Excitement is building in the lead-up to season three of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (SNW)! In celebration, we at Trek Central have been releasing a series of articles exploring the Enterprise’s courageous crew. What has happened to these characters through seasons one and two, and what are we expecting of them in season three? Now nearing the halfway point in our series, I explore the past, present, and potential future of the feisty and no-nonsense Christine Chapel (Jess Bush).
The Growing Fondness of Season 1
We first meet Nurse Chapel in SNW’s first episode. The away team needs to rescue Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn) from the planet below without breaking General Order One. Enter Christine Chapel, a nurse specialising in genetics, who recently joined the crew via a civilian exchange program. She “messes with their genome” so the away team can blend in with the native population while searching for Chin-Riley. The process can be painful, so she compassionately offers a sedative to the away team before the procedure. To Chapel’s surprise, La’an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) refuses the sedative, choosing to endure the excruciating pain instead.
In episode five, ‘Spock Amok‘, we see more of Chapel’s personality surface. Most of the crew are taking advantage of some well-earned shore leave, and Christine Chapel is no exception. We learn she has been seeing someone but is soon scared off by his attempts to make their relationship more serious. Alongside this, Chapel is helping Spock (Ethan Peck) through a difficult patch with his fiancée T’Pring (Gia Sandhu). As these events unfold, we can see a closeness forming between Chapel and Spock, something more than their existing friendship.
This closeness is hinted at again in episode nine, ‘All Those Who Wander’, when we see Chapel teasing Spock about emotions. Towards the end of the conversation, she points out more seriously that sometimes getting mad is good. He takes this on board and later unleashes his anger at the Gorn. At the end of the episode, Spock leaves the funeral early and takes his unleashed emotions out on a wall panel. Chapel follows and insists that emotions are not a weakness – they make him human. They hug, another hint at their growing fondness, before he leaves in silence.
The Revelations of Season 2
Season two unveils a different side to the compassionate nurse we got to know through the previous ten episodes. We learn in episode one, ‘The Broken Circle’, that both she and Doctor M’Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) fought in the Klingon war. And it’s clear from their current situation that M’Benga still struggles with the trauma he went through. They both take a drug that heightens their senses and strength, allowing them to fight their captors and escape. But it’s clear during this sequence how brutal and terrifying Chapel was during the war, and possibly could be again. We later get to see first-hand how Chapel and M’Benga meet during the war, in episode eight ‘Under the Cloak of War’.
This does not take away from the love triangle that developed in season one. This continues in season two, coming to a head in episode five, ‘Charades’. The episode ends with Spock’s engagement to T’Pring over and his feelings for Chapel fully revealed. They share a passionate kiss in his quarters, a moment nearly two seasons in the making.
However, just four episodes later, Chapel is offered a place in a prestigious fellowship led by Doctor Korby. Upon reading the news, her initial elation switches in a heartbeat to apprehension – she has to tell Spock. Of course, the entire crew bursting into song uncontrollably delays this, and our Vulcan science officer finds out by chance encounter instead. The built-up emotion between the love birds results in another song, in which Chapel reveals a blunt truth. She’ll take the fellowship even if it means ending their relationship. And not surprisingly, this revelation does exactly that.
What May Come in Season 3
Those familiar with The Original Series (TOS) will recognize Korby’s name and the importance of this fellowship in Chapel’s story. It has been established through TOS that Chapel (Majel Barrett) falls in love with Roger Korby (Michael Strong) during her studies. They are engaged to be married soon after, but before they can marry Doctor Korby disappears. She returns to Starfleet in the hopes of finding her fiancée out amongst the stars. She’s assigned to the Enterprise again, this time under Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner). M’Benga has since left the ship, so she now reports to Doctor Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley).
She eventually finds her fiancée, who’s transferred his consciousness into an android body. Things go south when the android Korby reveals how unstable he is, and in the end, he is destroyed. With her fiancée dead, Chapel decides to remain on the Enterprise.
So, with confirmation that Cillian O’Sullivan will be a recurring guest star in season three playing Roger Korby, a question hangs in the air. Will we see this same storyline unfold anew? I believe we will, but not in a straightforward way. I’m expecting tweaks to the story to make the recurrence of the character feel more realistic. I’m also hoping they take the time to properly develop the character, his relationship with Christine Chapel, and the new inevitable love triangle. Alas, we don’t need to wait much longer to find out!
Conclusion
I have thoroughly enjoyed watching Chapel’s character evolve over the last two seasons. Jess Bush has brought a classic TOS character into modern Trek whilst honouring the legacy of the great Majel Barrett.
I look forward to seeing where her character develops in season three and how the introduction of Korby impacts her. I’m hoping for a fresh take on the classic story arc. And I would not be against them taking the story in a different direction. After all, Star Trek is all about boldly going where no one has gone before!
Strange New Worlds Season 3 premieres on July 17th (2025) on Paramount+ in the US, UK, Canada, Latin America, Australia, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Japan. It will also stream on SkyShowtime in the Nordics, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, and Central and Eastern Europe.
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