Spoilers Is it possible that Chapel and Spock were in a romantic relationship during TOS?

[Sci]

In TOS, Spock already cheat on T-pring with Leia by that logic.

Not really? I mean, Spock and Leia met in 2261 on Earth. We know that she fell for him and declared her feelings and that he would not let himself reciprocate. So no cheating per se, but "This Side of Paradise" makes it clear he suppressed feelings of love in return. Which is basically what he's trying to do right now with Christine. Also, we don't know the state of his relationship with T'Pring two years post-SNW S1.

Or, y'know, they could have a Spock/T'Pring/Stonn/Christine/Roger/Leia polycule.

 

[valden]

To answer the OP, I will say no, they were not in a long term romance. Spock seem to have the least affection for Chapel of all the girls he uncounted who loved, liked or crushed on him. It was only Zarabeth that things were mutual.

In TOS, Spock showed more subtle attraction to Uhura than he ever did with Chapel though I do admit this was due to Nimoy and Nichols having chemistry and been dear friends, and Nichols been well Nichols. Most guys on tv had crushes on her, so TOS subtlly having guys like Kirk, Spock, President Lincoln and Sulu smitten by her was only a reaction from the audience even with the racism limitations.

A lot of things will happen in the coming seasons. I wonder if we will get like a time jump between seeason 2 and season 3 to speed up the 10 years, since we know Chapel becomes the Gunther of TOS and I mean Gunther from Friends who had a crush on Rachel as Chapel did with Spock.

By TOS, Chapel is not even among the core main 7 of the group. Kirk, Spock, Sulu,Uhura, Scotty, Chekov and Bones.

Now as a long time fan of the series, who is open to welcoming new romances. I will gladly have welcomed a spock/chapel romance wit no hold back as end game. if the writers had approached it more honestly and with less insecurities about another legacy character. So I am more eager to see the spock/chapel/tpring thing implode and Spock meets Leia and Chapel meets Korby where we can have hopefully more honest writing that respects TOS.

 

[Mudd]

Yeah, sure they were. Why not?

 

[TerryTrek]

I think this is part of the reason I'd prefer SNW, Discovery and Lower Decks to be their own timeline.
The actress playing Nu Chapel is really fun. Much sexier than Majel's really boring version of the character.

To have Jess Bush eventually become the milquetoast Majel version is really awkward. Anson, Peck, Bush, etc will essentially be playing these legacy characters for years to come and exposing a new generation to those characters, as the Kelvin films originally aimed to.

They might as well be given the freedom to play their own versions of the characters.

 

[fireproof78]

To have Jess Bush eventually become the milquetoast Majel version is really awkward.

Not really. It's called becoming an adult.

 

[TerryTrek]

That's an ironically sassy reply

As you know, she is playing an adult. She's just playing a far more confident version of the character with an actual personality.

 

[fireproof78]

That's an ironically sassy reply

As you know, she is playing an adult. She's just playing a far more confident version of the character with an actual personality.

And? People change.

 

[thribs]

I doubt it since Chapel will probably be meeting her future husband soon

 

[Enterprise is Great]

No, I don’t think they did. But maybe they had a one night stand together and then they felt awkward around each other after that and for year after year.

 

[Sci]

I really think they can maintain broad continuity with TOS but just not adopt the Barrett version's personality for Bush's version. Discontinuity in Chapel's personality is acceptable.

 

[Noname Given]

That's an ironically sassy reply

As you know, she is playing an adult. She's just playing a far more confident version of the character with an actual personality.

As you get older, trust me you'll understand what he meant by that reply.

 

[Captain Jollydark]

As you get older, trust me you'll understand what he meant by that reply.

You know what's going to be really funny? If TerryTrek turns out to be in their 60's. As a person in my 60's I've found the tendency to be patronizing about the wisdom that comes with age has dissipated quite a bit. Because the older I get the more I I know I don't know shit.

 

[Noname Given]

You know what's going to be really funny? If TerryTrek turns out to be in their 60's. As a person in my 60's I've found the tendency to be patronizing about the wisdom that comes with age has dissipated quite a bit. Because the older I get the more I I know I don't know shit.

FYI I turn 60 this year.

And while I honestly agree with you about the fact the older I get the more I realize I don't know shit; at the same time I know I'm different in the way I think from when I was in my late twenties, which is the way they're writing Christine Chapel in my opinion.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

I really think they can maintain broad continuity with TOS but just not adopt the Barrett version's personality for Bush's version. Discontinuity in Chapel's personality is acceptable.

Definitely. TOS Chapel’s characterization was not that great.

 

[Sci]

FYI I turn 60 this year.

And while I honestly agree with you about the fact the older I get the more I realize I don't know shit; at the same time I know I'm different in the way I think from when I was in my late twenties, which is the way they're writing Christine Chapel in my opinion.

Jess Bush's version of Christine is an adult, but yes, she is an adult in her late 20s or early 30s. There's nothing wrong with noting that she is an adult at a certain phase in her life and that she will become more mature with experience. But,

1) It's tiresome to constantly see grown adults in their late 20s and early 30s condescended to as though they're children.

2) The version of Christine seen in TOS is not more mature. She is, most of the time, a vapid cardboard cut-out without a real personality. On the few occasions when she is allowed to have a personality, she is depicted as emotionally weak and clinging to a hopeless unrequited love of a man who has rejected her -- she is usually nothing more than a 1960s misogynistic stereotype.

Jess Bush's Christine has far more agency and personality than TOS's Christine. This is not Majel Barrett's fault, but it IS a fault of the limitations of the mostly-male TOS writing staff re: women characters.

 

[AmandaSmith]

Agree with everything Sci said. 20-30 is not a child and becoming more complacent and mild mannered is not a sign of maturity. If anything it's what men wanted women to be. Pretty, smart enough to bring home money, but not enough to argue back. Remember we are just around the time of lobotomy's for unruly women.

Bush's Christine is like a real person. She's have to have brain damage (see above lobotomy) to be a frail as TOS Christine.

I like the change. And I hope any future iteration updates any social progress we've made.

 

[fireproof78]

Jess Bush's Christine has far more agency and personality than TOS's Christine. This is not Majel Barrett's fault, but it IS a fault of the limitations of the mostly-male TOS writing staff re: women characters.

Yes, but the two can work in a way is my point, rather than the absurdist ideas that Bush's persona becoming like Barret's is "awkward" or that she would need a lobotomy in order to become like TOS. Now, I don't think it's an exact one to one, because of that ridiculous limits in the 60s, but I do think there is a bridge there.

 

[Captain Jollydark]

FYI I turn 60 this year.

And while I honestly agree with you about the fact the older I get the more I realize I don't know shit; at the same time I know I'm different in the way I think from when I was in my late twenties, which is the way they're writing Christine Chapel in my opinion.

Yeah, for sure. And because we know all these character's futures we can look at that woman in her mid-twenties and think, oh honey, you got some hard lessons coming up. And they will change you. And I am excited to see how it all comes about.

 

[drt]

By TOS, Chapel is not even among the core main 7 of the group. Kirk, Spock, Sulu,Uhura, Scotty, Chekov and Bones.

TOS had a core group of three, with Scotty as an honorable mention. Chapel was just prominent as Chekov, who they didn’t even bother to bring back for TAS.

 

[Voodoowoman2]

Well, I think after some time, perhaps near the end of the five year mission it might have been possible. She seemed to have calmed down about him. I am also curious as to who he resorted to for the "seven year itch". The episodes were not written in a consistent story arc so we are just guessing. I am most curious about the consciousness sharing with Spock during the Henoch episode. . At the end of the episode Chapel looks pleased as can be giving a knowing smile Spock who like a jerk claims the experience was so awful in her confusing female mind. Can't you just see it? He's being teased and he acts like a bashful boy.
I confess at that moment I did think he was masking his feelings. After all McCoy was standing there. We can all imagine what we please I suppose. Chapel's character was not important enough to the male writers who only wanted to focus on Kirk/Spock/McCoy. Maybe a novel writer can give us a story on that.