Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2, Episode 5 - "Charades"Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck) and Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) finally acknowledge their feelings for one another in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 5, "Charades," but an Easter egg that hints their relationship won't last. In "Charades," Spock finds himself accidentally turned into a human just before an important pre-wedding dinner with his fiancée, T'Pring (Gia Sandhu). When Spock confesses he hid his transformation from T'Pring, she "takes a break" from their engagement. "Charades" ends with Spock arriving at Nurse Chapel's door before the two share a long-awaited kiss.
Strange New Worlds has been teasing the burgeoning romance between Spock and Nurse Chapel since the series began, and it's nice to finally see their romantic tension pay off. However, some of the dialogue early in "Charades" mentions a character who could prove to be a wrinkle in Spock and Christine's romance. Early in Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 5, Chapel mentions that she has applied for a two-month fellowship with the Vulcan Science Academy. As she prepares for her interview, she reviews the three principles of archaeological medicine, as stated by Dr. Roger Korby. Trek fans may recognize the name Korby as that of Chapel's future fiancé.
Strange New Worlds Easter Egg Mentions Chapel's Future Fiancé
As Nurse Chapel studies for her interview with the Vulcan Science Academy, Dr. Joseph M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun), Ensign Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), Lt. Erica ErOrtegas (Melissa Navia), and Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) all help her review her material. In the first few scenes of "Charades," Christine recites Dr. Roger Korby's 3 Principles of Archaeological Medicine. As fans of Star Trek: The Original Series may know, Christine will eventually become the fiancée of Dr. Korby. With five episodes left in Strange New Worlds season 2 and future seasons still to come, Dr. Korby could still make an appearance on Strange New Worlds, further complicating Spock and Nurse Chapel's relationship.
Though Nurse Chapel has not yet met Dr. Korby, she clearly has a ion for archaeological medicine. Since she turned down the fellowship on Vulcan, she may seek out other ways to continue her studies, which could include a run-in with Dr. Korby. The mention of Korby's name in "Charades" confirms that Chapel is at least aware of him, though there is no indication that the two have met yet. Whatever Christine's future holds, the acknowledgment of Dr. Korby places a ticking clock on her relationship with Spock.
Star Trek: TOS' Timeline Says Chapel & Spock's Romance May End Soon
According to the timeline of events established in Star Trek: The Original Series, Dr. Korby and Nurse Chapel become engaged sometime before the year 2161. The TOS episode "What Are Little Girls Made Of?," reveals that Dr. Korby had been injured while leading a mission to the planet Exo III. By this time, he and Nurse Chapel were already engaged, meaning they met and became romantically involved sometime before that. The Strange New Worlds episode "Charades" takes place in 2259, just two years before Dr. Korby will go missing on Exo III.
While it's unclear how or when (or even if) Dr. Korby will be introduced on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the mention of Korby suggests he will play a part in some way. As depicted in TOS, Dr. Korby and Chapel's relationship feels a bit problematic considering he was her professor. But Strange New Worlds has done a wonderful job so far of updating characters and storylines for the modern day, while still remaining relatively true to Star Trek canon. Though Spock and Chapel clearly care deeply about one another, their relationship might be short-lived if Star Trek: Strange New Worlds introduces Christine's future fiancé anytime soon.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.