Beyond starships, strange new worlds, and the final frontier, the beating heart of Star Trek are its beloved characters and their love stories. Star Trek is about humans and aliens working together to explore the galaxy. Sometimes, in the close quarters of starships and space stations, love blooms. While there are a plethora of young people in Star Trek, most romances involve mature adults who must make love work with the demands of crewing a starship, scientific exploration, and, sometimes, even war.
Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) and Elim Garak (Andrew Robinson) becoming a couple on Star Trek: Lower Decks.
Star Trek love story honorable mentions include Lt. Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) winning Lt. B'Elanna Torres' (Roxann Dawson) Klingon heart on Star Trek: Voyager, the love match between Captain Marie Batel (Melanie Scrofanio) on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and the sweet feelings between young Dal R'El (Brett Gray) and Gwyndala (Ella Purnell) on Star Trek: Prodigy. Here are a dozen of the best love stories in Star Trek:
12 Dr. Beverly Crusher & iral Jean-Luc Picard
Played By Gates McFadden & Patrick Stewart On Star Trek: The Next Generation & Star Trek: Picard
Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Dr. Beverly Crusher shared romantic feelings throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation, but didn't act on them. Both Picard and Crusher had other love interests on TNG, yet fans wanted to see Jean-Luc and Beverly act on their obvious attraction. Even in Star Trek: Picard season 3, actual romance and a long-awaited kiss eluded iral Picard and Dr. Crusher.
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Picard and Beverly's romance has mostly happened off-screen, spoken of but not seen. Yet there's living proof that Beverly and Jean-Luc love each other: their son, Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers). iral Picard and Dr. Crusher are a love story that has endured for decades, fueled by fans' desire to see both beloved USS Enterprise-D icons live happily ever after together.
11 iral Kathryn Janeway & Captain Chakotay
Played By Kate Mulgrew & Robert Beltran On Star Trek: Voyager & Star Trek: Prodigy
The love story between Kathryn Janeway and Chakotay is another that was desired by fans but was not ignited by Star Trek: Voyager. Kate Mulgrew herself argued the logic against Captain Janeway pulling rank on her First Officer. Yet there is clear sexual tension and desires not acted upon by Janeway and Chakotay.
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Captain Kathryn Janeway had several love interests during her tenure on Star Trek: Voyager, but some of her romances were better than others.
In Star Trek: Prodigy, iral Janeway searches space and time to bring Captain Chakotay home, continuing their will-they-or-won't-they friendship that may finally blossom into full-blown romance.
10 Lieutenant La'an Noonien-Singh & Captain James T. Kirk
Played By Christina Chong & Paul Wesley On Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Star-crossed lovers Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh and Captain James T. Kirk (from an alternate timeline) are Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' great romantic tragedy. The emotionally sealed-off La'an opened her heart to the dashing Captain Kirk, but she was doomed to lose him as La'an set Star Trek's Prime Timeline right.
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La'an Noonien-Singh and Captain Kirk team up to save the future, and the ending has a profound impact on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Christina Chong and Paul Wesley share an ideal romantic yin/yang with a sweet but fiery chemistry. Her brief love affair with Kirk became the catalyst for La'an to "change her paradigm," and perhaps even recapture her lost love with the Prime universe's Lieutenant James T. Kirk.
9 Captain Kasidy Yates & Captain Benjamin Sisko
Played By Penny Johnson-Jerald & Avery Brooks On Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
A widower, Captain Benjamin Sisko found love again with Kasidy Yates, a freighter captain who understood, challenged, and didn't coddle the station commander of Deep Space Nine. Sisko and Kasidy were two intelligent, mature adults who found greater fulfillment in each other, overcoming difficulties like Yates being temporarily jailed for helping the Maquis.
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The sleeper hit of Trek's 1990s era, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ended with a victory and the promise of a reunion that remains elusive 30 years later.
Kasidy and Benjamin married at the end of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and she was carrying Sisko's unborn child when the Emissary ascended to become a Prophet of Bajor. Yet Sisko promised he'd return to Kasidy one day, perhaps after Benjamin teaches the Prophets what it means to be in love.
8 Nurse Christine Chapel & Lieutenant Spock
Played By Jess Bush & Ethan Peck On Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Lieutenant Spock gave up his ion-less relationship with T'Pring (Gia Sandhu) to pursue his burning feelings for Nurse Christine Chapel. For Christine, Spock was as true-blue as a romantic partner could be, while Chapel encouraged Spock's humanity to outweigh his Vulcan logic. Yet Spock and Chapel are not destined to be, despite the palpable electricity between them.
Dr. Roger Korby (Cillian O'Sullivan), Nurse Chapel's future fiancé, will appear in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3.
Ethan Peck's Spock and Jess Bush's Chapel are the younger versions filling in the backstory of the unrequited love between Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and Nurse Chapel (Majel Barrett Roddenberry) from Star Trek: The Original Series. But Strange New Worlds' Spock and Christine bring more heat than the canonically older Vulcan and nurse.
7 Sister Edith Keeler & Captain James T. Kirk
Played By Joan Collins & William Shatner On Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek: The Original Series delivered the seminal Star Trek romantic tragedy. Captain James T. Kirk traveled back to 1930s New York City and fell in love with Sister Edith Keeler, who was doomed to die by fate's cruel hand. Kirk knew saving Keeler would change history for the worse, and he let her go to save the needs of the many.
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The star-crossed Kirk and Edith shared a gentle love that could never be, although Keeler never learned her special man was a space hero from the future. Together, Captain Kirk and Edith Keeler made "The City on the Edge of Forever" the Star Trek romance and episode all others are judged by.
6 Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax & Lt. Commander Worf
Played By Terry Farrell & Michael Dorn On Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
On paper, the free-spirited Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax and the stick-in-the-mud Lt. Commander Worf was a poor love match, but the Trill and Klingon's romantic chemistry defied logic. Jadzia tested Worf's patience but uniquely understood his needs as a Klingon. In turn, Worf was the rock Jadzia could depend on in a tumultuous, Dominion War-torn galaxy.
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Worf is the Star Trek character with the most regular appearances, so he has numerous best episodes to choose from across TNG, DS9, and now Picard.
Whether serving on the bridge of the USS Defiant or dueling bat'leths in a holosuite cave, Worf and Jadzia Dax were a dynamic couple torn apart by Dax's sudden murder in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 6. But before tragedy struck, there was no doubt about the love between the Trill and the Klingon.
5 Commander Paul Stamets & Dr. Hugh Culber
Played By Anthony Rapp & Wilson Cruz On Star Trek: Discovery
Not only the first gay married couple in Star Trek, Commander Paul Stamets and Dr. Hugh Culber are loving and inspiring in any timeline. Hugh understands Paul's drive for science while Stamets encourages Culber's exploration of the heart. Stamets lost Culber in Star Trek: Discovery season 1, but the resurrected Hugh found his way back to Paul.
Culber and Stamets are a shining example of patience, honesty, and communication.
In Star Trek: Discovery season 3, Culber and Stamets "adopted" and became parental figures to Ensign Adira Tal (Blu del Barrio), who had their own love story with Gray Tal (Ian Alexander). Culber and Stamets are a shining example of patience, honesty, and communication, their romance holding strong against the time and tides of the galaxy.
4 Major Kira Nerys & Constable Odo
Played By Nana Visitor & Rene Auberjonois On Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Constable Odo won the heart of Major Kira Nerys by staying true to his essence as a kind and honest person. Gruff and formidable to criminals on Deep Space Nine, Odo showed Kira that the liquid-based Changeling has a heart. In turn, Kira opened herself up to Odo, the incendiary former rebel finding safety, trust, and adoration from the shapeshifter.
Rene Auberjonois ed away in December 2019.
Kira had romances with prominent Bajorans throughout Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Odo had his own trysts, even being seduced by the Female Changeling (Salome Jens). But Odo's inner com always pointed him to Kira, and she taught Odo the value of his true self. Sadly, Odo returned to his people and reed the Great Link, leaving behind memories of a Star Trek love story for the ages.
3 Captain Michael Burnham & Cleveland Booker
Played By Sonequa Martin-Green & David Ajala On Star Trek: Discovery
Captain Michael Burnham met her match in Cleveland Booker, an empathic maverick with a gentle, nurturing spirit who perfectly balanced her brilliance and relentlessly driven idealism. Burnham is a rare Star Trek Captain who doesn't separate her heart from her duty, while Book's devotion to Michael is challenged only by his dedication to "queen," Grudge the cat.
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Michael Burnham and Cleveland Booker get a happy ending in Star Trek: Discovery's series finale and a love story Star Trek rarely does this right.
Burnham and Book almost didn't make it. Cleveland broke it off with Michael to pursue vengeance when his world, Kwejian, was destroyed, and finding their way back to each other to took time and regaining trust. But Star Trek: Discovery ended with proof that Burnham and Book are a love that lasts a lifetime, and they never failed to bring out and cherish each other's best.
