The following contains spoilers from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Season 2, Episode 1, "The Broken Circle," now streaming on Paramount+.
The Star Trek: Strange New Worlds's Season 2 premiere is an unexpected episode, with the outcome of First Officer Una Chin-Riley's court-martial saved for the second episode. The premiere instead focusing on Spock stealing the Enterprise while finally explaining why Christine Chapel has such a deep affection for him. It turns out, he started it.
In Star Trek: The Original Series, Nurse Chapel's affection for Spock was a bit of levity in the show, since the emotionless Vulcan rarely reciprocated her overtures. The inclusion of the character in Strange New Worlds allows the Star Trek storytellers to shape that early relationship and give viewers some context. Vulcans are long-lived, but at this time in Trek history, Spock is young by human standards. He's in his mid-to-late-twenties, and still struggles with balancing his human and Vulcan sides. Vulcan emotions are more powerful than human ones, which is why they suppress them with meditation and the commitment to logic. At the end of Season 1, Spock opened himself to his feelings and is still unable to control them. He felt intense guilt that Chapel might die because of his unauthorized mission to the Cajitar system. It's also clear that he has affection for her.
Spock Discovers His Affection for Christine Chapel In Season 2
After being put temporarily in command of the Enterprise, Spock visits Dr. M'Benga and is diagnosed with stress. M'Benga tells him that he may not be able to put his emotional genie back in the bottle. To underscore this, when Nurse Chapel walks into sickbay, Spock's heart rate goes up and he leaves as quickly as a schoolboy with a crush. Season 1 established that Chapel has an active romantic life, while Spock is engaged to T'Pring. He did pretend to have feelings for Chapel, even kissing her, but this was part of a plan to subvert a ploy to free Spock's brother Sybok from prison. Throughout, Chapel has a clear affection for Spock which he doesn't return, at least until the Season 2 premiere.
While T'Pring is trying to love (in the Vulcan sense) Spock for who he is, she resents his commitment to Starfleet. Also, Spock's human ancestry troubles her family. Meanwhile, Christine doesn't just accept Spock, she encourages him to embrace his humanity and emotions. When Spock struggles to console himself after Chief Engineer Hemmer's death, he literally finds comfort in Nurse Chapel's arms. The Season 2 premiere of Strange New Worlds shows that while he's gotten control of his rage and grief, his attraction to Christine persists.
Spock is a good Starfleet officer and loyal to the Enterprise crew. The death of any under his command would bother him. Yet, Christine isn't just any crew member. She's his friend and, it seems, a person he has a great deal of affection for. After rescuing her from the vacuum of space, Spock doesn't just bring her back to life with his bare hands. His tear-streaked face is the first she sees. It's an experience that would bond anyone.
Strange New Worlds Reveals the 'Romance' Between Chapel and Spock Went Both Ways
In The Original Series, the affection between Spock and Chapel was often played for laughs, though a few episodes revealed it was mutual. However, as a Vulcan and, later, the First Officer, Spock did not pursue any romantic relationships with the crew. Thanks to Strange New Worlds, audiences can see the beginnings of the relationship, including a time when it was far more reciprocal. Similarly, during the very first Star Trek pilot episode, "The Cage," Spock was portrayed with far more emotion than he was in the actual series.
The events of "The Cage" were retconned to take place before the events of Strange New Worlds. This means that Spock's (literal) emotional journey is still ongoing. The Season 2 trailer for Strange New Worlds even reveals a forthcoming scene where Chapel kisses Spock. This time it seems to be not part of some elaborate ruse. A reciprocal relationship between the characters adds depth to the TOS story. It wasn't just a one-sided crush. Rather, at least during the time of Captain Pike's command, Spock was equally infatuated with her.
T'Pol, Vulcan First Officer on Enterprise, also had a romantic relationship under the pretext of "research" into human relations. A lie? No, a justification. There may be some similar kind of reason for the trailer make-out scene, but that would feel like a cheat. Rather, Strange New Worlds may explore a previously unknown relationship between the two characters. It will explain why Chapel was so hung up on Spock. It wasn't just some silly crush, but rather a deep, real affection for someone who, if only briefly, loved her back.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds debuts new episodes Thursdays on Paramount+.