Chicago Fire Fans Are Not Holding Back Their Feelings On Stella In Season 11

There are plenty of "Chicago Fire" characters that fans have conflicted feelings on, but one member of the Firehouse 51 crew that often takes the center of debate is Miranda Rae Mayo's Stella Kidd. While the firefighter has done plenty of heroic deeds from her introduction in Season 4 onwards and the best Stella storylines on "Chicago Fire" see her stepping up for her friends and taking charge, there are many out there for whom the character has never quite properly landed. Plenty of other Stella plot threads have proved disappointing for fans, whether it be because they think she wasn't fairly written or because she acted in a frustrating way.

None of that is bothering Stella, of course. Season 11 sees life looking relatively good for the "Chicago Fire" mainstay. She's finally married to her longtime partner, the heroic fire lieutenant Kelly Severide, after their wedding at the end of Season 10 and she's continuing to grow into her duties as a lieutenant for Firehouse 51 herself. However, Stella's storyline in Season 11 has put many fans in what may be the biggest uproar yet regarding her character.

Stella's first Season 11 storyline sees her contending with the addition of former rival Sam Carver (Jake Lockett) to the Firehouse 51 team. But while their acute differences in personality make it reasonable to see them butt heads, fans think Stella goes too far. 

Particular attention has been directed at her handling of the mysterious scar that Carver sports on his arm. It's clearly a sensitive subject for the firefighter, and he even lies about its origin to his co-workers so they'll stop asking about it. That doesn't fly for Stella, though, as she repeatedly probes into the topic against Carver's wishes. "The way she confronted him about it was wrong in every way," u/Mundane-Parsnip posted on the r/ChicagoFireNBC subreddit. "She shouldn't have demanded to know considering it could be deeply traumatic for him. She shouldn't have threatened to kick him off of truck. Just generally all around bad Stella."

It's true that Carver's scar is a mystery box to add intrigue to his backstory. As showrunner Andrea Newman told NBC Insider, "We know what it is. We're gonna get into that." But while a revelation may be inevitable, many fans feel that Stella's pushing to uncover the truth is disrespectful. "Really liked Stella when she first entered the show and the team," u/The_Reaper129 wrote in a post. "But ever since she's been starting her path to become (and then been) a lieutenant, her personality and behavior just ain't cutting it no more."