Jess Bush On Nurse Chapel And Spock's 'Brutal' Breakup In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Jess Bush agrees with Star Trek fans that the way Nurse Christine Chapel broke up with Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck) in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' musical episode was "brutal." Star Trek: Strange New Worlds completed filming its fifth and final season in December 2025, with seasons 4 and 5's combined 16 episodes waiting to premiere on Paramount+.

Nurse Chapel and Lt. Spock's mutual attraction sparked in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1, and they became a full-blown couple in season 2. In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds musical, which was season 2's penultimate episode, however, Chapel received an opportunity to further her medical career. Christine broke up with a humiliated Spock through song in front of a slew of USS Enterprise crew members.

Appearing on stage at Farpoint 2026, Jess Bush cheekily shared her candid thoughts about how Nurse Chapel dumped Spock in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' musical. Answering a fan question, Bush called the breakup "a brutal end," but also hinted that "it might not be the end." Read Jess' quote and watch the video below:

“Look, I didn’t write it. (laughs) I’ve gotta be honest, when I read the script for the musical, I was like, ‘Bill, this is brutal. Like, what?’ But yeah, look, I don’t know what to say. I honestly don’t know what to say. I think that it was a brutal end, but it might not be the end. Who knows?”

Jess Bush says that she raised how "brutal" Nurse Chapel's breakup with Spock was to Bill Wolkoff, co-executive producer and co-writer of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' musical episode with Dana Horgan. Spock was justifiably hurt by getting dumped by Christine, although they reconciled by the beginning of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3.

Breaking up Spock and Nurse Chapel allowed both to shift to new relationships in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3. Chapel fell for Dr. Roger Korby (Cillian O'Sullvan), Christine's canonical future ex-fiancé in Star Trek: The Original Series. Meanwhile, Spock's dance lessons with Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) blossomed into a romance.

Nurse Chapel and Spock's failed romance got closure when Trelane (Rhys Darby) nearly married them in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, episode 2, "Wedding Bell Blues." A culprit for the abruptness of Spock and Chapel's breakup is that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds only has 10 episodes per season, which made their entire relationship from start to finish feel accelerated.

Jess Bush has finished her time as Nurse Christine Chapel in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, although she and the cast will be promoting the upcoming two seasons. Perhaps Jess' tease that what fans have seen so far "might not be the end" for Chapel and Spock will play out in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds seasons 4 and 5.