Every Love Story In Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 (Old & New)

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 1 – “Red Directive” and Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 2 – “Under the Twin Moons”

The love stories in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 are all in different stages of their relationships, with some poised to explore what their next steps might be, and others more assured of what their relationship statuses are. From the eager beginnings of the flirtation between Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) and Lt. Jax (Gregory Caldone), to the steady support of the realistic marriage between Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz), Star Trek: Discovery tells the stories of people experiencing love in very different, but still relatable, ways. Discovery season 5 even includes a love story among its brand-new characters, Moll (Eve Harlow) and L’ak (Elias Toufexis).

Months have passed since the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 4 and the start of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, so there have been some changes in the love lives of some of Discovery‘s characters. Relationships have formed, grown, and broken down in the intervening time, and with these shifts comes a change in the general tone of Discovery. Compared to the darkness of earlier seasons, Discovery season 5 already feels brighter and lighter, with a focus on different relationships and how the people in them change each other, for good or ill. After focusing on hope, family, connection, and communication in its first 4 seasons, Star Trek: Discovery season 5 can use the following love stories as a unifying theme.

6

Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) & Lt. Jax (Gregory Caldone)

“I love walking and talking.”

Lt. Sylvia Tilly & Lt. Jax, both instructors at Starfleet Academy, are in the very first stage of a new relationship at the start of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, one that might not even be a real relationship yet, but starts to form between the lines of discussing issues at work. It’s delightful to see Jax being charmed by Tilly’s honesty instead of put off by her characteristic rambling and social awkwardness, even if the Andorian champagne makes Sylvia trip over her words a little more than usual. The playful chemistry developing between Tilly and Jax is sweet, and might be a hint at what to expect in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.

Jax and Tilly have an unspoken history that’s only hinted at on-screen. In Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 1, “Red Directive”, the camera searches the room for the next story thread to pick up, and seems to head for Jax’s table after Tilly’s caught his eye, but the camera sails right past Tilly and Jax instead of lingering on their conversation, leaving gaps in the viewer’s knowledge of their relationship. Lt. Tilly takes a brief leave from the Academy to join the USS Discovery’s latest mission, so we’ll have to wait to see if this burgeoning relationship can pick up where it left off, or if the flame goes out before it has a chance to ignite.

5

Ensign Adira Tal (Blu del Barrio) & Gray Tal (Ian Alexander)

“This is the first time it’s just been me, and I don’t know … I kinda like it.”

Ensign Adira Tal and Gray Tal have been through a lot together, like Gray’s death and rebirth into a new synthetic body after existing as a particularly loud voice in the Trill symbiont named Tal, hosted by the human Adira. Star Trek: Discovery season 4 saw Gray and Adira parting ways again, with Gray leaving to live out his dream of studying to become a Guardian of the Trill symbionts. This is the longest stretch of time that Adira and Gray have been separated, but the Tal symbiont adds a grounding perspective to Adira’s teenage worry, resulting in Adira Tal not knowing how to feel about being so okay without Gray.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 2, “Under the Twin Moons” reveals the next step in the search for Progenitor technology that’s at the heart of Discovery season 5. When Ensign Tal realizes where that clue points, Adira announces the USS Discovery’s next stop is the Trill homeworld with a nervous mixture of excitement and uncertainty. Of course, Adira wants to see Gray again, but worries that one or both of them have changed while Adira and Gray’s lives pull them in separate directions. Is it okay to be so okay without each other?

4

Moll (Eve Harlow) & L’ak (Elias Toufexis)

“All we have is each other, and that’s more than enough.”

Absolutely certain about the status of their relationship, on the other hand, are the ride-or-die pair of criminals new to Star Trek: Discovery in season 5: Moll, a human, and L’ak, whose species is as yet unknown. Discovery‘s Moll and L’ak are like an interstellar Bonnie and Clyde, taking on the galaxy together like nothing can stop them. Their motives for pursuing the galaxy’s greatest treasure haven’t yet been explored, but it’s likely there’s more to this pirate duo than the pursuit of latinum, or even the simple thrill of getting away with something.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 2, “Under the Twin Moons”, reveals the connection between Moll and Cleveland Booker’s (David Ajala) mentor, but Moll was on the hunt for the treasure before Book ever became involved. L’ak remains a mystery as of “Under the Twin Moons”, but the question of L’ak’s origin might relate to the Progenitor technology at the heart of Discovery‘s chase. Regardless of how or why Moll and L’ak are paired, they’ve got each other’s backs, and trust each other implicitly, even if they don’t trust anyone else.

3

Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) & Cleveland Booker (David Ajala)

“Some things are hard to move past, for both of us.”

Captain Michael Burnham and Cleveland Booker reunite in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, after a long time apart. The ideological separation between Burnham and Book began long before their physical separation from each other, since they led opposing sides in Star Trek: Discovery season 4’s Species 10-C dilemma, with Burnham favoring communication and Book demanding vengeance. It seemed Book and Burnham had put those viewpoints behind them in the wake of first contact with the 10-C, and Book’s act of contrition relocating refugees from worlds destroyed by Species 10-C’s Dark Matter Anomaly.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 shows there’s still tension, though, with both Burnham and Book blaming the other for their lack of contact. Neither Michael nor Book wants to call their relationship over, but the facts seem plain, even when unspoken. Book’s courier knowledge is an important asset in pursuing Moll and L’ak, so Burnham is going to have to work with Book on the USS Discovery. Without the heavy label of a relationship, it seems like Michael and Book could fall back into easy, comfortable patterns, but there’s a wide gulf of difference to cross before they get back to where they were.

2

Ambassador Saru (Doug Jones) & President T’Rina (Tara Rosling)

“I do believe it would be logical to codify our mutual commitment in a more official capacity.”

The relationship between Ambassador Saru and President T’Rina of Ni’Var has only grown in the space between Star Trek: Discovery seasons 4 and 5. Rather than approach the relationship like a delicate thing that may crack with the wrong word, Saru and T’Rina are certain of their importance in each other’s lives. There’s a steady comfort and miles of trust between them, the kind that lets T’Rina feel safe enough to crack a joke about a mind meld, and lets Saru open his vulnerable heart to declare that T’Rina, like Discovery, is Saru’s home.

Being closer to T’Rina factors heavily into Saru’s decision to resign his Starfleet commission and become a Federation Ambassador. In response, President T’Rina suggests the next logical step for Saru and T’Rina is to make their relationship more official, implying a practical marriage proposal, but Rosling skillfully conveys the depth of T’Rina’s love for Saru while maintaining the restraint of T’Rina’s Vulcan heritage. There’s a beating heart beneath T’Rina’s proposal, a quiet joy in Saru’s surprise, and Saru’s acceptance promises the first Star Trek wedding in 22 years.

1

Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) & Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz)

“You married a packrat.”

Although Commander Paul Stamets and Dr. Hugh Culber have been married for years, their relationship still faces challenges, from life-altering experiences like Culbers’ Star Trek: Discovery season 2 resurrection after dying in season 1, to the more relatable, mundane problems that most couples go through, like one partner working longer hours, as well as the everyday joys that come with knowing each other so well. Stamets and Culber have proven themselves to be supportive partners to each other time and again, with a realistic dynamic that shows the actual work that goes into maintaining a long-term relationship.

In Star Trek: Discovery season 5, Paul Stamets is frustrated that Starfleet has discontinued research into Stamets’ spore drive as a replacement for warp drive, since the dilithium shortage in the wake of the Burn remains an issue as Starfleet rebuilds. It’s a practical solution, but Stamets had hoped the spore drive would be his legacy, as the culmination of a whole life of research. The concern is tabled for now, since the show must go on, and as it does, Stamets and Culber continue to work together as a great team, trusting each other to be the home that they both come back to.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 promises a lighter tone than previous seasons, and highlighting the love stories between its different characters is a great way to bring some levity to the usually weighty show. Love makes people change, and done right, love makes people better versions of each other. With Discovery season 5’s love stories forming the basis for Discovery developing into a brighter form of Star Trek, maybe Captain Michael Burnham’s toast “to change” in Discovery‘s 5th season opener really will be a portent of what the rest of Star Trek: Discovery‘s final year has in store.

Star Trek: Discovery streams Thursdays on Paramount+.