Star Trek's Star-Crossed Romances

The relationship between Beckett Mariner and her not-quite-ex Jennifer Sh'reyan took center stage in ' "," and their eventual separation acted as a stark reminder that not all romances can have the storybook endings that were enjoyed by , , , , or one of Star Trek's other power couples.

As in the real world, there are a variety of factors that can cause relationships between loving individuals to simply not work out. Let's explore some of those star-crossed loves, keeping in mind that we'll be avoiding those that are either in progress or whose final outcomes remain unknown.

T'Pol & Charles "Trip" Tucker

In the wake of the Xindi attack on Earth that killed his sister, Charles "Trip" Tucker began visiting T’Pol to receive Vulcan neuropressure treatments as a means of coping with the associated stress. Their relationship quickly intensified during the Enterprise NX-01's tour of duty in the Delphic Expanse, and the two developed strong feelings for one another.

In 's "" and "," T’Pol and Trip were nevertheless shocked to learn that John Frederick Paxton had stolen their biosamples from Enterprise and created a binary clone. The baby was indeed T'Pol and Trip's child, but Paxton's flawed cloning technique led to her tragic demise. "These Are the Voyages…" found the two reflecting on their romance, and while it had ended 6 years prior, T'Pol and Trip continued to exhibit affection between them.

Ash Tyler & Michael Burnham

In one of Star Trek's most complicated relationships, 's Michael Burnham became attracted to Ash Tyler, a Klingon posing as a Starfleet officer who was not actively aware of his own deception. The two began seeing each other romantically, but the personality of Voq, the Klingon Torchbearer, soon reemerged and asserted control over his body. Voq lashed out at Burnham, failing to kill her but inflicting an unimaginable emotional toll on her with his drastic betrayal.

While Voq's personality was eventually purged from Ash Tyler's mind, Burnham and Tyler went their separate ways in Discovery's first-season finale, "Will You Take My Hand?" Any possibility that their attachment could be fully rekindled was extinguished at the end of the second season, as Tyler stayed behind when Burnham and the U.S.S. Discovery jumped forward in time to the 32nd Century in "."

Christopher Pike & Alora

Ten years prior to ' "," Christopher Pike rescued Alora while on a mission in the Majalan system. Upon his return to the system as the captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise, Pike came face-to-face with Alora once more, an encounter which supplied a second chance for them to explore the attraction that they both felt.

The flourishing companionship received a devastating blow when Pike discovered that Alora and the Majalans powered their civilization by connecting children to a machine which required their neural networks to function. Disgusted by the sacrificial practice, Pike turned down Alora's offer for him to stay on Majalis and swiftly beamed back to the Enterprise.

Spock & T'Pring

While a glimmer of hope still burns for on Strange New Worlds, the reality is that the notion of their nuptials would go on to be extinguished in 's "." Having fallen in love with Stonn, T'Pring initiated the kal-if-fee, a Vulcan challenge which allowed her to choose Captain James T. Kirk as her champion against Spock.

In a calculated move, T'Pring believed that she would end up with Stonn regardless of the outcome. A victorious Kirk would not wish her to be his wife, while a triumphant Spock would more than likely feel the same since she dared to challenge him. Spock prevailed, seeing the logic in her thought process and leaving T'Pring and Stonn to their courtship. Fortunately, Dr. McCoy had orchestrated his own ruse, arranging for Kirk to merely appear dead before reuniting Spock with his captain aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise.

Ro Laren & William T. Riker

When a scanning signal from a mysterious vessel left the U.S.S. Enterprise-D's crew devoid of their memories in 's "," the ship's complement struggled to ascertain their identities and determine their current mission. Though typically at odds in their day-to-day lives, Ensign Ro Laren and Commander William T. Riker were unburdened by the influence of their past interactions and quickly became sensed the spark of attraction. The romance was short-lived, lasting only as long as the amnesia-like ordeal persisted throughout the Enterprise-D.

However, Ro did speak to Deanna Troi about the matter in a professional context, and the counselor suggested that the memory loss had permitted Ro and Riker to experience things that they had always wanted to try.

Jean-Luc Picard & Nella Daren

Despite the potential perils of becoming involved with a shipmate, Captain Jean-Luc and Commander Nella Daren elected to follow their feelings and began to date in The Next Generation's "." From their delight in one another's company to a shared affinity for the sciences and music, the duo looked as if they would defy the odds for couples who operated under the same chain-of-command.

Sadly, that dynamic shifted when it appeared that Daren had perished during a dangerous away mission ordered by the captain. Although Daren survived, Picard could never envision himself putting her life in jeopardy again. With neither willing to resign their commission, Picard and Daren jointly decided to end their relationship.

Melora Pazlar & Julian Bashir

The low surface gravity on Melora Pazlar’s homeworld meant that a specialized chair was necessary for the Elaysian ensign to traverse the gravity level standard to most Federation facilities. After Pazlar and Julian Bashir became romantically involved in 's "," the station's doctor proposed a series of treatments related to her brain's motor cortex which could potentially empower her to walk in standard gravity.

The procedures showed promise, but Pazlar was understandably reluctant to permanently give up her ability to exist in her homeworld's low gravity environment. Pazlar ceased the treatments, and while she and Bashir remained affectionate, their courtship did not last much longer.

Jadzia Dax & Lenara Kahn

The intricacies of Trill society frowned upon joined Trill harboring feelings for their former hosts' partners, as the so-called "reassociation" would prevent symbionts from moving on from the past and accumulating new experiences.

When Lenara Kahn, who had been married to Torias Dax while joined as Nilani Kahn, visited Jadzia Dax aboard Deep Space 9, the history between the previous Kahn and Dax hosts prompted their dormant emotions to reemerge in Deep Space Nine's "." Lenara and Jadzia both wished to be together, but such an outcome would cause them both to be exiled from Trill society and deny their symbionts any future hosts. While Jadzia thought the price was worth it, Lenara ultimately opted to leave the station and return to her work on Trill.

Cristóbal Rios & Agnes Jurati

Jean-Luc Picard's mission to find Soji Asha brought Cristóbal Rios and Agnes Jurati together in , though Jurati's involvement in Bruce Maddox's death added an unexpected wrinkle to the nature of their emotional connection. Since her actions were influenced by the devastating visions associated with a mind meld initiated by a Romulan agent, Jurati avoided incarceration.

The interest between Rios and Jurati lingered into Picard's second season, but a time-traveling excursion eventually put any amorous possibilities to rest. Rios stayed behind in the 21st Century to be with Teresa Ramirez, while Jurati's assimilation led her to form her own Borg collective separate from the original Borg Queen's malevolent faction that had plagued Starfleet for decades.

Gray & Adira Tal

The love between Gray and Adira Tal demonstrated such overwhelming strength that even Gray's death could not separate the couple, as the Trill lived on in Adira's mind before being reborn into a synthetic body supplied by Dr. Culber.

As beautiful as their reunion was, the two came to realize that their dreams would set them on divergent paths. While Adira remained aboard the U.S.S. Discovery-A, Gray returned to Trill to train with Guardian Xi at the end of Discovery's "." Their long-distance romance continued until the following year, when they acknowledged the changes in their lives and reluctantly chose to break up in "," though they asserted that they would always be there for each other.