The Star Trek franchise has boldly gone where few other sci-fi sagas dare — especially when it comes to romance. Gene Roddenberry’s vision for Star Trek: The Original Series was to showcase a future where people, planets, and species lived (mostly!) in harmony. Across nearly six decades of television, feature films, and spinoffs, it’s no surprise that Star Trek has explored romance in all its forms, giving us everything from passionate alien entanglements to some truly beautiful love stories. Some might argue that whether platonic or romantic, relationships are at the heart of the franchise. But not every coupling was written in the stars!
Videos by ComicBook.com
Whether due to poor chemistry, out-of-nowhere plot twists, or just plain weird vibes, some relationships stand out in Star Trek history for all the wrong reasons. Here are five of the most cringe-inducing, controversial, or just plain confusing romances to ever beam aboard our screens, ranked.
From awkward hookups to flat-out mismatches, these romances left fans scratching their heads.
5) Neelix and Kes – Star Trek: Voyager
Early seasons of Star Trek: Voyager brought us a romance between Neelix — Voyager’s resident quirky Talaxian cook — and Kes, a kind-hearted Ocampa girl with a nine-year lifespan. But it would turn out to be a relationship that raised a lot of eyebrows. While she appeared physically mature, Kes was technically only one year old when first introduced on the show, and despite assurances of Ocampa’s differing life spans, the dynamic between the pair always felt uncomfortable, since it started out oddly paternal.
Beyond the unsettling age implications, Neelix’s jealousy and at times downright controlling behavior toward Kes whenever she attempted to forge a friendship with other crew members (especially Tom Paris) only made matters worse. When the pair was eventually said to have broken up off-screen during Season 3, their separation was more of a relief for viewers than anything. However, in an interview with StarTrek.com, actor Ethan Phillips expressed regret that the breakup wasn’t portrayed on screen, giving greater closure to this chapter of the character’s life.
4) Chakotay and Seven of Nine – Star Trek: Voyager
In the final season of Voyager, writers introduced a romantic arc between Commander Chakotay and Seven of Nine, seemingly out of the blue. The two interacted only briefly in episodes like “Human Error” before their surprise pairing in “Endgame.” Given that the writers had spent years seemingly teasing a relationship between Chakotay and Captain Janeway, a romance between Chakotay and Seven never felt fully earned. Fans and even some cast members criticized the last-minute move as forced, with scenes between the pair often coming off as stiff or awkward.
It didn’t help that the relationship was unceremoniously dropped after Voyager ended. When Jeri Ryan returned as Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Picard in the episode “Absolute Candor,” long-time fans might have been hoping for an eventual clarification on the relationship status of the pair, but poor Chakotay doesn’t even get a mention! However, this may be due to Robert Beltran’s lack of involvement in the project. The actor was initially offered the chance to reprise his role as Chakotay, but turned down the opportunity, citing dissatisfaction with the producers’ plans for his character in an interview with TrekMovie.com.
3) Worf and Deanna Troi – Star Trek: The Next Generation
This one still sparks debate among longtime fans. Toward the end of The Next Generation, the show introduced a budding romance between the ship’s Counselor Deanna Troi and everyone’s favorite Klingon security officer, Lt. Worf. While both were prominent and beloved characters in their own right, pairing them together made them feel more like side characters in an experimental subplot. The relationship had little organic development, with even Marina Sirtis herself saying she disliked the coupling.
Worf and Deanna had clashing personalities and priorities and no real romantic connection before Season 7, when the relationship was introduced in “Parallels.” In the episode, Worf encounters an alternate reality where he is married to Deanna, which leads to the idea of pursuing a relationship with her in his timeline. Their relationship was never revisited in later films — and Deanna eventually married longtime love interest Will Riker in Star Trek: Nemesis, effectively relegating the Worf/Troi arc to the history books. Worf, meanwhile, was left to enter into another much-debated relationship with Jadzia Dax in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, though we think this one at least made a little more sense!
2) Tasha Yar and Data – Star Trek: The Next Generation
Tasha Yar and Data’s brief liaison in the infamous The Next Generation episode “The Naked Now” was… odd, to say the least. In a storyline involving intoxicated crew members, the normally emotionally guarded Tasha Yar seduced the lovable android Data. While the moment gave fans a famous (and often memed) quote about Data being “fully functional,” the ill-judged dalliance felt oddly uncomfortable given Data’s innocence and never evolved into a deeper connection.
The aftermath was mostly ignored by the show, save for a few references to the event after Tasha’s untimely death in “Skin of Evil.” The one-night stand felt like a bizarre footnote in both characters’ arcs, and left fans wondering why it was included at all — beyond giving Data a pivotal human experience which ultimately just felt a little like he was taken advantage of.
1) Spock and Uhura – Star Trek (Kelvin Timeline)
J.J. Abrams’s reboot universe didn’t shy away from reimagining the iconic The Original Series characters fans knew and loved — after all, what’s the point in an alternative timeline if you can’t have a little fun? But by far one of the bolder moves made in the films was the establishing of a relationship between Spock and Uhura. While there was never a romantic link between the pair in The Original Series per se, there were certainly some moments of mild flirtation, notably in early episodes such as “The Man Trap” and “Charlie X”, so it’s easy to see where Abrams got the idea.
While the dynamic certainly brought some emotional depth to the characters, many longtime fans felt the romance was out of character for both. Uhura’s role in the films often revolved around managing Spock’s emotional state, arguably sidelining her as a character, while some fans argued that being in a relationship undermined Spock’s core struggle between logic and emotion — a battle that defined the character for decades. However, the Vulcan has since been portrayed in other relationships, including with Christine Chapel in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and most recently with fellow officer La’An Noonien-Singh, proving a relationship isn’t necessarily off limits for the Vulcan, and can in fact add to the character.
Which Trek couple didn’t live long or prosper for you? Let us know in the comments!
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of DC Comics -
Image courtesy of Marvel Studios.
