This Chicago Fire Pregnancy Bothers Me More Every Time I Think About One Major Character Detail

Pregnancy can be a joyous experience for a week or two, but Chicago Fire celebrated Stella’s surprise bun in the oven while frustratingly ignoring a character detail that made her adoption story so important. Even more bothersome, since the reveal ended the Chicago Fire season 13 finale, there’s no way for the series to address this oversight until next season.

It’s given that Chicago Fire season 14 will focus largely on Stella’s pregnancy. In fairness, Kidd getting pregnant so soon after her adoption with Severide fell through is practically a miracle. But before the series adds a tiny new member to the Chicago Fire cast, it ought to revisit why Stella went on this journey in the first place.

Stella Gives Kelly Specific Reasons For Wanting To Adopt In Chicago Fire Season 13, Episode 12

The Choice To Adopt Ties Deeply Into Her Family’s History

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Character additions such as Brandon Larracuente’s Chicago Fire casting typically stem from behind-the-scenes concerns, such as the anticipated departures of Sam Carver and Darren Ritter. By contrast, Stella Kidd provides a very clear in-universe reason for wanting to start a family with Kelly. Notably, she specifically mentions adoption to Severide after telling him that she has reservations about getting pregnant.

But there’s a lot more to it than that. Stella first suggests adopting in Chicago Fire season 13, episode 12, after a visit from her cousin Cole. After some initial tension between Cole and Stella’s husband, Cole eventually tells Kelly the story of his mother, Stella’s Aunt Laverne, taking in the younger Kidds after their parents died of unknown causes.

Although a saint in the children’s eyes, Aunt Laverne ceased to function in the midst of overwhelming postpartum depression. This forced Stella to step up and care for everybody in much the same way she does at Firehouse 51, providing a glimpse into how she became a strong and caring leader. It also explains Kidd’s reason for wanting to adopt.

Stella says herself when speaking to Kelly at the end of the episode that she wants to adopt a child who needs help so that she can give back to the world what Laverne gave to her. She also appears to retain some silent guilt from her addiction years. But atoning through pregnancy would be a disservice to her character.

Chicago Fire Season 13’s Twist Pregnancy Ruins The Sentiment Behind Stella Wanting Kids

She’s No Longer Giving A Home To A Child In Need

Technically speaking, every child needs help. They’re such notoriously bad hires that we had to pass laws just to keep them from working. But while no child can live on self-sufficiency, Stella’s talk with Kelly makes it perfectly clear that she wants to take in a kid with no place else to go.

In other words, it’s never just been about being a mother. Between her responsibilities as a lieutenant and her relationship with Chicago Fire’s former Dalmatian, Tuesday, it’s already abundantly clear that Stella has the capacity to care for another life. Pregnancy will present new challenges, but none that she and Kelly can’t overcome.

That would all be fine if watching Stellaride triumphantly clear the hurdles of first-time parenthood together were the main hook of the storyline. However, the additional hook of paying tribute to Aunt Laverne’s legacy is what makes Stellaride’s relationship arc unique. It elevates their story above those of countless other recently betrothed TV couples.

It’s generally a goal in TV to keep relationships moving so they don’t become stale. But, thanks to Aunt Laverne, Stellaride didn’t feel like they were only starting a family because it’s next on the list of traditional life goals and storylines. The surprise pregnancy walks back that uniqueness, and in more ways than one.

Chicago Med’s Hannah Asher Mystery Took The Wind Out Of Chicago Fire’s Baby Sails

There Were A Lot Of Surprise Babies On Network TV This Season

A surprise pregnancy isn’t blazing the trails of creativity to begin with, but Stella’s pregnancy reveal lost some of its luster when another One Chicago series introduced its own surprise pregnancy at around the same time. Because Hannah Asher’s pregnancy comes packaged with a paternal mystery, it steals a lot of Chicago Fire’s thunder.

Not only is the mystery itself intriguing, but many fans are hopeful the paternity reveal could fix Chicago Med’s romance problem. This is why using similar twists simultaneously in the same franchise is rarely advised, as one can easily overshadow the other. Although the next One Chicago crossover could feature two simultaneous childbirths, so that’s at least fun.

How Chicago Fire Can Preserve Aunt Laverne’s Legacy Without Sacrificing Stellaride Jr.

The CFD Has Very Restrictive Policies Against Baby Sacrifice

Especially with Stellaride’s first adoption falling through, it feels too late to correct course by abandoning the pregnancy. Something feels problematic about learning that your baby was forcibly miscarried by TV writers for story reasons. But Chicago Fire already introduced a solution to the problem in the form of Natalie Evans.

Stella losing her pregnancy would rank among the most heartbreaking Chicago Fire deaths since Leslie Shay, but Stella’s work with Natalie and Girls on Fire could help the exact type of kids she wanted to adopt. It even seemed like she might adopt Natalie at one point, but the troubled teen could instead be the inspiration for a new program.

If Stella wanted to expand Girls on Fire, or even start a separate program to offer at-risk youths general assistance, she already has the perfect ally. Chicago Fire season 13, episode 10, introduced Kidd to Amy, a teacher who wants to serve a more heroic purpose. A program for kids like Natalie would be the perfect project for both women.