Warning: SPOILERS for the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode “Charades” are ahead!
With Star Trek: Strange New Worlds taking place a little over half a decade before The Original Series, the prequel show has room to flesh out certain elements that were only briefly touched on in the show that launched the popular sci-fi franchise. In the case of Spock, played here by Ethan Peck, along with seeing what his engagement with T’Pring was like, we’ve also seen him develop a unique chemistry with Christine Chapel, played by Jess Bush. That came to a head during the events of “Charades,” with Spock and Chapel kissing by the end of the episode. It’s something many Strange New Worlds fans have been waiting to see, and Peck and Bush opened up to CInemaBlend about shooting that romantic moment.
I had the pleasure of speaking with both actors ahead of “Charades” being released to Paramount+ subscribers, and although they’ve certainly share plenty of screen time with one another on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds before now, this episode has brought a new dynamic between Spock and Chapel into play. First off, here’s what Peck had to say about preparing to lock lips with Bush for this scene:
It was nerve-wracking. I mean, those moments are always really nerve-wracking because A, you’re kissing a coworker. On paper, it’s intimate, but in practice, it’s so not. It’s so technical. You’ve got to put your head this way *motions*. And then also as the character it’s nerve-wracking, because what’s it going to be like? Is it different from Spock kissing T’Pring? Is it more human? If it is, what does it mean? What does that look like? What does that feel like? So it’s very nerve-wracking.
“Charades” saw Spock being turned 100% human by inter-dimensional aliens while they were healing him after he and Chapel nearly died during a shuttle trip. As if experiencing the full range of emotions wasn’t enough for the Enterprise’s chief science officer, it also came at the same time as he was supposed to have an important ceremonial dinner with T’Pring, his mother Amanda and T’Pring’s mother, where he was supposed to go through certain trials that a Vulcan would be able to handle easily. Meanwhile, Chapel, who was feeling a bit of survivor’s guilt for her role in Spock’s transformation because she made it out of the incident unscathed, plus the fact that those aliens changed Spock based off her biology, was desperately trying to find a cure for his condition, only to go back to the aliens themselves and persuade them to give her the means to do so.
Fortunately, she successfully pulled this off and was able to turn Spock into his normal half-human/half-Vulcan self before the dinner concluded. However, T’Pring was hurt that Spock chose not to share what had happened to him beforehand, and decided to call off their engagement for the time being. While Spock was surprised by this decision, his brief time as a full human made him realize that his lingering romantic feelings for Chapel couldn’t be ignored. So when she showed up at his quarters, it was mere seconds later that they started kissing, and when Spock asked what this meant, Chapel responded, “I don’t know. Shut up!” So now here’s Jess Bush’s recollection of what it was like kissing Ethan Peck:
Scenes of intimacy are always a lot less romantic than they look. It’s pretty choreographed, and there’s intimacy coaches. So it’s pretty much like any other day on set. I feel very safe with Ethan, he’s wonderful. We look after each other. I guess on a character level, it was really satisfying to finally make it to that point.
With “Charades” marking the halfway point of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2’s run, there’s five more episodes for us to follow along with how things have changed between Spock and Chapel, and it’s possible this romance could further be explored in Season 3. Unfortunately, Ethan Peck was unable to provide any clarification on how long this particular arc will go, saying to me:
I really don’t know, to be honest with you. I can’t really answer that, and if I knew, I couldn’t answer it. But I’ll tell you what, it’s going to be complicated, because Spock is in a very complex situation between these two lovers. And these two, I guess, life avenues, one being human and one being Vulcan. So he’s at a major crossroads, and it’s gonna be complicated.
Although it’s nice to see Spock and Chapel finally explore a romance together, this plot development is bittersweet in a way. After all, by the time of The Original Series, while Spock and Chapel do still have some unique chemistry, they’re never paired back up together. Furthermore, we also know that while Spock and T’Pring will eventually get back together, their romance is also doomed to fail, with the Vulcans going their separate ways by the end of “Amok Time.” So even though the final destinations for these aspects of Spock’s life are know, there are more gaps that we can expect to be filled as Strange New Worlds continues its run and moves closer to The Original Series.
New episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premiere Thursdays on Paramount+. Don’t forget to look through our 2023 TV schedule to see what other programing is currently available to watch or will be arriving soon, as well as our guide going over the upcoming Star Trek shows.
