In a family, a spouse was simply a person to whom another was married, generally as a life partner. (ENT: "Babel One"; VOY: "Alter Ego") In many cases, the term may be synonymous with mate. (ENT: "Carbon Creek")
Familial relationships[]
Female[]
A female spouse was known as a wife or a bride. A wife whose spouse was deceased was a widow, while a divorced wife was known as an ex-wife. (Star Trek, TOS: "Wolf in the Fold"; VOY: "Fair Haven"; DS9: "Rejoined")
Beverly Crusher became a widow at the age of thirty. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint")
Enina Tandro became a widow when her husband, General Ardelon Tandro, died. (DS9: "Dax")
Jett Reno was a widow due to her wife dying in the Federation-Klingon War of 2256-57. (DIS: "Through the Valley of Shadows")
Male[]
A male spouse was known as a husband or (bride)groom. (TOS: "Plato's Stepchildren", "Elaan of Troyius"; TNG: "Haven", "Cost Of Living", Star Trek Nemesis) A husband of a deceased spouse was a widower, while a divorced husband was known as an ex-husband. (ENT: "Storm Front"; TNG: "Dark Page", "Unification II", "All Good Things...")
While he and Kevin Riley were beginning to suffer from polywater intoxication in 2266, Hikaru Sulu remarked that, for reasons not yet known to him, he was "sweating like a bridegroom", possibly attributing it to Psi 2000 or Joe Tormolen's death. Riley admitted the same was true of him, too. (TOS: "The Naked Time")
Tavnian weddings required the groom to stand before the bride and, with family and friends as audience, explain why he wished to marry her, thus convincing her to do so. If anyone doubted his sincerity, they could challenge whether the marriage was valid or not. (DS9: "The Muse")
Jadzia Dax, or rather the Dax symbiont, had gone through two Trill weddings as a groom by 2374. (DS9: "You Are Cordially Invited")
Other[]
Additional terms existed for polygamous relationships, as was the case in the Bolian culture which identified co-husbands. (DS9: "Field of Fire") In the case of Denobulans, one would refer to their spouse as their "third husband", "second wife", etc., or the relationship between two male spouses as "my first wife's third husband." (ENT: "Stigma", "Zero Hour")
Customs[]
According to T'Pol, in Vulcan culture, "it was customary for a husband and wife to reside together for at least one Vulcan year." (ENT: "Breaking the Ice")
In Trill culture, in order for the symbiont to move on from host to host, it has to learn to let go of the previous host's past, including parents, siblings, children, and spouses. (DS9: "Rejoined", "Afterimage")
On Cardassia, the spouse of an offender was the only friend or family member solely privileged to attend a Cardassian tribunal trial. (DS9: "Tribunal")
In Klingon culture, lovers could be considered “mates” and members of one family even without the formality of a marriage. Despite never marrying, Worf was able to claim K'Ehleyr as his mate and invoked the Right of Vengeance upon her death. (TNG: "Reunion")
Examples[]
- Spouses
- Akorem Laan and his wife
- Alrik and Kamala
- Araya and Hatil Garan
- Jonathan Archer and Esilia (alternate timeline)
- Ariel and Ramsey
- Benaren and Martis
- Amsha and Richard Bashir
- Julian Bashir and Angie Kirby (alternate timeline)
- Leah Brahms and Geordi La Forge (alternate timeline)
- Leah Brahms and Michael
- Bernardo and Sonya Calvera
- Chakotay and Seven of Nine (alternate timeline)
- John Christopher and his wife
- William J. and Hillary Rodham Clinton
- Danik and his wife
- Dukat's father and mother
- Avel Durken and his wife
- Julius and Kay Eaton
- Arlene and Malcolm Eckridge
- Ekoria and her husband
- Elaan and her husband
- William and Ellen Finn
- Benjamin Finney and his wife
- Carol and Alonzo Freeman
- Maury Ginsberg and his wife
- Hagon and Yareena
- Annika Hansen and her husband (alternate timeline)
- Erin and Magnus Hansen
- Isabel and Paul Howard
- Gabriel Hwang and Pel
- Hiro Ishikawa and his wife
- Jhamel and Thy'lek Shran
- Robert and Elaine Johnson
- Kahless the Unforgettable and Lukara
- Kela and his wife
- Keldar and Ishka
- Henry and Shannon Janeway
- Alidar Jarok and his wife
- Mark Johnson and his wife
- Kang and Mara
- John F. and Jacqueline Kennedy
- Miklos and Irina Karlovassi
- Ronald and Emiraa Kwan
- Harry Kim and Linnis Paris (alternate timeline)
- John and Mary Kim
- Kimball and her husband
- Kira Meru and Taban
- George and Winona Kirk
- George Samuel and Aurelan Kirk
- Kolopak and his wife
- Latara and her husband
- Leeta and Rom
- Leucon and Yifay
- Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh
- Jenice and Paul Manheim
- Alexander Marcus and his wife
- Martok and Sirella
- Rianna Mayweather and her husband
- Travis Mayweather and J. McKenzie (alternate timeline)
- Mayweather's sister and her husband
- Gichinga and Wangera M'Benga
- Joseph M'Benga and Debra
- Steven and Victoria Miller
- Mogh and his wife
- Harcourt and Stella Mudd
- Ronu and Sa'an Noonien-Singh
- Keiko and Miles O'Brien
- Miles O'Brien and Rita Tannenbaum (alternate timeline)
- Michael O'Brien and his second wife
- Alyssa Ogawa and Andrew Powell
- Helene and Salvatore Pacelli
- Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres
- Tom Paris and Kes (alternate timeline)
- Parmen and Philana
- Phlox and Feezal Phlox (and two other wives)
- Feezal Phlox and her other two husbands
- Robert and Marie Picard
- Anita R. and Ambrose W. Pierce
- Proka Migdal and his wife
- Mary and Stuart Reed
- William T. Riker and Deanna Troi
- Telek R'Mor and his wife
- Ro Gale and Talia
- Bradley T. and Wendy D. Rocha
- Jacques and Lydia Romaine
- Connaught Rossa and her husband
- Connor and Moira Rossa
- Helena and Sergey Rozhenko
- Nikolai Rozhenko and Dobara
- Sargon and Thalassa
- Sato and his wife
- Sevet and T'Pril
- Mary and Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Benjamin Sisko and Kasidy Yates-Sisko
- Paul Stamets and Hugh Culber
- Hikaru Sulu and Ben (alternate reality)
- Surmak Hoek and Stimson
- Juliana and Pran Tainer
- B'Rt and Shona Tendi
- D'Erika Tendi and her husband
- Tieran and Nori
- Timor Landi and his wife
- T'Les and her husband
- T'Meni and her husband
- Tokath and Gi'ral
- T'Pel and Tuvok
- Charles Tucker II and his wife
- Vaatrik and Pallra
- Charles Vance and his wife
- Dennis and Laurel Wallace
- Samantha Wildman and Greskrendtregk
- Worf and Deanna Troi (alternate quantum reality)
- Zek and Ishka
- Benjamin A. and Marsha L. Ziff
- Ex-spouses
- Amarie and her ex-husband
- Leah Brahms and her husband (alternate timeline)
- Dukat and his wife
- Grilka and Quark
- Ma'Bor Jetrel and Ka'Ree
- Jeyal and Lwaxana Troi
- Koss and T'Pol
- Lutan and Yareena
- Leonard McCoy and his ex-wife (alternate reality)
- Miral and John Torres
- Raffaela Musiker and Jae Hwang
- Prinadora and Rom
- Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher (alternate timeline)
- Katherine Pulaski and her three ex-husbands
- Gideon Seyetik and his first eight wives
- Jake Sisko and Korena (alternate timeline)
- Widows and widowers
- Annorax, widower of his wife
- Manua Apgar, widow of Nel Apgar
- Sally Archer, widow of Henry Archer
- Marla Aster, widow of Aster
- Morica Bilby, widow of Liam Bilby
- Janet Brooks, widow of Marc Brooks
- Gabrielle Burnham, widow of Mike Burnham
- Caylem, widower of his wife
- Chakotay, widower of Seven of Nine (alternate timeline)
- Robert Crater, widower of Nancy Crater
- Croden, widower of his wives
- Beverly Crusher, widow of Jack R. Crusher
- Damar, widower of his wife
- Deral, widower of his wife
- Dexa, widow of her husband
- Amelia Earhart, widow of her husband
- Eleen, widow of Akaar
- Ezral, widower of Maya
- Flint, widower of "a hundred"
- Garvin, widower of his wife
- Gedrin, widower of Jisa
- Tekeny Ghemor, widower of his wife
- Grilka, widow of Kozak
- Rima Harewood, widow of Thomas Harewood (alternate reality)
- Calvin Hudson, widower of Gretchen Hudson
- Ishka, widow of Keldar
- Anne Jameson, widow of Mark Jameson
- Jaris, widower of Sybo
- Henry Janeway, widower of his first wife
- Nilani Kahn, widow of Torias Dax
- Kamin, widower of Eline
- James T. Kirk, widower of Miramanee
- Winona Kirk, widow of George Kirk (alternate reality)
- Edward M. La Forge, widower of Silva La Forge
- Martha Leighton, widow of Thomas Leighton
- Liko, widower of his wife
- Benjamin Maxwell, widower of his wife
- Naara, widow of Degra
- Nidell, widow of Gideon Seyetik
- Michael O'Brien, widower of his first wife
- Kotan Pa'Dar, widower of his wife
- Perrin, widow of Sarek
- Marie Picard, widow of Robert Picard
- Maurice Picard, widower of Yvette Picard
- Dalen Quaice, widower of Patricia Quaice
- Clare Raymond, widow of Donald Raymond
- Donald Raymond, widower of Clare Raymond
- Lidell Ren, widow of Tolen Ren
- Jett Reno, widow of her wife
- Kyle Riker, widower of Betty Riker
- Roana, widow of her husband
- Louise Samuels, widow of William Samuels
- Sarek, widower of Amanda Grayson
- Khan Noonien Singh, widower of his wife
- Benjamin Sisko, widower of Jennifer Sisko
- Jennifer Sisko, widow of Benjamin Sisko (mirror universe)
- Joseph Sisko, widower of Sarah Sisko and his second wife
- Tolian Soran, widower of Leandra
- Paul Stamets, widower of Hugh Culber (briefly)
- Rebecca Sullivan, widow of Michael Eddington
- Enina Tandro, widow of Ardelon Tandro
- Timicin, widower of his wife
- T'Pol, widow of Charles Tucker III (alternate timeline)
- Alicia Travers and her husband
- Lwaxana Troi, widow of Ian Andrew Troi
- Kevin Uxbridge, widower of Rishon Uxbridge
- Vanderweg, widower of Greta Vanderweg
- Janet Wallace, widow of Theodore Wallace
- Worf, widower of Jadzia Dax
- An unidentified woman, widow of Amaros
- An unidentified man and woman, widower and widow of Zim Brott
- An unidentified woman, widow of Joe Carey
- An unidentified woman, widow of Paul Hickman
- An unidentified woman, widow of Janeway
- An unidentified person, widow of Marika Wilkarah
- An unidentified woman, widow of Quentin Swofford
- An unidentified woman, widow of Michael Webb
As established in TNG: "Sarek", one of Sarek's sons was also married. However, the names of both the husband and wife have not been canonically established in Star Trek.