Gia Sandhu Discusses The Challenges Of Depicting Intimacy Between Vulcans In Star Trek - Exclusive

"Star Trek" fans should have a good idea of who T'Pring is as long as they've watched "The Original Series." She's Spock's wife on his home world of Vulcan, and she's introduced in the episode "Amok Time." Despite her connection with Spock, she's fallen in love with another, and when Spock agrees to fight for her honor, she chooses James Kirk to battle on her behalf. Her logical side rivals that of even Spock, and thanks to "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," we get to learn more about the enchanting Vulcan.

This version of T'Pring, played by Gia Sandhu, initially comes about in the show's first episode, where she and Spock share a romantic time before going away to somewhere more private. It's an engaging sequence because the Vulcan people are known for not showing any emotion, but as romantic partners, there naturally has to be some chemistry between the two. In an exclusive interview with Looper, Sandhu discussed what it was like to act alongside Ethan Peck as Spock and bring something new to the galaxy.

In "Star Trek: The Original Series," audiences see how T'Pring views her relationships as purely logical. In fact, even after sending Spock into a battle of kal-if-fee, he compliments her on her flawless logic. However, "Strange New Worlds" takes place in the past prior to "The Original Series," so one would surmise we'd see the two actually being in love on the show — however that works in Vulcan culture. 

Gia Sandhu spoke at length about showing off a new side to the alien race that many viewers probably haven't seen before. She explained, "There's this new territory that we're navigating, and we get to see who they are. We get to see their sexuality. We get to see their affection for each other. What does intimacy look like between two Vulcans?" 

Of course, "Strange New Worlds" Episode 1 sees Spock and T'Pring's romantic evening cut short with a transmission from Captain Pike (Anson Mount). Rather than act embarrassed, as humans would, the Vulcans simply roll with it and respond matter-of-factly to the intrusion. Sandhu went on to discuss how this also showcases Vulcan culture: "We also get to see what they're like when there's an audience present, so we get to see the contrast between the private life and the public life for both of these people." Hopefully, there are plenty more interactions between Spock and T'Pring to come, because they already work so well together in this new series.

New episodes of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" air weekly every Thursday on Paramount+.