4 STAR TREK Romances
For this week's Trek Tuesday , we're exploring four Star Trek romances. Did we include your favorite? Troi & Riker Photo Credit: Trae Patton/Paramount+. ©2021 Viacom, International Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The relationship between Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) and William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) is one of the most famous and popular romances from the Star Trek Franchise, and with good reason. This romance was first introduced in the very first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, 'Encounter at Farpoint.' In that episode, it was established that Troi and Riker had been in a relationship that had concluded before The Next Generation even began.
However, from the very first shared psychic communication, it was clear that a connection still existed between the pair. As the series continues, many episodes hint that the romance between the two has not come to a conclusion. Just one example is The Next Generation Season 3's 'Ménage à Troi,' which even shows the pair sharing an onscreen kiss.
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But eventually, Riker and Troi's romance reaches a more stable situation. In 2002's Star Trek: Nemesis, the couple's wedding served as a key set piece. Not only was the entire U.S.S. Enterprise-D/U.S.S. Enterprise-E bridge crew present, but even Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) showed up for the proceedings.
And in Star Trek: Picard Season 1 and Season 2, as well as Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 1, it is confirmed that Troi and Riker's relationship persists decades into the future. While there are many Star Trek couples, few have the staying power of Riker and Troi. Culber & Stamets Photo Cr: Michael Gibson/CBS ©2018 CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
On Star Trek: Discovery, Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) and Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) are a couple whose love story has more than a few wrinkles. They are married when they first appeared in Discovery Season 1. But their relationship ran into trouble when Culber is murdered by Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif).
However, that was not the end of the romance between Stamets and Culber. You do know about the Black Mountain, right? In Discovery Season 2, Stamets found Culber alive in the mycelial network while rescuing Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman), in the episode 'Saints of Imperfection.' This allowed Culber to return to the land of the living.
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At first, Culber and Stamets found their relationship on rocky ground. At one point, Culber intended to transfer away from the U.S.S. Discovery and into service on the U.S.S. Enterprise. But he eventually determined that his place was on Discovery alongside his husband.
As the series progressed, Stamets and Culber's relationship remained in a stable situation. On many occasions, the couple can be seen offering support and reassurance to one another. Sisko & Yates
When Star Trek: Deep Space Nine begins, Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) is still mourning his late first wife, Jennifer (Felecia M. Bell). But as the series continued, he began to emotionally heal. His son Jake (Cirroc Lofton) subsequently introduced Benjamin to Kasidy Yates (Penny Johnson).
Yates was a cargo pilot who regularly made stopovers at Deep Space 9. Sisko and Yates shared an interest in baseball, and the couple bonded over their enthusiasm. Eventually, Yates took a job working for the Bajorians, allowing her to live on the space station full time.
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However, Sisko and Yates' relationship ran into trouble when he discovered that she was smuggling cargo for the Maquis. Yates was subsequently sent to prison, and her relationship with Sisko seemed to have concluded.
But Yates was subsequently released and returned to work for the Bajorians. This gave Sisko the opportunity to apologize to her for their breakup. The couple was reunited, and eventually, Sisko proposed. After the couple was married, Yates unexpectedly became pregnant. While Yates has yet to have the child when Deep Space Nine concludes, their daughter has appeared in several expanded universe stories. Jariner Photo Credit: Paramount+
On Star Trek: Lower Decks, Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) initially has an antagonistic relationship with Jennifer 'Jen' Sh'reyan (Lauren Lapkus). But in the second season finale, Mariner finally admits to Jen that when she likes someone, she's prone to making fun of them.
Soon, a relationship has kindled between the pair. As Lower Decks Season 3 continues, it becomes more serious. In 'Hear All, Trust Nothing,' Jen even asks Mariner to accompany her to the 'Salon' being held by Jen's friend, Castro (Gabrielle Ruiz). While the event does end with Jen and Mariner stunning everyone there (including themselves), they nevertheless have a fun time.
RELATED: Star Trek: Lower Decks : 7 Non-Franchise References
But in the penultimate episode of Lower Decks Season 3, 'Trusted Sources,' Jen breaks up with Mariner as Mariner is transferred to Starbase 80. In the Season 3 finale, 'The Stars At Night,' it seems as though Jen is open to a reunion. However, Mariner ignores her.
In the Lower Decks Season 5 episode 'The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel,' Jen gets her revenge. Assigned to an away mission with Mariner, Jen pretends she doesn't realize that Mariner had broken up with her. Eventually, this forces Mariner to admit that she never had a proper conversation with Jen about the end of their relationship. However, Jen's subterfuge sets the stage for them to clear the air. At the conclusion of the relationship, Jen and Mariner part ways as friends.
These Star Trek episodes are currently available for streaming on Paramount+.
Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week: CHRISTINE CHAPEL Avery Kaplan (she/her) is the author of several books and the Features Editor at Comics Beat. With her spouse Ollie Kaplan, Avery co-authored the middle school textbook on intersectionality Double Challenge: Being LGBTQ and a Minority. She was honored to serve as a judge for the 2021 - 2024 Cartoonist Studio Prize Awards and the 2021 Prism Awards. She lives in the mountains of Southern California with her partner and a pile of cats, and her favorite place to visit is the cemetery. You can also find her writing on Comics Bookcase, the Gutter Review, Shelfdust, the Mary Sue, StarTrek.com, in the Comics Courier and in many issues of PanelxPanel, and in the margins of the books in her personal library.
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