Summary
Star Trekis"really a love story,“according to executive producer Alex Kurtzman, and this is very evident inStar Trek: Discovery. AlthoughStar Trek: Discovery is tightly serialized and action-packed, the series is fundamentally about character relationships, with the love story between Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) as the heart ofDiscovery. However, Alex Kurtzman points out thatlove stories in various forms have always been a crucial part ofStar Trek.
TheLos Angeles Timesspoke to Alex Kurtzman to mark the end ofStar Trek: Discoveryand pointed out thatDiscovery,in particular amongStar Trekshows, is"a riot of love stories”. Kurtzman explained that whether in the form of iron-clad friendships among starship bridge crews, or romantic relationships,inStar Trek, “everyone’s in a love story”.Read his quote below:
There’s certainly a history of that in “Star Trek.” Whether or not characters were engaged in direct relationships, there was always a subtext of the love between them. I believe that’s why we love the bridge crew, because it’s really a love story, everyone’s in a love story, and they all care for each other and fight like family members. But ultimately they’re there to help each other and explore the universe together. If there’s some weird problem, and the answer’s not immediately apparent, each of them brings a different skill set and therefore a different perspective; they clash in their debate on how to proceed and then find some miraculous solution that none of them would have thought of at the outset.
Alex Kurtzman also discussed howStar Trekas a television sagaallows audiences to invest in the characters' relationships across multiple episodes. Read his quote below:
One of the beautiful things about the shows is that you get to spend alongtime with them, as opposed to a two-hour movie where you have to get in and out quickly and then wait a couple of years before the next one comes along. To be able to be on their weekly adventures, it affords the storytelling level of depth and complexity a two-hour movie just can’t achieve in that way.
Burnham & Book’s Discovery Happy Ending Is Something I’ve Wanted From Star Trek Forever
Michael Burnham and Cleveland Booker get a happy ending in Star Trek: Discovery’s series finale and a love story Star Trek rarely does this right.
Why Love Stories Have Always Been At The Heart Of Star Trek
Star Trek’s friendships, loyalties, and families are rooted in love
Star Trekwas built on the idea of the found family within a starship crew, but there’s no argument that at the root of Captain James T. Kirk’s (William Shatner) friendship with Spock (Leonard Nimoy) is genuine love. And that also goes for Dr. Leonard McCoy’s (DeForrest Kelley) friendship with Kirk and Spock.Star Trekavoided depicting long-term romantic love between its main characters for decades.Even Commander Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) remained platonic for years onStar Trek: The NextGeneration before finally marrying inStar Trek: Nemesis.
In Star Trek, love is everywhere you look.
Under Alex Kurtzman’s aegis,Star Trek on Paramount+ has allowed its characters to pursue and keep romantic relationships.Star Trek: Discoveryis the modern gold standard forStar Trekromance, with three main love stories that end in happy marriages. Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and Captain Marie Batel (Melanie Scrofano) strive to make their romance work onStar Trek: Strange New Worlds,and evenStar Trek: Prodigyis exploring the love and loyalty betweenAdmiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and Captain Chakotay(Robert Beltran). InStar Trek, love is everywhere you look.
