Spoilers Is it possible that Chapel and Spock were in a romantic relationship during TOS?

"Amok Time" strongly implied that Spock had never experienced pon farr before entering it in 2267 at the age of 36-37.

 

Isn't her name Leila? I keep seeing everyone refer to her as Leia and then I go to the Star Wars place.

 

No, don't think so. He hasn't met Leila yet, and it's pretty clear Leila is so desperate for him that she's willing to drug him to get what she wants. It's clear also that he has never touched her in "This side of Paradise." I would gladly see Leila written out of SNW if they have any inkling of putting her in.
Which brings me to another point. Spock steers clear of women for a reason. In "Naked Time" he simply oozes shame when Chapel flings herself at him. We now know they have a backstory. What is Spock ashamed of? My theory is that he did something rather mean to her in his Vulcan fashion, and Chapel repressed the hurt and her other feelings which came pouring out in "Naked Time." She says to him "You wouldn't .....hurt me would you?" Well, who hurt Christine? Roger?
As to Spock and Leila. Leila went to Detox and got her head back together and married someone else like a sensible woman.

 

Agreed that it is strongly implied but Spock has this way of telling the truth but not the whole truth. T'Pring may have had her Pon Farr (Enterprise establishes that women have the same cycle). At this time they probably married. Spock calls her his wife. So, Spock may not have had his cycle yet but T'Pring probably had hers. This rather neatly explains things for me.
Now we get to the gritty question of his next one. 2274 or thereabout is his next cycle. Spock went to the monastary circa 2270 and left I think, a couple years later. Say it's 2272. He has to make a decision soon about his next "seven year itch" Vulcans probably don't marry for purely personal feelings, although I'm sure they have them. Chapel is a pretty good candidate to be his partner. She has earned a PhD, an MD, has known him for almost fifteen years, is a trusted friend, a woman he has demonstrated an attraction to and she's darned nice. She's also very attractive. Spock, thinking logically might indeed start up a relationship with her if she were free.

 

I don’t think a serious relationship was even implied in TOS. We see what might be an off screen friendship in a few examples.

 

Respectfully. I have acknowledged this. I was referring to post 2272.

 

I don't know if they were ever in a relationship on the original series, but Strange New Worlds has made me want Christine to be the bride in the marriage mentioned by Picard in "Sarak".

 

I don't believe it bears out as Spock's wedding since they had not had contact recently, at least according to Unification Part 2, I think.

Memory might be failing me though.

 

Ditto.

 

That would be better than the cringy Spock/Saavik marriage.

 

That may have been Perrin's son, not Amanda's.

 

So, who was "helping" Spock out every 7 years after Amok Time...?

Chapel would have to be at minimum 90 for this to be the case. Not that there's anything wrong with that mind you, but it just seems odd then that she and Spock would wait that long.

 

I assume you are referring to the wedding? Yes, she'd be a bit elderly which is why I think it was Perrin's son but that's just my take on it.

 

So, who was "helping" Spock out every 7 years after Amok Time...?
Well, I have thought that the "Baby please return after your shift with more Plomeek Soup" may have had alternative interpretations. Spock, who was supposed to be rendered speechless by the Plak Tow is suddenly able to speak. T'Pring, if you look carefully raises a shocked eyebrow when, after he is declared the winner, he loses all interest in her. If you watch the famous "Flying Plomeek" soup scene you will notice that McCoy is clueless and razzes Chapel about cooking for Spock. Kirk is silent, waves her in with an air of "It's none of your business McCoy." Chapel hurries to tell Spock the good news that they are bound for Vulcan and just walks right into his quarters when he is at his most vulnerable and has begged to be locked away. You never know.

 

As a Human/Vulcan hybrid, I wonder if Spock actually experienced pon farr on the regular seven-year cycle. He might have experienced a different interval, or he might have experienced it irregularly.

 

He also may have experienced it more frequently. Tuvok tells us the Vulcan libido gets worse with age.

 

The novels try to have him marrying Saavik in 2328. But this is 78 years from the events in SNW. If Chapel is about 26 in 2259 she would no doubt be gone by 2328. Given Spock's necessity, shall we say, it is not a stretch to me that at some point that relationship resulted in marriage. Why? Well, why does Chapel know Sarek well enough to give him a ring and have him get his son and the crew out of trouble? This way both Chapel and Saavik fans get what they want but Chapel got the younger, hotter version. Spock is a worn out old guy in the last movie. Don't envy her.

 

Huh? Chapel was about 36 at Amok Time.

 

The marriage takes place in a novel, which is not canon. Novels are not canon and it is 78 years after SNW and almost fifity years after the events of the refusion. It sure took Spock a long time to do the right thing to pregnant Saavik. Or wait! Maybe he was married at the time. Hmmmmm.

 

Chapel would be about 90 if the marriage Picard mentioned attending was that of Spock and Chapel.