#i didn’t even mention jim kirk and la’an which - while doomed - at least featured jim’s validation and kindness toward la’an

[curator-on-ao3]

I’m not sure if this will make sense to anyone but me, but I think among my issues with the way Strange New Worlds has approached romance is that every relationship has similar beats: T’Pring and Spock, Chapel and Spock, Pike and Alora, Pike and Batel, even Adya and Z'ymira all feature half of the partnership in a lesser position:

T’Pring secondary to Spock’s service to Starfleet and trust in the crew

Chapel as doomed to be functionally forgotten as part of Spock’s esteemed place in the future (per Boimler)

Alora as morally less than Pike (he saves kids in the future, she kills them in the present)

Pike self-declaring himself to not “deserve” Batel (to whom he lies and withholds information)

Z’ymira choosing the forest over Adya (not even sending a raven unnervingly reminiscent of Pike calling Batel just to say hello positioned as a Big Deal when it should be the Bare Minimum).

Anyway, my guess is the writers think conflict is interesting? But, if they want to write romance in a utopian future (and they don’t have to, they really don’t), it sure would be nice to see mature people make sensible, mature choices in a spirit of equality.