Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) has been significantly improved by Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which has turned her into a bona fide fan favorite. Chapel is one of two Star Trek legacy characters originated by Majel Barrett-Roddenberry who are featured in Strange New Worlds, the other being Number One (Rebecca Romijn). But as a modernized prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, Strange New Worlds has developed Nurse Chapel far beyond the character Majel was limited to in the 1960s.
Nurse Chapel is destined to be the Nurse supporting Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) on the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: The Original Series. Strange New Worlds establishes that Christine actually began her service on the Enterprise commanded by Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) seven years prior. It’s during this five-year mission that Chapel first meets Spock (Ethan Peck) and Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), who she will continue to serve with under Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner). Strange New Worlds also shows the initial sparks of attraction between Christine and Spock. But even though season 1 lacked an episode spotlighting Nurse Chapel, Strange New Worlds has illuminated her character in fascinating ways.
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6 Nurse Chapel Invented Crucial Starfleet Technology
Strange New Worlds revealed that Nurse Chapel helped develop the technology Starfleet uses to alter human DNA to turn them into aliens. In Strange New Worlds episode 1, Chapel “messed with the genomes” of Captain Pike, Spock, and Lt. La’an Noonien Singh (Christina Chong) to temporarily transform them into lookalikes of the inhabitants of the planet Kiley 279. Chapel’s early technology was extremely painful, and Spock’s Vulcan DNA soon reasserted itself, but Christine is one of the innovators of this miraculous technology.
Surgically altering Starfleet Officers into aliens for infiltration missions becomes commonplace in the 23rd and 24th centuries. Notable instances of genetic alteration include Captain Kirk and Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) in Star Trek: The Next Generationbeing turned into Romulans. Remarkably, Strange New Worlds establishes that medical technology originated from the work of the brilliant and perceptive Christine Chapel.
5 Nurse Chapel Has More Backstory (But We’re Still Waiting For The Rest Of It)
Strange New Worlds season 2 will hopefully deliver on the promise of spotlight episodes for Nurse Chapel and the Enterprise’s helmsman, Lt. Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia). Regardless, Strange New Worlds season 1 revealed intriguing tidbits about Christine that help illuminate who the blonde medical professional really is. Chapel joined the Enterprise as a civilian exchange from the Stamford Morehouse Epigenetic Project, so she isn’t officially a member of Starfleet in Strange New Worlds season 1.
Christine has past personal experience with Vulcans, which she finds helpful in understanding the half-Vulcan Mr. Spock. Chapel also has an interesting love life where she has dated women and men. In Strange New Worlds episode 5, Christine put an end to her relationship with Lt. Dever (Graham Parkhurst), who she found “boring.”Nurse Chapel’s full backstory and what makes her tick has yet to be revealed by Strange New Worlds, but Christine is a bright and magnetic woman who is much more complex than she was allowed to be in Star Trek: The Original Series.
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4 Nurse Chapel Has Friends On The Enterprise
Nurse Chapel is obviously well-liked by the crew of the Enterprise, and she has many friends. Her work relationship with Dr. Joseph M’Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) is based on mutual respect and admiration, but off-duty, Christine is close with her crewmates, especially Erica Ortegas. Chapel and Ortegas seem to go way back, and that story needs to be told. Chapel is also a regular at the ‘family dinners’ Captain Pike cooks in his quarters. Nurse Chapel in Star Trek: TOS was usually relegated to plot-driven Sickbay scenes, but Strange New Worlds‘ vivacious young Christine has a rich social life when she’s not saving lives.
3 Nurse Chapel Is Funnier In Strange New Worlds
Majel Barrett-Roddenberry’s Nurse Chapel was known to drop a sly and sarcastic comment in Star Trek: The Original Series, but aside from functional dialogue, most of her character was defined by her unrequited love for Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy). Strange New Worlds takes full advantage of both Chapel’s youth and Jess Bush’s sparkling charisma to make Christine a much witter character. Nurse Chapel isn’t afraid to crack a joke to undercut the sternness of Lt. La’an Noonien Singh (Christina Chong), and her bedside manner is light and friendly. But Christine was at her funniest with Spock in Strange New Worlds‘ episode 5, “Spock Amok,” especially when she smacked the Vulcan in the head at dinner.
2 Nurse Chapel Has Action Scenes In Strange New Worlds
Nurse Chapel didn’t see action in Star Trek: The Original Series, which was a function of how the female characters in 1960s Star Trek didn’t have fight scenes or engage in much physicality. But Strange New Worlds has tapped Christine Chapel to defend herself when necessary. When the Enterprise was boarded by space pirates from the Serene Squall, Christine used her wits and training to take out one of the marauders. In Strange New Worlds episode 9, “All Those Who Wander,” Chapel was part of the landing party on Valeo Beta V that was attacked by Gorn hatchlings. Christine daringly risked her life and evaded the murderous baby Gorn.
1 Nurse Chapel’s Relationship With Spock Is Evolving
Nurse Chapel’s burgeoning relationship with Lt. Spock is one of the most compelling ongoing storylines in Strange New Worlds. Christine’s attraction to Spock was palpable from their first meeting, and her flirting was obvious to Cadet Uhura in Strange New Worlds episode 2, “Children of the Comet.” Concurrent with Spock’s electric relationship with his Vulcan fiancée, T’Pring (Gia Sandhu), Spock’s friendship with Chapel obviously has delicious undertones of becoming something more. This was apparent when the Nurse and the Vulcan kissed as part of a ruse against the villanous Captain Angel (Jesse James Keitel).
Related: Strange New Worlds Forgot The Importance It Gave Nurse Chapel
Christine is perhaps the one person aboard the Enterprise who understands and empathizes with Spock’s inner torment between his Vulcan and human sides. Indeed, it was Chapel Spock turned to for support when he lost control of his Vulcan stoicism in Strange New Worlds episode 9. Every new development between Spock and Christine in Strange New Worlds also adds depth and context to their older selves in Star Trek: The Original Series. Meanwhile, it’s gratifying to see Nurse Christine Chapel improved into one of the brightest and most compelling characters in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
More: Every Way Strange New Worlds Has Already Changed TOS
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 premieres in 2023 on Paramount+.
