Space, the final frontier. These are the romantic voyages of the starship Enterprise. With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, it’s fun to seek out iconic relationships to see how ours compare or even what an ideal relationship might look like. There are so many legendary relationships throughout the Star Trek series that it would be a shame not to include the best in a short and sweet list. Here are our top five!
Picard and Crusher
This one is a bittersweet pick for many reasons because Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher’s romantic relationship in Star Trek: TNG never solidified. There are episodes where Beverly and Picard’s feelings for each other are the highlight, but the writers found that retaining Picard’s bachelorhood kept the series consistent with the idea that captains were married to their ships rather than their relationships. Picard and Crusher always remain good friends throughout the series, but according to Picard during capture with Crusher on the planet Kesprytt, he did not act out on his feelings out of respect to his dead friend.
Their relationship is a wonderful reminder that loving a friend can be just as valid and important as loving a romantic partner.
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Sisko and Yates
Even though it was a late-in-season relationship, the bond between Kasidy Yates and Benjamin Sisko brought both joy and sorrow to our screens in Star Trek: DS9. After the death of Sisko’s first wife, Sisko struggled with grief. Meeting someone else seemed unlikely, up until Season Three when Kasidy Yates was first introduced to Sisko as a bold freighter captain and lover of baseball. But later into Season Seven when their relationship bloomed, Sisko realized that he could love someone just as tenderly again.
The Prophets foretold that the relationship would take them on different paths and that the marriage would bring Sisko sorrow. This prophecy didn’t stop them and while it did end in sorrow with Sisko sacrificing his life in the end to defeat the Kosst Amojan, he left behind a legacy, a child named Rebecca Jae Sisko.
Worf and Jadzia Dax
Worf had many lovers throughout the Star Trek series, but one of the most revered relationships he was known for was with Jadzia Dax. Jadzia Dax matched Worf in many ways, especially when it came to passion, experience in Klingon society and physical prowess. Star Trek: DS9 gave us another beautiful relationship with the pair, showing just how deep Worf’s love for another could go despite his intimidating exterior. Their relationship blossomed into a beautiful, albeit sometimes tumultuous, marriage.
They pulled through with all the trials and tribblelations—I mean tribulations—expected aboard the space station, but not without cost. Jadzia Dax died tragically after an encounter with Gul Dukat and a Pah-Wraith.
Stamets and Culber
The first openly gay couple in Star Trek arrived with the advent of Star Trek: Discovery. It’s not surprising considering Star Trek is well known for being progressive, even though it did take years for them to provide viewers with a mostly stable, realistic gay relationship. Paul Stamets, spore drive specialist, and Hugh Culber, ship’s doctor, provide a beautiful look into what a loving, supportive relationship is and should be, even when rough patches arise.
Even when Culber dies, is resurrected via the mycelial network and questions the nature of his relationship with Stamets, their love pulls through and Culber decides to remain aboard the Discovery with Stamets.
“The Butcher’s Knife Cares Not for the Lamb’s Cry” — Episode 104 — Pictured: Anthony Rapp as Lieutenant Paul Stamets. Photo Cr: Jan Thijs/CBS © 2017 CBS Interactive. All Rights Reserved.
RELATED: STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Launches Celebratory GLAAD Collection
Riker and Troi
They were both Imzadi or “beloved.” Will Riker and Deanna Troi remain one of the most iconic duos in all of Star Trek. Their friendship and romance blossomed and remained throughout Star Trek: TNG. However, they didn’t marry until they reached the movie Star Trek: Nemesis. What makes this couple unique throughout the series thus far is that not only did they survive as a couple through ’80s and ’90s Trek, but they also took their married relationship all the way through to the new Star Trek spin-off, Star Trek: Picard.
According to SyfyWire, Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis held onto their romance for their characters as a cornerstone even though the “writers seemed to give up on it.” We are thankful to see a relationship in which love, or a lover, never dies.
Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi eating a chocolate sundae in the episode “The Game” (s5e6) of Star Trek: The Next Generation
These are only some of the best relationships Star Trek has to offer. While there are more bonds within the Star Trek franchise, these are what we want to highlight this Valentine’s Day. They show that Star Trek boldly goes where no one has gone before in both relationships and space.
This article was originally published on February 14, 2021.
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