The 5 Worst Relationships in the Star Trek Universe

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The Star Trek universe has fearlessly ventured into realms rarely touched by other science fiction narratives – particularly in the area of romantic encounters. From the inception of Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek: The Original Series, he envisioned a future characterized by peaceful coexistence among diverse peoples, planets, and species. Over almost six decades spanning television shows, movies, and spin-offs, it’s no wonder that Star Trek has delved into various aspects of romance, offering us everything from passionate interspecies entanglements to deeply moving love stories. Some may contend that whether they be platonic or romantic, relationships form the core of this franchise. However, not every bond was destined to be!

Some romantic entanglements in Star Trek have been remembered not for their charm, but rather for awkward writing, unexpected plot developments, or simply an unsettling atmosphere. Here are five of the most awkward, contentious, or perplexing relationships that have graced our screens, arranged in order:

1. Captain Kirk and Edith Keeler (Star Trek: The Original Series – “The City on the Edge of Forever”)
2. Commander Data and Lal (Star Trek: The Next Generation – “Liaisons”)
3. Worf and K’Ehleyr (Star Trek: The Next Generation – “Reunion” and “Unification”)
4. Seven of Nine and Chakotay (Star Trek: Voyager – various episodes)
5. Captain Janeway and Q (Star Trek: Voyager – “Q Who?” and “All Good Things…”)

From awkward hookups to flat-out mismatches, these romances left fans scratching their heads.

5) Neelix and Kes – Star Trek: Voyager

In the initial episodes of Star Trek: Voyager, we encountered a romantic connection between Neelix, the eccentric Talaxian chef aboard the ship, and Kes, a compassionate Ocampa character with a lifespan of only nine years. However, this relationship sparked quite a bit of controversy due to its unusual dynamics. Although Kes appeared physically mature, she was actually just one year old when she first appeared on the show. Despite explanations about Ocampa’s unique life spans, the relationship often seemed inappropriate because it started off with Neelix taking on a somewhat paternal role.

Instead of creating discomfort due to age-related issues, Neelix’s jealousy and sometimes domineering behavior towards Kes, particularly when she tried to form friendships with other crew members like Tom Paris, exacerbated situations. When their relationship supposedly ended off-screen in Season 3, the separation was more of a breath of fresh air for viewers rather than a sorrowful event. However, Ethan Phillips, who played Neelix, shared regret that this breakup wasn’t shown on screen, as it would have provided a more satisfying conclusion to this part of the character’s storyline, according to an interview with StarTrek.com.

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’s unfortunate that the relationship between Seven of Nine and Chakotay, which was established during Voyager, didn’t continue after the show ended. Fans who were eager to learn more about their relationship status might have hoped for some clarification when Jeri Ryan reprised her role as Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Picard, but unfortunately, Chakotay is not mentioned at all. This could be because Robert Beltran, the actor who played Chakotay, decided not to be part of the project. Initially, he was offered a chance to reprise his role, but declined due to expressed dissatisfaction with the producers’ plans for his character, as reported in an interview with TrekMovie.com.

3) Worf and Deanna Troi – Star Trek: The Next Generation

Among long-term enthusiasts, this romantic connection between Deanna Troi, the ship’s Counselor, and Lt. Worf, the beloved Klingon security officer (from The Next Generation) continues to ignite discussion. Although they were individually significant and cherished characters, their relationship often seemed to overshadow them, turning into a secondary plotline with an unconventional direction. The romance lacked a natural progression, as even Marina Sirtis, the actress playing Troi, expressed her displeasure towards the coupling.

Before Season 7 of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Worf and Deanna Troi had different personalities, goals, and no romantic history. In “Parallels,” an episode from Season 7, Worf discovers an alternate reality where he is married to Deanna, sparking the idea of pursuing a relationship with her in his timeline. However, their relationship was not further explored in subsequent films, as Deanna ultimately married Will Riker in Star Trek: Nemesis. This left Worf to engage in another controversial relationship with Jadzia Dax on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which seemed more plausible compared to the previous one.

2) Tasha Yar and Data – Star Trek: The Next Generation

In the memorable episode “The Naked Now” from Star Trek: The Next Generation, Tasha Yar and Data’s brief interaction was certainly unusual. Even though you might say it was strange in the first place, Tasha Yar, who typically kept her emotions hidden, found herself attracted to Data during an incident where several crew members were affected by a mysterious substance. This moment became well-known due to a famous line about Data being “fully operational.” However, this sudden encounter between Data and Tasha Yar didn’t develop into anything deeper and left fans feeling slightly uneasy because of Data’s lack of human emotions and innocence.

The series barely addressed the consequences of the incident, only making occasional mentions following Tasha’s unexpected demise in “Skin of Evil.” The brief romantic encounter seemed almost insignificant to both characters’ narratives, causing viewers to ponder its purpose – primarily serving as a significant human experience for Data, but ultimately appearing to exploit him.

1) Spock and Uhura – Star Trek (Kelvin Timeline)

In my critique as a movie enthusiast, J.J. Abrams’ refreshing take on the classic Star Trek universe didn’t hesitate to reinvent the cherished characters from The Original Series – after all, what’s an alternate timeline without a dash of creativity? One daring move that stood out in the films was the development of a romantic relationship between Spock and Uhura. Although there wasn’t an overt romantic connection between them in The Original Series, there were indeed hints of playful banter, such as in episodes like “The Man Trap” and “Charlie X”, so it’s not hard to see the inspiration behind Abrams’ decision.

In the films, the introduction of romance added an emotional dimension, but some longtime fans felt it was inconsistent with the characters’ established personalities. Uhura often tended to manage Spock’s emotions, which seemed to limit her own character development, while others believed that a relationship would weaken Spock’s defining struggle between logic and emotion, a conflict that had been central to his character for years. However, Spock has since been depicted in various relationships, such as with Christine Chapel in “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” and more recently with La’An Noonien-Singh, suggesting that romantic relationships don’t necessarily contradict the Vulcan character, but can actually enhance it.

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2025-08-09 04:13