Summary
- Spock feels shame and resentment with T'Pring due to rejection on Vulcan, while Nurse Chapel helps him learn to be more human.
- Ethan Peck discusses how Spock's love interests reflect different sides of him and play crucial roles in his development.
- Star Trek: Strange New Worlds allows Ethan Peck to explore Spock's humanity and evolution into the version played by Leonard Nimoy.
Ethan Peck breaks down how Lieutenant Spock feels about both of his love interests, T'Pring (Gia Sandhu) and Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush), in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Peck has played Spock since Star Trek: Discovery season 2, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has truly allowed Ethan to explore Spock's humanity as the Vulcan Science Officer gradually evolves into the version of Spock played by Leonard Nimoy in Star Trek: The Original Series. Between Chapel and T'Pring, Spock has one of the most complicated love lives in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Screen Rant exclusively interviewed Ethan Peck at STLV: Trek to Vegas about his experience playing Spock and the clip of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 released at San Diego Comic-Con where the USS Enterprise's crew is turned into Vulcans. Regarding Spock's two love interests in Strange New Worlds, Ethan Peck explained how differently his Vulcan alter ego feels about T'Pring compared to Nurse Chapel. Read Peck's quote below:
Because Nurse Chapel is fully human and T’Pring is fully Vulcan, they really, I think, reflect totally different and opposite sides of Spock. They almost externally represent the conflict in himself. I'm not sure, but I guess those characters have gotten along well in some episodes.
But in my experience of playing Spock, there is, I want to say, like, a shame or resentment that I think comes up when he's with T’Pring, because I don't think he feels he's ever really belonged on Vulcan, and doesn't really feel Vulcan because he was so rejected as a child by his peers at school, and by other members of his community. And so I think shame and resentment really come up for him with T’Pring.
And with Nurse Chapel, it's all about learning. It's about learning to be more human. It's about learning about humans. And Nurse Chapel is such a free-spirited and chaotic character, and I think that really informs and is sort of helping guide Spock to where he ends up in The Original Series. So they're very important relationships to him, of course. Really important learning spaces for him.
What's Next For Spock, Chapel & T'Pring In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3?
Spock ended Strange New Worlds season 2 without a girlfriend or a fiancée.
Spock's love life was thrown into complete turmoil in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2. In Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 5, "Charades," T'Pring realized Spock has feelings for Nurse Chapel, and she put a stop to their engagement. This gave Spock a green light to pursue a romance with Christine, but by the end of Strange New Worlds season 2, Chapel had also broken it off from Spock to pursue her career aspirations away from the Starship Enterprise.
Star Trek: Lower Decks ' Ensign Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) planted seeds of doubt in Nurse Chapel's mind about her future with Spock in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 7's crossover, "Those Old Scientists".
Further complications to Spock and Nurse Chapel's relationship arrive in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 in the form of Dr. Roger Korby (Cillian O'Sullivan). Korby becomes Chapel's fiancé in Star Trek: The Original Series canon, and it remains to be seen how Spock handles this new contender to Chapel's affections. It's also not clear if T'Pring returns in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, and what the status of her engagement to Spock is, since there are still years to go before it's formally dissolved in Star Trek: The Original Series's "Amok Time."
