I think from his perspective that would not be memorable because before the internet no one really talked about that episode. Everyone wanted to forget it.
Star Trek's ultimate Power Couple is easily Zek and Ishka. Their temporary breakup nearly brought down the entire Ferengi Alliance. Their relationship also gives us both Iggy Pop and Keevan bumping into the walls of Empok Nor for eternity so I'd call that a win.
Zek and Ishka gave me Nancy and Ronald vibes, but without being racist monsters that let a disease ravage a social minority or let people die for money and power. Zek and Ishka are pretty good folks all things considered.
I honestly believe that out of all the times Lwaxana appeared in Star Trek, the DS9 episode where she is stuck in the elevator with Odo is the best. She shows a vulnerability that explains her character the rest of the series. I am not saying it is a good episode, or she is a good character, but it is the most character development she gets as a character for most of the series.
I think they did her well here,for exactly the reasons you stated. It made me.hate her a little less (which is where I think Odo ended up at the end.ofnthe episode).
I never really hated her character on TNG but I loved all her ds9 appearances She was no longer just the horny granny like she was on TNG, but an actual mature and somewhat wise empath that can offer the main cast (mainly Odo) some appreciated company
Dont forget the episode where it was revealed that she lost her first daughter. Having a near complete mental breakdown when seeing the alien girl that looked like her. Also her love for the man that was forced to commit suicide at 60 showed a deeper side to the character. Majel Barrett really did a good job with the character.
I never noticed as well,but I found out at some.point when I was looking up who the actress was. It still blows my mind sometimes because she is just sort of there.
I thought it was two, the young ziyal and older one who was on the station, I assumed the one in the camp episode was the same as the episode where they fight that bird of prey.
Watching "Journey to Babel" right before rewatching _Discovery_ gave me *such a new appreciation* for the actors and writers for how much they added to these characters while remaining faithful to their original portrayals.
All three versions bring something different. OG we don’t see the extent of Sarek’s love until TNG. Kelvin he is broken after she dies. Disco we can tell that Amanda chased him down.
The EMH and the Vidiian woman Denara Pel from VGR's season 2 episode "Lifesigns". It's a innocent, simple, gentle romance and the episode featuring them is, at least for me, the greatest single love story episode in the history of the franchise. The final scene when The Doctor is slow dancing at Sandrine's with Denara in her true scarred Vidiian form is truly a tearjerker.
Oh yes, that story is lovely and the genuine feelings between them is one of the highlights of the entire season. Ah, the EMH, truly bringing light to the worst Star Trek.
Why the Alexander hate? Poor kid got it worse than Wesley from a father who did not want him and a mother who was murdered. What kid wouldn't get messed up from that. Justice for Alexander!
Seriously, especially as a father now, I always feel heartbroken for the kid now, and they didn't even write him off well with a good ending. Couldn't give him a Kurn memory wipe to a farm? Or have him join some ascended alien commune like Wesley? No, just make him suffer feeling so unloved and unbelonging that future him comes back and almost kills his own child self thinking it's the more humane option. Poor kid.
Alexander was maybe annoying, but realistically so. As a child, he behaved just like that whiny, weak annoying nephew you have that you look forward to growing up to be a complete failure, and as a young adult he's a credible walking disaster who self-sabotages and seeks out failure to get attention. Both real types of flawed male one encounters in their life.
It's funny to me that you made a point of highlighting Culber+Stamets and Raffi+Seven being the limited LGBT representation, but then completely neglected Jadzia+Lenara, a paring which predated the other two by more than a decade. Yes, they pulled the "we were a hetero couple in a previous life" card, but what was shown on screen was two women romantically involved; that should count for something.
Ahh yes… but I saw the recognition as even more than this… to me it was the recognition of a lover (or any dearly loved one) in a new form/body… as in reincarnation.. this is an experience I have been blessed to have in this life. It was their obvious deep familiarity with each other that had me in tears of emotion the first time I saw the scene where they meet again. That said, the on screen portrayal of two women romantically involved was pretty progressive for its time. Which was more of a statement on our ridiculous backwards culture ... than the bravery of the then Star Trek producers. It's a very sad commentary on our culture that even now, decades later, there remains any hesitation to accurately portray the lives of a significant part of the population.
All time worst has to be Dr. Crushers fling with Grandma's old flame. He waxes romantic, dips his wick, and she snuffs him. Classic! The all-time best is little Geordi and his right hand.
I agree with SF Debris' theory on how Seven/Chakotay happened; the writers saw that the three biggest shipping communities in the VOY fandom were Janeway/Chaktoay, Janeway/Seven, and Seven/The EMH and went "What can we do to piss all three of them off at the same time?" In that sense, they went with the best option really. Janeway and the Doctor would've been like watching your Aunt & Uncle f*cking.
I've heard (though I sadly have no idea where) that this relationship was written into the last season of Voyager (it's not just "Endgame", there are hints in earlier episodes) because Robert Beltran challenged the writers to do it, thinking that surely, this had to be the last straw that would make the producers fire him. Turns out it wasn't - as if Beltran needed any excuses to phone it in even more than before on that last season...
That's been the ongoing consensus on what happened & how that came about, moreso than fan input. I know people genuinely shipped it and I have no smoke of them. If anything, I feel worse for them for having this sexist BS be a permanent stain on the couple.
Personally, i found the ultimate solution for this problem: Seven and Janeway are bi und in some sort of poly relationship with Chakotay. So Seven/Janeway, Janeway/Chakotay, Seven/the doctor, Seven/B'Elanna and yes, even Seven/Chakotay would be possible.
No, it's not since DS9 didn't have any on-screen same-sex couples. Lenara and Jadzia were a couple years before the show took place, but decided against becoming a couple again when Lenara appeared on-screen. The Intendentant was interested in both sexes, but was never in a relationship with anyone. Mirror Garak was confirmed gay (unlike prime Garak) but was also never in a relationship with anyone. Star Trek Beyond, however, is on the phone with it's scene of Sulu and his boyfriend.
Spock and T'Pring being such a bad couple is honestly brilliant, since it's what fuels the entire story of one of TOS's most iconic stories. It's very cleverly done.
I think Ziyal and Jake would have made a better pairing. It would have made for a Romeo and Juliet dynamic, it would have thrown Sisko and Dukat for a loop and when Ziyal died, it would have created a parallel for Jake for the loss of his mother.
Interesting! I think that dukaut would have been for it after he got over the shock, because that manipulative bastard would have figured he could use it to leverage ben Sisco
@@moonkey2712 Dukat also respects Sisko in a kind of fucked up way, and so would probably view their union as a power couple kind of situation, even if he may be as dismissive of a human as he is of a bajoran in terms of a serious, long-term interest. Not sure.
Some DS9 examples that could have been there: -Quark and that one Ferengi girl from season 2, they seem cute, too bad she never comes back -Quark and that one Cardassian woman from season 3 I think, goddamn Quark was actually a ladies' man because the writers kept giving him love interests and then not bringing them back, though still not as good as Grilka -Grand Nagus Zek and Moooooogie, absolute power couple, they're so cute for overthrowing the patriarchy together -Jadzia Dax and her ex-wife, oh well, that was a fun one-episode fling, but politics never would have let that stick around long-term -Jadzia Dax and that one guy from the planet that phases in and out of existence, ew gross they forgot to give him a personality -Odo and that one woman lm the station one time someone reccomends he gets a date, barely a thing but she does seem into him -Odo and the female changeling, uhhhh does this count? How does this get counted? -Odo and the one sleeper agent spy lady, the writers really just felt like making Odo suffer that day, and honestly it's kinda sad cause I think they have chemistry and the writers wanted to show Odo losing his virginity. "A woman? That's nice." -Dr. Bashir and Kira, Bashir kinda flirts a little, and sometimes they have cute interactions, but it's not really a thing. They just included little moments because the actors were dating and married during the show' run. -Kira and O'Brien, hot take but they handled it really well. They kinda have a moment together, but then they both realize nope, too weird, maybe in another life but this ain't it chief. And I respect that. -Mirror universe Ezri and her girlfriend, oh hey what if Ezri was gay in the main universe too? Cause this is kinda nice. -Martok and his wife, boy howdy he really loves that woman in a very Klingon way. Get someone who looks at you like that. -O'Brien and that one Cardassian lady, obviously not a real fling but sources say that she is quite fertile -Garak and Bashir, was never going to happen, but I appreciate that Andrew Robinson wanted to play it like it was real, and also looked mega-uncomfortable with every advance Zeyal ever made on him -Jadzia and everyone, "sometimes your taste in men frightens me" but in a hot way -Everyone and everyone, if we're honest with ourselves, everyone on that space station was swapping spit, and there's nothing wrong with being grown ups about it -Everyone and everyone (under the influence) that one episode we Luxana Troi makes everybody horny is such a trip, and I kind of have to respect it -Morn and Morn's partner, what a beautiful on-screen romance, truly the peak of fiction writing because no real world couple has ever had a romance as beautiful or singular as Morn did in DS9
I love too howandrew robinson played zero chemistry at all, to make cleatr they literally are just friends, nothing else. oh odo and the male changeling in that episode were a possibility for sure And quark and being really close with 2 different women at least who rebel against their culture. Oh kira and her big bf before odo, yes he is kinda boring but its a great relationship. oh martok and his wife are relationship goals, kinda
@@terprubinOkay, _LDS_ gang, let's do this: - Rutherford x Barnes: Worst-how do you *not* get excited about a level-three diagnostic?? - Boimler x Barbara: Worst-mind control and insecurity are a double-nope - Freeman & Freeman: Best-they do the long-distance thing well, especially when adding in the parenting dimension - T'Ana x Shaxs: Best-real passion, earnest working through of rough patches - Mariner x Jennifer: Worst-poorly motivated, poorly executed, ended abruptly, and we honestly didn't care - Peanut Hamper x Rawda: Worst-and I *like* that episode! - Peanut Hamper x AGIMUS: Best!-what's the point in enslaving an entire planet of (delicious) lizards if your soulmate isn't around to share it with? Also, Kevin seems like an awesome father-in-law. I'm leaving off B'rt and Shona because we don't really get to see the two of them interact. Same with D'Erika and either her husband or 'mones-addicted ex.
@@coletteb.8889 I haven't watch season 4 yet since it's not available overseas, but has it really been confirmed that Billups is aro/ace? Considering that he wants to be an engineer but will be forced to become a monarch instead if he loses his virginity, it seems equally likely that he just chooses to not be in a relationship for the sake of celibacy. No hate towards aro or ace-people obviously, since I'd like for them to be more represented in media. Just a queston.
The Worf and Troi thing seemed like a Beauty and The Beast riff, and it was a huge mess. Worf and Dax, though - that was a lot of fun and helped to make both characters even better.
BFFs was last week. I guess if you count the people in a bromance* as a couple, then sure. I don't think I do. Don't get me wrong, you can definitely find a soulmate in a pet, but I don't think it really counts as a "couple" scenario (eg: my cat Roscoe is my best mate ever - my wife and my other human best mate both know this and accept it). * hey peeps, is there a F-F version of bromance? If so, what's it called?
@@KristovMars I think so but I have no idea what anyone would call it except BFF (from before that seemed to expand to any close friend relationship).
I think Tasha cared about Data. They were good friends and close confidantes in both timelines. For example - In 11001001 (Minuet episode) - When Data blames himself for abandoning ship, she is the one who console him. In Yesterday's Enterprise - Tasha tells Data about her feelings for the Enterprise C Lieutenant and Data gives her useful advice.
I wouldn’t have minded tbh if they had just gone with Picard/Laris/Zhaban as a throuple. Their dynamic and obvious care with each other shown in the early episodes of Picard Season 1 was actually quite touching and wholesome to watch. A blossoming old throuple romance coming out of that foundation would have been so much better than randomly killing off one of them offscreen so they can stick the other two together.
I know you're not a big fan if Lower Decks but T'ana and Shaxs are awesome together. Good jokes with a sweet relationship is the ideal for a more comedic series.
Unpopular opinion: I actually kinda liked Worf and Troi together. It was far from perfect and yes seemed a little forced but it kinda made sense since Troi was acting as a substitute mother for Alexander from time to time which would explain how she and Worf got closer.
Gun to my head, if I had to choose between than and Word/Dax, I'd pick this. They do seem to compliment each other far more than he and Jadzia ever did.
@@KariIzumi1 I wouldn't go that far. IMO Jadzia and Worf were definitely more fun to watch. Troi and Worf had potential but it wasn't really that well executed. But I still disagree with Steve that it couldn't have worked at all
The Troi/Worf romance was actually preceded by several episodes that steadily bring those two characters closer together. Some of these were Troi trying to help Worf be a father to Alexander, but most notably when Worf had spinal surgery and was believed dead for a short time. And later when Worf asked Troi to be a kind of adoptive mother to Alexander should he be killed on a mission. I was in my early twenties at the time TNG was originally aired and I could see the chemistry between those two, and still to this day I think it works well.
Dr. Phlox and his wife/wives and their husbands. Not a lot of on screen time but you feel they care for each other. Also through the show it helped a friend of mine get together with his girlfriend and be in a polyamorous relationship and they are great together. So their relationship sparked a rl relationship.
I always felt horrible for Worf after they killed off Jadxia. I felt ok for Julian, because he clearly had held a candle for Jadxia and was all-in on Ezri the moment he met her (sorry Garak). But Worf just can't catch a break. Duras murdered his first love, the mother of his child. And then Dukat murders the only other woman he ever loves. I mean...it's very Klingon, but very tragic.
If "held a candle" means "pestered endlessly even after being told she was definitely not interested" then yeah but he's lucky Star Fleet seems to have no HR department
@@RoboCatTrainer Why limit it to his love life? His live as a whole wouldn't just be an opera, it'd be an epic opera cycle, especially when given the embellishments that happen when translated to opera.
@@RoboCatTrainer Worf throwns down the libretto. "Ferengi! I never fought James Kirk on the Genesis Planet!" "Don't begrudge me a little poetic licence, commander. The middle of the second act was dragging a bit."
The reason the producers demanded Garak have a female love interest was because he was gay. Being gay was not allowed in Star Trek, so they forced the Ziyal storyline. It's the same reason that that stupid episode where Malcolm and Trip get lost and Malcolm spends the whole time sending letters to every woman he ever had a date with. They were undoing the choice the actors had originally made to make those characters gay.
Phlox, his three wives, and their six other husbands deserve a mention. Firstly because it's rare to see polyamory portrayed positively in popular culture now, let alone in the early 2000s. Secondly, it's also rare for aliens to simply behave outside the American norm on Star Trek without it being some sort of parable.
The Geordi/Dr. Brahms romance is made even worse not because they reasonably portray real Dr. Brahms's legitimate revulsion at that history in the later episode, but because "All Good Things..." implies they actually get together when future Picard asks Geori about "Leah and the kids" when Geordi shows up on his vineyard.
Being trans, Tom and B'elanna were an important couple for me. My evangelical upbringing trained me to hate myself, and cause what felt like a split within myself. There was the "good" side believed that my desire to be a woman was demonic, and the "bad" side that was actually myself. B'elanna's hate for her Klingon side felt analogous to my own struggles. Tom's love for both sides of her, and his constant help to bring her to a point of self-acceptance made me feel lovable.
Korby and Chapel definitely have a place in the Worst Couple column. She pivots a hard won research career to find him after he goes missing. He pays her back by kidnapping her and her captain while telegraphing plans to turn them (and everyone else) into automatons.
Ezri and Julian would have worked if they wrote it as a point of CONTRAST between her and Jadzia, and not pulled that bs about it “always being Julian”.
What? No Katharine Hepburn-like Janeway and Captain John Smith-like Chakotay from “Resolutions?” They were totally getting it on! I’m sure they even let the monkey watch.
Forgotten best couple from TNG: Darmok and Jalad. First they were on the ocean, then they were at Tanagra then something about a beast with 2 backs? They must have been great together to become part of a language.
There are a couple fixes I would do to Neelix, and the first one is, make Neelix a protective father figure to Kes rather than a paramour. Contrive a backstory where he encountered a very young Kes and took care of her, and he's now a father who's having trouble accepting that his girl may be making bad decisions, such as taking an interest in that guy who had plastic surgery so he'd look like Nick Locarno. That possessive vibe that Neelix showed towards Kes would suddenly be a lot less off-putting, although it would still need to relax over time. (There is a late-seasons episode of Voyager where Neelix is talking about Janeway's crew to some aliens; he describes them as far too grim and full of themselves, but also genuinely committed to helping people. I could imagine Neelix first arriving aboard Voyager, seeing all the surface-level good intentions, and wondering when the masks would slip and he'd discover that they're selfish assholes like everyone else. Eventually he realized they were sincere after all. But, that initial distrust might have been part of why father-figure Neelix didn't trust Tom.) The other fix I'd do to Neelix is, one of his skills is, he's quick at reading other people and adapting his manner to best deal with them. That would be the exact opposite of the Neelix who annoyed people and didn't know when to dial it back. In my head canon, Neelix figured out pretty quick that Tuvok likes to keep things professional, and treated him exactly that way because "a good host knows what his guests want". I have this image of Tuvok hanging out in the mess hall when nobody else is there but Neelix, both of them going about their business, quietly glad the other one's there but not getting in each other's way.
@@BS-vx8dgWith DS9 and Voyager and Enterprise, the writers had the idea that you need to make at least one character unlikeable so that they can have a character arc and become likeable. For Voyager it was Neelix; for DS9 it was Bashir. I get what they're going for, but it's misguided: what you do is make characters flawed but in understandable ways, so there's still the room for growth but they don't start off completely unlikeable. I'll mention Pike on SNW: he's not great in his romance with Captain Batel, but in ways that make sense for him. He blames himself for things that go wrong. He doesn't open up when there's something bothering him. You watch the show and think "oh come on Dreamy Space Dad, just work with her to overcome obstacles as one", but you don't hate him for being a jerk.
Granted, I haven't watched the early seasons of _VOY_ since they aired, but I have *no recollection* of it ever being stated that Neelix and Kes were involved romantically.
@GSBarlev My mom put it on the living room TV every night to fall asleep to, so I think I’ve seen the early seasons at least 6 times, and I can assure you *they were.*
You missed the most famous Trek couple: Kirk and Spock! They launched a thousand ships and created a new genre of fanfiction that not only endures but thrives as the most popular form of fanfic today!
Ryker and Minuet from the episode of the Binars! He even went looking for her in the Holodeck archives. And then in a later episode, an abandoned alien child takes the memory of her from his brain and attempts to create an alternative reality for Ryker, in order to keep him happy with all his favorite people! That was an amazing episode! Or the episode when Ryker was the pointman on a planet where everyone is the same, genderless, no male or female, just uniformity across the board! And he tries to "rescue" Her from her predicament but she's scooped up the Powers That Be and subjected to involuntary treatment. All this to return Her to uniformity, lockstepping with the rest of the herd.
Carol and Kirk having that familiarity of old love is one of my favorite things. I’ve had that feeling with an ex of mine, where time healed the pain but left an easy companionship behind. We’ll never date again, but it’s truly a delight when we get to spend an evening catching up with each other.
I'm citing this based on something I am not SUPER familiar with so I may be wrong, just putting the disclaimer up front: but I believe Andy Robinson has spoken out to say the Ziyal relationship was a mandate by "The producers", IE: Rick Berman. Berman was very firmly against any sort of LGBT representation in Star Trek, basically blocking any attempt to have LGBT characters in the show all the way back from the start of TNG, and it seems like the shoehorned relationship with Ziyal (and presumably Ezri) basically only happened cuz he was worried the show was getting a bit too inclusive and welcoming. My suspicion is that at some point after the success of TNG, Rick Berman heard someone say "You know, the show got much better after the beard" and decided he could improve DS9 by giving Garak and Bashir beards too.
One that comes to mind for me is Picard and Eline in The Inner Light. It's a weird sort of romance where they start out married and then get to know each other, and it didn't get much actual screen time, but I think it's worth an honorable mention.
With Chakotay & Seven, I think what happened is they were getting to the end of the show & decided they needed to wrap up every character's arc. They realized they had never given Chakotay one so had to come up with something fast & this is what they landed on. They don't even bother mentioning him when Seven shows up without him in Picard.
Best: Jadzia Dax and Lenara Kahn. If there was an award for best single-episode romance, this would get my vote. This is the only time I've ever seen an obviously doomed one-off romance and actually found it compelling. Don't get on that shuttle, Lenara!
You left out Spock and the Romulan Commander from "The Enterprise Incident." When he tells her at the end "I hope that you and I exchanged something more permanent" it was clear he was as drawn to her as she was to him, and it wasn't all an act on his part to get the cloaking device. It was subtle sex appeal on low simmer, reminiscent of a couple from an old movie.
Even worse about Beverly in The Host: okay, I get that it’s weird to suddenly have the one you love in the body of a platonic friend but to her credit she gets past that pretty quickly. Then the symbiont is put into a female host and she can’t even be in the same room with this person. Was it ever really love or just lust?
No mention of Voyager's EMH? Denara Pel, his Holo-Family, his one-sided crush on Seven, his alternate-future marital bliss that was stolen from him by the greedy arrogance of Admiral "Time is my b*tch" Janeway?
I'd include in the "Best" list Sarek and Amanda. Quite impressive for a Vulcan Ambassador to break with tradition a marry a human and they seem to care for each other and their child (I'm ignoring their Retconned in other children). Odo and Kira get major downvotes for the way he cheated on her with the Female Changeling - an act so heinous the writers couldn't see a way to get the pair back together, so they had it happen offscreen!
T'Pol and Crewman Cutler. Cutler was 100% flirting with T'Pol in their first scene together, and their last episode together they share what can only be described as "married couple looks" when having to deal with sleep deprived Phlox. Yeah, it's not canon, but who cares?
Justice for Seven and the Doctor. Mostly saying bc my first ex cosplayed as Seven, and I was pre-med for my undergrad before going the research route. Plus similar witty senses of humor, appreciation for the arts, all that stuff
My personal favourites are Trip and T'Pol. It's a classic workplace relationship where you start hating the other one and ends up being such a supportive duo
It was the rare instance in Trek where canon and fandom popularity intersected with one another. The finale would not have been nearly as reviled if Berman and Braga hadn't broken them up off screen and deep sixed Trip. An easy W but nope 🫠
What!? Data and Tasha Yar were iconic! I won't let this slander go unchallenged! This was a formative moment in Data's life, and perhaps one of Tasha's most memorable moments as a character. They deserve to be amongst the BEST!
I think Garak- Bashire actually had the healthiest relationship. Reading each other’s books and discussing them. Allowing the other to be themselves. ❤❤❤
Since you conveniently forgot Lower Decks (and nearly all of animated Trek, but lets focus on LD) * T'ana & Shax -- Best, the big tough Security Guard is the one who wants to talk about his emotions, while the Doctor well, she wants to ******** and **********. * Mariner & Jennifer -- I want to say best, but worst. If their breakup was handled better (i.e. Mariner acknowledges why their relationship won;y work) it would be best. * Tendi & Rutherford -- they're not together, but come one we want them to be together. * Commander Jack Ransom and Fitness -- He is literally in love with working out and if the salt Vampire can be included on your list ... * Commander Jack Ransom & that Cinnamon Churro Bear thing - terrible, but if the salt Vampire can be included on your list ...
I absolutely loved the Riker photo in the background changing position at 45:11, during the everyone wants to fuck Riker comment. Brilliant subtle touch.
The gold medal for best couple in star trek is riker and troi. They are the Ross and Rachel or zack and Kelly. They get together then they break up then they get back together. It's a tail as old as time. Plus we all know when the question come what is the best...? The answer is always Riker
The edit with the slight change to the Riker picture is a wonderful and subtly comedic touch. You are an artist in the truest sense Steve. Please never change.
Jadzia/Worf is the second worst crime the writers committed against Jadzia's character. Show us Captain Boday. Give Boday and Dax a spinoff show. I will buy a hallmark ornament of his translucent skull.
I did a pretty much back to back watch of TNG when I introduced my wife to Star Trek years ago and we always liked the Troi/Worf romantic dynamic and felt it was a good contrast of romantic partners for Troi with the devoted, and passionate romantic Worf vs, at the time, the career minded tail chaser that was Riker during the original run. Worf was often hinted at being attracted to Troi, such as the episode where everyone devolved and Rhino Worf marked Fish Troi as his mate (love ST) meaning they could use her scent as bait to trap him. We thought it worked well as a potential love triangle and fight between the two men as seen in the future scenes of the finally (and hilariously later, in Picard, when still expresses how he missed Troi when rescuing her...with Riker right there!) So yes, bad couple (too many eventual cultural clashes for a long term, but a viable romantic attraction), so we didn't feel there was nothing there or it was totally out of left field when we watched it.
Wesley and Salia from “The Dauphin” - Because even though they always end badly no one ever forgets how powerful and magical their first love was. Neelix and Dexa - She seems nice, normal, and finally able to give Neelix a permanent home and he seems like an amazing step parent and loving your spouse’s brat kid from a previous relationship is a hell of a sign of honest true love. Honorable mention: while not technically a “couple” if they hadn’t died retaking Cardassia, Damar would have totally nailed Garak’s mom (Mila)
*edit-Wrote this comment after TNG, but didn't realize there was a lightning round! Glad to see Steve and I agree! - Best: Kevin and Rishon Uxbridge from TNG's "the survivors" What spells forever more than an immortal being choosing a life of solitude with a re-creation of his beloved wife?
Dr. Crusher has to be the first woman to get excited about getting ghosted.
I'll show myself out.
I can't 😂😂
So, this is what a brain aneurism feels like. Good to know
Wooo. That was a good one. 😂😂😂😂. Thank you truly.
Tip the veal, don't forget to try your waitress.
I know a lot of people tha will love to get ghosted some times.....
No Mention of Janeway and Paris - a love so strong it brought a whole new species into existence?!
That def. Goes into "worst" - in the "let's never speak of it again" worst
I think from his perspective that would not be memorable because before the internet no one really talked about that episode. Everyone wanted to forget it.
What episode?
Threshold @@gkarenko9593
Threshold
Scotty and the Enterprise is the ultimate Star Trek love affair.
Spock and McCoy are the best
Scotty does really know how to get her engine running, if you know what I mean
Star Trek's ultimate Power Couple is easily Zek and Ishka. Their temporary breakup nearly brought down the entire Ferengi Alliance. Their relationship also gives us both Iggy Pop and Keevan bumping into the walls of Empok Nor for eternity so I'd call that a win.
Zek and Ishka gave me Nancy and Ronald vibes, but without being racist monsters that let a disease ravage a social minority or let people die for money and power. Zek and Ishka are pretty good folks all things considered.
Also brought the New Deal to Ferenginar
Right!
Just like a man to ignore the warm and tender millennium-spanning love-story that is Mr. & Mrs. Q
I honestly believe that out of all the times Lwaxana appeared in Star Trek, the DS9 episode where she is stuck in the elevator with Odo is the best. She shows a vulnerability that explains her character the rest of the series. I am not saying it is a good episode, or she is a good character, but it is the most character development she gets as a character for most of the series.
I think they did her well here,for exactly the reasons you stated. It made me.hate her a little less (which is where I think Odo ended up at the end.ofnthe episode).
100% agree.
I never really hated her character on TNG but I loved all her ds9 appearances
She was no longer just the horny granny like she was on TNG, but an actual mature and somewhat wise empath that can offer the main cast (mainly Odo) some appreciated company
Dont forget the episode where it was revealed that she lost her first daughter. Having a near complete mental breakdown when seeing the alien girl that looked like her.
Also her love for the man that was forced to commit suicide at 60 showed a deeper side to the character. Majel Barrett really did a good job with the character.
Shout out to Shax and T'ana, one of the most violent Star Trek relationships of all time in a franchise that includes Klingons.
I mean he died and they’re still together. It’s true love.
Definitely a best!
Can confirm: I never noticed Ziyal was played by three different actors
And part of the reason for that was so they wouldn't be pairing Garak with a teenager.
Before Steve pointed it out, I had never noticed
I never noticed as well,but I found out at some.point when I was looking up who the actress was. It still blows my mind sometimes because she is just sort of there.
I have been told multiple times that Ziyal was played by three different actors and I still haven't noticed.
I thought it was two, the young ziyal and older one who was on the station, I assumed the one in the camp episode was the same as the episode where they fight that bird of prey.
I think Sarek and Amanda Grayson (Spock's parents) are the best couple from TOS. I can see how they complement each other.
Came here to mention them too. They've got some good stuff in Discovery too, their different styles and relationships with Michael.
Watching "Journey to Babel" right before rewatching _Discovery_ gave me *such a new appreciation* for the actors and writers for how much they added to these characters while remaining faithful to their original portrayals.
Oh, VERY good call. They are sweet together.
All three versions bring something different. OG we don’t see the extent of Sarek’s love until TNG. Kelvin he is broken after she dies. Disco we can tell that Amanda chased him down.
I've liked them from the beginning but I like the backstory and depth supplied by the fanfic Night of the Twin Moons.
The EMH and the Vidiian woman Denara Pel from VGR's season 2 episode "Lifesigns". It's a innocent, simple, gentle romance and the episode featuring them is, at least for me, the greatest single love story episode in the history of the franchise. The final scene when The Doctor is slow dancing at Sandrine's with Denara in her true scarred Vidiian form is truly a tearjerker.
Oh yes, that story is lovely and the genuine feelings between them is one of the highlights of the entire season. Ah, the EMH, truly bringing light to the worst Star Trek.
I recently rewatched this and loved it. I feel this is the episode where the Doctor begins growing a soul
Like #47
I was really surprised it wasn't mentioned. I still remember the episode...💔
@@Tolly7249 Ah, so you haven't seen "Picard"?
Dukat and Wynn; a match made in the Fire Caves
more like a match struck
@@otheusrex2190
. . .
$#!+ u rite
I don't know if it could be placed into good or bad
Maybe insane
I can safely say that without a doubt those two truly deserved each other.
Best: George & Gracie from the Voyage Home... 🐋
This is good and correct, yes. Absolutely.
I agree! I think it's safe to say... 🕶 they blow their competition out of the water.
They are like two peas in a pod. I can't fathom how Steve ignores their union as if it's a fluke.
@@CAPSLOCKPUNDITdamn. three puns within two sentences
Before watching: THIS better be the video that at least mentions Garak & Bashir.
After watching: I’ll take the cheeky/pity mention…for now.
For real
at least they are mentioned :(
It is the match for Bashir that makes sense.
steve made a whole video about shipping in star trek where they have a segment! this video is more for "explicitly intended couples"
Why the Alexander hate? Poor kid got it worse than Wesley from a father who did not want him and a mother who was murdered. What kid wouldn't get messed up from that. Justice for Alexander!
Seriously, especially as a father now, I always feel heartbroken for the kid now, and they didn't even write him off well with a good ending. Couldn't give him a Kurn memory wipe to a farm? Or have him join some ascended alien commune like Wesley? No, just make him suffer feeling so unloved and unbelonging that future him comes back and almost kills his own child self thinking it's the more humane option. Poor kid.
Yeah, I feel like he wasn't a bad character, it's just that they writers were bad at utilizing him.
I think it could have been interesting if he'd moved to DS9 with Worf.
Alexander walking around mad at Worf: " If you had died too, I could've been Batman."😂
Alexander was maybe annoying, but realistically so. As a child, he behaved just like that whiny, weak annoying nephew you have that you look forward to growing up to be a complete failure, and as a young adult he's a credible walking disaster who self-sabotages and seeks out failure to get attention. Both real types of flawed male one encounters in their life.
It's funny to me that you made a point of highlighting Culber+Stamets and Raffi+Seven being the limited LGBT representation, but then completely neglected Jadzia+Lenara, a paring which predated the other two by more than a decade. Yes, they pulled the "we were a hetero couple in a previous life" card, but what was shown on screen was two women romantically involved; that should count for something.
It counts for bland, hetero-focused romance that was never brought up again.
Ahh yes… but I saw the recognition as even more than this… to me it was the recognition of a lover (or any dearly loved one) in a new form/body… as in reincarnation.. this is an experience I have been blessed to have in this life. It was their obvious deep familiarity with each other that had me in tears of emotion the first time I saw the scene where they meet again.
That said, the on screen portrayal of two women romantically involved was pretty progressive for its time. Which was more of a statement on our ridiculous backwards culture ... than the bravery of the then Star Trek producers. It's a very sad commentary on our culture that even now, decades later, there remains any hesitation to accurately portray the lives of a significant part of the population.
All time worst has to be Dr. Crushers fling with Grandma's old flame. He waxes romantic, dips his wick, and she snuffs him. Classic!
The all-time best is little Geordi and his right hand.
You win all the groan points for those puns.
Yes! Although ouch on the puns. 😂
She thought his love was deep, but ultimately, he was tallow.
I agree with SF Debris' theory on how Seven/Chakotay happened; the writers saw that the three biggest shipping communities in the VOY fandom were Janeway/Chaktoay, Janeway/Seven, and Seven/The EMH and went "What can we do to piss all three of them off at the same time?" In that sense, they went with the best option really. Janeway and the Doctor would've been like watching your Aunt & Uncle f*cking.
I've heard (though I sadly have no idea where) that this relationship was written into the last season of Voyager (it's not just "Endgame", there are hints in earlier episodes) because Robert Beltran challenged the writers to do it, thinking that surely, this had to be the last straw that would make the producers fire him. Turns out it wasn't - as if Beltran needed any excuses to phone it in even more than before on that last season...
@@ospero7681 I've heard him say something much like this in a convention interview.
That's been the ongoing consensus on what happened & how that came about, moreso than fan input.
I know people genuinely shipped it and I have no smoke of them. If anything, I feel worse for them for having this sexist BS be a permanent stain on the couple.
Personally, i found the ultimate solution for this problem:
Seven and Janeway are bi und in some sort of poly relationship with Chakotay.
So Seven/Janeway, Janeway/Chakotay, Seven/the doctor, Seven/B'Elanna and yes, even Seven/Chakotay would be possible.
So glad that you mentioned Quark and Grilka. ❤
"The first on-screen same-sex couple in Star Trek!" My young friend, DS9 is on the phone from 1995.
No, it's not since DS9 didn't have any on-screen same-sex couples. Lenara and Jadzia were a couple years before the show took place, but decided against becoming a couple again when Lenara appeared on-screen. The Intendentant was interested in both sexes, but was never in a relationship with anyone. Mirror Garak was confirmed gay (unlike prime Garak) but was also never in a relationship with anyone.
Star Trek Beyond, however, is on the phone with it's scene of Sulu and his boyfriend.
Spock and T'Pring being such a bad couple is honestly brilliant, since it's what fuels the entire story of one of TOS's most iconic stories. It's very cleverly done.
_SNW_ does a great job at redeeming the character of T'Pring and make her "later" villany _almost_ justified.
The misguided ship that further fueled the legendary Spirk fandom engine of days gone by.
They are a wonderful bad couple. Like, great but great for being bad.
I think Ziyal and Jake would have made a better pairing. It would have made for a Romeo and Juliet dynamic, it would have thrown Sisko and Dukat for a loop and when Ziyal died, it would have created a parallel for Jake for the loss of his mother.
Interesting! I think that dukaut would have been for it after he got over the shock, because that manipulative bastard would have figured he could use it to leverage ben Sisco
Plus, it's been a while but wasn't she a teenager when she was first rescued? She definitely would've been closer to Jake's age than Garak's.
@@moonkey2712 Dukat also respects Sisko in a kind of fucked up way, and so would probably view their union as a power couple kind of situation, even if he may be as dismissive of a human as he is of a bajoran in terms of a serious, long-term interest. Not sure.
I hadn't even thought of that. It would have been brilliant. Now I totally wish they had done that.
Dukat trying to ingratiate himself to Sisko as his future in-law would have made for some great dark comedy.
Some DS9 examples that could have been there:
-Quark and that one Ferengi girl from season 2, they seem cute, too bad she never comes back
-Quark and that one Cardassian woman from season 3 I think, goddamn Quark was actually a ladies' man because the writers kept giving him love interests and then not bringing them back, though still not as good as Grilka
-Grand Nagus Zek and Moooooogie, absolute power couple, they're so cute for overthrowing the patriarchy together
-Jadzia Dax and her ex-wife, oh well, that was a fun one-episode fling, but politics never would have let that stick around long-term
-Jadzia Dax and that one guy from the planet that phases in and out of existence, ew gross they forgot to give him a personality
-Odo and that one woman lm the station one time someone reccomends he gets a date, barely a thing but she does seem into him
-Odo and the female changeling, uhhhh does this count? How does this get counted?
-Odo and the one sleeper agent spy lady, the writers really just felt like making Odo suffer that day, and honestly it's kinda sad cause I think they have chemistry and the writers wanted to show Odo losing his virginity. "A woman? That's nice."
-Dr. Bashir and Kira, Bashir kinda flirts a little, and sometimes they have cute interactions, but it's not really a thing. They just included little moments because the actors were dating and married during the show' run.
-Kira and O'Brien, hot take but they handled it really well. They kinda have a moment together, but then they both realize nope, too weird, maybe in another life but this ain't it chief. And I respect that.
-Mirror universe Ezri and her girlfriend, oh hey what if Ezri was gay in the main universe too? Cause this is kinda nice.
-Martok and his wife, boy howdy he really loves that woman in a very Klingon way. Get someone who looks at you like that.
-O'Brien and that one Cardassian lady, obviously not a real fling but sources say that she is quite fertile
-Garak and Bashir, was never going to happen, but I appreciate that Andrew Robinson wanted to play it like it was real, and also looked mega-uncomfortable with every advance Zeyal ever made on him
-Jadzia and everyone, "sometimes your taste in men frightens me" but in a hot way
-Everyone and everyone, if we're honest with ourselves, everyone on that space station was swapping spit, and there's nothing wrong with being grown ups about it
-Everyone and everyone (under the influence) that one episode we Luxana Troi makes everybody horny is such a trip, and I kind of have to respect it
-Morn and Morn's partner, what a beautiful on-screen romance, truly the peak of fiction writing because no real world couple has ever had a romance as beautiful or singular as Morn did in DS9
Yeah, kind of shameful we didn't get either Zek & Moogie or Martok & Sirella in even the lightning round. Both amazing pairings.
I love too howandrew robinson played zero chemistry at all, to make cleatr they literally are just friends, nothing else.
oh odo and the male changeling in that episode were a possibility for sure
And quark and being really close with 2 different women at least who rebel against their culture.
Oh kira and her big bf before odo, yes he is kinda boring but its a great relationship.
oh martok and his wife are relationship goals, kinda
He also forgot phlox and his wives, granted all we get letters and him talking but they seem pretty wholesome from all of that and healthy. .
@@marocat4749didn't one of Phlox' wives visit a couple of times (and tried seducing Trip?)
peak comment ahhahaha
Don't think we didn't notice the omission of Shaxs and Dr T'ana
And Jennifer & Mariner!
@@terprubinOkay, _LDS_ gang, let's do this:
- Rutherford x Barnes: Worst-how do you *not* get excited about a level-three diagnostic??
- Boimler x Barbara: Worst-mind control and insecurity are a double-nope
- Freeman & Freeman: Best-they do the long-distance thing well, especially when adding in the parenting dimension
- T'Ana x Shaxs: Best-real passion, earnest working through of rough patches
- Mariner x Jennifer: Worst-poorly motivated, poorly executed, ended abruptly, and we honestly didn't care
- Peanut Hamper x Rawda: Worst-and I *like* that episode!
- Peanut Hamper x AGIMUS: Best!-what's the point in enslaving an entire planet of (delicious) lizards if your soulmate isn't around to share it with? Also, Kevin seems like an awesome father-in-law.
I'm leaving off B'rt and Shona because we don't really get to see the two of them interact. Same with D'Erika and either her husband or 'mones-addicted ex.
@@GSBarlev You forgot Billups (Best) being openly and proudly aro ace. (I love my one aro ace person so I count it)
@@coletteb.8889 I haven't watch season 4 yet since it's not available overseas, but has it really been confirmed that Billups is aro/ace? Considering that he wants to be an engineer but will be forced to become a monarch instead if he loses his virginity, it seems equally likely that he just chooses to not be in a relationship for the sake of celibacy.
No hate towards aro or ace-people obviously, since I'd like for them to be more represented in media. Just a queston.
Chaotica and Arachnia seem like a pretty Black & White couple.
The Worf and Troi thing seemed like a Beauty and The Beast riff, and it was a huge mess. Worf and Dax, though - that was a lot of fun and helped to make both characters even better.
That's mean, describing Marina Sirtis as a beast...
Data and Spot. He really loved that cat, and it's one of the healthiest relationships on TNG.
BFFs was last week. I guess if you count the people in a bromance* as a couple, then sure. I don't think I do.
Don't get me wrong, you can definitely find a soulmate in a pet, but I don't think it really counts as a "couple" scenario (eg: my cat Roscoe is my best mate ever - my wife and my other human best mate both know this and accept it).
* hey peeps, is there a F-F version of bromance? If so, what's it called?
@@KristovMars I think so but I have no idea what anyone would call it except BFF (from before that seemed to expand to any close friend relationship).
Martok and Sirella, hands down best couple
Martok was a true wife guy 😂
I think Tasha cared about Data. They were good friends and close confidantes in both timelines.
For example -
In 11001001 (Minuet episode) - When Data blames himself for abandoning ship, she is the one who console him.
In Yesterday's Enterprise - Tasha tells Data about her feelings for the Enterprise C Lieutenant and Data gives her useful advice.
I wouldn’t have minded tbh if they had just gone with Picard/Laris/Zhaban as a throuple. Their dynamic and obvious care with each other shown in the early episodes of Picard Season 1 was actually quite touching and wholesome to watch. A blossoming old throuple romance coming out of that foundation would have been so much better than randomly killing off one of them offscreen so they can stick the other two together.
Also according to Chabon, that's how Romulan relationships work anyway.
That would actually have been slightly less awful!
If you talk about throuples: Picard/Vash/Q the first two in ST-NG and the last two in DS9. And the first and the last at the end of Picard 3rd Season.
Worst: Trip and Ah'len, the Xyrillian who accidentally gets him pregnant.
Nor sure about that it did make the Klingons laugh.
I know you're not a big fan if Lower Decks but T'ana and Shaxs are awesome together. Good jokes with a sweet relationship is the ideal for a more comedic series.
Unpopular opinion: I actually kinda liked Worf and Troi together. It was far from perfect and yes seemed a little forced but it kinda made sense since Troi was acting as a substitute mother for Alexander from time to time which would explain how she and Worf got closer.
I'm with you on that, honestly.
Finally someone appreciating this couple!
Gun to my head, if I had to choose between than and Word/Dax, I'd pick this. They do seem to compliment each other far more than he and Jadzia ever did.
Same
@@KariIzumi1 I wouldn't go that far. IMO Jadzia and Worf were definitely more fun to watch. Troi and Worf had potential but it wasn't really that well executed. But I still disagree with Steve that it couldn't have worked at all
The Troi/Worf romance was actually preceded by several episodes that steadily bring those two characters closer together. Some of these were Troi trying to help Worf be a father to Alexander, but most notably when Worf had spinal surgery and was believed dead for a short time. And later when Worf asked Troi to be a kind of adoptive mother to Alexander should he be killed on a mission. I was in my early twenties at the time TNG was originally aired and I could see the chemistry between those two, and still to this day I think it works well.
Dr. Phlox and his wife/wives and their husbands. Not a lot of on screen time but you feel they care for each other. Also through the show it helped a friend of mine get together with his girlfriend and be in a polyamorous relationship and they are great together. So their relationship sparked a rl relationship.
I always felt horrible for Worf after they killed off Jadxia. I felt ok for Julian, because he clearly had held a candle for Jadxia and was all-in on Ezri the moment he met her (sorry Garak). But Worf just can't catch a break. Duras murdered his first love, the mother of his child. And then Dukat murders the only other woman he ever loves. I mean...it's very Klingon, but very tragic.
I think an opera based on Worfs love life would be #1 back on Kronos (especially if Quark was promoting it)
If "held a candle" means "pestered endlessly even after being told she was definitely not interested" then yeah but he's lucky Star Fleet seems to have no HR department
@@RoboCatTrainer Why limit it to his love life? His live as a whole wouldn't just be an opera, it'd be an epic opera cycle, especially when given the embellishments that happen when translated to opera.
@@lunatickoalacan't wait for the new Worf Cycle opera to drop, it's going to be epic!
@@RoboCatTrainer Worf throwns down the libretto.
"Ferengi! I never fought James Kirk on the Genesis Planet!"
"Don't begrudge me a little poetic licence, commander. The middle of the second act was dragging a bit."
I honestly think Worf/Troi was fine, and could've worked if they'd had more time and not just shunted them to the side as soon as the movies started.
Thank you for Seven and Raffi!
My god, that couple had SO MUCH potential and yet, they were treated as an afterthought at BEST
The reason the producers demanded Garak have a female love interest was because he was gay. Being gay was not allowed in Star Trek, so they forced the Ziyal storyline. It's the same reason that that stupid episode where Malcolm and Trip get lost and Malcolm spends the whole time sending letters to every woman he ever had a date with. They were undoing the choice the actors had originally made to make those characters gay.
"Dr. Crusher and Ronan the Sex Ghost" kills me the way Steve says it 😂
That dig on Stephen Collins was masterful.
Agreed!!!
Phlox, his three wives, and their six other husbands deserve a mention.
Firstly because it's rare to see polyamory portrayed positively in popular culture now, let alone in the early 2000s.
Secondly, it's also rare for aliens to simply behave outside the American norm on Star Trek without it being some sort of parable.
The Geordi/Dr. Brahms romance is made even worse not because they reasonably portray real Dr. Brahms's legitimate revulsion at that history in the later episode, but because "All Good Things..." implies they actually get together when future Picard asks Geori about "Leah and the kids" when Geordi shows up on his vineyard.
I'd like to think Geordi when full incel and made a compliant android who looks just like Leah Brahms and some creepy robot kids.
Being trans, Tom and B'elanna were an important couple for me. My evangelical upbringing trained me to hate myself, and cause what felt like a split within myself. There was the "good" side believed that my desire to be a woman was demonic, and the "bad" side that was actually myself. B'elanna's hate for her Klingon side felt analogous to my own struggles. Tom's love for both sides of her, and his constant help to bring her to a point of self-acceptance made me feel lovable.
I'm glad you snuck La'an and Kirk in there at the end.
Korby and Chapel definitely have a place in the Worst Couple column. She pivots a hard won research career to find him after he goes missing. He pays her back by kidnapping her and her captain while telegraphing plans to turn them (and everyone else) into automatons.
Ezri and Julian would have worked if they wrote it as a point of CONTRAST between her and Jadzia, and not pulled that bs about it “always being Julian”.
What? No Katharine Hepburn-like Janeway and Captain John Smith-like Chakotay from “Resolutions?” They were totally getting it on! I’m sure they even let the monkey watch.
Yes, I kept expecting a mention of Janeway and Chakotay, hopefully on the best side.
Forgotten best couple from TNG: Darmok and Jalad. First they were on the ocean, then they were at Tanagra then something about a beast with 2 backs? They must have been great together to become part of a language.
"A woman only 20 years younger than Patrick Stewart" as opposed to Stewart's actual wife, who is nearly 40 years younger than he is.
The actual best Star Trek Couple is actually Garak and Dr. Bashir. But Rick Berman cracked down on that.
Heck you, Rick Berman . . .
This is authentically the most disappointing thing in the entire franchise.
I was touched by Picard and the empathic metamorph, although it was very brief.
There are a couple fixes I would do to Neelix, and the first one is, make Neelix a protective father figure to Kes rather than a paramour. Contrive a backstory where he encountered a very young Kes and took care of her, and he's now a father who's having trouble accepting that his girl may be making bad decisions, such as taking an interest in that guy who had plastic surgery so he'd look like Nick Locarno. That possessive vibe that Neelix showed towards Kes would suddenly be a lot less off-putting, although it would still need to relax over time.
(There is a late-seasons episode of Voyager where Neelix is talking about Janeway's crew to some aliens; he describes them as far too grim and full of themselves, but also genuinely committed to helping people. I could imagine Neelix first arriving aboard Voyager, seeing all the surface-level good intentions, and wondering when the masks would slip and he'd discover that they're selfish assholes like everyone else. Eventually he realized they were sincere after all. But, that initial distrust might have been part of why father-figure Neelix didn't trust Tom.)
The other fix I'd do to Neelix is, one of his skills is, he's quick at reading other people and adapting his manner to best deal with them. That would be the exact opposite of the Neelix who annoyed people and didn't know when to dial it back. In my head canon, Neelix figured out pretty quick that Tuvok likes to keep things professional, and treated him exactly that way because "a good host knows what his guests want". I have this image of Tuvok hanging out in the mess hall when nobody else is there but Neelix, both of them going about their business, quietly glad the other one's there but not getting in each other's way.
"make Neelix a protective father figure to Kes rather than a paramour" Absofrigginlutely. Great suggestion.
@@BS-vx8dgWith DS9 and Voyager and Enterprise, the writers had the idea that you need to make at least one character unlikeable so that they can have a character arc and become likeable. For Voyager it was Neelix; for DS9 it was Bashir. I get what they're going for, but it's misguided: what you do is make characters flawed but in understandable ways, so there's still the room for growth but they don't start off completely unlikeable.
I'll mention Pike on SNW: he's not great in his romance with Captain Batel, but in ways that make sense for him. He blames himself for things that go wrong. He doesn't open up when there's something bothering him. You watch the show and think "oh come on Dreamy Space Dad, just work with her to overcome obstacles as one", but you don't hate him for being a jerk.
Granted, I haven't watched the early seasons of _VOY_ since they aired, but I have *no recollection* of it ever being stated that Neelix and Kes were involved romantically.
@GSBarlev My mom put it on the living room TV every night to fall asleep to, so I think I’ve seen the early seasons at least 6 times, and I can assure you *they were.*
@@GSBarlev there even was an episode where Kes wanted Neelix to father her baby when she went through her species limited fertility period.
You missed the most famous Trek couple: Kirk and Spock! They launched a thousand ships and created a new genre of fanfiction that not only endures but thrives as the most popular form of fanfic today!
Ryker and Minuet from the episode of the Binars! He even went looking for her in the Holodeck archives. And then in a later episode, an abandoned alien child takes the memory of her from his brain and attempts to create an alternative reality for Ryker, in order to keep him happy with all his favorite people! That was an amazing episode!
Or the episode when Ryker was the pointman on a planet where everyone is the same, genderless, no male or female, just uniformity across the board! And he tries to "rescue" Her from her predicament but she's scooped up the Powers That Be and subjected to involuntary treatment. All this to return Her to uniformity, lockstepping with the rest of the herd.
Carol and Kirk having that familiarity of old love is one of my favorite things. I’ve had that feeling with an ex of mine, where time healed the pain but left an easy companionship behind. We’ll never date again, but it’s truly a delight when we get to spend an evening catching up with each other.
I'm citing this based on something I am not SUPER familiar with so I may be wrong, just putting the disclaimer up front: but I believe Andy Robinson has spoken out to say the Ziyal relationship was a mandate by "The producers", IE: Rick Berman. Berman was very firmly against any sort of LGBT representation in Star Trek, basically blocking any attempt to have LGBT characters in the show all the way back from the start of TNG, and it seems like the shoehorned relationship with Ziyal (and presumably Ezri) basically only happened cuz he was worried the show was getting a bit too inclusive and welcoming.
My suspicion is that at some point after the success of TNG, Rick Berman heard someone say "You know, the show got much better after the beard" and decided he could improve DS9 by giving Garak and Bashir beards too.
One that comes to mind for me is Picard and Eline in The Inner Light. It's a weird sort of romance where they start out married and then get to know each other, and it didn't get much actual screen time, but I think it's worth an honorable mention.
We all know damn well they put poor Zi'yal with Garak for the 'not gay'
Yuuuuuuuuup!
And the "keep to your own kind".
If that wasn't Berman, I would be shocked.
With Chakotay & Seven, I think what happened is they were getting to the end of the show & decided they needed to wrap up every character's arc. They realized they had never given Chakotay one so had to come up with something fast & this is what they landed on. They don't even bother mentioning him when Seven shows up without him in Picard.
Garak’s love interest was Julian
The edit on the Riker portrait at 45:10 was sublime
Best: Jadzia Dax and Lenara Kahn. If there was an award for best single-episode romance, this would get my vote. This is the only time I've ever seen an obviously doomed one-off romance and actually found it compelling. Don't get on that shuttle, Lenara!
Oh my god the Tasha/Data section damn near killed me laughing and this whole episode just making me chuckle, I love your sense of humour Steve
You left out Spock and the Romulan Commander from "The Enterprise Incident." When he tells her at the end "I hope that you and I exchanged something more permanent" it was clear he was as drawn to her as she was to him, and it wasn't all an act on his part to get the cloaking device. It was subtle sex appeal on low simmer, reminiscent of a couple from an old movie.
Even worse about Beverly in The Host: okay, I get that it’s weird to suddenly have the one you love in the body of a platonic friend but to her credit she gets past that pretty quickly. Then the symbiont is put into a female host and she can’t even be in the same room with this person. Was it ever really love or just lust?
No mention of Voyager's EMH? Denara Pel, his Holo-Family, his one-sided crush on Seven, his alternate-future marital bliss that was stolen from him by the greedy arrogance of Admiral "Time is my b*tch" Janeway?
I'd include in the "Best" list Sarek and Amanda. Quite impressive for a Vulcan Ambassador to break with tradition a marry a human and they seem to care for each other and their child (I'm ignoring their Retconned in other children).
Odo and Kira get major downvotes for the way he cheated on her with the Female Changeling - an act so heinous the writers couldn't see a way to get the pair back together, so they had it happen offscreen!
I was surprised to see no Mariner and Jennifer
Seems that Lower Decks was omitted entirely. There's also Shaax and T'Ana, and oddly Peanut Hamper/AGIMUS
Capt. and Adm. Freeman as well.
@@andrewmakar2035 That last one would've been a better fit for the friends video.
Steve isn't much of a LD fan and I think he stopped watching before Mariner and Jen got together.
T'Pol and Crewman Cutler.
Cutler was 100% flirting with T'Pol in their first scene together, and their last episode together they share what can only be described as "married couple looks" when having to deal with sleep deprived Phlox.
Yeah, it's not canon, but who cares?
Justice for Seven and the Doctor. Mostly saying bc my first ex cosplayed as Seven, and I was pre-med for my undergrad before going the research route. Plus similar witty senses of humor, appreciation for the arts, all that stuff
Melanie Scrofano can whip so effortlessly between serious/sexy/snarky/hilarious that there’s loads of space for fun stories between Pike and Batel.
Garak and Bashir
The rare ST couple that didn’t happen onscreen but which I really wish could have.
And Spirk, of course.
That little turn of the Riker portrait to smile at Steve just about killed me. 😆
I liked Spock with Zarabeth in All Our Yesterdays. Possibly because I had a huge crush on Mariette Hartley.
My personal favourites are Trip and T'Pol. It's a classic workplace relationship where you start hating the other one and ends up being such a supportive duo
It was the rare instance in Trek where canon and fandom popularity intersected with one another.
The finale would not have been nearly as reviled if Berman and Braga hadn't broken them up off screen and deep sixed Trip. An easy W but nope 🫠
Picard/Kamin and Eline in The Inner Light. Best!
I totally forgot about the Uhura/Scotty thing… probably because it was overshadowed by all the other ridiculous shit in that movie.
Mention of Voyager without any of the Doctor's pursuits? Opportunity missed
I feel like you taking the high road with the Decker analysis joke kind of made it even funnier.
I just realized that Travis Mayweathers spy girlfriend that is a pretending to be a journalist is called Gannett? Like Gannett News Service? Lol
I'm getting into laughing fits trying to fit Picard's turbo-solemn "we have no law to fit your crime" with "where I come from we call that love".
The way Seven and Raffi bickered, you knew they loved each other.
Actually they say strong sexual couples/romantic partners argue more and a sign of mutual emotional vulnerability.
Worf and Jadzia's wedding and the speech about 2 hearts beating as one loud enough to terrify the gods, it gets me every time. Thats the love i want.
What!? Data and Tasha Yar were iconic! I won't let this slander go unchallenged! This was a formative moment in Data's life, and perhaps one of Tasha's most memorable moments as a character. They deserve to be amongst the BEST!
That Riker photo change in the lightning round. A+
I think Garak- Bashire actually had the healthiest relationship. Reading each other’s books and discussing them. Allowing the other to be themselves. ❤❤❤
The 7 Chakotay relationship, I remember watching the original airing and just saying wtf? to myself
Since you conveniently forgot Lower Decks (and nearly all of animated Trek, but lets focus on LD)
* T'ana & Shax -- Best, the big tough Security Guard is the one who wants to talk about his emotions, while the Doctor well, she wants to ******** and **********.
* Mariner & Jennifer -- I want to say best, but worst. If their breakup was handled better (i.e. Mariner acknowledges why their relationship won;y work) it would be best.
* Tendi & Rutherford -- they're not together, but come one we want them to be together.
* Commander Jack Ransom and Fitness -- He is literally in love with working out and if the salt Vampire can be included on your list ...
* Commander Jack Ransom & that Cinnamon Churro Bear thing - terrible, but if the salt Vampire can be included on your list ...
I absolutely loved the Riker photo in the background changing position at 45:11, during the everyone wants to fuck Riker comment. Brilliant subtle touch.
The gold medal for best couple in star trek is riker and troi. They are the Ross and Rachel or zack and Kelly. They get together then they break up then they get back together. It's a tail as old as time. Plus we all know when the question come what is the best...? The answer is always Riker
The edit with the slight change to the Riker picture is a wonderful and subtly comedic touch. You are an artist in the truest sense Steve. Please never change.
Jadzia/Worf is the second worst crime the writers committed against Jadzia's character. Show us Captain Boday. Give Boday and Dax a spinoff show. I will buy a hallmark ornament of his translucent skull.
This is my favorite YT comment I've seen in a while.
Your third Jack in the Geordi joke was just sitting there for ya.
"Like Jack Crusher and Geordi's daughters."
I did a pretty much back to back watch of TNG when I introduced my wife to Star Trek years ago and we always liked the Troi/Worf romantic dynamic and felt it was a good contrast of romantic partners for Troi with the devoted, and passionate romantic Worf vs, at the time, the career minded tail chaser that was Riker during the original run. Worf was often hinted at being attracted to Troi, such as the episode where everyone devolved and Rhino Worf marked Fish Troi as his mate (love ST) meaning they could use her scent as bait to trap him. We thought it worked well as a potential love triangle and fight between the two men as seen in the future scenes of the finally (and hilariously later, in Picard, when still expresses how he missed Troi when rescuing her...with Riker right there!) So yes, bad couple (too many eventual cultural clashes for a long term, but a viable romantic attraction), so we didn't feel there was nothing there or it was totally out of left field when we watched it.
am i the only one that liked lwaxana troi? and then loved her even more after the elevator scene with odo?
Mostly I just like Majel Barrett and think she desereved better roles in Star Trek than she got. Number One forever!
Insane how Spock and Tpring are in both best and worst list 😂
O'Brien and keiko positive representation. Let's go!!!!
Steve and Stuffy are the best Star Trek couple, of course.
It is truly a rad bromance.
Wesley and Salia from “The Dauphin” - Because even though they always end badly no one ever forgets how powerful and magical their first love was.
Neelix and Dexa - She seems nice, normal, and finally able to give Neelix a permanent home and he seems like an amazing step parent and loving your spouse’s brat kid from a previous relationship is a hell of a sign of honest true love.
Honorable mention: while not technically a “couple” if they hadn’t died retaking Cardassia, Damar would have totally nailed Garak’s mom (Mila)
*edit-Wrote this comment after TNG, but didn't realize there was a lightning round! Glad to see Steve and I agree! -
Best:
Kevin and Rishon Uxbridge from TNG's "the survivors"
What spells forever more than an immortal being choosing a life of solitude with a re-creation of his beloved wife?
The bit where the picture of Riker in the backround grins for a brief sec really made my day, next to the great video of course.