Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode "A Space Adventure Hour." Stream it with a Paramount+ subscription and read at your own risk!
La'an Noonien-Singh was able to put the Gorn behind her in the Season 3 premiere of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and it didn't take long for the Paramount+ series to find her a new storyline. The lieutenant seems to have entered a spicy new romance with one of her colleagues on the ship, though I'm not sure how I feel about it.
As one of the new best characters in Star Trek, I think Strange New Worlds is at its peak when La'an is in the story. That said, I have some mixed feelings about her entering a relationship so quickly, especially after seeing who it was with.
La'an And Spock Shared A Passionate Kiss
I would've never pegged Spock to be a ladies' man, but the Vulcan is now on his third relationship since the show started. After T'Pring called off their engagement, and Chapel fell in love with Dr. Roger Korby, it seems as though he and La'an will be paired together for the time being.
Of course, we know it won't last, considering he does eventually get re-engaged to T'Pring ahead of TOS, only to find out she was cheating on him.
It Feels Strange To Have La'an Have A Romance With Kirk And Spock
I'm not against La'an having another romance, but did it have to be Spock? We now have a character who has carried on some sort of romance with both him and Captain Kirk, though I guess the latter was erased due to alternate timelines and whatnot. However, that's beside the point.
I mean, Kirk was a known womanizer, so I'm not the least bit surprised she fell for his charm. However, the Spock thing I'm less sure of.
From my standpoint, it almost feels like giving Spock yet another romance is trying to Kirk-ify the character into something I'm not sure he was. Granted, TOS and The Next Generation weren't really keen on diving into Spock's sex life, but it's getting to a point where it seems he's the only one hooking up on the Enterprise these days.
I also fear that La'an's relationship with Spock may lead to a weird love triangle situation with Kirk, though again, that never actually happened in this timeline and only she has the memory of it. It remains to be seen if this romance will last through Seasons 4 and the already confirmed final Season 5, but if it is, you'd think there will be some tension involving the three.
In terms of the actual pairing itself, I get why Star Trek: Strange New Worlds would do it. Christina Chong and Ethan Peck have great chemistry, and the fans love both characters. I'm sure there are people who love the potential this has, even if we know the relationship is going to fail. I guess I should hold my full opinion until we see how it goes, but for now, I'm very much on the fence about the whole thing.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streams new episodes on Paramount+ on Thursdays. With not many upcoming Trek shows on the horizon, enjoy this season while you can, because it'll be a long wait for Starfleet Academy in 2026.
