanding the transient nature of her relationship with Spock, she decides to prioritize her professional aspirations over a romance destined for heartache.

Ultimately, Strange New Worlds has redefined Christine Chapel and Spock's relationship, unraveling the intricacies of unrequited love and evolving emotions. From the comedic undertones of the original series to the profound moments in SNW , Chapel's journey reflects the complexities of human-Vulcan dynamics . As the series continues, fans are left eagerly anticipating the next chapters in the unfolding romance between Nurse Chapel and Lt. Spock, wondering if fate will ever bring them back together in the vast expanse of the Star Trek universe.

MORE: Star Trek: What Is Spock's Biggest Flaw?

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Finally, This Star Trek Ship Actually Happened in ‘Strange New Worlds’ Season 2

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Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for Season 2 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

It was nearly sixty years ago that Nurse Christine Chapel ( Majel Barrett ) first confessed her love for Spock ( Leonard Nimoy ) in Star Trek: The Original Series Season 1, Episode 4, "The Naked Time." After the Enterprise crew becomes intoxicated by a mysterious compound that destroys inhibitions, Chapel corners the hapless Vulcan in sickbay and pours her heart out to him. Since then, it has seemed that she was destined to pine for him unrequited for eternity, until Strange New Worlds came along and retrofitted their relationship, finally giving the shippers — and Chapel — what they'd always wanted.

Kirk/Spock might be the most popular and best-known Star Trek ship (and the slash fanfiction from thousands of viewers might be the reason we still have Trek today), but Chapel was the first character to openly crush on Spock. Although as of the events of "The Naked Time" she was still engaged to the long-missing Roger Korby, her feelings for Spock were no secret, and they seemingly never abated, continuing even into The Animated Series . Those feelings were also never reciprocated (reams of pon farr-themed fanfic aside): the closest the two ever came to getting together was a kiss sadistically forced upon them in "Plato's Stepchildren," which Christine found mortifying, and the effects of Harry Mudd's love crystals in TAS 's "Mudd's Passion," which were short-lived.

RELATED: ‘Strange New Worlds’ Season 2 Is Finally Letting Us See This Side of Spock

Spock Has Had Relationships with Other Characters in Star Trek

Since then, Spock has been paired off with other female characters, most notably his fiancée T'Pring ( Arlene Martel ) in the original series and Uhura ( Zoë Saldaña ) in the Kelvin timeline (a creative choice that surprised many but wasn't completely without precedent, as some of their interactions in early episodes of TOS could certainly be interpreted as flirtatious). T'Pring appeared in only one episode of TOS , the Season 2 premiere "Amok Time," which portrayed her as thoroughly devoid of emotion — bordering on heartless — and showing no affection for Spock at all. Nor does Spock seem to be particularly attached to her; he emphasizes that the marriage was an arranged one, decided upon by their parents when they were seven years old.

Strange New Worlds , on the other hand, has given T'Pring ( Gia Sandhu ) a personality, a family, and a career rehabilitating Vulcans who have committed crimes, and provided her and Spock's ( Ethan Peck ) relationship with some much-needed depth. They clearly care for each other, as each goes to great lengths to make their long-distance romance work and to appease T'Pring's difficult (even for a Vulcan) mother.

All the while, SNW 's Spock and Christine ( Jess Bush ) have been growing closer. Early in Season 1, she flirts gently with him, and later, in "Spock Amok," she gives him relationship advice, and we get to learn a bit about her own relationship history -- or perhaps more accurately, her attempts to avoid serious relationships -- up to that point. Later still, in "The Serene Squall," the two pretend to be in love in a ruse to subvert a space pirate's nefarious plot, and of course, to prove their love is real, they must "pretend" to kiss. Except Christine clearly isn't pretending, and based on the events now playing out in season two, it's probably safe to assume that Spock isn't either. Yet the episode ends with Spock and T'Pring's relationship seemingly as strong as ever, leaving fans to wonder: has SNW doomed Christine to pine endlessly for Spock just as TOS did?

Did Spock Have Feelings for Christine in 'TOS'?

Whether Spock ever returned Christine's feelings in the original series was unclear. When she confesses her love in "The Naked Time," Spock, also feeling the effects of the compound, seems paralyzed, and repeats emphatically, "I am in control of my emotions," perhaps trying to convince himself as much as he is trying to convince her. Once he wrenches himself away from her, though, his outburst of feelings turns toward his mother and his difficulty living as a half-human on Vulcan — not to any romantic thoughts about Christine. If he does have feelings for her at this point, he's doing an admirable job of suppressing them.

The Strange New Worlds Season 2 premiere, however, dispels any doubts. After Christine nearly dies in a face-off on Cajitar IV, Spock — more vulnerable than usual after dropping his emotional blocks during their encounter with the Gorn the previous season — is frantic, and admits to Dr. M'Benga (who is much more empathetic about all of this than McCoy ever will be) that he has "no words" for what he is feeling. So, we now know that Spock does indeed return Chapel's feelings, but he remains committed to T'Pring, so it still seems that the two are destined to stay apart.

Until we get to Episode 5, "Charades." After a convoluted series of mishaps during Spock and T'Pring's engagement ritual which leads to T'Pring suggesting that the two take a break, finally, finally , he and Christine confess their feelings to each other and share a kiss... and, gauging by where the episode places its final cut, probably more. Though some canon-ites were angry, long-time Spock/Chapel shippers finally got to cheer. We don't yet know how far this relationship will go, though, and episode six gave us no hints, instead shifting its focus to other crew members' storylines.

Christine Chapel

Christine Chapel was a female Human Starfleet officer who lived during the 23rd century . She served in the medical department , a subsection of the sciences division , aboard the USS Enterprise from the late 2250s to the 2270s , before later serving at Starfleet Headquarters during the 2280s .

• 1.1 Nurse aboard the USS Enterprise
• 1.2 Training with Roger Korby
• 2.2 Chief medical officer of the USS Enterprise
• 2.3 Post Enterprise
• 3.1 Alternate Neutral Zone Incursion
• 4.1 First Contact Day Party
• 5.1.1 Roger Korby
• 5.1.2 Spock
• 5.1.3 "Argelius II gal"
• 5.1.4 Dever
• 5.2.1 Leonard McCoy
• 5.2.2 Nyota Uhura
• 5.2.3 Erica Ortegas
• 5.2.4 Joseph M'Benga
• 6 Key dates
• 7.1 Appearances
• 7.2.1 Conception
• 7.2.2 Original appearances
• 7.2.3 Later appearances
• 7.3 Apocrypha
• 7.4 External links

Early life and career [ ]

As a child, Chapel owned a Malamute dog named Milo , who "may or may not have" bitten a girl who once called her stupid . ( SNW : " Spock Amok ")

Chapel once served on the USS Farragut , a ship that her future commanding officer James T. Kirk was also posted to at one time. ( SNW : " Memento Mori ", " A Quality of Mercy "; TOS : " Obsession ")

Chapel participated in the Klingon War . ( SNW : " The Broken Circle ") She traveled to J'Gal aboard shuttlecraft 12648 where she was assigned as head nurse in the Mobile Combat Surgical Unit . ( SNW : " Under the Cloak of War ")

Nurse aboard the USS Enterprise [ ]

Nurse Christine Chapel in early 2259

In 2259 , she was on civilian exchange from the Stanford Morehouse Epigenetic Project when she was assigned to the USS Enterprise as a lieutenant commander under Captain Christopher Pike serving as CMO Joseph M'Benga 's nurse . In the early days of her assignment, she met Nyota Uhura and Spock for the first time. ( SNW : " Strange New Worlds ")

During the Enterprise 's mission to the Persephone system , Chapel attended a dinner at Captain Pike's cabin .

When an away team consisting of Lieutenant Junior Grade George Samuel Kirk , Lieutenants Spock and La'an Noonien-Singh , and Cadet Uhura was getting prepped to beam down to investigate the comet M'hanit , she inoculated them with a hypospray to prevent them from being exposed to cosmic rays for two hours. After the away team beamed back to the Enterprise , she entered the transporter room to help the injured Lieutenant Kirk. ( SNW : " Children of the Comet ")

During shore leave on Starbase 1 , she supported Spock during his relationship problems with his fiancé T'Pring and helped him when he was trapped in T'Pring's body. ( SNW : " Spock Amok ")

When the USS Enterprise was hijacked by pirates, Chapel hid in the Jefferies tubes , evaded capture and managed to overpower some of the pirates when she was discovered. However, together with Spock, she was ultimately captured by the pirate Captain Angel , who sought the release of their lover Sybok from the Ankeshtan K'til Retreat by using Spock as leverage. He and Chapel foiled Angel's plans by pretending to be in love with each other and Spock temporarily ending his betrothal to T'Pring. ( SNW : " The Serene Squall ")

When an alien consciousness from the Jonisian Nebula brought the fairy tale The Kingdom of Elysian to life on the Enterprise , Chapel was used for the character of Lady Audrey, a healer. She didn't remember the events after the ship was returned to normal. ( SNW : " The Elysian Kingdom ")

When the Enterprise responded to the USS Peregrine distress call , Chapel was part of the away team. ( SNW : " All Those Who Wander ")

Nurse Christine Chapel in late 2259

Later that year, Chapel was thinking about applying to the Fellowship of Archaeological Medicine . If selected, she would be stationed on Vulcan for three months . She was denied the fellowship but kept applying until she was accepted. ( SNW : " The Broken Circle ", " Charades ", " Subspace Rhapsody ")

Like Doctor M'Benga, Chapel was disturbed when Ambassador Dak'Rah boarded the Enterprise . Before becoming a Federation Ambassador, Dak'Rah was a Klingon General during the Klingon War of 2256 - 57 , specifically on J'Gal where Chapel and M'Benga had been stationed. During the Battle of J'Gal , Dak'Rah had ordered the massacre of civilians before M'Benga had killed his three generals in a black ops mission. After M'Benga killed Dak'Rah, supposedly in self-defense, Chapel backed up his story to Pike and Lieutenant La'an Noonien-Singh despite not having seen the whole altercation. ( SNW : " Under the Cloak of War ")

Training with Roger Korby [ ]

Chapel aboard the USS Cayuga during the Parnassus Beta incident

Chapel applied to study under Roger Korby in late 2259. Her application was accepted, and she subsequently left the Enterprise , briefly traveling aboard the USS Cayuga . However, the Cayuga was destroyed by the Gorn at Parnassus Beta . Chapel managed to survive the ship's destruction and aided Spock in killing a Gorn and crashing the wrecked saucer section into a Gorn tower on the planet. After returning to the Enterprise , Chapel attempted to treat Captain Marie Batel who had been infected with Gorn eggs. ( SNW : " Subspace Rhapsody ", " Hegemony ")

Chapel and Korby fell in love while she was studying under him and they became engaged . During this time, she became well acquainted with Dr. Brown , Dr. Korby's assistant , whom she affectionately called " Brownie ". ( TOS : " What Are Little Girls Made Of? ")

Starfleet career [ ]

Chapel's Starfleet identification card in 2269

Following her fiancé 's disappearance on the planet Exo III around 2261 , she abandoned a career in bio-research for a position in Starfleet in the hopes that a deep space assignment would one day reunite her with Korby. ( TOS : " What Are Little Girls Made Of? ")

By 2266 , Chapel had officially joined Starfleet . Her serial number was NI-596 MT21Z. ( TAS : " Mudd's Passion "; TOS : " What Are Little Girls Made Of? ")

Kirk's five-year mission [ ]

Christine Chapel in 2266

Chapel was once again assigned to the Enterprise , when it was under Captain James T. Kirk from 2266 to 2270 , where she served directly under chief medical officer Leonard McCoy . ( TOS : " What Are Little Girls Made Of? ")

Chapel assisting McCoy

During her first year, she assisted McCoy with Joe Tormolen 's ultimately unsuccessful surgery to repair a damaged intestine , pronouncing him dead. ( TOS : " The Naked Time ")

On stardate 2712.4, the Enterprise reached Exo III. Korby was found, exploring and exploiting a sophisticated android manufacturing technology, the legacy of a long-dead civilization. Korby had replaced his own damaged body, transplanting his personality into an android replica, and had built himself a beautiful companion, Andrea . After exhibiting his madness, the android Korby was destroyed. Initially, Chapel doubted if she should stay aboard, but she elected to remain with the Enterprise throughout the five-year mission. ( TOS : " What Are Little Girls Made Of? ")

On stardate 3541.9, Chapel helped re-educate Lieutenant Uhura after the probe Nomad wiped the communications officer 's memories. ( TOS : " The Changeling ")

By 2267 , Chapel was sometimes called upon to help other doctors than McCoy, sometimes with him as the patient . She also often was supportive of Dr. McCoy, even when others questioned whether he could be entirely reliable.

On stardate 3478.2, when Kirk, Spock , McCoy, Montgomery Scott , and Lieutenant Arlene Galway contracted a mysterious rapid-aging syndrome on the planet Gamma Hydra IV due to radiation left by a passing comet , Chapel was called upon to help the visiting Dr. Janet Wallace in an effort to help comfort, if not cure, Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scott, and Galway.

Later, when Dr. McCoy, with Spock's help, figured out that it was increased adrenaline levels that had kept Ensign Pavel Chekov from developing the syndrome, Chapel instinctively knew that McCoy would be able to figure out an antidote for the rapid-aging syndrome in time to cure himself, Kirk, Spock, and Scott (Galway had already died). She stood up for McCoy even while that wisdom was questioned by Dr. Wallace and visiting Commodore Stocker , but let it be known that Dr. Wallace could be of great assistance to her and McCoy. Sure enough, Chapel was proven correct out when McCoy did find the antidote in time to save himself, Kirk, Spock, and Scott.

In a half-hearted attempt to mollify Pavel Chekov's disdain at having to submit to yet another round of medical tests, she assured him, " This won't hurt. Much ." ( TOS : " The Deadly Years ")

Applied psychology in action

She cleverly made use of psychology (and deception ) in a house call to Ensign Garrovick 's quarters in 2268 , attempting to encourage him to eat some dinner. Brandishing a record tape , she claimed it contained McCoy's prescription to "eat", and assured him the doctor would feed him intravenously if he did not comply. In reality, the tape actually contained " A Survey on Cygnian Respiratory Diseases ". When she returned it to a box on McCoy's desk, she did not go into details about her reasons for borrowing the tape. ( TOS : " Obsession ")

In 2268, though, there were times both when Dr. McCoy greatly confused Chapel, as well as when she was put into danger. On stardate 4657.5, Chapel was in the Enterprise sickbay when McCoy and the Kelvan Tomar brought in Spock from the surface of a class M planet where a landing party had met the Kelvans. McCoy told Chapel that Spock was close to dying, though she could tell that wasn't true. This was a ruse by both McCoy and Spock on Kirk's orders, because Kirk wanted them on the ship to help stop the Kelvans from taking the ship to the Andromeda Galaxy , and Spock had put himself into a Vulcan trance to trick the Kelvans into thinking he was truly gravely ill. McCoy had to hint to Chapel to keep quiet. She did take the hint but remained confused. On stardate 4658.9, with the Kelvans still controlling the Enterprise to return to the Andromeda Galaxy, Dr. McCoy complained to Kirk that he had watched four of his best doctors and nurses, including Chapel, be neutralized and reduced into dehydrated porous cuboctahedron solids , the size of a Human fist, composed of their base minerals, which represented the "distilled" essences of their beings. The Kelvans considered them non-essential personnel. Chapel and the other doctors and nurses were reconstituted, after Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Scott, the only four not neutralized, regained control of the Enterprise . ( TOS : " By Any Other Name ")

On stardate 5029.5, when children from the Starnes Exploration Party were on board the Enterprise , she cared for and entertained them, showing them how they could use cards to order any ice cream they wished from the Enterprise 's food synthesizers . She also was the first to notice how the children didn't cry for their recently deceased parents, and reported this observation to Dr. McCoy. ( TOS : " And the Children Shall Lead ")

Chapel and McCoy administer the tri-ox compound to Kirk, in the transporter room after Kirk was rescued from the Defiant .

On two separate occasions, Chapel displayed excellent skills as a lab assistant. On stardate 5693.2, she assisted Dr. McCoy in developing a diluted theragen derivative to cure mental degradation effects caused by an interphase as the Enterprise was passing through Tholian space. She also assisted McCoy by administering the cure throughout the ship and helping him, in the transporter room , in administering the tri-ox compound to Kirk after he was beamed aboard from the USS Defiant . ( TOS : " The Tholian Web ")

While serving as a nurse, Chapel considered her responsibilities as a member of the medical profession to supersede her role as a subordinate crew member on the Enterprise , even to the point of disobeying an order from her superior, McCoy, whose welfare she was concerned about. ( TOS : " For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky ")

On stardate 5710.5, Chapel assisted Spock and McCoy in synthesizing an agent to counteract hyper-acceleration effects of Scalosian water. ( TOS : " Wink of an Eye ")

By 2269 Chapel was promoted to the rank of lieutenant , and held the position of head nurse . ( TAS : " Mudd's Passion ")

On stardate 5483.7, when under the influence of the women of Planet Two of the Taurean system , the male crew members of the Enterprise were incapacitated by the siren's song. Lieutenant Uhura took command of the vessel, and assigned Chapel as acting chief medical officer . They led an all-female landing party down to the planet's surface to rescue Captain Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy. ( TAS : " The Lorelei Signal ")

On stardate 5143.3, she informed McCoy that Captain Kirk wanted to know whether his examination of " Carter Winston " was finished, adding that his fiancee Anne Nored was waiting to see him. ( TAS : " The Survivor ")

On stardate 5577.5, after the Enterprise was struck by a flash of light coming from a planet in the Cepheus star system and the flash temporarily paralyzed the crew, the whole crew started shrinking to fingernail length, at 1/16th of an inch in height. On stardate 5577.6, Spock observed that Chapel's titanium bracelet was staying the same mass , though their uniforms were shrinking at a proportional rate as their bodies. Spock hypothesized (correctly) that their Starfleet uniforms were shrinking because they were made of an algae -based material known as xenylon , and that biological and naturally made material objects were also shrinking, but not the ship itself or other totally man-made material objects.

A shrunken Chapel drowning

A short time later, after Lieutenant Sulu broke his right leg in a fall from the helm station on the bridge and was taken to sickbay by Kirk and Lieutenant Arex , Chapel fretted that they couldn't use their bone-knitting laser , as it was now too large. Chapel then had an idea that McCoy thought was a great idea: they could use a microscope laser , which they used to heal the inner ear , to do the surgery to reset and heal Sulu's leg. Chapel was proved correct about that, but – due to her shrinking size, while trying to bring the microscope laser from the medical cabinet – she tripped on a knitting needle that had also stayed the same size, fell into the sickbay's aquarium , and nearly drowned . Fortunately, Kirk was able to save her.

Later, Chapel helped rescue mutant descendants of the Terra 10 colony from the unstable planet they were located on and relocate them to a more stable planet. Along with the rest of the crew, she was returned to her normal height by use of the transporter , which had saved the original molecular structure of each crew member in the pattern buffers . ( TAS : " The Terratin Incident ")

On stardate 5499.9, when Kirk and Spock mutated into water-breathers, Chapel assisted Dr. McCoy in reversing their mutations. ( TAS : " The Ambergris Element ")

Chief medical officer of the USS Enterprise [ ]

Doctor Chapel in the 2270s

During the early 2270s , Chapel earned her MD after completing a medical program, and was assigned to the refitted Enterprise .

Upon the return of Dr. McCoy during the V'ger crisis, he explained to Kirk that he was "going to need a top nurse , not a doctor who will argue every little diagnosis with me." Chapel later provided care to Pavel Chekov , whose hands were burnt from a malfunctioning bridge console . She also performed medical scans on the Ilia probe , and assisted in reacquainting the probe with Ilia 's former life. She also provided medical care to Spock after his traumatizing mind meld with V'ger . ( Star Trek: The Motion Picture )

Post Enterprise [ ]

In 2286 , Commander Chapel was stationed at Starfleet Headquarters , where she coordinated relief efforts while Earth was experiencing a severe ecological disaster from an orbiting space probe . Later, Chapel attended the trial of Kirk and his senior officers at the Federation Council Chambers and excitedly congratulated her old crewmates when the council dismissed all charges facing them. ( Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home )

Alternate timeline and realities [ ]

Christine Chapel in an alternate 2266

Alternate Neutral Zone Incursion [ ]

In an alternate timeline where Captain Pike prevented his exposure to delta radiation and was still in command of the Enterprise in 2266 , Nurse Chapel was still serving aboard the Enterprise during the Romulans incursion into Federation space . She was on duty when an injured Spock was brought to sick bay with severe injuries. ( SNW : " A Quality of Mercy ")

Unverified Accounts Involving Christine Chapel [ ]

First contact day party [ ], personal life [ ].

Throughout her life, Chapel changed her hair color back and forth between blonde and brunette. ( TOS : " The Man Trap ", " Operation -- Annihilate! ", " Turnabout Intruder ", Star Trek: The Motion Picture )

At some point prior to stardate 5577.5, Chapel acquired a titanium bracelet made by the titanium smiths of Libra , which she occasionally wore while on duty. ( TAS : " The Terratin Incident ")

Romances [ ]

Roger korby [ ].

Chapel kissed by her "fiancé"

Chapel became engaged to Korby after having been a student of his. Despite his disappearance and the subsequent failure of two previous expeditions to locate him, she maintained hope of his return nonetheless. When asked by Spock if she recognized his voice , she remembered it clearly enough to confirm that it was, in fact, "Roger" who was contacting the Enterprise .

Upon arriving on Exo III, she embraced him tenderly, only to become jealous of Andrea's familiarity with him, as the android also called Korby by his first name . Learning that Andrea was an android, she naturally assumed Korby had created a companion to replace her, or, as she put it, a "mechanical geisha ". Korby assured her that Andrea only obeyed orders and that he did not consider her a woman, merely a tool.

Having learned of Korby's ability to manufacture android duplicates of living people, and seeing what became of the other members of the landing party, Chapel was disillusioned. She recalled that the Korby she knew wouldn't harm a living creature, as he believed their lives to be sacred. She was still conflicted about his mental state, and hoped she would not be given orders to betray him, preferring instead to have "Kirk" " push me off the same precipice where Mathews died. "

Though Korby tried to convince her that he was still the same man he had always been inside, she refused to believe him. Upon the destruction of his android body and subsequent death, she returned to the Enterprise . ( TOS : " What Are Little Girls Made Of? ")

Christine and Spock in 2259

When they first served together in 2259 , Chapel was immediately attracted to Enterprise 's half-Vulcan science officer , Lieutenant Spock, and would occasionally flirt with him. ( SNW : " Children of the Comet ")

They developed a friendship and Chapel would even support Spock when he had relationship trouble with his fiancé T'Pring . ( SNW : " Spock Amok ")

When Spock and Chapel foiled Captain Angel's plans to free Spock's half-brother Sybok by pretending to be in love with each other they shared a kiss to convince Angel of their affair. ( SNW : " The Serene Squall ")

After the mission to Valeo Beta V , Chapel comforted Spock by giving him a hug. ( SNW : " All Those Who Wander ")

After Spock broke off his engagement to T'Pring for him failing to confide in her that he had been stripped of his Vulcan genes and made fully Human by the Kerkhovians , Chapel and Spock finally decided to enter to a relationship. ( SNW : " Charades ")

Shortly after, their relationship came to a rocky end when Chapel was accepted in Dr. Roger Korby's fellowship and would be leaving the Enterprise . ( SNW : " Subspace Rhapsody ", " Hegemony ")

Chapel confessing her love for Spock

Even a decade later, her attraction to him was an ongoing source of tension and bemusement throughout Kirk's five-year mission as well. Even while she still sought to locate Korby, Chapel was deeply infatuated with Spock. Initially Chapel kept these feelings to herself. However, when the Psi 2000 intoxication afflicted the crew of the Enterprise , Chapel admitted her love for Spock, who was shocked:

Chapel insisted that Spock address her by her first name , as opposed to her title, which he resisted. Chapel was unaware that Spock's inability to react to her emotionally was further complicated by his betrothal to T'Pring . Leading him to the ceremony in which his fiancée rejected him in favor of a different suitor, Spock underwent a period of intense emotional outbursts: a blood fever known as pon farr . Chapel characteristically doted after the Vulcan, preparing plomeek soup , a traditional Vulcan broth. The experience allowed them to discuss, even if briefly, Chapel's confession of love. Despite his acknowledged inability to return her affections, he did refer to her as Christine for the first time. ( TOS : " The Naked Time ", " Amok Time ")

Chapel's longing for Spock was well-known among crew members, and noted openly by Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy on a number of occasions. During Spock's recovery after a near-death experience on Neural , fellow medical officer Dr. M'Benga caught Chapel tenderly holding Spock's hand while watching his recovery on the medical panel atop his bed. M'Benga was sympathetic, despite Chapel's attempt to hide her feelings. Chapel later proactively aided Spock by secretly holding his consciousness to keep him from being destroyed by Henoch . ( TOS : " A Private Little War ", " Return to Tomorrow ")

Her feelings for the Vulcan briefly interfered with her ability to assist McCoy in treating him for the puncture wound left behind by the flying parasite , prompting the doctor to order her either to put aside her feelings or call another nurse to help him. ( TOS : " Operation -- Annihilate! ")

Three years after confessing her love to Spock, Chapel finally shared a kiss with him. Unfortunately, the situation was forced by the Platonians , against their will. Having sensed their close bond, they adorned her in make-up that gave her the appearance of a Vulcan. Chapel admitted that, despite her long-standing desire to be close to Spock, all she wanted to do, given the humiliation of the situation, was "crawl away and die." ( TOS : " Plato's Stepchildren ")

In 2269 , while weakened by the polarized conductor , he referred to her as Christine when calling telepathically for help, after initially calling her " Miss Chapel". ( TAS : " The Lorelei Signal ")

Chapel attempting to interest Spock

Later that year, Harry Mudd provided Lieutenant Chapel with love potion crystals that she used on Spock, much to her embarrassment when they didn't take effect immediately. Though the crystals eventually worked, it wasn't long before Spock realized he was reacting to them and not experiencing genuine feelings of love. Later, when he offered to help her record Mudd's confession , she rebuffed him. ( TAS : " Mudd's Passion ")

Upon Spock's resumption of his science officer duties on the Enterprise in the 2270s, she was pleased to see him again. ( Star Trek: The Motion Picture )

"Argelius II gal" [ ]

During Chapel's time on Argelius II , she had a fling with a woman that she told Erica Ortegas about. It was considered a misunderstanding that Chapel ended up being chased by phaser fire. Chapel claimed it was the only time she had a misunderstanding regarding a relationship. ( SNW : " Spock Amok ")

Chapel had a casual sexual relationship with Lieutenant Dever of the USS Skylark . When Dever tried to figure out where their relationship was heading, Chapel left him without giving him an answer. She later told him that she considered him boring and ended the relationship. ( SNW : " Spock Amok ")

Friendships [ ]

Leonard mccoy [ ].

Chapel refusing to leave

Though McCoy occasionally referred to her by first name only, she was never observed calling him "Leonard". ( TOS : " The Naked Time ", " Elaan of Troyius ", " For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky "; TAS : " The Pirates of Orion ")

Chapel was comfortable with standing up to McCoy's orders if she believed them to be incorrect or odd; for instance, she made sure the doctor informed Captain Kirk of his (McCoy's) xenopolycythemia diagnosis, remaining in sickbay until the captain arrived, instead of leaving as per the doctor's instructions. ( TOS : " For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky ") She also questioned his request for two ccs of stokaline to treat a "dying" Spock in 2268. ( TOS : " By Any Other Name ")

Just prior to a dying McCoy beaming down to the surface of Yonada in 2268, she admonished him to make the most of his remaining time, as "A lot can happen in a year ." ( TOS : " For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky ")

In an effort to protect her from being penalized for following his orders instead of Arthur Coleman 's, McCoy told her to administer a sedative to "Janice Lester" , despite the action being against his better judgement. ( TOS : " Turnabout Intruder ")

Upon hearing that she'd become a doctor during his brief hiatus from Starfleet, McCoy was reluctant to work with her, as he was of the opinion that she, like other doctors, would argue about every diagnosis he made, rather than take the orders he gave. ( Star Trek: The Motion Picture )

Nyota Uhura [ ]

Chapel and Uhura hugging

In addition to a professional friendship with Dr. McCoy, Chapel was particularly close to Uhura . ( TOS : " What Are Little Girls Made Of? ", " The Changeling ", " Plato's Stepchildren ", " The Tholian Web ") The two first met when they were both assigned to the Enterprise in 2259 . ( SNW : " Strange New Worlds ")

As Chapel departed the bridge to see Roger Korby for the first time in years, Uhura wished her all the best with a sisterly kiss on the cheek. ( TOS : " What Are Little Girls Made Of? ")

Chapel closely aided the communications officer in relearning the knowledge Nomad had stolen from her. Upon Uhura successfully reading (in English rather than Swahili ) the sentence " The dog has a ball ", Chapel hugged Uhura. ( TOS : " The Changeling ")

Erica Ortegas [ ]

During her time serving under Christopher Pike, Chapel was close friends with Erica Ortegas , the ship's navigator, to the extend of the two hanging out during some of their shore leave together and Ortegas even providing "moral support" to Chapel's dating life. ( SNW : " Spock Amok ")

Joseph M'Benga [ ]

Chapel met Doctor Joseph M'Benga prior to the their posting aboard the Enterprise , on the moon of J'Gal , where they were both stationed during the Klingon War , M'Benga as one of the doctors and Chapel as Head Nurse. The two grew close over the time they spent there, as they tried (and sometimes failed) to rescue war victims and even children, as the Klingon War grew more bloody and desperate. Near the end, Chapel encouraged him to "stop them", to find the person who's in charge and "make them pay". ( SNW : " Strange New Worlds "). When escaping the starship part of the false flag operation started by the Klingons on Cajitar IV , right before they jumped into space without a suit, M'Benga hinted that they'd "gotten out of worse", to which Chapel disagreed. ( SNW : " The Broken Circle ").

Later, when Klingon Ambassador Dak'Rah arrived on the Enterprise, they recalled their posting on J'Gal. When M'Benga killed Ambassador Rah during a physical altercation in Sickbay, Chapel witnessed the entire exchange and reported what she saw for Noonien-Singh's report. ( SNW : " Under the Cloak of War ").

Key dates [ ]

• ca. 2256 - 57 , assigned as head nurse at the Mobile Combat Surgical Unit on J'Gal
• Assigned to the USS Enterprise
• Accepted into Roger Korby 's fellowship
• 2270s : obtains her medical degree and becomes chief medical officer of the USS Enterprise
• Between the 2270s and 2286 : Leaves the USS Enterprise and is assigned to Starfleet Headquarters

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• " The Naked Time "
• " What Are Little Girls Made Of? "
• " Operation -- Annihilate! "
• " Amok Time "
• " The Changeling "
• " The Deadly Years "
• " Journey to Babel "
• " A Private Little War "
• " Obsession "
• " The Immunity Syndrome "
• " By Any Other Name "
• " Return to Tomorrow "
• " Elaan of Troyius "
• " The Paradise Syndrome "
• " The Enterprise Incident "
• " And the Children Shall Lead "
• " Spock's Brain "
• " The Tholian Web "
• " For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky "
• " Plato's Stepchildren "
• " Wink of an Eye "
• " Let That Be Your Last Battlefield "
• " The Lights of Zetar "
• " The Way to Eden "
• " Turnabout Intruder "
• " Beyond the Farthest Star "
• " The Lorelei Signal "
• " The Survivor "
• " The Magicks of Megas-Tu "
• " Mudd's Passion "
• " The Terratin Incident "
• " The Ambergris Element "
• " The Pirates of Orion "
• " Albatross "
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
• " Strange New Worlds "
• " Children of the Comet "
• " Ghosts of Illyria "
• " Memento Mori "
• " Spock Amok "
• " Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach "
• " The Serene Squall "
• " The Elysian Kingdom "
• " All Those Who Wander "
• " A Quality of Mercy "
• " The Broken Circle "
• " Ad Astra per Aspera "
• " Among the Lotus Eaters "
• " Charades "
• " Lost in Translation "
• " Those Old Scientists "
• " Under the Cloak of War "
• " Subspace Rhapsody "
• " Hegemony "
• " Holiday Party "
• " Walk, Don't Run "

Background information [ ]

Conception [ ].

Christine Chapel was played by Majel Barrett-Roddenberry in all of the character's appearances prior to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . The role was created by Gene Roddenberry , intending the part to be played by Barrett, with whom the married Roddenberry was having an affair. The creation of the recurring role was Roddenberry's solution to pressure that Barrett frequently put on him, as she was insistent that she play a regular character on Star Trek , even though executives at the television network NBC had fired her as Number One in the unaired original pilot " The Cage ". As an executive producer on Star Trek: The Original Series of Star Trek , Roddenberry planned to ensure that the resultant character of Chapel would definitely recur. ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story , paperback ed., p. 224) Roddenberry additionally installed Barrett as the primary voice of the ship's computer, a role she would continue to play for the rest of her life.

In his reference book The World of Star Trek (3rd ed., p. 28), writer David Gerrold reckoned that Chapel "was obviously created specifically" to love Spock and went on to say, " The need to dramatize Spock's Vulcan aloofness requires that a woman fall in love with him and be continually rebuffed. Hence, Nurse Chapel. "

In scripts of " The Naked Time ", this character was known as Christine Baker and, later, Christine Ducheau or Christine Ducheaux. She was even referred to with the latter name in the final draft shooting script (dated 28 June 1966 ), which went on to describe her as "dark-haired… more starkly attractive than beautiful… a woman capable of startling vitality… superb efficiency…" [1] In a revised draft of the script, this passage of text was minutely changed, with the only alteration being that the words "a woman capable of startling vitality" were moved to the start of the description. Gene Roddenberry renamed the character to Christine Chapel as a pun on " Sistine Chapel ". ( These Are the Voyages: TOS Season One [ page number? • edit ] , Inside Star Trek: The Real Story [ page number? • edit ] ) In actual dialogue in "The Naked Time", however, she is never referred to as anything other than "Nurse" or "Christine".

Original appearances [ ]

Majel Barrett saw her opportunity to appear further in Star Trek by auditioning for the role of Chapel. " I wanted to be a part of it so badly, and I kept watching the scripts that came in, and when this episode ['The Naked Time'] came in, my mind started to go in different directions, " Barrett recollected. " So I bleached my hair and waited for Gene [Roddenberry] to come in and take notice of it. " ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 27 , p. 44) Barrett, whose hair was now bleached blond, awaited Roddenberry in his office. " I sat there talking to his secretary, Penny, and Gene walked in. He looked at me and at Penny, said, 'Good morning,' and walked in the door… I kept on talking to Penny, and pretty soon Gene came out again, put some papers on Penny's desk, sort of smiled at me, turned around, and walked back in his office. Then the double take happened. He opened the door and said, 'Majel?!' And I said, 'By God, if I could fool you, I can fool NBC.' " ( Star Trek - Where No One Has Gone Before , p. 21) Roddenberry agreed. Concluded Barrett, " He said, 'Yes, you can' […] You just don't come back again when they fire you once, but I so much wanted to be a part of this show. " ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 27 , p. 44) Barrett was thereafter cast as Christine Chapel.

An issue that frustrated the show's producers, notably Robert Justman, as well as Majel Barrett herself, was that the character of Chapel was not fleshed out. ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 144 , p. !4) For instance, little canonical information existed about Chapel's life outside of her career in Starfleet. Just after seeing the first footage of Barrett in the role, Justman realized that he didn't much like the performance. He addressed this problem with Gene Roddenberry in the latter's office, saying that Barrett "seemed awkward" in the part. " Gene just smiled, " Justman remembered, " as he always did when I told him something he didn't particularly want to hear […] 'I thought she was fine,' he responded. 'Maybe a little nervous this time, but she'll work out great. It's a new character for her, and she'll get even better as she goes along. I like her a lot in this role.' Pushing him further wouldn't work. But I continued to needle him about it from time to time. His response was always the same: a smile, a short remonstration that she was 'fine' in the role, and then a change of subject. I stopped needling him about it after finally becoming aware of their relationship. Years later, I realized it wasn't the actress I disliked, it was the role. Nurse Chapel was a wimpy, badly written, and ill-conceived character. " He particularly found fault with Chapel repeatedly pining for another character – whether it be Spock, as is the case in "The Naked Time", or Roger Korby in " What Are Little Girls Made Of? " ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story , pp. 224-225) Expressing similar sentiments, Barrett confessed, " I didn't care that much for Nurse Chapel, to tell you the truth. She really wasn't that exciting a person or that exciting a character for an actress to play. " ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 38 , p. 39) Clarified Barrett, " I was happy with what I did, except there wasn't that much to do. It wasn't that satisfying, but in those days, I couldn't talk Gene into doing any more; again, I was a woman, and they had already fired me once, so I wasn't given too much to do. " ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 27 , p. 44)

The first draft of the script of "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" (dated 26 April 1966 ) Chapel was originally envisioned as "Margo Korby", the wife of Roger Korby. By later drafts, Margo was changed to Christine and in later revised scripts, the following was included as the description of her character: " She's a strong, calm woman, very much in control of herself which emphasizes only more for us the flickers of emotions that do occasionally show through. " Also, as scripted for that episode, Chapel's abandonment of a career in bioresearch was stated to have been specifically for a position aboard the Enterprise , though this ultimately changed to being an assignment aboard a generic vessel. [2] Regarding Majel Barrett's appearance as Chapel in "What Are Little Girls Made Of?", Robert Justman critiqued, " The close-up shots of her eyes misting over and lower lip quivering were beautifully photographed by cameraman Jerry Finnerman , who used special lighting and diffusion lenses. But this only served to emphasize the lack of character written into the character. " ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story , 1997, p. 225)

According to Herb Solow , NBC did notice the same actress whom they had already fired portrayed Chapel. Solow related that – while he was screening a rough edit of "The Naked Time" for a group of NBC execs, well before the series was broadcast – NBC Vice President Herb Schlosser asked him who the performer was, a question Solow agreed to answer later. When they were alone after the screening, Schlosser repeated the inquiry and, upon Solow revealing the name of the actress, the NBC executive realized it was the same controversial performer. Schlosser was therefore initially puzzled about why the Star Trek producers hadn't cast a different actress for the part. " This was one of those times when the truth would be painful for all concerned, " stated Solow. " I answered quickly, 'Putting together a cast is like forming an orchestra. Individual actors are unimportant; it's an ensemble thing.' " Schlosser then correctly assumed that Barrett's casting as Chapel was due to her having an affair with someone who had a lot of influence in the Star Trek production team, a suspicion that Solow didn't confirm until after the series had been airing for a while. Also according to him, the news within NBC that the portrayal of Chapel involved Barrett returning to Star Trek led Jerry Stanley – another executive at the television network – to yodel, " Well, well – look who's back. " ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story , 1997, pp. 224 & 233) Barrett herself claimed, " For three years, NBC never knew it was the same person. " ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 27 , p. 44)

Regardless of whether or nor Barrett actually believed her own claim, it were not only Schlosser and Stanley who found out early, but Desilu Studios Head Lucille Ball as well, and, according to Solow, when she did, she was not amused, not in the slightest; Lucille Ball had by then become well known for her character trait of valuing moral propriety after her failed marriage with Desi Arnaz , which had fallen apart partly due to Arnaz' philandering, and this she expected of her staff and employees as well. When she found out that the married Roddenberry had an illicit affair with Barrett, ironically hired, under her own name Majel Leigh Hudec, by Ball herself for Desilu as a contracted actress, and having personally instructed her in one of her own comedy seminars in 1957. [3] [4] (X) , she could not abide with this kind of behavior anywhere near her property, and was dead-set on firing the pair of them on the spot. Incidentally, Ball had already wanted to do something similar, albeit at the opposite end of the spectrum, with Mission: Impossible co-stars Barbara Bain and Martin Landau , when she found out that the two were actually a married couple, and wanted to fire them as she suspected a severe case of nepotism, which she could not abide with either. And indeed, this had been the additional reason for Ball for wanting to fire the future Roddenberry couple as well, as she concurrently became aware that he had surreptitiously sneaked an as a blonde disguised Barrett, her new alias (which Ball took as evidence of deliberate deception, not entirely unjustified), back into the Star Trek production as Christine Chapel against the express wishes of NBC. Through an intermediary, her personal publicist Howard McClay, Solow had in both cases – as Mission was also produced under his auspices – the toughest of times to convince the headstrong Ball otherwise. ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story , 1997, p. 223; These Are the Voyages: TOS Season One , 1st ed, pp. 25-27)

Christine Chapel turned out to be highly unpopular among some fans of Star Trek 's original series. " It was because of her love for Spock and his occasional moments of gentleness toward her that Christine Chapel was largely disliked among the Trekkies who adored Spock, " explained David Gerrold. " Female fans saw her as a threat to their own fantasies and male fans saw her as a threat to Spock's Vulcan stoicism. " However, the fans who met Majel Barrett were often surprised by how beautiful she was. Gerrold concluded, " They just couldn't see it in her as Chapel because of the relationship between her and Spock. " ( The World of Star Trek , 3rd ed., p. 28)

Later appearances [ ]

In Star Trek: The Animated Series , the voice for the character of Chapel was provided by Majel Barrett, reprising the role from TOS.

Christine Chapel was intended to be included in the ultimately aborted television series Star Trek: Phase II , in which her promotion to doctor was planned to be established. The Writers'/Directors' Guide for that series said of the character, " Introduced in Star Trek I as Nurse Chapel, her medical degrees have been accepted by Starfleet, and she has returned to the U.S.S. Enterprise to serve as McCoy's associate. She is second in command of the ship's medical section, and McCoy seems to enjoy passing on to her every duty he finds too boring, irritating or annoying to himself. Yet outside of Captain Kirk, she is probably McCoy's closest confidante. An expert in psychotherapy, she has unusual ability to teach patients how to use the healing powers of their own bodies. " ( The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 119)

In character notes that Gene Roddenberry wrote for Star Trek: The Motion Picture , Chapel was mentioned in the note about Dr. McCoy and was described as being influenced by the fact that McCoy was dealing with a great deal of pressure at the time of the film, even to the point of almost causing him to suffer a nervous breakdown . The section regarding Chapel stated, " [She] must take on an overly large portion of the load of treating the sick, and is likewise subject to breakage. " ( The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 102) Majel Barrett was delighted that, in The Motion Picture , Chapel was promoted to doctor status and that she herself was not required to ruin her hair by dying it blond to match her TOS appearances as Chapel. In the film, Barrett's portrayal of Chapel was partly based on the description of the character from the Writers'/Directors' Guide for Phase II . ( The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 119) Her appearance in The Motion Picture was in keeping with the fact that long hairstyles were disallowed in that film. ( The Making of Star Trek , p. 142) However, Majel Barrett had qualms about her appearance as Chapel in The Motion Picture , confessing, " I really didn't consider my work in the first one to be that great an experience. " ( Starlog #116)

When asked why she herself was absent in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , Majel Barrett stated, " The fact that Gene really didn't have that kind of involvement in the second and third movies was probably the reason. There was a new producer on the pictures and I just don't think they, or anybody, wanted Mrs. Roddenberry running around. I'm sure it was politics. Since then, many things have been ironed out and I certainly have greater hopes for Star Trek IV . " ( Starlog #108, July 1986 , p. 56)

In the script for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , Chapel was described as a "Starfleet Medical Officer whose history in Star Trek is known to all." The same script featured her in a short, ultimately excised scene. Set in the Federation Council Chamber, the scene detailed Commander Chapel meeting with Sarek upon his arrival there. She thanked him for coming but admitted to being unsure whether he was too late to testify at the then-ongoing trial of Admiral Kirk and the senior crew of the Enterprise . [5] Noted Majel Barrett, " I just had a couple of lines with Sarek, so it was really nothing of consequence. " However, Barrett also considered that this scene would have been her "only real scene" in the movie. Chapel's role in Star Trek IV is so minimal that Barrett hypothesized, " If no one had called me Commander Chapel, the audience wouldn't really know that I was there. " Longing to have more involvement in Star Trek , she proclaimed, " Somewhere Chapel got lost. " On the other hand, Barrett also related about her brief inclusion in Star Trek IV , " I am grateful for having been in it after not being in Star Trek II or III […] I loved it, I had such a great time. " ( Starlog #116)

Simon and Schuster 's officially licensed Star Trek: Starship Creator interactive software , written by production staffer Michael Okuda , listed some supplemental biographical details on Chapel. It mentioned she was the child of Lauren Chapel and Patterson Chapel of New Orleans , Louisiana , Earth, and had an interest in ballet . Other information included a birth date in 2237 , Starfleet Medical Academy Nursing Degree in 2266, and doctorate by the 2270s. She graduated in the 98th percentile of her class, with degrees in bioresearch, medical archaeology , and endocrinology . It assigned her original rank as a "brevet," or provisional , ensign , and stated that she rose to become the director of Starfleet Emergency Operations by the time of her Star Trek IV appearance.

Apocrypha [ ]

DC Comics ' Who's Who in Star Trek 1 comic reveals that she had Swedish and Cherokee roots.

Chapel appeared in Vonda N. McIntyre 's novelization of Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan . She was still serving on the Enterprise in 2285 , and was present during Saavik 's Kobayashi Maru scenario .

In Peter David 's New Frontier novel Renaissance , Scotty mistakes one of the characters, Morgan Primus , the mother of Robin Lefler , as "Christine". It was also suggested in that series that Primus was actually Christopher Pike 's "Number One". This mistaken identification was a joke referring to the fact that both roles were played by the same actress.

Dr. Chapel was also seen as the chief medical officer aboard the USS Excelsior in the novel The Sundered .

External links [ ]

• Christine Chapel at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Christine Chapel at Wikipedia
• 1 Daniels (Crewman)

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Interview: Jess Bush On Chapel’s Turning Point & “Crazy” Rest Of ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Season 2

| July 14, 2023 | By: Anthony Pascale 42 comments so far

The latest episode of  Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (“ Charades “) was a big one for the character of Nurse Christine Chapel. TrekMovie had a chance to talk to actress Jess Bush about the episode and what it means for the future of the character. This included hints about the character Dr. Roger Korby , Nurse Chapel’s former fiancé in The Original Series , who has been teased before by Strange New Worlds showrunner Akiva Goldsman.

Even though this was a lighthearted episode, it’s also very serious and kind of a pivot point for Capel, and of course, Spock and T’Pring. So would you say this changes everything?

Well, that’s very dramatic. But yes. Yeah, it’s definitely one that pushes her into places that she hasn’t been willing to go before. She’s far more vulnerable than she’s been in the past. She has to ask for help from her friends, which is something that she hasn’t done before. And she’s forced to fess up about how she really feels, and in a public way. So yeah, I would say it is a turning point for her. For sure.

One might imagine Spock becoming human would be a dream come true for Chapel. So the twist is that it is not. So what does that say to you, as an actress, and to the character that she prefers the Vulcan Spock?

I think it’s a couple of things. I mean, even if she did prefer the human Spock, she would never do that. Morally, it’s not something that she could ever live with. Allowing him to be forever changed for her benefit is out of the question. That would never be okay. Also, yeah, I think that some elements of Spock, as his half-Vulcan self, which she might have perceived as difficulties for her, but when they’re gone she realizes exactly why he’s special to her. Yeah, she loves him for who he is. All his unique and challenging traits are part of that.

You had been playing this as unrequited love, but with this episode, as you said it’s now out in the open. So for you, which is the bigger challenge, the unrequited side or the “let’s get it on” side?

I think for Chapel it’s the “Let’s get it on,” as you put it. That vibe, yeah, I think for Chapel, letting it all be open and happening is a lot harder. Because that requires her to be vulnerable and honest and open and available. And all of those things are scary for her. So for the character, much more challenging. As for me, I don’t think either one is more challenging. They both have their complexities for me as a performer.

This episode is played for laughs, however, Chapel is sort of the straight man of this comedy. Everyone else was having fun. Did you feel like you were missing out while everyone around is joking around, you were like, “I got to fix Spock.” Did you prefer playing it straight or wish to join in on the comedy?

[laughs] Yeah. I loved this episode for me. I loved the arc for Chapel and the deepening of his story. No complaints on my end. And when we were shooting, I don’t get to see what everyone else is doing. I read it and I saw that this is a comedy for everyone else and a challenge for me. But, I love drama. It was a real delight to see the episode and see that difference and see the comedy of it and it’s very delightful.

There still was some comedy around you, like Ortegas and Uhura joking around as you go on your rescue mission. Is it ever hard to not break on set with all the joking?

We definitely have an absolute blast between takes, but we’re pretty warm now with being able to just snap into the story and get it done. I don’t know if we’ve ever had a really massive break in that way. I think we all went a little bit loopy in the interdimensional space day. Because we were in that room for like 16 hours. But yeah, we have fun between takes for sure.

Jess Bush as Chapel in “Charades” (Paramount+)

The episode added some subtle nods towards Chapel’s larger arc towards The Original Series , including namedropping Roger Korby.

Yeah! [laughs]

So how much have the showrunners laid out for you their plan for Chapel? Have they talked to you about where they are headed with the character?

Yeah, so how it goes is there are certain points that we’re going to reach. They kind of tell us the greater kind of broader points that we’re going to reach as characters. But how we get there is never really set in stone until the episodes come together closer to the time of shooting. So I have a vague idea of where I’m going, let’s put it that way.

So just to get things straight, even though you are talking about Roger Korby at the beginning of the episode, are we to take away Chapel has yet to meet Roger Korby as of this episode?

Yet to meet him? Yeah, well I haven’t met him yet.

So should we look forward to that? Are you saying?

I don’t know. Maybe.

Majel Barrett Roddenberry as Chapel and Michael Strong as Roger Korby in TOS “What Are Little Girls Made Of?”

Ethan [Peck] often talks about how he feels the weight of Leonard Nimoy and The Original Series constantly. But the showrunners have talked about how with Chapel she’s not really the same because it’s 2023 and it’s a modern character. So for you, do you still look to Majel [Barrett Roddenberry]’s performance? Or do you try to approach this just on the page as a newer different character?

I think it’s a little bit of both like. I obviously wanted to have her essence in my portrayal. But I think now looking to Majel’s Chapel, I think the responsibility lies in doing the things that she wasn’t able to do. And the things that she probably wanted to do. And the things that women are now able to do that they weren’t able to do them. So using it using her performance as a reference point to flesh out in the ways that she wasn’t able to do that, I think is the aim. And I think the writers are doing a really fantastic job of that and I’m stoked with the material that they given me to help me do that. It’s been deeply satisfying and exciting for me.

Did you have much of a chance to work with Tawny [Newsome] and Jack [Quaid] while they were on set [for the Lower Decks crossover in episode 7]?

Yeah, a little. That was so fun. That’s so fun. I didn’t actually get to go work directly with Tawny in particular, but I worked with Jack. And just having them both in the table read before the episode was such a joy because the tone of Lower Decks is so different. It’s so much faster and funnier having their energy injected into the cast was so cool. It was a real blast.

Is there anything you can tease about the rest of the season? We keep hearing rumblings of episode 9 as nuts, maybe a musical?

Do you have anything to say about that?

Look, there is some really crazy stuff to come. The second half of the season just gets bigger and louder and more surprising. So yeah, strap in.

Jess Bush at 56-Year Mission Star Trek convention (Photo: TrekMovie.com)

New episodes from season 2 of Strange New Worlds drop weekly on Thursdays on Paramount+ in the U.S, the U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Season 2 is also available on SkyShowtime elsewhere in Europe. The second season will also be available to stream on Paramount+ in South Korea, with premiere dates to be announced later.

Keep up with news about the  Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com .

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Anson Mount Says ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Season 3 Takes “Bigger Swings” Than Musical Episode

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I enjoy this show, but I think season one was a lot better written. I wish they could get back to that level of storytelling, because so far this season has been very hit or miss. I’m not sure what the writers and actors are talking about when they discuss big swings and big surprises. The episodes we’ve seen so far have been inferior to most of season one’s shows, with only one that I’d call a big swing (the Khan episode).

I take actors promoting their shows with a grain of salt, so I don’t really have any notion of what the “big swings” might be.

But I do agree with you about the quality of the season so far. There’s a noticeable drop in quality, and I wonder why. The biggest change I can see is a certain lack of energy. And it’s not the actors; if anything, they’re better this year. The show just doesn’t cook like it did last season. It feels sluggish.

I’ve said this before, but season 2 was written and produced before the reactions to season 1 were ever received. With the writers and actors strike and issues with P+ and all the stuff going on, that will be TOTALLY different with season 3. Personally I am loving this season, but lets see what comes in the future.

I can’t wait to see her scene(s?) with Jack Quaid then!

A musical episode of Star Trek? Absurd. That’s as crazy as a holographic doctor that sings opera!

They made a musical Trek? Unheard of. absurd. They made a musical Trek? Unthinkable.

Better not tell Uhura, the Doctor, Seven, Sisko, or Vic Fontaine.

Spock and Riker would be the backup band..

What, a hologram singing? MADNESS!!!!!

Can you imagine if they had a Captain sing with a hologram, though? Ridiculous!

Except a musical episode isn’t the same as a character actually singing a song.

So little imagination….;)

In her interview with Trek Core, Jess Bush said that she read memoirs of nurses in order to better understand the kind of person who chose to become a nurse, and she read some stuff about combat medicine to try to better understand what Chapel would have been doing during the Klingon war.

I’m impressed by how deeply Jess Bush has thought about the character and by how much research she’s done. Nurse Chapel is clearly in good hands with Jess!

It’s been such a relief in SNW to see a Chapel who has so much agency and spunk. Somewhere, Majel’s ghost is smiling!

I didn’t know Jess Bush had done all that research but it makes sense. I think her Chapel is a great evolution of/improvement to the original. She really sold the complexities the character was struggling with this week. As did Ethan Peck. I loved this episode.

Yeah, we’re lucky to have her for Star Trek!

I wouldn’t say that the character has any agency. This iteration of the character is literally there to service Spock’s arc. Everytime there is a focus on her, it’s all to further whatever is going on with Spock. 95% of her screen time features her grappling with her feelings for him.

I agree. She needs an episode where she gets focus that’s not about that. honestly I half feel like La’an is getting this same treatment from this season, just they made her about Kirk instead of Spock. Both women need an opportunity to be focused on where it’s ultimately about them and not a man.

At least with La’an we got a lot of plot in the first season that didn’t involve being romantically involved/interested in a man. La’an being interested in Kirk doesn’t bother me as much because she’s already a fully developed three dimensional character, whereas Chapel is apparently in the show to solely service Spock’s arc.

I really love this actress on the show and her character but this Chapel is about as close to the original as Spock is to Kirk. It really is a very different character and they have warped canon so much I don’t understand why they are bothering to pretend any of it lines up with TOS? And I just can’t personally care if her and Spock get together or not but I know many people do like it. Again, it just totally goes against what we saw in TOS.

We’re only 15 episodes in, imagine where this character will be at by episode 50. And of course I’m happy she’s getting real development (certainly more than Ortegas sadly) but they should just make it clear its in a totally separate timeline and do whatever they want. I would have no issue if by the end of the series her and Spock ended up getting married.

They already acknowledged it’s a separate timeline in the Khan episode, though.

Yeah I know but I mean it’s silly to even try to still connect it to TOS which this interview seems to be implying. At this point, maybe it’s just better to treat it like the Kelvin movies and just say canon is wide open from this point on but I think they are afraid to still go that far with it.

They seem to want their cake and eat it too. They stick with certain canonical aspects like Spock and Sarek’s estrangement, but blow past many other, such as the Enterprise crew not knowing who T’Pring was in “Amok Time.” I think they are trying to imply that this timeline is mostly the same, and setting things up for what we saw in TOS, but when they choose to ignore something from canon, they have provided fans with an assumption that it is due to the Temporal Cold War. I personally find this lazy writing and most of the time unnecessary…

Yep, this is the problem they seem to just pick and choose what canon to follow like Sarek because it’s convenient enough to follow but ignores other pieces if it gets in the way of the story they are telling. But then just pretend it will all kind of fit at the end of the day when it really doesn’t.

I’ve said this in the past, the biggest issue in reality isn’t just bringing in too many TOS characters but just waaaaay too soon at that. For example, if there was no Uhura or Chapel on the show now or maybe not show up until the final season, then they probably could get away with all the T’Pring stuff and have her show up on the ship regularly with an engagement party and all of that. But now they have these characters all interacting 5 years before TOS even starts and it makes no logical sense Spock is supposedly some blank slate on that show who they knew very little about when they are seeing his fiance regularly and now his own mother showed up as well.

I can at least buy the Spock stuff itself because he was on that ship for a decade before Kirk and the others showed up and I can see Pike would know his life more intimately because we DON’T know what Pike knows canon wise along with Una, Ortegas and La’an, so that works. But it doesn’t when so many other legacy characters are around too interacting with each other for years.

And I don’t mind using TCW for SOME things like Khan for example (and I don’t care about that much at all to be honest) but if you’re going to use it to explain away how Kirk, Spock, La’an and Chapel all end up on the most bizarre double date ever or something as an example, then yeah it feels like a cop out to explain away every canon change. I rather they don’t treat us like morons and just say it’s different because its different and be done with it.

I have trouble with the change in timeline for Khan, too. But there is a very easy way to bring the Chapel-Spock relationship in SNW in line with TOS. After “Charades”, Chapel and Spock decide to pursue a relationship. Chapel applies again for the Vulcan fellowship, is accepted this time, and studies with Korby. She finds herself falling in love with Korby, too. The tension between her love for both men is so great that Spock decides to ease it by giving her a telepathic command to “forget” as he did with Kirk at the end of “Requiem for Methusalah”. So Chapel forgets their romantic relationship but keeps her feelings of love for Spock, which she expresses in what will be the “first” time for her in “Amok Time.”

I mean outside of maybe the Korby episode we know so little about Chapel from TOS other than she had the hots for Spock. From what I remember she was a very passive, very 1960s kind of a woman. I don’t object to the writers giving her a more well rounded and spunky personality… I just wish that a) did it better and b) didn’t define her by her feelings for Spock.

And the separate timeline thing? I’m not so sure. There was so little concrete information about the universe during TOS and so many inconsistencies that maybe *that* is in a seperate timeline. I mean this is a show where the pilot had the Captain expressed discomfort at having to serve alongside a woman and where no one was really sure of the name of the organisation in which the Enterprise served. I’m totally fine with them retconning the Eugenics Wars because it’s only really an issue for TOS alignment- and that show isn’t great at nailing down specific details and sticking to them.

That’s true, we don’t know much about Chapel. But we knew her and Spock didn’t have a relationship either. And I agree I’m happy she is getting a lot more to do. I was genuinely excited when I heard the character would be part of the show. But her entire character arc up to now is all tied around Spock and probably Korby when he shows up. Look at Uhura, they didn’t tie her to M’Benga or anything, she is just developed on her own.

As far as the timeline, this is the basic problem as I see it and I will include the Eugenics war. If you are completely new to Star Trek and you’re told now that SNW is a prequel to TOS and you watch both shows, you have completely contradicting information now. According to SNW Khan shows up in the early 21st century and I’m guessing now the Eugenics wars will happen sometime in the mid-21st century. OK, fine. But then you get to TOS and from their POV, Khan is still the guy who caused the war in the late 90s and left Earth after that.

They both can’t be right obviously but yet they are both still canon. if they say that TOS is no longer canon, OK, people won’t like it lol but ironically it would solve a lot of their problems. But if they both are then that implies they are not in the same timeline. It has to be one or the other. And I know people are saying well maybe they just got the dates wrong. But that doesn’t work either because Khan is specific when he came from in TWOK. That’s why it just makes sense one of them anyway is now an altered time line to make it work.

But same time its all fiction so yeah people can just think how they want about it.

Oh and thanks for the response by the way.

Absolutely spot on, Tiger. She is great in the role. And to me, canon basically no longer exists. I’m just watching for the enjoyment of it.

Jess Bush is extremely talented, and she’s playing a part that’s written to be so guarded that she contends with her emotional experience in ways that parallels a Vulcan. She goes about it differently, of course, but the inner tension is a great approach given that Chapel is in love with a Vulcan. I also like Chapel’s ambition as a medical professional- she eventually gets her M.D. in the original timeline, so it makes sense that she keeps looking for ways to become better at her job here. And Bush steals the screen so often, it’s a testament to her charisma and talent.

“I obviously wanted to have her essence in my portrayal. But I think now looking to Majel’s Chapel, I think the responsibility lies in doing the things that she wasn’t able to do. And the things that she probably wanted to do. And the things that women are now able to do that they weren’t able to do them. So using it using her performance as a reference point to flesh out in the ways that she wasn’t able to do that, I think is the aim.”

I love this statement. I do see hints of Majel’s Chapel, but I think she is making the character that should have happened in TOS. She’s great!

100% Agreed!

Despite my issues with the show- I do really like Chapel in this series. I think she deserves better material but Jess Bush absolutely sells what she has been given

I’ve watched the episode twice and still haven’t heard where Roger Korby’s name gets dropped. Could someone please tell me what scene that happens in?

At the start of the show when Chapel is prepping for her interview Dr. M’Benga asks her “What are Korby’s three principles of archeological medicine?”

Thanks, T! I missed the Korby in that line when M’benga said it.

I missed that totally – thanks!

I just have to say Jess Bush has one of the most flawless and effortless American accents I’ve seen from a Non-American actor, really amazing.

Yes! I had the same thought. Overall I think she is a really good actress…

I’d much rather have Archer show upon SNW than another TOS character.

As logical as it would be for Phlox, T’Pol, Soval, or Shran to appear on Star Trek Strange New Worlds due to their alien longevity, emotionally, it would be considerably far more impactful to see Captain Archer walk down the halls of and stand on the bridge of Pike’s Enterprise.

Completely agree!

How Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Made Spock And Chapel's Big Moment Matter

This post contains spoilers from the latest episode of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds."

This week's episode of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" took viewers on a real journey, and not just because it gave Spock (Ethan Peck) the chance to experience the full range of human expression for the first time. The hour started with the science officer on awkward terms with his good pal Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush), given the "quick, a distraction!"-style kiss the two shared last season and Spock's lingering feelings about Chapel. It ended in a totally different place, as Chapel began to come to terms with her maybe-kind-of feelings for Spock after talking to a customer service agent alien about them, and Spock was temporarily dumped by his fiance T'Pring (Gia Sandhu).

The pair met for a conversation that suddenly turned into a sweeping kiss, and I'll admit that, even as the stalwart Kirk-Spock shipper, I was impressed by how skillfully the show led viewers to this moment and made it feel fulfilling. /Film's Jacob Hall interviewed episode director Jordan Canning about all things "Charades," and Canning spoke about the work it took to get that romantic moment just right.

'I really wanted that kiss at the end to just feel epic'

When Hall asked the filmmaker how the team approached tackling a "ship" that's been around for more than half a century, Canning said it was the culmination of a whole season's worth of planning. " I will say right from season one, [there were] those little breadcrumbs that were dropped for Spock and Chapel," she shared, noting "the beautiful looks and tension and connection that Jess and Ethan have built with those two characters." The entire "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" cast has buckets of chemistry, but Chapel and Spock are definitely two of the characters who immediately clicked on screen.

Canning said the new episode serves to fulfill "all of these amazing little breadcrumbs that they've laid along the way — and getting to finally culminate that and give it justice." Though she doesn't note which cinematic kisses she looked to in order to construct the scene, Canning says she definitely referred back to some classics. "I mean, I'm a real sucker," she told /Film. "I'm a sucker for romance and romantic comedies, and I really wanted that kiss at the end to just feel epic. I watched so many references." The filmmaker notes that she looked for "amazing kisses in other movies" and wanted to convey a sense that, at the end of the episode, "The world slows down and everybody gets to sort of enjoy it and watch these two people finally connect after all of this."

The couple has 'decades of canon' to deal with

It worked well, and the added fact that Spock gives into his feelings not when he's still human but after he's returned back to his typically repressed half-Vulcan self makes the whole thing even dreamier. Canning describes the moment as "a full 360" that she "just wanted to serve...up on a platter for everyone to watch and enjoy." And if you're fully anti-Kirk and Chapel (I personally think they're cute but have more messy queer best friends than soulmates vibes), don't worry, as it doesn't sound like "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" has major plans to break from original series canon when it comes to Spock's love life . " Will they, won't they? Like you said, will they, won't they for years and years, decades and decades of canon," Canning reveals.

"Charades" is a fantastic, funny episode of this or any "Star Trek" show, and the kiss works because the cast and crew worked hard to make it feel right for the headspace both characters are in at the time. Plus, Peck and Bush sold the moment beautifully well. "I think that just the two of them, those two actors did that so much justice," Canning says. It's a truly lovely moment that I'm sure won't make reporting for work the next day awkward at all.

"Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" streams new episodes Thursdays on Paramount+.

How Strange New Worlds Subverts This Original Series Relationship

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The following contains spoilers from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2, Episode 9, "Subspace Rhapsody," now streaming on Paramount+ .

Perhaps the biggest surprise in Season 2 of Strange New Worlds is just how close Lieutenant Spock and Nurse Christine Chapel get. The two have always been drawn to each other in the show, but with T'Pring and Spock going on a break, it has allowed Spock to give in to his feelings for her. However, the Strange New Worlds musical episode interestingly subverts the relationship between Chapel and Spock in Star Trek: The Original Series .

During Chapel's song in the episode, Spock learns that she has been accepted to a three-month program studying archaeological medicine. He storms off, obviously bothered by both her impending departure and how he discovered she'd been accepted. In The Original Series , Chapel's feelings for Spock are depicted as an out-of-control "crush." Fans of that series know that when Chapel studies with Dr. Korby , she falls for him. In the episode "What Little Girls Are Made Of," the two reunite and still have feelings for each other. It's revealed that Chapel and Korby went so far as to get engaged. That episode doesn't end well for Korby and allows Chapel to continue to pine for the Enterprise's Vulcan first officer. However, "Subspace Rhapsody" subverts their relationship in TOS because it means Spock didn't break Chapel's heart. It was the other way around.

RELATED: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Ethan Peck Reconnects Spock with His Humanity

How Strange New Worlds Changed Spock and Chapel's Relationship

In the 1960s, Chapel's crush on Spock was mostly played for laughs because he lacked feelings and emotions like other crew members. However, Spock's affection for Chapel took on new meaning in the Season 2 premiere. From sharing a kiss to comforting him in grief during Strange New Worlds Season 1 , she increasingly became his most important human connection in the Enterprise. It's even revealed that Spock's iconic harp from TOS was given to him by Dr. M'Benga to help him process his emotions. The turmoil was less about him lowering his emotional blocks and more about his unresolved feelings for Chapel.

After another round of Spock and T'Pring hijinks , the couple, fated to break up for good in "Amok Time," decided to take time apart. It's unclear if there are any other premarital Vulcan rituals the couple need to complete. If not, it's possible that T'Pring and Spock don't see each other again until well into James T. Kirk's command of the Enterprise. Only Spock and Chapel's relationship also finds itself running into the canon. Or, in this case, history. During the crossover episode, Boimler told Chapel about Spock's future, revealing to her that their union doesn't last.

Chapel was already upset about all this when she found out she was accepted to study with Dr. Roger Korby. M'Benga, quoting TOS , calls him "the Louis Pasteur of archaeological medicine." He also quizzed Chapel on Korby's three rules for it in "Lost in Translation," a few episodes earlier. Fans always assumed that Spock was the one breaking Chapel's heart, but it turns out she hurt him first. This recontextualizes so many of their interactions in TOS , explaining why Spock may seem cold to her, even for a Vulcan.

RELATED: Strange New Worlds - Jordan Canning Delves Into the Hilarity of Star Trek

Spock and Chapel Had an Arc in Star Trek: The Original Series Era

Nurse Chapel often had a flirtatious comment or moment in her episodes with Spock, save for the episode where she reunited with Korby. In Season 1's "The Naked Time," Chapel infected Spock with an inhibition-lowering "complex chain of molecules." She confessed her love to him, and he almost reciprocated. He didn't say anything to her, but spent the rest of the episode moping about his feelings for Christine. It was a reaction that almost made more sense knowing the two had a romance in the past that she effectively ended. In The Animated Series , which isn't canon but written by TOS writers, Chapel was tricked into using a "love potion" on Spock, who says he "loves" her.

In "Amok Time," Spock acted deeply out of character, refusing to tell his crewmates what was wrong. In Strange New Worlds , Spock seems much more forthcoming about his private, Vulcan affairs. However, he mostly shares those details with Christine. There's a moment when Chapel takes Spock a Vulcan dish, plomeek soup. He violently throws the soup out of the room. In Star Trek: Voyager , 30 years after "Amok Time" debuted, it's revealed that Vulcan's biological distress from the need to "mate" could be cured on the holodeck. The pon farr is supposed to happen every seven years once a Vulcan reaches maturity. Spock was in his 30s during The Original Series , so it's only logical he'd had physical relationships in the past.

The Chapel and Spock relationship in The Original Series was meant to highlight his Vulcan nature. The other members of the crew were often flirtatious with each other, so Spock stood alone. However, the context Strange New Worlds adds makes Spock's coldness to Chapel just a little more human than it was.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds debuts its Season 2 finale on August 10, 2023, on Paramount+ .

• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022)

‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’: Ethan Peck & Jess Bush Talk Spock & Chapel’s Connection

Spoiler Alert

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[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for  Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Episode 5 “Charades.”]

The events of the latest Star Trek: Strange New Worlds are a long time coming for Spock ( Ethan Peck ), Chapel ( Jess Bush ), and T’Pring ( Gia Sandhu ).

Just as Spock is about to entertain T’Pring and her parents for their engagement dinner (complete with Vulcan rituals), things go sideways during a mission and he ends up entirely human; an alien from an alternate dimension saved him by fixing the damage (with mixed instructions) to match Chapel. The rest of the crew tries to help Spock pretend to still be half-Vulcan (and he conceals what’s going on from T’Pring). However, by the end of the episode, he and T’Pring are taking time apart, and he’s confessing to Chapel that he has feelings for someone else — and she kisses him!

Without that admission from Spock first, Chapel likely wouldn’t have made that move, Bush tells TV Insider, explaining, “this is a very vulnerable moment for her, and I don’t think that she would’ve taken the step had he not displayed that he was kind of feeling the same.” In that moment, “Chapel is not thinking and just wants to follow her heart.”

But would that conversation and kiss have happened if Spock hadn’t just spent that time exploring his human side? Peck isn’t sure — at least not yet. “In terms of Spock’s personality or, I guess, logic patterns, he may not have [said anything], but I think they were destined to collide at some point either way, whether it would’ve been this week or some other time in the future,” he says.

Spock also isn’t sure what the kiss and Chapel mean to him just yet. Peck compares “connecting, even though his mother is human, romantically with a human” to “rule-breaking — because he’s grown up with so much shame around his human half.” But, he adds, “there’s something in him that’s impelling him to make this connection and go down this path with Nurse Chapel. There’s a lot of conflict around it.”

When Spock asks what the kiss means, Chapel says she doesn’t know. For Bush, it’s that her character isn’t ready to think about what it means. But this episode does force her to be honest with herself and provide clarity as to how she feels about him, as she tells the alien earlier he’s a friend and she sometimes wishes they had more of a connection. “She’s come to realize that he is someone who is very important and very special to her, and someone that she can’t be flippant or casual about,” says Bush.

And, according to Peck, Spock is “at a place in his life where he’s so open to things that are new to him and really outside of his comfort zone, which is pretty narrow, mind you. But they’ve built a lot of trust between one another for not just each other’s feelings, but for each other’s lives. That provides a great foundation to share something sort of risky and unknown and uncertain.”

Why did  Strange New Worlds decide to explore Spock and Chapel’s connection and him figuring out how to deal with his emotions in this way? “Why not?” executive producer Henry Alonso Myers asks with a laugh. “One of the things that is so fun about doing Spock now is Spock is not the person who he will yet become, and there’s a lot that he has to go through to become the person who we see in the original series. He’s someone who has always dealt with these kind of things, but that show, being from a very different place, was less concerned with making him deal with that part of himself. We have an opportunity here to show what it’s like to have grown from two different cultures to these ideas. What is the emotion of that?”

Adds executive producer Akiva Goldsman , “Spock suffers from having always been defined by his introduction. It’s as if somebody walked in and punched somebody and then forever they’re the brute, even if it was the only time they did it. So Spock’s life is, if you look at it across the series and movies, a constant battle. He’s trying to reconcile the pieces of himself and that keeps going all the way through. We just happened to meet him at his most logical phase, and even then, he wasn’t that logical.”

On the Chapel side of it, Myers points out that with the Paramount+ series, they can find a way for contemporary audiences to connect with her. “This is about playing something real,” he says. “What’s the reality that could have led to what they sort of did as a throw off in the later series? That’s what we were trying to explore. And how do we make these two really good characters to play with? How do we give our actors something to play?”

Michael Gibson/Paramount+

As for what’s ahead for the pair after the kiss, “more drama,” Bush teases, with Peck adding, “the complication of their engagement with one another. They’re so different, and they’re going to have to work that out and understand how to be with one another.”

But what does time apart actually mean for Spock and T’Pring? (Is it akin to “we were on a break”?) Peck doesn’t know, pointing out that Vulcans are patient so “it could be years.” Whatever the case, he continues, “I don’t think that Spock cares at this point in time. I think he’s so ready to be done with Vulcan culture and to embrace his life in Starfleet and on the Enterprise and with the people that are there that I don’t remember feeling — if my specialty is Spock and knowing this person — any sort of worry about that.”

What’s happening with Chapel is also “a very natural portal for him to go deeper into his humanness,” according to Peck. As he gains an understanding of his human side in this episode (“a great lesson for anyone watching that we should be accepting of all the pieces of ourselves and to love all of those parts that will make us more whole”), there are also touching moments between him and his mother, Amanda. “ Mia Kirshner  is so wonderful to work with and just an incredible scene partner and person and personality on set. She’s just got all the goods and she’s so willing to be vulnerable and try new things in any given take and to connect,” Peck raves.

Meanwhile, Chapel was up for a fellowship sponsored by the Vulcan science academy, only to not impress with her essay or during the interview. But after what she accomplishes — she goes to interdimensional space and figures out the treatment Spock needed to bring back his Vulcan half — she realizes the fellowship isn’t ready for her.

'Strange New Worlds' Stars on Relationship Woes & Losing Control

“Chapel is extremely ambitious with her work and her commitment to growing in that way will never waver,” Bush shares. “She’s never going to slow down. She’s always going to want to get bigger, better, more knowledgeable, more helpful, be able to help more people. I feel like she’s open to whatever that might look like. She’s flexible in that way.”

Coming up, we’ll see “more of her past,” she previews. “We’re going to see more of her backstory and the ways in which she’s had to face difficult things to get where she is.”

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Inside the Spock's love triangle at the heart of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Spock is caught between two women.

One of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ' overarching narratives involves the love life of Spock. In the series premiere 'Strange New Worlds,' he becomes engaged to the Vulcan T'Pring. Throughout the series, their relationship hits rough patches due to Spock's commitments to his job at Starfleet, which keeps them away from each other for long stretches.

At the same time, Spock grows close to Christine Chapel, the human civilian nurse serving under Chief medical officer Joseph M'Benga onboard the Enterprise. Though they have managed to keep things platonic so far, tension develops between them due to their complicated feelings for each other.

In the most recent episode, the love triangle between Spock, T'Pring, and Chapel has a stunning development.

A freak accident causes Spock to lose his Vulcan half and become entirely human. In this state, he is overwhelmed by emotions and acts similar to a teenage boy going through adolescence. The timing couldn't be worse because he is to attend a traditional Vulcan engagement dinner with T'Pring and her family, who are strict followers of their culture. Spock's inability to keep his feelings in check makes him question whether T'Pring is the woman he should marry.

Origins of Spock's relationships with T'Pring and Nurse Chapel in Star Trek

Spock's love interests have their roots in Star Trek The Original Series (TOS). We meet T'Pring in season 2 episode 1 'Amok Time.' She was bonded to Spock as children in an arranged marriage. When he returns to Vulcan for the wedding in the koon-ut-kal-if-fee ceremony, T'Pring expresses her objection to her potential husband by invoking her right of kal-if-fee, where two males fight for her hand in marriage. She shrewdly pits Spock against Captain Kirk hoping that either victor would not want her, and she would be free to marry her true love.

Nurse Chapel is a recurring character in TOS who has an unhealthy obsession with Spock. Throughout the series, she has many moments of affection towards him. During her first appearance in season 1 episode 4 'The Naked Time,' she professes her love to the Vulcan while under the intoxicating effects of alcohol like polywater. In the previously mentioned 'Amok Time,' she prepares him a special soup. While Spock is unconscious from a gunshot wound in season 2 episode 19 'A Private Little War,' Chapel tenderly holds his hand. Unfortunately, in each case, Spock doesn't reciprocate. The pair do share a kiss in season 3 episode 10 'Plato's Stepchildren,' but it is under duress by captors. She feels humiliated due to the situation because it is not genuine.

Spock's shoulder to lean on

Spock and T'Pring's relationship is tricky to navigate. The long distance is taking a toll, and T'Pring blames Starfleet for their separation. She questions how committed Spock is to her because any free time they have together is usually interrupted by his duties on the Enterprise. Spock is also self-conscious about his mixed heritage. He feels like an outsider to Vulcans because he is half-human and doesn't feel worthy enough for T'Pring.

Whenever Spock needs to vent or receive relationship advice, he turns to Nurse Chapel. In season 1 episode 5 'Spock Amok,' Nurse Chapel suggests her friend prioritize T'Pring and take time to understand his fiancé. At the beginning of season 1 episode 7 'The Serene Squall,' Spock needs someone to listen when he opens up about how T'Pring is more interested in his human half than he is and how that makes him feel.

The beginning of the Spock/T'Pring/Nurse Chapel love triangle

Spock and Nurse Chapel's friendship becomes awkward in 'The Serene Squall.' Pirates hijack the Enterprise and take Spock hostage. They plan to use him in a prisoner exchange with a Vulcan criminal rehabilitation center, where T'Pring is an administrator and treatment specialist. She must make the hard choice of releasing a convict and the subsequent consequences or losing the love of her life.

During negotiations for the prisoner swap, Spock tries to make T'Pring's decision easier by faking an affair with Nurse Chapel. To sell the romance, Spock kisses Nurse Chapel in front of his wife-to-be. After the pirate dilemma is resolved, T'Pring understands the necessity of the ruse, but it must be difficult to see your partner kiss another woman.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 developments

Things between Spock and Nurse Chapel are never the same following that kiss. He purposely tries to avoid speaking with his friend leading to uncomfortable situations. That doesn't mean he no longer has feelings for her. In season 2 episode 1 'Broken Circle,' Spock frantically performs CPR on Nurse Chapel after rescuing her and Dr. M'Benga from outer space. He sheds a tear that she wipes away when she regains consciousness. Later, he confesses he doesn't know how to describe how he feels for her.

In the most recent episode 'Charades,' the scales tip away from T'Pring towards Nurse Chapel. A freak starship accident with Nurse Chapel causes Spock to become 100% human. Unfortunately, this is right before his engagement dinner with T'Pring's family, who are very traditional. He, and his mother, decide to mislead their guests and carry on as if he were still a Vulcan. They almost get away with it until T'Pring's mother insults his human side and Spock comes clean.

T'Pring is as surprised by the deception as her family. She is also hurt that all Spock's friends knew of his condition, but he didn't bother to tell her. She interprets this as a massive lack of trust and questions their relationship. Especially after she spent an entire evening defending him from her mother. In the end, she decides they need a break.

Spock's single status doesn't last long when he meets up with Nurse Chapel after reverting to his regular self. He tells her his break-up with T'Pring is necessary because he has feelings for someone else. The episode ends with the two embracing and sharing a passionate kiss.

For more on Star Trek and how to understand it all, we have a comprehensive Star Trek watch guide

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Published Sep 3, 2023

How Spock's Human Side in Strange New Worlds Fully Explains The Original Series

We love Spock because of his feelings, not in spite of them.

StarTrek.com

We need to talk about Spock . He’s smiling. He’s making jokes. He’s eating bacon in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds .

As Captain Kirk once put it, Spock has recently shown “a regrettable tendency you've been showing lately toward flagrant emotionalism.” But here’s the thing. Kirk made that comment in The Original Series , at the end of the classic episode “ The Menagerie .” So, Spock’s emotional outbursts are hardly new. And as counterintuitive as it sounds, the rational, cold hero of the final frontier is often most interesting when he seems to be losing it.

From “ Amok Time ” in The Original Series to “ Charades ” in Strange New Worlds Season 2, Spock’s emotionalism is central to our shared love of this supposedly unemotional character. And thanks to Strange New Worlds , the story of Star Trek is offering a new, utterly revelatory way of understanding the inner struggle of Spock, which, in the final analysis, is perfectly logical.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Spock the Human

Way back when Leonard Nimoy filmed “The Cage,” in 1964, the character of Spock hadn’t been fully formed. At that point, Star Trek series creator Gene Roddenberry actually conceived of Number One as the more guarded, stoic unemotional one.

In 2019, with the Star Trek: Short Treks episode “ Q&A ,” writer Michael Chabon attempted to reconcile this, by making it clear that Number One had a big influence on Spock’s overall development. But, that was Spock’s first day on the Enterprise and only the beginning of a bigger process. Starting with Star Trek: Discovery Season 2, and throughout Strange New Worlds , Spock is on an emotional journey, one that has an end point with how we find Spock in The Original Series. As SNW co-creator Akiva Goldsman said in 2023 , “Something happened between ‘The Cage’ and ‘Where No Man Has Gone Before.’”

Goldsman is right. But, putting Spock on an emotional rollercoaster isn’t something SNW randomly invented. Spock has gone on several emotional journeys prior to SNW . In the Star Trek: Lower Decks crossover, “ Those Old Scientists ,” Chapel says Spock is “going through a thing.” But, when, if we’re being honest, has Spock not been going through a thing?

"Amok Time"

Throughout The Original Series, the classic films, and even The Next Generation , Spock, as played by Leonard Nimoy, changed his emotional presentation quite a bit. In the classic series, he was openly frustrated by human emotions, but after the events of The Motion Picture , and his failure to purge his emotions via the Kolinahr, Spock eventually loosened up, and became comfortable with his illogical human allies. The level of comfort Spock has with Kirk and Bones in The Wrath of Khan is drastically different from the guy we met in “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” So, in order for classic Spock to mature, and grow, there had to be a baseline, a specific foundational personality to build upon. This is where Strange New Worlds comes in. Because it’s here that we’re finally seeing how and why Spock’s emotional cocktail was mixed.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Hot Spock

In “Those Old Scientists,” Boimler and Mariner — time travelers from the 24th Century — are borderline horrified by Spock smiling and attempting to make bad jokes. Cleverly, Strange New Worlds uses what seems like canon inconsistencies to actually make a point about how people change. Boimler believes that a smiling Spock is not really the character. Just like fans being jarred by Spock smiling in “The Cage” or flashbacks from “The Menagerie,” emotional Spock can read as a mistake, rather than a nuance. Boilmer, as a cipher for a confused fan says, “This is just like what a phase and he’ll get over and get back to like his serious, real self soon?”

In some ways, Boimler is right. What we’re seeing in Strange New Worlds is new, but, it’s also a fallacy for us to believe that “serious” Spock is also “real” Spock. In 1966, “ The Naked Time ,” was only the fourth episode of Star Trek ever aired, and the seventh episode ever filmed. This means that extremely early in Star Trek canon, we got an episode in which Spock was openly crying like a baby. Within the canon of Trek , it seems pretty likely that Kirk didn’t put all of that into his logs, out of respect for Spock, which is also probably doubly true of Spock yelling at people at the beginning of “Amok Time.”

"The Naked Time"

Relative to their perception of “smiling Spock,” Boimler and Mariner lack something we have as fans. We have an overall idea of “serious” Spock in our minds, but once we start looking at individual Spock stories, all from the classic era, Spock “acting out of character” becomes the basis of his character.

As Ethan Peck put it earlier in 2023 , “It’s possible that ‘normal’ Spock doesn’t exist.” But for Mariner and Boimler, they’re really only going off of history books, which were almost certainly influenced by Pike, Kirk, and others, just selectively leaving information out. Although Mariner and Boimler are somewhat obviously very aware of Pike’s tragic fate at the start of “The Menagerie,” it’s possible that they’re not aware of how that story ended for Pike. “The Menagerie” concludes with Pike living out, happily on Talos IV. But who put him there?

"Those Old Scientists"

If Spock hadn’t acted out of compassion, and stolen the U.S.S. Enterprise to get Pike to Talos, that happy ending couldn’t have happened. At the very end of that episode, that’s when Kirk confronts Spock and drops that “flagrant emotionalism” line. Spock cuts him off saying, “I see no reason to insult me, sir; I believe I've been completely logical about the whole affair.” When Boimler and Spock discuss Spock’s more stoic future reputation, Spock says, “I have no choice but to stay true to the path I have chosen in this time. If you sway me, then my future will have been altered, is that not logical?”

It’s a mic-drop moment that Boimler can’t deny, and represents one of many times this season that Spock has stood up for his human heritage a bit more than he did in The Original Series. Because even if Boimler did sway Spock a tiny bit, what this journey of self-discovery proves is that only Spock knows what’s right for Spock, and our shared definition of his character doesn’t just come from our projections or perceptions — of which there are many! Instead, the defining feature of Spock’s character isn’t coldness or emotionalism, but rather his struggle between the two. And the choices he makes aren’t about canon or the timeline. Spock’s choices to become himself in Strange New Worlds reaffirm what Kirk said in The Wrath of Khan . Of all the souls we have known in Star Trek , Spock’s is perhaps the most…human…of them all.

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Ryan Britt is the author of the nonfiction books Phasers on Stun! How the Making and Remaking of Star Trek Changed the World (2022), The Spice Must Flow: The Journey of Dune from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies (2023), and the essay collection Luke Skywalker Can’t Read (2015). He is a longtime contributor to Star Trek.com and his writing regularly appears with Inverse, Den of Geek!, Esquire and elsewhere. He lives in Portland, Maine with his family.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, South Korea, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In addition, the series airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave in Canada and on SkyShowtime in the Nordics, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Central and Eastern Europe. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-4 are streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the UK, Canada, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and Austria. Seasons 2 and 3 also are available on the Pluto TV “Star Trek” channel in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The series streams on Super Drama in Japan, TVNZ in New Zealand, and SkyShowtime in Spain, Portugal, Poland, The Nordics, The Netherlands, and Central and Eastern Europe and also airs on Cosmote TV in Greece. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

A prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, the show follows the crew of the USS Enterprise under Captain Christopher Pike. A prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, the show follows the crew of the USS Enterprise under Captain Christopher Pike. A prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, the show follows the crew of the USS Enterprise under Captain Christopher Pike.

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• Jenny Lumet
• Anson Mount
• Christina Chong
• 1K User reviews
• 38 Critic reviews
• 9 wins & 33 nominations total

Episodes 31

• Captain Christopher Pike …

• La'an Noonien-Singh …

• Lt. Erica Ortegas …

• Una Chin-Riley …

• Nurse Christine Chapel

• Nyota Uhura …

• Dr. M'Benga

• USS Enterprise Computer …

• Lieutenant George Samuel 'Sam' Kirk

• Jenna Mitchell

• Captain Batel …

• Admiral Robert April

• Captain James T. Kirk …

• T'Pring
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• Trivia Bruce Horak , the actor who plays Hemmer, is legally blind, just like his character's species, the Aenar, who are also blind.
• Goofs There are some rank insignia mistakes. Number One is introduced as "Lieutenant Commander Una Chin-Riley" yet she is wearing the rank insignia of a full commander: two full stripes. A Lieutenant Commander's rank insignia is a full stripe under a thin stripe (in TOS it is a full stripe and a staggered stripe). It is not uncommon for a ship's first officer to be a Lt. Commander if they have not been in the position long. Spock at this point is a Lieutenant but he is wearing Lieutenant Commander's stripes; a Lieutenant just has one stripe. La'an is the ship's chief of security and the ship's second officer. She is also wearing Lt. Commander stripes but is addressed as a Lieutenant, but it would make more sense for her to be a Lieutenant Commander. Either way both of their rank insignia are not matching the rank they are addressed by. Ortegas is addressed as a Lieutenant but is wearing Lieutenant Commander's strips. A Lieutenant Commander may be addressed as a Commander or Lieutenant Commander but never as just a Lieutenant, so either her rank insignia or the manner she is addressed by the rest of the crew is in error.

[opening narration]

Captain Christopher Pike : Space. The final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.

• Connections Featured in Nerdrotic: Woke Hollywood is FAILING, and That's a Good Thing (2022)

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Technical specs

• Runtime 52 minutes
• D-Cinema 48kHz 5.1
• Dolby Digital
• Dolby Atmos

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What Makes Star Trek: Strange New World Star Ethan Peck's Spock Stand Out From Leonard Nimoy's Performance, According To Adam Nimoy

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When Star Trek first brought a new Spock to fans, Zachary Quinto's casting was offset by the revelation that Leonard Nimoy's Spock was still untouched. The game fully changed in Discovery Season 2 when Ethan Peck became the first actor to play the prime version of one of Trek 's best characters . The actor continues to win the praise of fans in Strange New Worlds , and Nimoy's son Adam told CinemaBlend he's a big fan despite the differences between the portrayals of Spock.

When talking to Adam Nimoy about the release of his book The Most Human: Reconciling with My Father, Leonard Nimoy , which is available for sale right now, I brought up Ethan Peck having written one of the praise-filled blurbs for the new release, and then I asked the son of Spock how he felt about the young actor's performance in the streaming hit. As he put it:

I love what he's doing. He brings his own sensibility to it. It's a different character, but I think it's perfectly fine. It's lovely what he's doing. I really admire him and look, it's, it's so challenging to take on a role like that. That is so ensconced in the minds of us pop culture addicts in terms of the original Spock. Zachary Quinto had the same forces that he had to deal with when he entered the role and he brings his own sensibility to it. You can't help but bring your own personality to the part. And it's different, it's new, it's a permutation, you know.

The portrayals do have their differences from Leonard Nimoy's, though it's worth noting Star Trek fully accounted for such distinctions intentionally. While we know Zachary Quinto's Spock is standalone iteration of Spock from an alternate timeline, Ethan Peck's Spock is still on the journey to reconcile his human and Vulcan characteristics and become the idealized version of himself we were first introduced to in TOS .

Peck has spoken to CinemaBlend about a need to understand Leonard Nimoy to embody Spock fully, so I was happy to see he likely got a few insights from reading Adam Nimoy's book. The author talks about the complicated relationship he had with his dad, which came about somewhat from the actor being very much like the character he played on television.

While some have appreciated Ethan Peck's "imitation" of Spock, Nimoy doesn't feel like that's a proper descriptor for what either actor who has played the character is doing. He told me:

It's not, I don't think it's an imitation necessarily. I think that the key to the pure artistry of Zach and Ethan [Peck} is that they invest their own experience and being into the part, and that's what makes it come alive. So, I love what those guys were doing.

While Star Trek fans wait to see Ethan Peck in upcoming Trek shows like Strange New Worlds Season 3 , it's a no-brainer suggestion to say everyone should check out The Most Human: Reconciling with My Father, Leonard Nimoy . While the book is very much an autobiography of Adam Nimoy and his struggles with addiction, it does a deep dive into his relationship with the sci-fi icon, who also struggled with addiction in his lifetime. It also provides Nimoy's take on things such as his father's falling out with William Shatner and how it was equally as bizarre as their public declaration as best friends.

For those wondering when Strange New Worlds Season 3 will arrive, we know right now that 2025 is the tentative release date. The show was one day away from starting production when the writers and SAG-AFTRA strikes hit, which is why we won't be watching the season with our Paramount+ subscription before then. I'm eager to see the new season, but fortunately we have no shortage of episodes on Paramount+ to enjoy with Ethan Peck's Spock right now.

With summer approaching, I'm hoping we'll get a big update or trailer for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 before too long. I'm very eager to see how they escape the massive Season 2 cliffhanger ending and manage to either outsmart or make peace with the Gorn after this bloodshed between them.

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Star Trek: 10 Facts About Spock You Probably Didn’t Know (Or Forgot)

E ver since the original series debuted in the '60s, Star Trek has been one of the most beloved and passionately followed sci-fi franchises in the world. It's come a long way since its humble roots and has burgeoned into a full-out media franchise encompassing movies, animated shows, comics, toys and all kinds of other merchandise.

Over its history, the franchise has featured a stunning array of characters, including everything from humans to robots, androids, and a wide range of fascinating alien races. Among those races, Vulcans are particularly close to the hearts of Trekkies everywhere, and it's obvious why.

As the most famous among them, Spock has been a fan-favorite since the beginning, and remains one of the most recognizable and beloved characters from it. His appeal comes from his inherently fascinating attributes and character arcs.

Throughout Spock's history on Star Trek , there are many weird and wonderful facts about him that added to his overall allure. While hardcore Trekkies might know some of these, here are 10 facts about Spock that aren't that well known by most people.

Stream all Star Trek shows on Paramount+

Spock Was Almost Cut From the Pilot

Release Date 1966-09-08

Cast Majel Barrett, Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig, William Shatner, George Takei, Leonard Nimoy, Deforest Kelley, James Doohan

Main Genre Action

Genres Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure

Created by Gene Roddenberry back in 1966, when the original and now iconic Star Trek TV series first aired, it was uncertain how all the legendary characters were going to be received by audiences. Back then, when the TV industry and society in general were a lot more conservative, NBC executives were afraid Spock's pointy ears, unique eyebrows, and overall strange appearance made him look too satanic .

A Close Shave

Thankfully, the show's producer, Oscar Katz, helped convince them to keep the character, as envisioned, with his satanic ears and all. Despite allowing it, early publicity shots for the show airbrushed his pointed ears and weirdly shaped eyebrows out just to be on the safe side. Now that the character is so well-loved, it's hard to imagine that he almost wasn't included at all.

Spock Almost Lost His Ears

Star trek: the animated series.

Release Date 1973-09-08

Cast Majel Barrett, Nichelle Nichols, William Shatner, George Takei, Leonard Nimoy, Deforest Kelley, James Doohan

Main Genre Animation

Genres Animation, Sci-Fi

Those same ears that were so contentious became iconic, although Leonard Nimoy himself, who immortalized the role for decades, wasn't thrilled about them. He reportedly didn't like having to sit through the process of attaching them each time, a process that took a lot longer back then, since prosthetics weren't as advanced as they are now and CGI was far from being a thing.

Related: Star Trek 4: Plot, Cast, Release Date, and Everything Else We Know

Leonard Nimoy Almost Chose to Get Rid of the Ears

The story goes that since Nimoy hated the process so much in the beginning, one of the producers told him if he still didn't like them after a while, by episode 10 or 12, they could write it into the script that Spock gets an 'ear job.' If it happened, Dr. McCoy would have performed surgery on Spock to have them removed. Again, thankfully, this never happened, and the character and Nimoy eventually became iconic for those distinctive ears .

Leonard Nimoy Was Responsible for the Vulcan Salute

Star trek: the motion picture.

Release Date 1979-12-07

Director Robert Wise

Cast Majel Barrett, William Shatner, George Takei, Leonard Nimoy, Deforest Kelley, James Doohan

Genres Mystery, Sci-Fi, Adventure

The now famous Vulcan salute that Spock first used in season two of the original show has become a mainstay of the franchise, frequently used with the famous catchphrase, "Live long and prosper." Now also a Trekkie salute, it's become a ritual among fans, and has had a huge cultural impact on the franchise. What you may not know is that Leonard Nimoy himself was responsible for its inclusion in the show.

A "Hand-Oriented" People

The salute's popularity has seen it being used across the series, other shows, and films, and is notoriously hard to do, given that not everyone has the same manual dexterity. Nimoy, of course, does it perfectly, and it was he who first devised the idea for the character, stating in a 1968 interview with the New York Times that he wanted the Vulcans to be "hand-oriented people."

The Salute is Jewish

Star trek 2: the wrath of khan.

Release Date 1982-06-04

Director Nicholas Meyer

Cast Walter Koenig, William Shatner, George Takei, Leonard Nimoy, Deforest Kelley, James Doohan

While the salute went on to become synonymous with Star Trek and Spock, it wasn't a fictional gesture and actually has Jewish roots . Leonard Nimoy, who himself was Jewish, would go on to confirm that he got the idea from a time when he once witnessed it during a type of benediction done by a Jewish Kohanim (Hebrew Priest), and represents the Hebrew letter 'Shin' (ש) .

An International Symbol

Despite its religious underpinnings, thanks to Nimoy, it's now also an international symbol for Star Trek fans everywhere too. It's become iconic, with ardent Trekkies considering it an almost shameful thing to not be able to do it properly. Here's a clip of Nimoy himself retelling the story of its origin:

Spock Was Originally Supposed to Look Very Different

Star trek iii: the search for spock.

Release Date 1984-06-01

Director Leonard Nimoy

Genres Sci-Fi, Thriller, Action, Adventure

We've already mentioned how close Spock came to not being included in the show. Since his physical appearance became such a contentious issue, there were initially various iterations of the character that did the rounds during the creative processes that went into his design. Had one of the others made the final cut, it would have resulted in a very different Spock than we know now.

Spock With Red Skin and a Tail

Gene Roddenberry knew that Spock was going to be an alien, but also insisted that he have a distinctive appearance as well. The idea for the look went through various stages, and while the classic Spock look won the day, in one version, he was originally supposed to have red skin , which would have made for a vastly different character than the one we know.

As MeTv explains , he was also supposed to have other features like a tail (even more Satanic than the ears), and to speak very differently too:

Additionally, this devil-Spock was designed to have a heavy brow, and speak with a British accent. At one point, Roddenberry flirted with the idea of casting a little person in the role, to "make him stand out." The devil idea was eventually ditched as the network feared the look would not go over well with religious viewers.

Nimoy Was Far From the First Choice

Star trek iv: the voyage home.

Release Date 1986-11-26

Genres Sci-Fi, Adventure

Leonard Nimoy's death in 2015 saddened fans of Star Trek everywhere. He had become so iconic for the role of Spock that his passing was a huge loss for the franchise and fans of sci-fi in general.

Having epitomized the character for so long, despite Zachary Quinto proving to be a very able and likable recasting choice when the films were rebooted, it felt like Nimoy had been born for the role. That was why it may surprise people to know that he wasn't the first choice to play the character.

Batman Was Almost Spock

The original choice to play Spock was actually DeForest Kelley , who played the original Dr. McCoy instead. In fact, Nimoy wasn't even the second, since Roddenberry considered the 1960s Batman, Adam West , for the role, and even, Nichelle Nichols (Nyota Uhura). In the end, it went to Nimoy — and the rest is sci-fi history.

Spock Almost Had Emotions

Star trek v: the final frontier.

Release Date 1989-06-09

Director William Shatner

Cast Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Deforest Kelley, James Doohan

Spock has become famous for the fact that he's a Vulcan, and so, has been bred to place logic above emotion. Of course, we also now that he's half human, and famously does often show snippets of emotion in some very poignant ways.

A Smiling and Emotional Spock

Despite the most famous part of Vulcan nature being their cold logic and lack of emotion, the character was originally envisioned to be very different. In fact, he was originally supposed to have emotions.

In the original pilot titled "The Cage," Spock had very human-like emotions , and even smiled a lot. The image change became a culturally significant part of the character's persona , with his lack of emotion famously being the main reason why the famous character Sheldon Coooper from The Big Bang Theory, adored the Spock so much.

Release Date 2009-05-06

Director J.J. Abrams

Cast Eric Bana, Bruce Greenwood, Zachary Quinto, Leonard Nimoy, Chris Pine, Karl Urban

Rating PG-13

Spock's full Vulcan name has been revealed to be S'chn T'gai Spock . However, in an episode of the show titled "The Side of Paradise," he mentions that humans can't pronounce it. While there's been debate around the name provided, the unpronounceable surname has never been conclusively confirmed on-screen.

"Xtmprsqzntwlfd"

Despite all the mystery and fascination around Spock's surname, writer and story editor D.C. Fontana, who worked on the original show, revealed to a Star Trek fan magazine that it was meant to be "Xtmprsqzntwlfd." If you can't pronounce it, that's by design — according to Fontana, it was created to deliberately be something we can't pronounce.

Spock Was a Ladies Man

Star trek beyond.

Release Date 2016-07-07

Director Justin Lin

Cast Sofia Boutella, Zoe Saldana, Chris Pine, Simon Pegg, Idris Elba, Shohreh Aghdashloo

While audiences of today may not realize it, William Shatner was once a sex symbol, and the original Star Trek show envisioned his character being the focal point to attract female viewers. However, in an unexpected twist, the original show wound up seeing that honor go to Spock instead.

Related: Star Trek: The Next Generation Writer Fought TNG Producer’s Idiotic Rule in Order to Mention Mr. Spock’s Name

He Received Thirst Mail

Despite his unusual appearance as the character, the original viewing audience for the show were mostly interested in Spock , especially among women. According to Leonard Nimoy, he would actually get tons of thirst mail from female fans of Spock ever since the show first began broadcasting.

Spock Once Defeated Wolverine

Star trek: strange new worlds.

Release Date 2022-05-05

Cast Ethan Peck, Rebecca Romijn, Christina Chong, Anson Mount

Studio CBS Television, Roddenberry Entertainment, Secret Hideout, Paramount+

Given the amount of crossover events between famous comic characters and other franchises, it was only a matter of time before Star Trek crossed paths with famous Marvel or DC characters. When that happened, it made for two epic moments when Marvel's X-Men tussled with two different Enterprise crews from Star Trek — Captain Kirk's, and Captain Picard's.

Wolverine Got Nerve-Pinched

In the comic event when the X-Men encounter Captain Kirk's crew, Wolverine and the other X-Men manage to get aboard the Enterprise , and the famous mutant gets into a fight with Spock. Despite all his superior strength and speed, Wolverine was no match for the Vulcan. In a somewhat hilarious moment, Spock disabled Wolverine by using his famous Vulcan nerve pinch on him.

The moment was just one of the many iconic ones the character has experienced over his long and storied history in the franchise. While Leonard Nimoy was the original and will always be the most beloved, Zachary Quinto has grown his own set of fans, and will likely return in the upcoming fourth film of the so-called "Kelvin Timeline."

On the other hand, Ethan Peck has proven to be another worthy actor to pick up the mantle since he began portraying Spock in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Despite how many actors play him, it is the character himself who remains immortal, a true legend of the franchise, and one who will always be a fan-favorite.

Here are some stills depicting the various renditions of the character across film and TV so far:

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Screen Rant

Leonard nimoy’s son “loves” what star trek’s new spock actors are doing.

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• Ethan Peck and Zachary Quinto bring their own sensibility to the role of Spock in modern Star Trek, creating a new, fresh portrayal.
• Adam Nimoy admires Peck and Quinto for investing their own experiences and personality into the character, making it come alive.
• Adam Nimoy believes calling Peck's Spock an "imitation" of Leonard Nimoy is not the right way to view his performance.

Leonard Nimoy's son Adam Nimoy reveals his feelings on how Ethan Peck and Zachary Quinto portray Spock in modern Star Trek . Of course, Leonard Nimoy originated the role of Mr. Spock in Star Trek: The Original Series and portrayed the iconic Vulcan on television and feature films up to his death in 2015. Zachary Quinto portrayed Spock in a Star Trek movie trilogy directed and produced by J.J. Abrams, while Ethan Peck currently portrays Lt. Spock on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds .

In an interview with CinemaBlend to promote his new book, The Most Human: Reconciling with My Father, Leonard Nimoy, Adam Nimoy was asked his thoughts on Ethan Peck's portrayal of Spock on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . Peck's version of Spock is the younger version of Nimoy's Spock , and Ethan also penned a promotional blurb for Adam's book. Read Adam Nimoy's thoughts on Peck and Zachary Quinto's versions of Spock in his quote below:

I love what he's doing. He brings his own sensibility to it. It's a different character, but I think it's perfectly fine. It's lovely what he's doing. I really admire him and, look, it's so challenging to take on a role like that. That is so ensconced in the minds of us pop culture addicts in terms of the original Spock. Zachary Quinto had the same forces that he had to deal with when he entered the role, and he brings his own sensibility to it. You can't help but bring your own personality to the part. And it's different, it's new, it's a permutation, you know.

Adam Nimoy also told CinemaBlend he doesn't think calling Ethan Peck's Spock an "imitation" of Leonard Nimoy is the right way to view his performance. Read Adam's quote below:

It's not. I don't think it's an imitation necessarily. I think that the key to the pure artistry of Zach and Ethan [Peck} is that they invest their own experience and being into the part, and that's what makes it come alive. So, I love what those guys were doing.

From Star Trek: The Original Series to Strange New Worlds, Mr. Spock has been able to keep some of Star Trek's most important secrets to himself.

Why Star Trek Has 2 New Spock Actors After Leonard Nimoy

Ethan peck is now star trek's "prime" spock.

J.J. Abrams' Star Trek (2009) movie reboot proved that the iconic original Star Trek characters could be successfully recast with younger actors. In the case of Spock, Zachary Quinto had the challenge of not just portraying the younger version of the Vulcan, but he also had to act opposite Leonard Nimoy himself when the two Spocks met in the film. The twist of J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies is that time travel created an alternate Kelvin timeline, so Quinto's young Spock lives his life in a new reality different from the past experiences of Nimoy's aged Ambassador Spock.

Leonard Nimoy's final performance as Spock was a cameo in 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , however, is set in Star Trek 's Prime timeline and is a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series . In Ethan Peck's case, his Lt. Spock is the younger version of Leonard Nimoy's Spock. Peck is portraying the same character who will eventually grow to become the Vulcan Nimoy originated, and Peck admits Nimoy is always in his head when he plays Spock. Now that Leonard Nimoy has passed away, Ethan Peck is the Prime Spock in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, while audiences hope Zachary Quinto will return as the Kelvin timeline's Spock in another Star Trek movie.

Source: CinemaBlend

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