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Geek Girl Authority
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Girl Authority
4 STAR TREK Romances
In the most recent Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode, 'Wedding Bell Blues,' Spock (Ethan Peck) and Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) almost get married (sort of). But that's just one of the romances we have seen unfolded on the Franchise over the years. For this week's Trek Tuesday , we're exploring four Star Trek romances. Did we include your favorite? Troi & Riker Photo Credit: Trae Patton/Paramount+. ©2021 Viacom, International Inc. All Rights Reserved. The relationship between Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) and William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) is one of the most famous and popular romances from the Star Trek Franchise, and with good reason. This romance was first introduced in the very first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, 'Encounter at Farpoint.' In that episode, it was established that Troi and Riker had been in a relationship that had concluded before The Next Generation even began. However, from the very first shared psychic communication, it was clear that a connection still existed between the pair. As the series continues, many episodes hint that the romance between the two has not come to a conclusion. Just one example is The Next Generation Season 3's 'Ménage à Troi,' which even shows the pair sharing an onscreen kiss. RELATED: Trek Two Takes: Is it 'I do' or 'I, Q'? But eventually, Riker and Troi's romance reaches a more stable situation. In 2002's Star Trek: Nemesis, the couple's wedding served as a key set piece. Not only was the entire U.S.S. Enterprise-D/U.S.S. Enterprise-E bridge crew present, but even Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) showed up for the proceedings. And in Star Trek: Picard Season 1 and Season 2, as well as Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 1, it is confirmed that Troi and Riker's relationship persists decades into the future. While there are many Star Trek couples, few have the staying power of Riker and Troi. Culber & Stamets Photo Cr: Michael Gibson/CBS ©2018 CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved. On Star Trek: Discovery, Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) and Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) are a couple whose love story has more than a few wrinkles. They are married when they first appeared in Discovery Season 1. But their relationship ran into trouble when Culber is murdered by Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif). However, that was not the end of the romance between Stamets and Culber. You do know about the Black Mountain, right? In Discovery Season 2, Stamets found Culber alive in the mycelial network while rescuing Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman), in the episode 'Saints of Imperfection.' This allowed Culber to return to the land of the living. RELATED: Star Trek: 8 Visitors to the Black Mountain At first, Culber and Stamets found their relationship on rocky ground. At one point, Culber intended to transfer away from the U.S.S. Discovery and into service on the U.S.S. Enterprise. But he eventually determined that his place was on Discovery alongside his husband. As the series progressed, Stamets and Culber's relationship remained in a stable situation. On many occasions, the couple can be seen offering support and reassurance to one another. Sisko & Yates When Star Trek: Deep Space Nine begins, Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) is still mourning his late first wife, Jennifer (Felecia M. Bell). But as the series continued, he began to emotionally heal. His son Jake (Cirroc Lofton) subsequently introduced Benjamin to Kasidy Yates (Penny Johnson). Yates was a cargo pilot who regularly made stopovers at Deep Space 9. Sisko and Yates shared an interest in baseball, and the couple bonded over their enthusiasm. Eventually, Yates took a job working for the Bajorians, allowing her to live on the space station full time. RELATED: Book Review: The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko However, Sisko and Yates' relationship ran into trouble when he discovered that she was smuggling cargo for the Maquis. Yates was subsequently sent to prison, and her relationship with Sisko seemed to have concluded. But Yates was subsequently released and returned to work for the Bajorians. This gave Sisko the opportunity to apologize to her for their breakup. The couple was reunited, and eventually, Sisko proposed. After the couple was married, Yates unexpectedly became pregnant. While Yates has yet to have the child when Deep Space Nine concludes, their daughter has appeared in several expanded universe stories. Jariner Photo Credit: Paramount+ On Star Trek: Lower Decks, Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) initially has an antagonistic relationship with Jennifer 'Jen' Sh'reyan (Lauren Lapkus). But in the second season finale, Mariner finally admits to Jen that when she likes someone, she's prone to making fun of them. Soon, a relationship has kindled between the pair. As Lower Decks Season 3 continues, it becomes more serious. In 'Hear All, Trust Nothing,' Jen even asks Mariner to accompany her to the 'Salon' being held by Jen's friend, Castro (Gabrielle Ruiz). While the event does end with Jen and Mariner stunning everyone there (including themselves), they nevertheless have a fun time. RELATED: Star Trek: Lower Decks : 7 Non-Franchise References But in the penultimate episode of Lower Decks Season 3, 'Trusted Sources,' Jen breaks up with Mariner as Mariner is transferred to Starbase 80. In the Season 3 finale, 'The Stars At Night,' it seems as though Jen is open to a reunion. However, Mariner ignores her. In the Lower Decks Season 5 episode 'The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel,' Jen gets her revenge. Assigned to an away mission with Mariner, Jen pretends she doesn't realize that Mariner had broken up with her. Eventually, this forces Mariner to admit that she never had a proper conversation with Jen about the end of their relationship. However, Jen's subterfuge sets the stage for them to clear the air. At the conclusion of the relationship, Jen and Mariner part ways as friends. These Star Trek episodes are currently available for streaming on Paramount+. Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week: CHRISTINE CHAPEL Avery Kaplan (she/her) is the author of several books and the Features Editor at Comics Beat. With her spouse Ollie Kaplan, Avery co-authored the middle school textbook on intersectionality Double Challenge: Being LGBTQ and a Minority. She was honored to serve as a judge for the 2021 - 2024 Cartoonist Studio Prize Awards and the 2021 Prism Awards. She lives in the mountains of Southern California with her partner and a pile of cats, and her favorite place to visit is the cemetery. You can also find her writing on Comics Bookcase, the Gutter Review, Shelfdust, the Mary Sue, in the Comics Courier and in many issues of PanelxPanel, and in the margins of the books in her personal library.
Geek Girl Authority
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Girl Authority
STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS Season Premiere Recap: (S03E01) Hegemony, Part II
The crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise has unfinished business with the Gorn. The Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 premiere episode, 'Hegemony, Part II,' has a teleplay written by Davy Perez from a story by Henry Alonso Myers and Perez and directed by Chris Fisher. RELATED: Read our recap of the previous Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode, 'Hegemony' Near Parnassus Beta, the Enterprise is at red alert. It's being attacked by Gorn fighters. The bridge crew looks to Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) for orders. Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) notes that Admiral April (Adrian Holmes) has ordered retreat. But Pike says they weren't given a timetable. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – Photo Credit: Marni Grossman/Paramount+ Pike asks for ideas. Spock (Ethan Peck) suggests diversionary tactics. Jenna Mitchell (Rong Fu) suggests venting the nacelles to make a cloud. Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn) suggests jamming Gorn communications, preventing coordination. Pike accepts this final idea. Uhura modulates the deflector array to emit a spectrum in order to confuse the Gorn. To beam aboard the Gorn vessel and save the rest of the crew, they'll need to hack transporter codes. But there's no time. Una suggests they retreat and rescue. But how do they track the specific Gorn vessel carrying their crew? Spock posits using a rare element that they could track. Mitchell suggests tagging the Gorn ship with a dud torpedo containing the element. However, they must penetrate the Gorn's defensive systems in order to achieve this. Uhura points out that energy shields function via harmonics. By finding the correct frequency, they can ram the ship. Thus, the Enterprise rams the Gorn ship. Pike orders the torpedoes to be fired. Then the ship warps away. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, 'Hegemony, Part II' The Enterprise arrives at the rendezvous. April beams aboard to debrief. In sick bay, Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) prepares a Gorn-impregnated Marie Batel (Melanie Scrofano) to be cryogenically frozen. Batel reiterates that if it comes down to her or the crew, Chapel should take her out. Chapel assures her that stasis will prevent this. Batel is sedated, with the promise of waking up Gorn-free. But soon, alarms sound. Batel's body rejects the serum. Chapel contacts the bridge. She says Batel is allergic to cryo-serum and cannot be put in stasis. Chapel laments the absence of Joseph M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun). Spock volunteers to assist with Batel. In the Observation Lounge, April informs Pike that the Federation fleet has standby orders. April says the Gorn are outside Federation jurisdiction. They can't afford to send ships in while still recovering from the Klingon war. RELATED: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: 5 Books for Gorn Expertise Pike says the Hegemony will continue to encroach on Federation territory if they aren't stopped. April says he heard about the landing party. He asks after Batel. April says Pike's official orders are to monitor the demarcation line for encroachment. However, unofficially, April tells Pike to punch back and prove they aren't prey. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds In engineering, Pelia (Carol Kane) asks Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott (Martin Quinn) about his device. Scotty explains: it tricks the Gorn into thinking a ship is theirs. But Scotty doesn't exactly understand how it works. Pelia chides him for not writing it down. Pike enters and asks how soon it can be working. Pelia assures him that it'll be running before they cross the Hegemony line. Escape From the Sac Aboard the Gorn ship, bodies are held inside glowing sacs. La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) is having flashbacks to her brother's death. She awakens and fights her way free. She surveys the sacs and sees crew members inside them. After calming herself, she starts by freeing M'Benga. He frees Sam Kirk (Dan Jeannotte). Meanwhile, La'an frees Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia). Part of Ortegas' right hand and arm has been digested. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Ortegas begins panicking. La'an calms her before M'Benga issues treatment. He assures her they can fix it on the Enterprise . Inside other sacs, people have been fully digested. They ponder freeing the others trapped in sacs. La'an continues to struggle with flashbacks. However, M'Benga brings her back. RELATED: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – You're Invited to the Captain's Table Sam notes that there are evacuation piles below the sacs: whatever the ship can't process. From one of these, he pulls a weapon out. La'an says she wants to rescue all of the surviving colonists. Even if they have to shoot their way out. Aboard the Enterprise , Scotty continues to work on the 'cloaking' device. Pelia rushes towards him in a panic. Panicking as well, Scotty makes several adjustments to the device. It's working! Pike calls for an update. Scotty realizes Pelia was feigning panic. Scotty is bitter about Pelia's tactic. But Pelia says she knows Scotty and knew the strategy would prove successful. However, it's clear that Scotty is still struggling with the loss of the U.S.S. Stardiver . Across the Demarcation Line The Enterprise approaches the demarcation line. Pike orders them to activate Scotty's device. Realizing it's a modified EM pulse emitter, Uhura says it makes sense. The Gorn's evolution has moved beyond using optical data. They use 'biometrics, heat and EM signatures.' Gorn Hunter ships approach the Enterprise . Thanks to the device, they harmlessly pass. The ships return to an uncharted binary system with unique stellar activity. The radiation in the system will prevent the use of all but impulse power, and eventually, will prove too much for the shields. Nevertheless, Pike orders them there. RELATED: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Pays Homage to Alien Franchise Spock and Chapel determine that Batel's body and the Gorn hatchlings are relying on each other. But all of their simulations result in 100 percent fatality. Spock suggests using an Orion street drug for treatment. Then he apologizes for how things went before Chapel left. She accepts his apology. Spock says the thought of losing her left him untethered. Chapel says things have gotten complicated, and she's 'not good at complicated.' She says she's still going to spend three months studying under Korby. They can check in on her return. The simulation once again finds 100 percent fatality. Spock observes Batel's human DNA can't handle it. Chapel proposes using Una's Illyrian blood. Although against regulation, it could save Batel's life. Chapel begins the simulation. Meanwhile, the away team plans to escape with the Gorn transporter codes. This will require stealing a Gorn ship. Ortegas is sure she can fly it. But before they can begin, the sound of snarling Gorn reaches them. RELATED: Star Trek : Worst First Contacts The Radiation Zone On the Enterprise , Una and Uhura have gone over all their Gorn intel. In the observation lounge, they share conclusions with Pike. They have determined there is a relationship between coronal mass ejections and the Gorn. Pike says they already know that it can set off a frenzy. But Gorn inactivity follows certain stellar activity as well. Hibernation is triggered by unique solar phenomena. The team has identified this phenomenon. They have also identified the stellar activity that precedes frenzies. And a long cycle of Gorn activity is about to begin. Mitchell informs them they'll soon be dropping out of warp. Uhura leaves. Una approaches Pike. She tells him she trusts Spock and Chapel with her blood. And because the mission is off-the-record, there's nothing to report. She urges Pike to be hopeful. RELATED: Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week: Number One Elsewhere, the simulation gives Batel her highest chance of survival yet: 86 percent. Chapel says they should continue. Soon, the Enterprise arrives at the edge of the radiation zone. Mitchell refuses to leave her station until they get everyone back. Sensors locate the Gorn ship. But the ship is deep in the radiation zone. On the viewscreen, the ship seems poised to travel directly into one of the stars. It turns off the power and seemingly vanishes. Pike orders power to the shields. They're following the ship into the radiation zone. In medical, Batel is coding. Something has accelerated the Gorn's growth. Spock says a 14 percent chance of survival is better than certain death. Quarantine Mode The radiation complicates the pursuit. The gravity wells of the stars do most of the work. Because of the bending light, which prevents seeing what happens after they pass through. Pike wonders if this is the Gorn homeworld. Myriad Gorn ships appear. They head towards Starfleet. Uhura sends a warning but can't confirm receipt. Una suggests dropping a long-range comm buoy. They must stop the invasion. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds In medical, Batel's condition worsens. Engaging quarantine mode, Spock and Chapel prepare for surgery. They inject Batel with the experimental serum. On the bridge, Uhura informs Pike that the Gorn are jamming their signal. The Gorn will reach the Federation before their warning does. Pike considers shooting. Una says the ship can't hold up against an armada. RELATED: Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week: Chief Engineer Pelia Pike summons Pelia. He recalls Una and Uhura's conclusion about the cycle that would put the Gorn to sleep. They must create a stellar flare. Pelia and Scotty arrive on the bridge. The latter informs Pike that creating a flare is impossible. Pike says they'll become the flare themselves. Scotty analyzes this strategy. Pelia says it's possible. By modifying deflector shields, they can magnetize the hull and gather stellar material. It's terrible odds, but Pike says they'll 'turn it off before [they] blow up.' In medical, Chapel prepares to make an incision. But Spock stops her. He suggests they're looking at it from the wrong perspective. He proposes they treat the Gorn instead of Batel, feeding them and causing reabsorption. Chapel agrees. Ship Jacking Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Aboard the Gorn vessel, the away team heads towards the shuttles. La'an locates an interface. This leads to more flashbacks to her brother's death. M'Benga brings her back down. La'an gets the information that they need to save the colonists. They're interrupted by the approach of many Gorn soldiers. A firefight commences. La'an orders them to get to the ship. A Gorn lifts Ortegas, but La'an kills it. On the Enterprise , Una says shutting down the EM device will cause the Gorn to attack them. Pike says this is desirable. They begin pulling solar energy to the ship. Meanwhile, the away team continues to flee. They arrive at the ship they plan to steal. Ortegas is injured and in pain, but demands she be put in the pilot seat. RELATED: Star Trek War Journal: 8 Trek Episodes About War Ortegas takes off. Other Gorn fighters pursue them. Ortegas' blood spills onto the ship's controls. Meanwhile, beta particles and gamma rays cover the Enterprise . The Gorn fighters are on an intercept course. Uhura receives the signal from La'an. She sends the transport codes and tells them to beam the Parnassians out. The Enterprise 's hull integrity approaches critical failure. The Gorn ships vanish. Pike orders the deflector shields turned off. The Gorn have gone home. La'an and the others are heading back to the Enterprise . Our crew rescues the Parnassians. But have they just pushed the problem to someone else? She Flies the Ship After losing so much blood, Ortegas collapses on the ship's controls. The rest of the away team surrounds her. 'I fly the ship,' Ortegas declares. Then, the away team is beamed back to the Enterprise . In medical, Spock and Chapel have completed Batel's procedure. Chapel kisses Spock and thanks him for his assistance. Spock says, 'You're welcome,' and begins to walk away. But before he does so, he turns back to look at Chapel once more. Pike arrives to check on Batel. Spock is gone. RELATED: Read our Star Trek: Strange New Worlds recaps Una reports Ortegas is critical but stable. Pike orders a course for Earth. In medical, he approaches Batel. She remains unconscious. Pike tells his late father that he wins. He sits beside Batel and begins to pray. Batel awakens. A tearful Pike relates what's happened. He tells her he really doesn't want to lose her. Batel says she's still there. The Enterprise leaves the binary star system. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streams on Paramount+ on Thursdays. Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week: ERICA ORTEGAS Avery Kaplan (she/her) is the author of several books and the Features Editor at Comics Beat. With her spouse Ollie Kaplan, Avery co-authored the middle school textbook on intersectionality Double Challenge: Being LGBTQ and a Minority. She was honored to serve as a judge for the 2021 - 2024 Cartoonist Studio Prize Awards and the 2021 Prism Awards. She lives in the mountains of Southern California with her partner and a pile of cats, and her favorite place to visit is the cemetery. You can also find her writing on Comics Bookcase, the Gutter Review, Shelfdust, the Mary Sue, in the Comics Courier and in many issues of PanelxPanel, and in the margins of the books in her personal library.
Gizmodo
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
More (But Not All) of the Original ‘Trek' Crew Will Come to ‘Strange New Worlds'
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is uniquely situated on the Trek timeline, showing us adventures that unfurled not long before the original series. That means that there's no avoiding having some familiar character names popping up, and with that, the built-in fun of seeing, say, an iconic figure like Spock be played in a younger iteration, with Ethan Peck stepping in for Leonard Nimoy. This fun change in perspective is something fans already experienced in J.J. Abrams' alt-world Star Trek movies (featuring, for instance, Spock played by Zachary Quinto). And it's also happened in other Trek series—remember when TOS rapscallion Harry Mudd popped up on Star Trek: Discovery? But no other Paramount+ release has leaned into the refreshed nostalgia harder than Strange New Worlds, to the point that fans who've met SNW versions of Spock, Chapel, Uhura, Kirk, and Scotty are starting to wonder when the rest of the gang is going to show up. Speaking to Polygon, co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman explained that even though the show now has an endpoint in sight, he's upbeat about the trajectory it was given. '[The studio] gave us the opportunity to get up to TOS. We've got to reach TOS to fulfill the promise to the fans, which was 'What happens to all these people? How do they start to become those characters we know, and what happens to the ones we don't see in canon?'' With some key TOS legacy characters yet to appear—McCoy and Sulu especially—Goldsman teases hope but offers no guarantees. 'You will not see [all] of the original series crew before this show wraps,' he said, but did confirm to Polygon that other familiar faces will indeed turn up before SNW bids farewell. He didn't specify which ones, of course, so we'll have to wait and see. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds returns for its third season July 17 on Paramount+, with a fourth and (shortened) fifth (and final) season also on the way. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Geek Tyrant
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Ethan Peck Opens Up About What Sets His Spock Apart in STAR TREK from Leonard Nimoy's Iconic Legacy — GeekTyrant
Taking on the role of Spock is like stepping into sci-fi royalty. When Star Trek: Strange New Worlds launched in 2022, it didn't just revive a classic era of Trek, it brought back characters who've been etched into the pop culture DNA for decades. Chief among them: the ever-logical, ever-iconic Spock. Leonard Nimoy's original performance is untouchable for many fans. So when Ethan Peck inherited the role, expectations were sky-high. But instead of trying to mimic Nimoy, Peck leaned into something different, something more human, more uncertain, and surprisingly… funny. At the recent Tribeca Film Festival premiere for Strange New Worlds Season 3, Peck spoke about what distinguishes his take on the beloved Vulcan, telling /Film: "I would say that they've really brought a comedic quality to the Spock that I play in Strange New Worlds. I think they found that I might have an aptitude for him in kind of uncomfortable situations. 'And I think the writer just tries to put me as the actor playing Spock in uncomfortable situations, which I think is a great device and gimmick. So maybe that — they know that I kind of understand why he's finding himself [in these situations]. So, maybe his comedic nature ... and that he's not [self-aware] about it." It's a interesting evolution. Where Nimoy's Spock delivered humor through dry logic and razor-sharp timing, Peck's Spock is funnier because he's awkward, still learning how to navigate the push and pull between his Vulcan discipline and human emotion. And that's exactly the point, according to series co-creator Akiva Goldsman, who also weighed in, saying: "I think that those of us who started with TOS have an association with the most logical time in Spock's life. But if you think about Spock, not just in TOS and before [Strange New Worlds], if you think about Spock, as he carries through the motion pictures, as he carries through the end of [The Next Generation], we start to see that actually his whole life has been a struggle with identity. 'And how he sees himself and the sweet treachery of emotion. And so Ethan gets to do a lot more of that. So, we fill out the personality of Spock and his life's journey." It's a fun creative choice to show us a Spock in transition. One who hasn't yet mastered his inner conflict, and this season, according to those who've seen the premiere, digs even deeper into that tension, with some standout moments that test both Spock's emotional limits and Peck's range. While the series is set to conclude with Season 5, there's still plenty of story left to tell. And if Season 3 is any indication, Peck's Spock is only becoming more complex and more compelling as he edges closer to the version we all grew up with. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 premieres July 17, 2025, on Paramount+.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Star Trek' Star Says Being on the Show Is ‘Intimidating'
'Star Trek' Star Says Being on the Show Is 'Intimidating' originally appeared on Parade. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds actor Ethan Peck, who plays Mr. Spock, is opening up about starring in the beloved Paramount+ series. While speaking to Cherry the Geek TV at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival on June 14, Peck explained why working on Star Trek: SNW can be intimidating at times. "It's more intimidating than inspiring to be honest with you because there's so much incredible work that's being done, there's so much money involved," said Peck during the interview. "And of course, as an actor, you're like, 'Okay show up, now do it.' You know what I mean? So it's pretty intimidating. But now, that we've been on this for years, I think we're a little comfortable with that responsibility." Peck also shared that he was not a Star Trek fan before starring as Mr. Spock, who was originally played by late actor Leonard Nimoy in Star Trek: The Original Series, which aired from 1966 to 1969. As fans are aware, Star Trek: SNW is a prequel to Star Trek: TOS. In addition, Peck said he didn't realize he was auditioning for the role of Spock when reading for the second season of Star Trek: Discovery, which aired in 2019. "I didn't know what I was auditioning for when I first got the audition and when I found out what it was I was shocked. And stunned," said Peck during the interview. Peck also shared that he believed Star Trek: SNW's premise of exploration and appreciating each other's differences is an important message. "The whole purpose is kind of to display or make an example of a way of being that isn't so hateful and fearful. And so it's really about being curious about that, which is other from you. And I think that's a message that never ceases to be important," said the 39-year-old actor. Peck expressed his appreciation for Star Trek: SNW, which premiered in 2022, during a February 2025 interview with MUSE TV. "I feel so incredibly lucky. I feel very fortunate. It's got such an incredible humanistic message and I've very proud to be a part of that," said Peck. 'Star Trek' Star Says Being on the Show Is 'Intimidating' first appeared on Parade on Jun 25, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
