Stella Will Get a Blast From the Past in Chicago Fire’ Season 13

Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) has been a common fixture for the Chicago Fire for nine years, but details about her past and family have been far between. That will change in the second half of Season 13 when someone from her past visits. “Soon into the second half of the season, someone from Kidd’s family shows up in Chicago, and the history that is revealed . . .” showrunner Andrea Newman told TV Line for the Inside Line column. This visit serves two purposes: it introduces someone from Stella’s past while influencing a decision about her future with Kelly (Taylor Kinney). Newman teased how the visit affects the couple, saying,

“[The visit] leads Kidd and Severide to restart their conversation about what having their own family means to them.”

‘Chicago Fire’ Continues to Explore Stella and Severide’s Family Plans.

Expanding their family was a primary arc at the beginning of the season that took a backseat following the mess with Damon (Michael Bradway) and his place in the firehouse and their lives. The show circles back to their plans with Damon out of the picture. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Newman teased how their past affects their desire to have a family and how it affects them saying,

“That’s going to be an evolving story too, because we really wanted to explore the idea of how different it is when a male firefighter makes that decision than when a female firefighter does, and how it would affect Kidd so differently than it would affect Severide.

“It’s a conversation for that reason, and also because, emotionally, those guys don’t have great role models in terms of parenting. This half-brother is a reminder of that. They have to work through some issues themselves, not just the procedural stuff at the firehouse, but also just in terms of their relationship and their pasts.”

The appearance of one of Stella’s family members continues Chicago Fire’s haunted theme for Season 13 as several characters get a blast from the past. It seems Stella’s blast is here, and it will affect her profoundly. Chicago Fire returns on January 8 with an episode in which “Cruz’s (Joe Minoso) past comes back to haunt him. Severide prepares to teach an arson class at the academy. Mouch (Christian Stolte) searches for a victim’s next of kin.”

Tune in to NBC on Wednesday, January 8, to watch the midseason premiere of Chicago Fire. Catch up with past episodes on Peacock before new ones debut.