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‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Introduces Another Love Interest for Kirk That Still Isn’t Spock

It’s a Star Trek adage as old as the franchise itself: If it moves, Jim Kirk will flirt with it. The intrepid Captain of the enterprise has cycled through three actors and 5 decades of swashbuckling adventures, making sure to nab plenty of lip locks along the way. But while Captain Kirk’s affinity for up-close-and-personal alien encounters continues to be a trademark element of the character, there seems to be one element of his interplanetary romancing that still hasn’t caught up to the 21st century: gender.

With the return of Paul Wesley’s Kirk in this week’s “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow,” this makes the third time we’ve met the captain in live action, and when there’s a new Kirk, there’s a new *someone* for him to woo (or at the very least, flirt with). Strange New World’ s arbitrary Kirk love interest is revealed in season 2, episode 3 to be La’An.

Now, on paper, this is about as solid of a choice as we could’ve gotten from the existing Strange New Worlds cast members. Personality-wise, La’an’s intensity and steadfast dedication towards those she loves makes for a refreshing counterpoint to Kirk’s almost cheesy, old-Hollywood charm—a very believable sort of “opposites attract.” Then, of course, there’s always the narrative significance of it: La’an is a descendant of Khan Noonien-Singh (yes, that Khan), and thus, Kirk is striking up some kind of romance with the great great (etc.) granddaughter of his future mortal enemy. It’s a safe, understandable choice for a love interest to give to the notoriously womanizing Captain, but it’s also one that continues a status quo—keeping Kirk’s romantic exploits to female characters.

The current era of Star Trek led by writer/producer Alex Kurtzman is without question the most inclusive towards LGBTQIA+ characters and cast/crew. Discovery included five major queer characters (including the likes of Anthony Rapp and Tig Notaro), and Picard notably gave Voyager’ s Seven of Nine a female love interest in Raffi. Picard’ s decision to take a legacy character and give them a new queer storyline and/or romance is a significant one in that it opens the door for future legacy appearances to also explore queerness.

Speaking in the most optimistic of terms, this could hypothetically allow the series to retroactively make subtext text: an opportunity one would assume such a seemingly queer-friendly group of writers would want to explore in many of its shows, most of all Strange New Worlds , which introduces the classic characters to a new generation. But while Discovery had a baker’s dozen of queer characters and LGBTQ+ relationships, Strange New Worlds is noticeably devoid of any visible queerness.

On the one hand, this could just be because the series (at this point) isn’t all that focused on inter-crew relationships—outside of Spock and Chapel’s messy relationship, we haven’t any other Enterprise crew members strike up relationships—but on the other, you’ve got to wonder why Strange New Worlds hasn’t introduced any queer characters. That omission feels all the more significant when considering the fact that the cast is mostly made up of legacy characters generations of fans already know and love.

Yes, it would be a big step to reimagine any of the Original Series players (Pike, Kirk, Spock, Uhura, M’Benga, Chapel) as queer and would certainly invoke the ire of certain sides of the fanbase. But at the same time, it’s disappointing to see a franchise focused on inclusivity and “infinite diversity in infinite combinations” be so unwilling to extend that inclusivity towards established legacy characters.

Still, back to Kirk—because if there’s any Original Series character for whom a queer arc would make the most sense, it’s without question the ever-flirty, always open-minded Captain Kirk. Why limit his galavanting and womanizing to female aliens, when the universe is vast and full of plenty of other aliens to be wooed and charmed? Making Kirk the Star Trek answer to Doctor Who’ s Captain Jack Harkness would be a logical (pun intended) step for the character and a bold way for the series to reconcile 1960s subtext with 21st century sensibilities.

But, of course, in any conversation surrounding the possible queerness of Captain Kirk, we need to talk about the ship that effectively created slash fanfiction as we know it today: Spirk, a.k.a. Kirk/Spock. For as long as The Original Series has been discussed by fans, there have been ardent debates over whether or not Kirk and Spock are in love, and the reading of their relationship as romantic has been a core aspect of the Star Trek fandom since the very beginning.

In every iteration of the Kirk and Spock we’ve seen (whether that’s Shatner and Nimoy, Pine and Quinto, or now Wesley and Peck), the unbreakable bond between them has been the beating heart of Star Trek— though one (despite much speculation and fan fervor) that hasn’t progressed beyond devoted platonic friendship. Yes, Strange New Worlds actually working up the nerve to explore a romantic relationship between Kirk and Spock would be a bold, no doubt controversial step for the series.

But considering the franchise’s recent push towards queer inclusivity and willingness to give legacy characters queer storylines, the question has to be asked: Why not give the people what we’ve wanted for 50+ years now? Yes, bringing Spirk from subtext to text would be a far bigger step than the aforementioned representation on Discovery or even the Seven/Raffi romance, but at the same time, if there were ever the perfect set of conditions to take a beloved ship and *at long last* make it canon, exploring a Kirk/Spock romance on Strange New Worlds would be it.

Maybe I’m speaking too optimistically—maybe Star Trek as a franchise isn’t ready for a Kirk/Spock romance quite yet. But when you’re reintroducing and reimagining yet another iteration of Captain Kirk for modern audiences, the decision to uphold convention and limit his alien exploits to female partners remains a strangely antiquated holdover in a franchise that otherwise strives for inclusivity. Sure, Kirk and La’an may prove to be a great ship on their own merit, but introducing another Kirk/Spock duo and refusing to acknowledge the historically significant nature of their relationship in the text of the series will always be a massive missed opportunity.

(featured image: Marni Grossman/Paramount+, main image: Paramount+)

'Star Trek': 5 of Captain Kirk's most memorable alien loves

James Tiberius Kirk. Captain of the starship USS Enterprise. Courageous explorer of the cosmos. Intergalactic love machine. Throughout William Shatner's three-decade reign as Captain Kirk, one thing is clear: his devilish charm works wonders with the ladies, both human and alien.

JJ Abrams has carried this through in Chris Pine's incarnation of the character, hooking Kirk up with a green-skinned Orion Starfleet officer in 2009's Star Trek and two cat-like aliens in Star Trek Into Darkness .

To mark the return of Kirk to the big screen, Digital Spy takes a look at 5 of the cosmic lothario's most memorable love interests from The Original Series .

Shahna in 'The Gamesters of Triskelion' Angelique Pettyjohn's green-haired drill thrall encountered the Star Trek crew on her homeworld of Triskelion, where she was tasked with training Kirk for gladiatorial battle. Naturally, Shahna was unable to resist the Captain's charm, but at the close of the episode found herself ditched by Kirk when she asks to fly away with him on the Enterprise.

Deela in 'Wink of an Eye' When all the males on the planet Scalos become infertile due to radiation poisoning, their Queen Deela (Kathie Browne) turned to Kirk in a bid to save their race. The Captain found himself pulled into an accelerated timeframe where he became invisible to the Enterprise crew and incurred the wrath of Deela's jealous lover Rael.

Elaan in 'Elaan of Troyius' A royal family member, Elaan (France Nuyen) came into contact with Kirk in 2268 when he took on the role of her etiquette coach to solve a diplomatic crisis. Elaan, spoilt and entitled, refused to get married, prompting Kirk to get tough (at one point threatening to spank her!) as her intergalactic Henry Higgins. Elaan, not accustomed to men standing up to her, eventually fell for Kirk and used her magical Elasian tears to put him under her spell.

Marta in 'Whom Gods Destroy' Yvonne Craig, who played Batgirl in the camp '60s TV incarnation of Batman , starred as a mentally unhinged, green-skinned Orion in 1969 episode 'Whom Gods Destroy'. This encounter was in fact a close shave for Kirk, who found himself tied down as Marta tried to seduce him. Her efforts were foiled, however, after she tried to stab JTK and was subdued by Spock with his trusty Vulcan nerve pinch.

Star Trek Into Darkness opens on May 9 in UK cinemas and on May 17 in the US.

Movies Editor 

Simon has worked as a journalist for more than a decade, writing on staff and freelance for Hearst, Dennis, Future and Autovia titles before joining Cision in 2022.

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In 2293 , upon being pulled into an extra-dimensional realm known as "the Nexus ," Kirk experienced a reality in which he was given a chance to change history, and chose to propose marriage to Antonia instead of leaving her. Later, he relived the day on which he initially met Antonia. Although these experiences initially led Kirk to choose to remain in the Nexus, seeing it as his opportunity to correct the mistakes of his past, he ultimately chose to leave upon realizing that the events he was experiencing were not, in fact, real, but rather an elaborate illusion. ( Star Trek Generations )

Stunt actress Lynn Salvatori as Antonia

External link [ ]

• Antonia Salvatori at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works

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• How Kirk and Spock’s Relationship Held <i>Star Trek</i> Together

How Kirk and Spock’s Relationship Held Star Trek Together

Excerpted from TIME’s Star Trek: Inside the Most Influential Science-Fiction Series Ever . Available at retailers and at Amazon.com .

Leonard Nimoy and I certainly didn’t start our journey as close friends. Rather, like the other members of our cast, we were colleagues, feeling each other out, learning our professional strengths and weaknesses and trying to bring our A game to the show. The friendships that developed initially were in the scripts: the relationship between Kirk and Spock held the show together. The two of us were onscreen in almost every scene. Leonard described the relationship between these two characters as a “great sense of brotherhood. Spock was tremendously loyal and had a great appreciation for the talent and the leadership abilities of Kirk. He was totally devoted to seeing to it that whatever Kirk needed to be done got done.”

Conversely, Kirk relied on Spock unfailingly for his advice, knowing it would never be encumbered by any thoughts of personal gain or tempered by emotional constraints. But he also depended on him to share the burdens of command. With the exception of Dee Kelley’s McCoy, Kirk had to maintain the distance of command from the rest of the crew. That can be a lonely place if there is no outlet, and Spock provided that outlet for Kirk.

The first week we were on the air, there was one bag of mail. People were writing that they loved the show and asked for autographed pictures. That was encouraging. The second week we got three bags of mail. That was interesting. And then the deluge started, and in fact, it still hasn’t ended. We had not the slightest idea what we were creating; we were always fighting to stay on the air one more season, one more week.

What was surprising to me was that rather than Capt. James T. Kirk, the character who received the most attention, and the most fan mail, was Mr. Spock. This was long before Leonard and I became friends, and honestly, I hadn’t expected it, and I was not especially thrilled about it. I was being paid the largest salary, I was out front for the publicity, I had the most lines, my character’s fate carried the story line, my character got the girl and saved the ship. The natural flow of events should have been that Kirk would receive the most attention, not some alien with strange-looking ears.

But the spectacular performance Leonard gave occupied all that attention in the beginning. Mr. Spock fan clubs were formed. Newspapers and magazines ran features on this extraordinary new character. Gene Roddenberry, the show’s creator, got a memo from the network suggesting that Spock be featured in every story. My future was on the line, and that line seemed to be getting shaky. And so, for a few weeks, I was quite jealous. It bothered me so much that I went to Gene Roddenberry’s office to discuss it with him. Gene was the voice of good reason in this case. “Don’t be afraid of having other popular and talented people around you,” he said. “They can only enhance your performance. The more you work with these people, the better the show is going to be.” In other words, the more popular Spock became, the better it was for everyone, including me, and I settled down to that lovely fact.

Spock evolved as Leonard explored all the possibilities of the character. It was a considerably more complex task than usual because there were no recognizable hallmarks. This was a brand-new character in American culture; he was carving out the path. There was no traditional right or wrong; the audience would tell him what was true. So Leonard took great care to protect Spock. He explained to me once, “No one else is going to provide that consistency and continuity. If the writers gave me the line ‘Let’s make hay under the Vulcan moon,’ it was up to me to remind them that three episodes earlier Spock had mentioned that Vulcan had no moons.”

Most of the hallmarks that became associated with Spock, in particular the Vulcan neck pinch and the Vulcan salute, were entirely Leonard’s creation. In one of our first episodes, Kirk’s personality was split into good and evil, and evil Kirk was about to kill good Kirk. In the script, Spock was supposed to sneak up behind evil Kirk and knock him out by hitting him over the head with the butt of his phaser. Leonard wasn’t comfortable with that; brawling, banging someone in the head somehow seemed below Spock’s evolved personality. It was too 20th-century. So he suggested to the director that Spock had a special capability that allowed him to put enemies out of action with little physical exertion. The director was open to the concept.

Leonard and I sat down, and he told me what he had in mind: he would pinch my trapezius muscle, and I would collapse in a heap. I have no idea where that concept came from, but I was a professional actor; I knew how to fall down. Of course, it fit Spock perfectly: an advanced civilization would know where the vital nerves are located and have the physical strength to take advantage of that knowledge to incapacitate their enemy. We did the scene: Spock came up behind evil Kirk and pinched his trapezius, I dropped to the floor, and the Vulcan nerve pinch was born. For those people counting at home, fans of the show saw the Vulcan nerve pinch being used 34 different times. I wonder how many kids since then have had to suffer through the real pain of a Vulcan neck pinch.

The Vulcan salute has become recognized literally throughout the world. In this salute, the right hand is held up with the pinkie and ring finger touching but separated from the middle finger and forefinger, which also are touching, in a modified V-for-victory salute. It was created for the first episode of our second season, by which time Leonard had a strong understanding of Spock. In this episode, “Amok Time,” Spock has to return to Vulcan to fulfill a marriage betrothal that was arranged when he was a child. If he doesn’t return, he will die. This episode was written by the great science-fiction writer Theodore Sturgeon. This is the first time we have seen Spock on Vulcan, among the people of his race. In the script, he is greeted by the woman who is to conduct the marriage ceremony. Leonard suggested to the director that there needed to be some type of Vulcan greeting that would be appropriate. It would be the Vulcan version of a handshake, a kiss, a nod or bow, or a military salute. When the director agreed, Leonard had to create it. It was not an especially easy thing to envision. It needed to be unlike any traditional greeting, but it couldn’t be at all comical. As he often did, Leonard drew on his own life to find it.

There is a gesture he had first seen when he was 8 years old, when he went with his grandfather, father and brother to an Orthodox synagogue, and he had never forgotten it. In Jewish Orthodox tradition, during the benediction, the Shechinah, which very roughly means the feminine counterpart to God, enters the sanctuary to bless the congregation. The Shechinah is so powerful that simply looking at it could cause serious or even fatal injury. So worshipers use this gesture, in which their fingers form the shape of the Hebrew letter shin to hide their eyes. The gesture always intrigued him. “I didn’t know what it meant for a long time,” he said. “But it seemed magical to me, and I learned how to do it.” Not only did he use it as the basis for the traditional Vulcan greeting in the episode, many years later he published a controversial book of naked glamorous women wearing religious symbols, titled Shekhina. The gesture immediately caught on. Fans of the show started greeting him with it on the street—without realizing they were blessing each other.

Several of Spock’s phrases also have become part of the general culture, but none of them are as widely known as the four words said when giving the Vulcan salute that have come to have such deep meaning: “Live long and prosper.” They were written by Theodore Sturgeon for the same episode and are now known by the abbreviation LLAP—which was the way Leonard ended all his own tweets.

Spock eventually became a lasting archetype for an unemotional person. Even decades later, when New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd wanted to make the point that President Obama was dispassionate and distant, she referred to him as Spock. Spock’s lack of emotion became a central theme of the show. In fact, a lot of the humor in the show came from the constant sparring between the very human Bones McCoy and Spock. In one episode, for example, Spock comments, “He reminds me of someone I knew in my youth.” To which the surprised Bones responds, “Why, Spock, I didn’t know you had one.”

It is difficult for people who aren’t actors to appreciate the talent it took to create a character that has become a part of American cultural history, the enigmatic Jay Gatsby of the 23rd century, destined to be played and interpreted by other actors. In less capable hands, it could have been a very one-dimensional role, but Leonard was able to create a dynamic inner life for Spock.

It resonated with audiences. Kids began wearing Spock ears, and Leonard received piles and piles of fan mail, far more than any of the other cast members. When he was out in public, people would greet him with a raised hand or wish him, “Live long and prosper.” On a different level, I experienced the same thing. People began addressing me as “Captain” or “Kirk.” That was a new experience for me. I’d had professional success, I’d played a role in some major movies, people recognized me, but I had never before been called by my character’s name. It was odd, and in some ways, it made me uncomfortable. I’m not quite sure why, but it did. I wondered, What is that all about? It’s crazy. So often I didn’t acknowledge it, or I disparaged it.

Perhaps the strangest thing was that eventually Leonard became somewhat ambivalent about his relationship with Spock. Spock made Leonard’s career. In each of the three years the show was on the air, Leonard was nominated for an Emmy for best supporting actor. TV Guide named Spock one of the 50 greatest characters in TV history. Leonard became well known and in demand because of the original series. But the new fear, replacing “I will never work again,” was that he was so strongly identified as Spock that he could never escape him.

For someone who proudly described himself as a character actor, being so strongly typecast he could not play other roles was a terrifying possibility. His first autobiography, published in 1975, was titled I Am Not Spock. The title, he explained, came from a meeting in an airport in which a woman introduced him to her daughter as Spock—although the child was never convinced. It also came from the publisher’s desire to profit from the popularity of Spock as well as create a little controversy. It was not, Leonard always insisted, meant to be a statement about his feelings about Spock, and he said if he ever had the opportunity to portray any fictional character, without hesitation he would choose Spock. And several years later, when he did write a second autobiography, it was titled I Am Spock. He had come full circle.

Adapted from Leonard , by Willam Shatner with David Fisher. Copyright 2016 by the authors and reprinted by permission of Thomas Dunne Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press, LLC.

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A countdown of all of Pavel Chekov’s love interests on Star Trek: The Original Series

By lillyan ratcliffe | may 12, 2023.

Pavel Chekov had quite a bit of romance during Star Trek’s original run.

Star Trek: The Original Series often gets criticized for how many one-episode romances Captain Kirk had.  Yet, did Pavel Chekov, who didn’t join the crew until the second season, have almost as many romances as his captain?  Was the Russian answer to Davy Jones less prone to falling for aliens than Kirk, looking for love with his fellow crew members?

Pavel Chekov was known for saying “X was invented in Russia” and using his charm on several women throughout his two seasons on The Enterprise.  However, it is interesting to note that Pavel Chekov did not always follow the same romantic path Kirk did.

Kirk often used romance to achieve a goal with female aliens or female Starfleet officers.  Pavel Chekov often seemed to be genuinely interested in the women he had romances with.  Was Pavel Chekov more interested in romance for romance’s sake than Kirk?  Were his romances more focused on finding a long-term partner?

Looking at Pavel Chekov’s love interests across Star Trek

Pavel chekov romance in star trek: the original series (n/a in the animated series).

Pavel Chekov was introduced in season two of TOS when more romantic plotlines were introduced to the series overall.  The first four episodes he appears in, “Catspaw”, “Friday’s Child”, “Who Mourns for Adonais?”, and “Amok Time” are more focused on establishing Pavel Chekov as a character as the romances in these episodes do not involve him.

The first episode to feature a Pavel Chekov love interest “The Apple” immediately has him in a relationship with the Yeoman of the Episode, Martha Landon.  What makes this unique is that dialogue implies this relationship is known to most of the away party.  Kirk even chastises them for wanting to sneak off.  Compare this to most of the other relationships seen in the series where it is love at first sight or the relationship seems to be fairly new.  Pavel Chekov and Martha Landon appear to have been in a relationship prior to the episode and are very attracted to each other.

Pavel Chekov is not involved in another romantic plotline until “The Gamesters Of Triskelion”  where his drill thrall expresses romantic interest in him.  Pavel Chekov does not return these, however, although it is not clear if he doesn’t like how forward she is or if he does not find her attractive.  This is also unique as many romantic plotlines in TOS are mutual.  Does this point to Chekov having a type or being more interested in long-term relationships?

“Spectre of the Gun” finds Pavel Chekov being mistaken for Billy Clanton and kissed by Sylvia, ‘Billy’s girlfriend’ who is really an energy being.  Even though he protests at first Pavel Chekov does seem to fall for her later in the episode.   Most of the following episodes do not involve Pavel Chekov in a romantic role of any kind.  As the canonical newbie, Pavel Chekov often ends up as the character who gets hurt the most, whether that means having an alien take over his memories, being part of the landing party who gets injured, turned into a side character who comments about something, and so on.

One of Pavel Chekov’s most well-known love interests is Irina Galliulin from “The Way to Eden”.  They drifted apart during their time at Starfleet Academy as Irina Galliulin considered Pavel Chekov too rigid and he considered her too free-spirited.  When the Enterprise takes aboard Dr. Sevrin’s acolytes, including Irina Galliulin, their past lets her manipulate him to learn about the Enterprise’s systems so that Servin can hijack a craft to seek the Eden planet his followers have been looking for.  Although Pavel Chekov is hurt by this betrayal, they have a final scene where they mourn their lost relationship, opening up the opportunity that they might reconcile after the failed attempt to find Eden has left Irina Galliulin to find a new goal in life.

Pavel Chekov was not part of the crew during The Animated Series.   While the in-universe reason was he was transferred, could Pavel Chekov also have found romance on another ship? TAS had much less romance than TOS so even if Chekov had been part of the crew, he might never have a romantic plotline.

Pavel Chekov was a father (almost twice!)

It is interesting to note that Demora Sulu was originally Demora Chekov in the Star Trek Generations script.  While there is no clear story about why she was changed from Chekov’s daughter to Sulu’s (as the change from Chekov to Sulu occurred before casting), she is close to Chekov, possibly indicating he introduced her parents to each other or is her “Uncle Pavel”.

Pavel Chekov did become a father offscreen sometime following the five-year mission as his son Anton is the President of the United Federation of Planets in the Picard finale “The Last Generation” .  Audiences do not see him, but he is identified by name.  Sadly, the audience does not get to learn more about Anton – has he gone to politics after a Starfleet career?  Did he serve alongside Demora, taking the Sulu and Chekov friendship into the next generation?  A different President of the United Federations of Planets was seen during TNG so Anton could have been a politician who had yet to run for president or he could have been in a different field entirely.

What remains true for Pavel Chekov from his original appearance to his son Anton’s introduction decades later is that he was not a romantic in the same way Kirk was.  Pavel Chekov’s relationships tended to be less about instant attraction and more about seeking a long-term romantic relationship.  He does have more relationships than Sulu, but do others match him?

Pavel Chekov Love Interests : 4 on-screen (1 mutual; 1 with a one-sided crush; 1 energy being; 1 past relationship) 1 off-screen (implied)

Next. Hikaru Sulu Love Interests in ST:TOS. dark

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Published Jun 14, 2022

Strange New Worlds 101: Romance

Love is one of the most powerful forces in the galaxy, after all

StarTrek.com

Spoilers for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode six to follow!

Welcome back to Strange New Worlds 101! We’re over halfway through the series now, and the show keeps getting better and better. This most recent episode, "Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach," followed the “ Spock Amok ” with a heartrending tale about sacrifice, focused on Pike as not only a captain but as a person beyond the uniform and rank — giving insight into Pike’s personal life a little better.

A Starfleet captain engaging in some romance isn’t unheard of. From Edith Keeler to Carol Marcus, even Captain James T. Kirk fell in love a few times throughout his Starfleet career. However, he never settled down with anyone except his loyal First Officer and crew. In The Next Generation , Picard tended to be more intellectual than romantic, but he still harbored feelings for Dr. Beverly Crusher. In his latest series, Star Trek: Picard , Jean-Luc’s personal feelings were the center of the second season, ultimately ending with him opening his heart to close friend Laris.

Deep Space Nine’s Benjamin Sisko mourned his wife for the first three seasons of Deep Space Nine and didn’t have time for romance (and with all the trouble Gul Dukat and Kai Winn were causing, who would?). But once being introduced to Kasidy Yates, Sisko opened his heart again and eventually wed Kasidy in the show’s final season. On the other hand, Janeway tended to keep her romances to her holonovels. Though she and Chakotay orbited each other throughout the early seasons of the show.

Jonathan Archer had a few romantic interests both prior to and during the show, but romance was never key to his journey as a captain on Star Trek: Enterprise . In the newer series, Star Trek: Discovery 's Captain Michael Burnham has had two key romantic relationships: one with Ash Tyler and the other with Cleveland “Book” Booker. On the Cerritos , Lower Decks ’ Captain Carol Freeman is happily married to an Admiral.

Needless to say, there’s room in the world for a captain to find love, even if only for an episode. Captain Pike is no exception. “Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach” features Pike reuniting with an old flame, Alora. The pair had previously met on Pike’s first mission to her world, where he saved her life. This time, Alora invites him to stay on her homeworld, which will help him avoid his preordained fate. However, after Pike sees the cost of her society’s peace, he cannot stay with her. The relationship ends on a tragic note, as many of the one-off episodes featuring a character romancing a series regular tend to.

Star Trek Power Couples Who Make Us Believe in Love

But Alora is not Pike’s only chance at love. There’s also a character we saw in the pilot, “Strange New Worlds,” who seems to have a piece of Pike’s heart. Captain Batel encouraged Pike to return to Starfleet, saying she hoped he wouldn’t be here when she returned from her latest mission. In the one scene we saw of them, they had a sweet bond, and hopefully Batel will make more of an appearance throughout the show.

And then there’s Vina. Vina is perhaps the great love of Pike’s life, and we’ve known her since the original pilot of The Original Series . In “The Cage,” as well as the two part episode “The Menagerie” in TOS that featured footage from “The Cage,” Pike meets fellow prisoner Vina after he is captured by the Talosians. After they escape, Vina chooses to remain behind on Talos IV. In the Star Trek: Discovery episode “If Memory Serves,” Pike returns to Talos IV and is reunited with his love in a way. The Talosians project Vina’s image onto the Discovery to speak to Pike, ending with her disappearing again.

Michael Gibson/CBS ©2018 CBS Interactive, Inc.

“The Menagerie Part 2” already reveals how Pike and Vina’s love story will end. After Spock steals the Enterprise during Kirk’s captaincy to deliver Pike to Talos IV, Pike is beamed to the surface where, through the mental powers of the Talosians, he is able to see Vina again and the pair are reunited.

Pike’s romances are just as star-crossed and dramatic as his predecessors. What’s your favorite romance featuring a captain? Let us know on social and in the meantime catch up on the latest episode recap here !

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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.

J.J. Abrams called Kirk and Spock the "key and heart" of Star Trek

S tar Trek: The Original Series has long been hailed as the be-all and end-all of Star Trek. Mr. Spock ( Leonard Nimoy ) and Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) were the icons of the science fiction world Gene Roddenberry created, and neither would ever be able to be replaced. Yet, other movies and series have brought aboard different actors to take on the roles to keep the franchise going. J.J. Abrams was the first to reinvent Spock and Kirk with Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto in the roles in Star Trek (2009), and he admitted that he wasn't a fan of Star Trek before Star Trek (2009). But he knew about the start of Star Trek.

In The Fifty Year Mission The Next 25 Years From The Next Generation to J.J. Abrams by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross, Abrams said that, to him, The Original Series was what Star Trek was all about. He went on to say that as Star Trek went on, the series and movies became "less relatable" And while he originally thought a new version of Star Trek would have to be brought to life "in a way that never had been done before," it didn't take him long to realize that "Kirk and Spock were the key, the heart, of Trek." And that's why he chose to focus on Spock and Kirk in the series of movies that began in 2009.

Many fans would disagree with Star Trek being less relatable in different series. For some, their first love of Treke began with Star Trek: The Next Generation or Star Trek: Voyager. Many more say Star Trek: Deep Space Nine inspired their love of the franchise, and Star Trek: Enterprise made them want to watch all of the series from the very beginning.

But no one can deny that Nimoy's Spock and Shatner's Kirk ignited the firestorm that would become the Star Trek franchise. Without these two, the chances of any kind of follow-up movies or series would have been minimal at best. But Abrams took a big risk when he reinvented Spock and Kirk, and although it paid off at the box office, some fans remain unhappy with the new direction he sent the crew in even if it was an alternate timeline.

Now, we're coming up to a fourth movie in the series, if it ever makes it into production, and Abrams has to wrap up the story in such a way that fans don't regret having watched the first three movies in the series or reject the new movie outright much like what happened with Star Trek: Nemesis. For many fans, the Kelvin Timeline movies don't need a fourth movie, especially not after all of this time. But, if the movie does actually make it to production, we'll see if Pine's Kirk and Quinto's Spock, along with the rest of the amazing cast, can bring this timeline to a satisfying conclusion, one that remembers why Spock and Kirk are so iconic to Star Trek.

This article was originally published on redshirtsalwaysdie.com as J.J. Abrams called Kirk and Spock the "key and heart" of Star Trek .

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William Shatner Willing to Return to ‘Star Trek’ as De-Aged Captain Kirk

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“Mr. Scott, set the de-ager for 40 years!”

William Shatner says he’s down to play Captain James T. Kirk in a movie again, and has an idea for how it might work.

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The 93-year-old sci-fi legend told the Canadian Press that he’d be willing to return to the Starship Enterprise under certain conditions.

“It’s an intriguing idea,” Shatner said. “It’s almost impossible. But if it was a great role and so well-written and if there were a reason to be there not just to make a cameo appearance, but if there were a genuine reason for the character appearing, I might consider it.”

Shatner suggested he could play a younger version of his iconic character, thanks to a company he’s working with that specializes in de-aging technology that “takes years off your face, so that in a film you can look 10, 20, 30, 50 years younger than you are.”

While Kirk was, of course, killed off in the 1994 film Star Trek: Generations (photo above), Shatner suggested that Kirk’s body and brain might have been frozen for posterity, and then he could be revived years later.

“‘We’ve got Captain Kirk’s brain frozen here,'” he mused. “There’s a scenario. ‘Let’s see if we can bring back a little bit of this, a little salt, a little pepper [in his hair]. Oh, look at that. Here comes Captain Kirk!'”

The prospect of this happening seems rather unlikely, of course. But filmmakers have been getting rather bold with de-aging technology, so it’s hardly impossible that a future Trek film might take Shatner up on his offer and at least try for a de-aged Kirk flashback or cameo of some kind.

Shatner was doing this interview to promote his biographical documentary You Can Call Me Bill , which is being released On Demand.

The actor famously journeyed into space in 2021 as a member of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin craft, becoming the oldest person to ever go into orbit.

Shatner has managed to remain quite sharp, energetic and hearty despite his years. The actor credits both genetic luck and taking care of himself.

“I eat well, I exercise, I ride horses a lot,” he said. “My wife cooks noninflammatory foods extremely well.”

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Chris Pine got his movie-star education from Denzel Washington

The director, cowriter, and star of "Poolman" reflects on his rise through Hollywood's ranks, from his rom-com days to playing Captain Kirk.

"Is this on camera?" Chris Pine asks me as we stare at each other through the magic of Zoom.

Sporting a graying beard, perfectly combed shoulder-length hair, and a loose-fitting yellow and white cardigan, Pine certainly appears camera-ready. But once I tell him that video won't be recorded, he slouches back in his chair, seemingly pleased that he can keep a toothpick dangling from his mouth during our conversation.

Whether he's playing the handsome leading man in a rom-com or an intensely focused franchise star, Pine has the uncanny ability to adapt into the movie star that's needed at any particular moment. And right now, with the cameras not technically rolling, he doesn't have to be one at all.

Pine didn't want to be a movie star growing up, either. A third-generation actor, he first avoided going into the family business. As a die-hard Yankees fan thanks to his East Coast-raised father, a teenage Pine dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player like his idol, Yankee great Don Mattingly.

When that phase passed ("Kids were starting to pitch faster," he said), he dabbled in theater. But it wasn't until he returned home from a stint studying abroad in the UK during college that he decided to pursue acting in earnest.

"It wasn't a passion," Pine says. "It's something that I found."

But the childhood memories of both his parents struggling to find work as actors stayed with him. His mother, Gwynne Gilford, eventually gave up acting to become a therapist. Though his father, Robert Pine, is still working as a veteran character actor best known for playing Sergeant Getraer on the late-1970s hit series "CHiPs," he was keeping the family afloat gig by gig during Pine's childhood.

Those Hollywood anxieties are present in Pine's directorial debut, "Poolman," in theaters Friday. Though the film is hardly autobiographical — Pine stars as a burnout pool cleaner in LA who's trying to uncover a city scandal — his character gets support from two parental figures in his life, who are struggling showbiz types played by Danny DeVito and Annette Bening.

"There's a scene at the end when Danny's character, Jack, says that his agent finally called back and offered him a sitcom for $75,000 an episode, and he turned it down," Pine says. He looks down in his lap, almost reliving what he's describing. "And Annette's character has a conniption fit."

Pine finally looks up.

"That's my childhood," he continues. "The dream was for my father to get a television show that paid $70,000 an episode, and that would finally get us out of financial distress."

With a filmography that charts an impressive ascension from heartthrob to the face of IP-fueled blockbusters to prestige fare, it's safe to say that distress is now behind him.

In Business Insider's latest Role Play interview , Pine discusses why he refuses to watch some of his rom-coms, learning how to be a movie star via Denzel Washington, and the untimely end of the "Wonder Woman" franchise.

On hating working at restaurants and refusing to watch his old rom-coms

Early Chris Pine is a trip to watch. You played a hard partier in an episode of "E.R." You cried in front of David Caruso in "CSI: Miami." At that time in your life, were you just going after anything?

Fuck yeah! Don't be a waiter. Actually, I was a host at a restaurant and just hated it. Could not have hated it anymore. I was not a people person. It was all about just getting work.

You started getting noticed thanks to romantic comedies — "Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement," "Just My Luck," "Blind Dating" — would you watch any of those titles now? Like, if you're in a hotel room flipping through the channels and it comes on.

I mean, not a chance. And that's for most of my films. It's too difficult because then you're thinking, "God, why did I fucking do that?" Or "Why did they pick that take?"

What I will say, though, is I get more people coming up to me about "Princess Diaries 2," and I think that's because it's played for so many generations of young girls now. So that's a trip.

On being comfortable playing Captain Kirk — by movie No. 3

Playing Captain Kirk in the "Star Trek" movies must have been daunting — not only were you taking on an iconic IP, but the actor who originated the character, William Shatner, is still so synonymous with Kirk. Were you ever comfortable in that role?

It's interesting. Karl Urban decided to go head first into McCoy because Karl loved "Star Trek." With Spock, you have to do Spock-like things, plus Zach [Quinto] kind of looked like Leonard [Nimoy]. And then Kirk is a tricky one. You are the lead of the band of characters, so you don't want to occupy too much space. It's fine if they are doing a thing, but you don't want to. And J.J. [Abrams] never asked me to do a thing, though I did do little nods to Shatner because it was fun.

But I would say I felt most in his shoes in the third movie. By that point, I think I mellowed into it and didn't feel like I was trying too hard.

Has the ship sailed to do Kirk again?

I honestly don't know. There was something in the news of a new writer coming on board. I thought there was already a script, but I guess I was wrong, or they decided to pivot. As it's always been with "Trek," I just wait and see.

On getting a crash course in being a movie star from Denzel Washington and playing a 'non-charming' leading man

"Unstoppable" is the moment, I feel, where you're not fucking around anymore. Tony Scott, working across from Denzel Washington —

Youth really is wasted on the young [ laughs ]. It's such an awesome moment. It's one of the biggest films of the year; all the lights are shining on you, all the possibility of you being able to do whatever you want. I really wish I took more effort to enjoy that moment. 

I was reading a lot of scripts at the time, and I was on a plane when I read this one. And I didn't want to like it because it's a train. It's like, what is my job in this fucking film? The train is going to explode and then it's not. You know exactly what is going to happen.

But Mark Bomback wrote this incredible script, and I was on the plane, and I couldn't stop reading it. I would push it away — No. Buuut. No, nope. Buuut. I just could not turn away from it. Plus, Tony Scott was a god to me. He'd done "Days of Thunder" and "Top Gun," and then you add into that mix Denzel, plus that it's a two-hander that takes place in one location. From an acting class standpoint, I'm getting paid a lot of money to learn at the feet of one of the best who has ever done it. It was out of control cool. I learned more from that set about what it means to be a movie star than probably anything else. 

Before "Hell or High Water," you'd worked with Ben Foster in "The Finest Hours." How much of the praise you received for that movie do you attribute to the comfort you two had in working together?

I think it's more than that. Taylor [Sheridan] wrote a banger script. That script is one of the five best scripts I've ever read in my entire life. So you have the writing. Then you have David [Mackenzie] coming off of making "Starred Up," which is an incredible film, and then you have the Jeff Bridges of it all.

I think I held my own there, but you have these two incredibly dynamic actors: Jeff is the legend, and Ben is a caged animal of an actor. I had a lot of fun because up until that point, I hadn't played a closed-off, non-talkative, non-charming leading man. So I was really stoked to take that on. I think it was all the pieces coming together, not just one thing.

On turning down 'Wonder Woman' twice before director Patty Jenkins convinced him by bringing up 'Casablanca'

By the time you did the "Wonder Woman" franchise, you had done your fair share of blockbusters. Was there a moment in filming the first movie when you realized this one was different than the others?

I got pitched the film and didn't want to do it. Patty came on board and I still didn't want to do it. I had no interest in playing the boyfriend, and it sounded like second fiddle. Then, in talking to Patty, the way she described it was, "Forget the superhero of it all, this is a romance, this is "Casablanca," that's the movie I want to make." And I was like, oh, now that is very cool, because when had you seen a superhero film that was a love story, ultimately? That had nothing to do with blowing shit up.

For me, the pivotal moment is the scene on the tarmac; it's "Casablanca" by a different name. So when I saw that film, man. Film is not an actor's medium, it's a director's and editor's medium, and shit can go wrong really fast, and that was a movie where you're in the theater and you get lost in it. You forget you're in it. That's when you know it's gold.

Do you or Gal Gadot or Patty feel that there's unfinished business with the franchise not doing a third movie?

Me? No. Homie is dead. Steve is gonzo. It would be ridiculous to try to bring me back.

I'm stunned that they said no to a billion-dollar franchise and decided to pivot elsewhere. I don't know what the reasoning was behind that; it's above my pay grade, but Wonder Woman is an incredible character, and Patty is such a thoughtful director. Even think of "Wonder Woman 1984" — that's a blockbuster movie that is a hero's journey not about revenge. I mean, wow. People poo-pooed it, but wow!

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

"Poolman" is in theaters May 10.

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Star Trek's William Shatner Knows How His Captain Kirk Can Return (But It's Gross)

James Tiberius Kirk (William Shatner) is without a doubt one of the best Enterprise captains in "Star Trek." The bold, brash Starfleet officer was the main man of "Star Trek: The Original Series" and multiple movies, but with the Kelvin Universe version (Chris Pine) possibly notwithstanding, it's easy to assume that time has passed him by — especially since the character dies in "Star Trek: Generations" when the movie quite literally drops a bridge on him. 

Despite this, Shatner was willing to entertain the idea of bringing Kirk back in an interview with the Canadian Press (via Global News ), and he even came up with a somewhat unsettling plot where Kirk's frozen remains would be used to transplant his brain into a younger version of the character — played by a digitally de-aged Shatner, of course. 

"A company that wants to freeze my body and my brain for the future might be a way of going about it," he described the idea. "'We've got Captain Kirk's brain frozen here.' There's a scenario. 'Let's see if we can bring back a little bit of this, a little salt, a little pepper. Oh, look at that. Here comes Captain Kirk!'"

Shatner isn't happy with the way Kirk dies

William Shatner would change some things about Kirk's death in "Star Trek: Generations," and he's even said that he would go back and demand a better death for Kirk if he could . As such, it's hardly surprising that he's willing to speculate about ways to give his famous character one more whirl — and possibly, a better ending. 

Still, don't take that to mean Shatner is chasing Kirk clout at any cost. On the contrary, he's quite aware of the character's importance in the franchise, and as such, any potential return would require a story worthy of Captain James T. Kirk's time. 

In the Canadian Press interview, Shatner himself notes that while he might be willing to revisit the role in the right circumstances, bringing Kirk back would be a tall order. "It's almost impossible but it was a great role and so well-written and if there were a reason to be there not just to make a cameo appearance, but if there were a genuine reason for the character appearing, I might consider it," he said. As such, if Kirk ever ends up returning on screens big or small, expect Shatner to make sure that fans are in for a thrilling ride. 

Chris Pine Was Surprised by New ‘Star Trek 4’ Writer Hire Because ‘I Thought There Was Already a Script…I Was Wrong or They Decided to Pivot’

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Chris Pine was taken by surprise when news hit that Steve Yockey, creator of the Max series “The Flight Attendant,” had signed on to write the script for “ Star Trek 4.” Why? “I thought there was already a script,” the actor recently told Business Insider during an interview on his “Poolman” press tour.

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“I honestly don’t know,” Pine told Business Insider when asked about “Star Trek 4” updates. “There was something in the news of a new writer coming on board. I thought there was already a script, but I guess I was wrong, or they decided to pivot. As it’s always been with ‘Trek,’ I just wait and see.”

Steve Yockey is the latest screenwriter to get a chance to pen the script for “Star Trek 4.” Attempts over the years to get the sequel off the ground have included an R-rated idea from none other then Quentin Tarantino. Another version of the project was to be directed by Matt Shakman (“WandaVision”) and written by Lindsey Beer (“Sierra Burgess Is a Loser”) and Geneva Robertson-Dworet (“Captain Marvel”). Shakman left the project to direct Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four” instead, and it fell apart soon afterwards.

In his Business Insider interview , Pine also said that it wasn’t until the third movie that he finally felt comfortable on set playing Kirk. The character was made famous by William Shatner.

“It’s interesting. Karl Urban decided to go head first into McCoy because Karl loved ‘Star Trek,'” Pine said. “With Spock, you have to do Spock-like things, plus Zach [Quinto] kind of looked like Leonard [Nimoy]. And then Kirk is a tricky one. You are the lead of the band of characters, so you don’t want to occupy too much space. It’s fine if they are doing a thing, but you don’t want to. And J.J. [Abrams] never asked me to do a thing, though I did do little nods to Shatner because it was fun.”

“But I would say I felt most in his shoes in the third movie. By that point, I think I mellowed into it and didn’t feel like I was trying too hard,” Pine added.

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5 Star Trek Actors With Real-Life Children In TV & Movies

Star trek returns to a ds9 & voyager location for the first time in 25 years, data's lost chapter begins, as star trek's android quits starfleet to kill a god.

For Star Trek fans across the interwebs, the past two years have been endlessly exciting. Not only has a new Star Trek series been created, but also several new Star Trek properties are in the works. This includes a highly anticipated series on Jean-Luc Picard, captain of the Enterprise during Star Trek: The Next Generation . When Gene Rodenberry created Star Trek in the 1960s, he probably never knew it'd become this popular. Everything started with a brash Captain Kirk and his hyper-logical, alien first officer, Spock . Now, the franchise is a staple of nerd culture.

Though Star Trek: The Original Series only lasted three years out of a planned five, the Enterprise crew started the formation of a fandom that would span generations. At the core of its lasting effect and long-term success were Spock and Kirk, the best friend opposites that balanced each other out. Their relationship was the core of the show, along with McCoy's witty and passionate quipping.

Years later, fans are still obsessed with Kirk and Spock. It's evident in the rebooted Star Trek films, where the duo are still fan-favorite characters with the most interesting friendship.

With so much time between them now, and so much material, there's a lot that casual fans might not know about them. As Spock is spending some time now on Star Trek:Discovery , it's good to remember this wild relationship that encouraged decades of space-fans.

Here are 25 Wild Revelations About Kirk And Spock's Relationship .

Both Captained The Enterprise

For three glorious, hammy years as captain, Kirk pioneered the Enterprise across the galaxy and wooed perhaps too many a lady. However, Star Trek was cancelled and that journey ended. In the films, his legacy lived on. His role changed quite a bit, though.

After the series ended, Kirk was promoted to Admiral and moved his adventures back to Starfleet. With the loss of her captain, the Enterprise replaced swoony Kirk with its second-in-command, Spock. Without Kirk, he built his own crew and led his own voyage into new galaxies.

With how much both men loved the U.S.S. Enterprise, it's only fair both got to lead her.

Spock Was Initially Science Officer, Not Second In Command

In Kirk's first foray as Enterprise's captain, his second-in-command was Gary Mitchell, his good buddy from Starfleet days. After investigating a derelict space-ship, nine crew members perish, and Mitchell and the ship psychiatrist gain extreme psychic powers.

Eventually, they have to end Mitchell's life, despite Kirk's protest. This promotes science officer Spock to second-in-command of the Enterprise.

Furthermore, the true first pilot of Star Trek , "The Cage," had Majel Barrett as Number One and everyone's favorite Vulcan in the scientific position. It took three episodes and some fatal encounters for Spock to become Kirk's number one man. While he's the one everyone remembers, he wasn't the one Gene Roddenberry envisioned at the beginning.

Many Fans Are Convinced The Relationship Had Romantic Undertones

Of all the relationships in Star Trek: The Original Series , Spock and Kirk have the strongest and most beloved. Fans adore the duo— an impulsive, passionate captain and his logical straight man. They bring out the best in one another and always have each other's back.

However, certain scenes have led fans to believe the pair could be a bit more than friends. A few too many wry looks and assumed massages are thrown around the bridge. While never confirmed, the pair are the most important people in each other's lives. Of course some people may interpret that as romantic.

Spock Prime Saved Alternative Spock And Kirk's Relationship

When Nero went back in time and created the split timeline of the "Abrams-verse," he also brought along an unsuspecting passenger: Spock. This much older Spock crash-landed on an ice planet only to be found by Chris Pine's Kirk, a much younger and more problematic Starfleet Officer. After all, Nero changed his entire childhood history by taking his father's life.

Though young Kirk was in trouble with Starfleet and a bitter rival with Spock, "Spock Prime" described to him the truth of the other timeline. In his time, Kirk was a decorated officer who was always supported by his father. More importantly? He and Sock were the closest of friends.

Sending young Kirk along with this information, Spock Prime saved the friendship that a younger him almost lost.

They Once Battled Over A Woman

As a child, Spock was promised to a Vulcan woman named T'Pring. They were bonded and betrothed, their parents intending for them to marry when Spock reached a decent age and was experiencing pon farr.

Unfortunately for T'Pring, that day didn't occur until Spock was years deep into a Starfleet career. In his time away, she fell in love with another. To deter her betrothed from wanting her, she chose Kirk to fight for her. However, this fight was the fatal kind and Spock wounded his captain terribly.

Lucky for them, McCoy was ahead of the curve. Kirk was saved, the violence brought Spock out of pon farr, and T'Pring married her beloved. Quite a risky experience, though, almost costing both men their best friends.

In Alternate Universes, They Both Sacrificed Themselves Against Khan

One of the most iconic villains of all Star Trek history is Khan Noonien Singh. While on Earth, he was the most benevolent of the genetically modified superhuman leaders, but after the Eugenics Wars of the 1990s, only he and 80 of his people were able to flee the planet. Time has made him malicious and tyrannical. During the original series run, the Enterprise crew ran into his people. Khan almost destroys the ship, but Kirk stops him.

Next time they meet, Khan is even more homicidal. Spock sacrifices himself to stop Khan from destroying the entire ship. In Star Trek: Into Darkness 's split timeline, it's Kirk who instead makes the sacrifice.

Kirk Convinced Spock To Go Camping

While many fans argue that the Star Trek films were the best part of the original Star Trek crew, they definitely still had their hokey moments. Easily one of the weirdest ones is Kirk convincing McCoy and Spock to go camping with him in Yosemite in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier . After being demoted back to Captain, the Enterprise is on shore leave and he convinces the pro-tech and logic Spock to do old-fashioned camping, with fires and lanterns and tents.

Considering the rest of the film involves Spock's cult leader brother, Klingon alliances, and space gods, though, camping seems pretty nice. The Enterprise trio seem to agree, as the film ends on Kirk, McCoy, and Spock right back to their camping trip.

They Both Had Human Mothers

Despite Spock acting like the most Vulcan-y Vulcan ever to Vulcan, he mostly acts this way to overcompensate for his mixed heritage. Unlike most Vulcan, Spock is half-human. His father, Sarek, fell in love with the human Amanda Greyson and complicated his genetics. Because of this blending, Spock has a harder time containing his emotions and has to work harder than most to adhere to Vulcan traditions. However, he still has a close relationship with his mother and loves her dearly, even if he never says it.

As a born and raised Earth kid, Kirk's mother's also a human. But that meant the pair had similar emotional relationships with their mother, instead of their upbringings being completely different.

Spock Allowed Kirk To Break Log Rules (Multiple Times)

In Starfleet, there is a distinct rule to always log the daily happenings and keep track of all the encounters that happen. This lets the Federation have records of all possible discoveries throughout the quadrants. However, every once in awhile captains are known to break that protocol and keep certain events off record.

Throughout his three year journey, Kirk deliberately didn't log several important events. For example, when they finally found the missing Dr. Roger Korby, they learned that Korby learned to create androids and downloaded his consciousness into one to achieve immortality. Kirk logs that "Dr. Korby was never here." As a stickler for Starfleet rules, Spock should have probably been more diligent on making Kirk report hard truths instead of comforting lies.

The Only Thing That Could Distract Spock From His People Was Kirk

Regardless of his mixed heritage, Spock is just as dedicated to Vulcan as any full-blooded member of the species. If anything, he's more devoted. In his Starfleet career, he wants to honor his culture and be the best Vulcan officer he can be (even if he ends up in Starfleet to spite the Science Academy.) He brings fierce logic to all situations and is an upstanding leader.

Beyond Starfleet, Spock eventually becomes a famous Vulcan Ambassador and devotes the end of his life to Romulan and Vulcan re-unification. However, despite all of his dedication, he will drop all of that at the drop of a hat if Kirk needs him. Before his dear friend's passing, Spock several times risks rank and reputation to protect him.

Kirk's Romantic Side Never Rubbed Off On Spock

If Kirk wasn't a captain, he'd spend all of his days romancing every woman in sight. Since leading the Enterprise gets in the way, he only manages a lady every other episode.

When it comes to Kirk and Spock, they teach each other a lot. Kirk learns more restraint and logic from his Vulcan friend, and Spock learns the benefits of going with the flow and bending the rules. They've made each other better men and officers.

However, as far as Kirk's Casanova antics go, Spock learned none of that. Throughout their adventures and beyond, Spock isn't one for intimate, romantic relationships. The only examples either are very brief or happen in completely different timelines.

Spock Defied Orders To Save Kirk

Starfleet sounds glamorous and honorable, exploring among the stars, but the job comes with inherent dangers. After all, how many red shirts were lost in the making of the various series? When Kirk was in similar danger, and Spock was in direct order to leave a planet, he instead chose to stay in orbit and save his captain.

While Spock doesn't defy Starfleet rules nearly as much as Kirk does, he's still willing to do so to help protect his friend.

Even the most logical Vulcan will break a few rules to help someone they really care about. They may base their entire culture around reason, but they still have powerful ties to family and comrades.

Both Have Complicated Relationships With Their Brothers

As the Vulcan lifespan is pretty long, Amanda Greyson was hardly Sarek's only love interest. His first was a Vulcan Princess who passed away young, leaving Sybok, their son, in Sarek's care. He raised Sybok and Spock together, but the pair were very different. Despite being full Vulcan. Sybok was charismatic and spiritual while Spock was logical and scientific. They never quite got along, but Sybok sacrificed himself to save Spock and the Enterprise.

Similarly, Kirk and his brother, George Samuel, were night and day. Kirk was an overachiever dreaming of the stars. "Sam," as Kirk called him, was a simple biologist who wanted to build a family. Kirk hadn't seen Sam in years by the time he found his corpse on Deneva.

The Actors Were Best Friends In Real Life

Despite all the cast tensions that went on behind the scenes of Star Trek: The Original Series , William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy came out of the experience as close friends. Throughout the years of making Star Trek films and various conventions, they really grew to care about one another. They were constants in each other's lives, weathering the years of show business.

Unfortunately, a few years before Nimoy passed, the pair drifted apart. According to people close to Nimoy, Shatner's insistence on making a Star Trek documentary, to the point of filming Nimoy without his permission, broke his trust. Shatner laments the fact he missed seeing Nimoy off in his final months.

They Have Very Different Relationships With Dr. McCoy

As good a captain Kirk is, he really was a wild card that needed advisers and good friends backing him. This is how the Holy Trinity of early Star Trek formed, the vital relationships Kirk had with Spock and McCoy. While Spock gave Kirk logic and reason, McCoy called him out on dumb ideas and supported him when his heart was set on something. Both men were necessary in Kirk being a well-rounded captain.

When it came to the relationship between McCoy and Spock, though, the pair often didn't get along. McCoy found Spock's incessant knowledge annoying, and Spock disagreed with McCoy's "bedside manner" sensibilities. While the pair respected and relied on each other, they weren't exactly close friends, either.

Their Relationship Is The Most Important Thing In Both Their Lives

Both James T. Kirk and Spock spent their lives adventuring among the cosmos, exploring and learning as much as possible. They met many new people, make revolutionary scientific discoveries, and go where no man has gone before. Even once Kirk is promoted, though, they remain close friends who care deeply for one another. Kirk was willing to give up his rank to get Spock back.

Women never stuck, but they always were there for each other. In both of their lifetimes, this relationship was the most significant one that they experienced. After all, romance is fun, but who else would go camping to Yosemite or save Blue Whales at the drop of a hat?

In The Abrams Films, They're Both Attracted To Uhura

As much as the Abrams films change, they don't touch one thing: Kirk's womanizing ways. Only a few scenes into the film, he's hitting on Starfleet recruit Uhura. Later, when they meet again after he courts her roommate, he flirts with her all over again. Beautiful and capable, it's understandable why he would be interested in Uhura. However, she has zero interest in him.

What really complicates matters, though, is Uhura's relationship with Spock. In the original series, Spock and Uhura don't have many conversations together at all, much less romantic tension. Now, in the Abrams-verse, they have a secret teacher-student type relationship and it definitely makes things even more complicated on the bridge.

Spock Can Easily Tell When Kirk Isn't Himself

Though Kirk is a formidable man, there are quite a few episodes where his body is taken over by various aliens or he's replaced. Or, in an infamously uncomfortable episode involving Janice Rand, a transporter accident gives him an evil twin that goes lurking about the ship.

Lucky for Kirk, Spock has a keen eye and knows his behaviors well. Over time, the Vulcan becomes a Kirk Litmus test that can identify a fake Kirk from a real one at a moment's notice. This becomes really important in Star Trek: The Original Series final episode, where Janice Lester tastes over Kirk's brain. If it wasn't for Spock, Kirk in Janice's body would have been executed and evil Janice would have become Enterprise's captain.

Both Have Mirror Universe Versions Of Themselves

The Mirror Universe is a running Star Trek parallel universe, used in several different series to cause conflict. The Mirror universe tends to have heroes and good people in darker, terrible roles and relationships completely altered and warped. In the case of the first Enterprise, where several bridge members end up on the mirror universe counterpart of their ship, trying to keep hidden from the twisted "other" crew. In this place, Spock and Kirk are comrades there, but far more adversarial. Several times mirror Spock threatens Kirk's life.

On a more fun note, though, Spock also has a weird goatee. Everything in the mirror universe looks generally bizarre.

Spock Grew Much Older Than Kirk

While Star Trek can be a bit confusing about ages (for example, if Spock served under a young Captain Pike, he should have aged a good fifty years, but sources say that Spock is only thirty something by the start of the original series,) that doesn't change the long lives of Vulcans. Spock's father, Sarek, was 203 when he finally passed on.

Whether Spock was 30 or nearing 100 when he met Kirk, by all Vulcan averages he still had decades before his own demise. No wonder he had to find fulfillment in a greater purpose. After all, those closest to him were all humans who would never live as long as he did.