If It Happens, Star Trek 4 Can Finally Introduce The Original Series Character Teased 15 Years Ago

Star Trek 4 has been delayed for over 8 years, but if it happens, the fourth J.J. Abrams-produced Star Trek movie can finally introduce Nurse Christine Chapel. Abrams successfully rebooted Star Trek in 2009 and proved that the iconic characters from Star Trek: The Original Series could be recast with younger actors. However, one significant TOS character who hasn't been seen in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek is Nurse Chapel.

Originally played by Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, Nurse Chapel was the main assistant to USS Enterprise Chief Medical Officer Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley) in Star Trek: The Original Series. Chapel was primarily known for her unrequited love for Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy). However, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has revitalized Nurse Chapel. Played by Jess Bush, Strange New Worlds has given Chapel a richer character and more agency so that Christine is now a brilliant, resourceful, and determined Starfleet Officer who is seeking a greater destiny beyond a romance with Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck).

Star Trek Kelvin Timeline Movies Have Repeatedly Teased Nurse Chapel

Nurse Chapel Has Been Name-Dropped Already

Nurse Chapel has not been seen or heard from in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies, but Christine definitely exists in the alternate Kelvin Timeline. When Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban) smuggles James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) aboard the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek (2009), Bones calls for Nurse Chapel to administer a treatment for Kirk's allergic reaction to the Melvaran mud flea vaccine. However, there are several female nurses in the scene, and none of them were established to be Nurse Chapel. Yet Chapel was aboard the Enterprise during Star Trek (2009).

Nurse Chapel does not appear in Star Trek Into Darkness, but Christine is name-dropped by Dr. Carol Marcus (Alice Eve). While Marcus was undressing and speaking to Captain Kirk in a shuttlecraft, she mentions Christine Chapel, with whom Jim had prior intimate relations. Yet the distracted Kirk seemed to have "no idea" who Carol was talking about. In a deleted scene from Star Trek Into Darkness, Dr. McCoy mentions Chapel contracted an STD from Kirk, so perhaps it's best that moment was excised from the film.

Star Trek 4 Is Nurse Chapel's Best (& Probably Last) Chance To Appear In The Kelvin Timeline

Strange New Worlds Made Nurse Chapel A Vital Character

Star Trek 4 would potentially be the best and last chance for Nurse Christine Chapel to appear in the alternate Kelvin Timeline. Chapel could easily be back aboard the USS Enterprise, and she could even be a foil for Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy. Interestingly, Chapel did not have a romance - unrequited or otherwise - with Spock (Zachary Quinto) in Star Trek's Kelvin Timeline, but Christine's presence could make Captain Kirk uncomfortable, which might lead to comedic moments.

Since Star Trek 4 would be set years after the last J.J. Abrams-produced Star Trek movie, the Justin Lin-directed Star Trek Beyond, Chapel and the crew of the USS Enterprise would be in their 40s since they all started at Starfleet Academy together at roughly the same age. It would be logical that Chapel would no longer be a nurse in Star Trek 4.Dr. Christine Chapel would be a welcome addition, and she could provide competition for Dr. McCoy. Still, it would be fantastic to see the Kelvin Timeline's Dr. Chapel in action in Star Trek 4.

Star Trek Movies Are Missing Out By Keeping Nurse Chapel Offscreen

Chris Pine's Enterprise Needs More Female Characters

Despite the breakneck pace of the Star Trek movies starring Chris Pine, there is a palpable void in the USS Enterprise's Sickbay without Nurse Chapel. Although Dr. McCoy has handily managed to oversee every medical complication aboard the Enterprise without a primary nurse, Chapel's presence was missed. The USS Enterprise seems incomplete without Nurse Chapel, and her omission from Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek Beyond has been disappointing. Still, Star Trek 4 can rectify it.

Nurse Chapel can also fix the lingering issue of a lack of female characters in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek. Lt. Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldana) is the only female main character aboard the USS Enterprise. Alice Eve's Dr. Carol Marcus wasn't in Star Trek Beyond after controversy erupted over Carol in Star Trek Into Darkness. Star Trek Beyond laudably added Jaylah (Sofia Boutella), who would hopefully return in Star Trek 4. Finally bringing in Christine Chapel would bolster the Enterprise's female characters and debut the long-missing Star Trek: The Original Series icon.

Will Star Trek 4 Happen With Or Without Nurse Chapel?

Star Trek 4 Is Reportedly In The Works

Star Trek 4 has been in development hell for years, with directors like Matt Shakman, S.J. Clarkson, and Quentin Tarantino exiting Star Trek 4 over creative differences. Despite a report earlier in 2024 that screenwriter Steve Yockey (The Flight Attendant) was hired to pen "the final chapter" of Chris Pine's USS Enterprise crew, there has been no update or further news on the status of Star Trek 4. Instead, Paramount Pictures is moving forward with an Untitled Star Trek Origin movie directed by Toby Haynes, which is in development to potentially film in 2025 to release in 2026 for Star Trek's 60th anniversary.

Still, Star Trek's movie cast has publicly stated their interest in returning to the Enterprise if Star Trek 4 does happen. Whether that will finally include Nurse (or Doctor) Christine Chapel is anyone's guess if Star Trek 4 gets a green light. One interesting aspect of Chapel in Star Trek 4 will be who is cast in the role. Jess Bush is acclaimed and popular as Nurse Chapel on StarTrek: Strange New Worlds, but she's playing Chapel in her 20s. The Kelvin Timeline's Christine Chapel would be in her 40s like Chris Pine's Captain Kirk and the rest of his cast. Hopefully, Star Trek 4 does happen, and Nurse Chapel is aboard the Starship Enterprise when it warps into a new big-screen adventure.