Mind-Blowing Revelations in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Episode 5 Finale

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2, Episode 5 - "Charades"

In the fifth episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, titled "Charades," Lieutenant Spock, T'Pring, and Nurse Christine Chapel's love triangle takes an unexpected turn. This Vulcan farce, written by Kathryn Lyn and Henry Alonso Myers and directed by Jordan Canning, follows Spock's transformation into a human after a shuttle accident on Vulcan's moon, Kerkoff. The Kerkovians, interdimensional beings, repair Spock as compensation for the incident; however, they mistakenly turn him into a human to match with Chapel. This results in Spock experiencing heightened emotional states, and he devises a plan involving the USS Enterprise crew and his mother, Amanda Grayson, to deceive T'Pring's parents during their engagement ritual. Meanwhile, a remorseful Chapel reaches out to the Kerkovians in an attempt to restore Spock's half-Vulcan state. Ultimately, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 5 delves into unexplored emotional territory within the love triangle between Spock, T'Pring, and Nurse Chapel.

Spock & Nurse Chapel Admit Their Feelings For Each Other - What Happens Next?

Spock and Nurse Chapel openly expressed their feelings for each other and shared a passionate kiss. Ever since the premiere of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, Spock had been avoiding Christine socially due to his struggle with controlling his emotions as a Vulcan. However, several members of the crew, including Dr. Joseph M'Benga, noticed the romantic tension between Spock and Chapel. Following Spock's accident, Christine was overwhelmed with guilt and worked tirelessly to find a way to restore his Vulcan side. Eventually, she sought help from the Kerkovians and they assisted her.

Chapel and Spock found themselves caught in a conflict between their mutual romantic interest and Spock's engagement to T'Pring, which meant they couldn't pursue a relationship. However, when Spock and T'Pring decided to take a break, it became an opportunity for the Science Officer and the medical officer to give in to their desires, something that seemed lacking between Spock and T'Pring despite his affection for her. This development will have a significant impact on the canon of Star Trek: The Original Series, adding an element of unrequited love between Nurse Chapel (played by Majel Barrett) and Spock (Leonard Nimoy) as depicted in TOS. The undeniable chemistry between Ethan Peck's portrayal of Spock and Jess Bush's portrayal of Chapel adds depth to their characters, and Strange New Worlds will now explore this romance to see where it leads.

Is Spock & T'Pring's Engagement Already Over, Setting Up Star Trek: TOS?

Every fan of Star Trek: The Original Series is aware that T'Pring (Arlene Martel) will bring an end to her engagement with Spock in "Amok Time." It appears that Strange New Worlds has laid the groundwork for this canonical outcome in "Charades." T'Pring suggested to Spock that they should "take a break" from their relationship after discovering the extent of his deception in pretending to be Vulcan to fool her family. However, what truly hurt T'Pring was that Spock enlisted the help of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and his Enterprise friends for his scheme, excluding her. This lack of trust from Spock, despite all they have been through together, was deeply upsetting to T'Pring.

In Spock's defense, he was not in his right state of mind. Without his Vulcan logic, Spock exhibited hilarious erratic behavior, fear, and volatility; he possessed the temperament of a teenager, as Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) correctly observed. A fully logical Spock may have involved T'Pring in his absurd plan, but out of fear of T'Pring's mother's anger, he made flawed judgments driven by human emotions. Moreover, T'Pring is unaware of the complete story between Spock and Chapel, including the fact that they shared a kiss after her departure from the Enterprise. Nevertheless, T'Pring harbors suspicions about them. Unfortunately, even if Spock and T'Pring are "on a break" like Ross and Rachel were on Friends, Spock's immediate pursuit of his feelings for Chapel feels like a betrayal. What will transpire if and when T'Pring returns to Strange New Worlds remains a mystery.

T'Pring Is A Rebel In Her Vulcan Family

In Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 5, a deeper insight into T'Pring's family history and dynamics is revealed. T'Pring's mother, T'Pril, plays a dominant role in their lives and strongly disapproves of Spock, earning his description as someone she "hates." The episode uncovers that T'Pring's arranged marriage to Spock is driven by her father, Sevet, who desires a bond between their family and Spock's influential father, Ambassador Sarek (James Frain). However, T'Pril considers Spock, being half-human, as beneath their daughter.

Despite her obligations to follow T'Pril's wishes, T'Pring possesses a rebellious streak and stands up to her mother when necessary. T'Pring finds Spock attractive precisely because of the qualities that T'Pril looks down upon: his dedication to Starfleet and exploration of the galaxy, as well as his ability to balance his Vulcan nature with his humanity. T'Pring makes it clear to Spock that she fully accepts him, making it all the more hurtful when he excludes her from his plan to deceive her parents. It would have been highly satisfying for T'Pring to outsmart her mother. The next moves made by T'Pring will surely be captivating, especially as her future love interest Stonn (Roderick McNeill) works alongside her at the Vulcan rehabilitation center where Spock's brother, Sybok, is being held.

Chapel Becomes More Self-Confident After Saving Spock

Christine Chapel, a skilled nurse and medical researcher, possessed self-confidence issues despite her friendly and flirtatious demeanor. She struggled to admit her feelings for Spock, but was determined to save him and restore his Vulcan side. With the help of Ensign Nyota Uhura and Lieutenant Erica Ortegas, Chapel embarked on a mission to recreate Spock's original shuttle accident, aiming to gain an audience with the Kerkovians. Surprisingly, Chapel continued to deny her feelings for Spock, even though Uhura and Ortegas were already aware. However, Chapel's impassioned plea on Spock's behalf successfully convinced the Kerkovians to provide her with the formula to restore Spock's Vulcan DNA. Initially planning to take a sabbatical from the Enterprise for a research fellowship on Vulcan, Chapel's triumph with the Kerkovians made her realize that her application and accomplishments should not be undermined by the Vulcans. As a character, Nurse Chapel continues to develop and it will be exciting to witness the future dynamics between her and Spock in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Strange New Worlds Reaffirms Amanda Grayson's Importance In Spock's Family

In Star Trek: The Original Series canon, it is established that Spock and Sarek do not have any interaction until "Journey to Babel." However, in season 2, episode 5 of Strange New Worlds, the true significance of Spock's mother, Amanda Grayson, is emphasized. In TOS, Amanda was portrayed as Sarek's devoted wife and a nurturing mother to Spock. The character of Amanda has been further developed in Strange New Worlds, shedding light on the hardships she faces as a human residing on Vulcan. Like Spock, Amanda has experienced prejudice and mistreatment from Vulcans. However, her son defended her strength and compassion when confronted by T'Pring's parents. After her last appearance in season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery, Amanda makes a triumphant return in season 2 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Catch the new episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, streaming on Paramount+ every Thursday.