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Your choice for Star Trek's best love theme?
I would make the movies a separate category, and Jerry's Ilia overture is probably a lock for that award if we voted. But Giacchino's "Labor of Love" is more compelling in my estimation.
The spinoff series? I never memorized their episode scores, and (sorry, but) a lot them were sustained "aaahm" sounds rather than themes. I'm sure I could be schooled on that, but if so, let's make them a separate category too.
The Original Series category. This is a more crowded field of contenders. I don't have my CDs and liner notes here at work, so this listing is a little rough about the cue names and has room for refinement:
Alexander Courage
- Vina cues (The Cage)
- Medicine Girl (The Naked Time)
Joseph Mullendore
- Love Scene LM4 (Miri, Court Martial)
- Quasi-Sex ("Lounge Mix") (Conscience of the King, Court Martial)
- Lenore cues (Conscience of the King)
Fred Steiner
- Mudd's Women (various cues)
- Meet Andrea (What are Little Girls Made Of?)
- Edith cues (City on the Edge of Forever)
- Carolyn-Apollo cues (Who Mourns for Adonais?)
- Kalinda cues (By Any Other Name)
- Marlena cues (Mirror, Mirror)
- Magic Tears, Goodbye Elaan (Elaan of Troyius)
Gerald Fried
- Ruth cues (Shore Leave, This Side of Paradise)
- Love Sort Of (Catspaw)
- Miramanee cues (The Paradise Syndrome)
George Duning
- Metamorphosis
- Return to Tomorrow
- Is There in Truth No Beauty?
- The Empath
Jerry Fielding
- Love Scene in Old West (Spectre of the Gun)
It's funny that George Duning is known as Star Trek's love theme guy, when Fred Steiner wrote more of them, and top-quality ones at that. Also, it's hard to pick one winner when so many of these themes are enduring classics.
Right now, I have to say The Empath is my choice for Best, and Elaan of Troyius is runner up. (That's another little irony: Troyius is usually revered for its battle music, but the love theme is really good as well).
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The Enterprise.
Sorry, I missed that you discounted the movies.
Ok, 2nd Ruth.
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Alexander Courage
- Vina cues (The Cage)
- Medicine Girl (The Naked Time)
Joseph Mullendore
- Love Scene LM4 (Miri, Court Martial)
- Quasi-Sex ("Lounge Mix") (Conscience of the King, Court Martial)
- Lenore cues (Conscience of the King)
Fred Steiner
- Mudd's Women (various cues)
- Meet Andrea (What are Little Girls Made Of?)
- Edith cues (City on the Edge of Forever)
- Carolyn-Apollo cues (Who Mourns for Adonais?)
- Kalinda cues (By Any Other Name)
- Marlena cues (Mirror, Mirror)
- Magic Tears, Goodbye Elaan (Elaan of Troyius)
Gerald Fried
- Ruth cues (Shore Leave, This Side of Paradise)
- Miramanee cues (The Paradise Syndrome)
George Duning
- Metamorphosis
- Return to Tomorrow
- Is There in Truth No Beauty?
- The Empath
Why is Jerry Fielding's "Love Scene in Old West" (from Spectre of the Gun) absent? 
There are multiple such omissions from your list (not only Fielding) ... this is understandable, though.
Star Trek was a program that did not shirk any opportunity to accentuate actresses' anatomy via revealing costumes designed by William Ware Theiss. Composers were obligated to provide music which supported female pulchritude. Thus, melodies were written (and performed) to announce to the audience (some might say telegraph) a sexually attractive woman.
As such, these types of compositions may not all be love themes, per se, but they all communicate a form of 'beauty' according to the perspectives of the mid-20th century Caucasian (heterosexual) male.
Personally, the ones I like most tend to be 'seduction' music, such as Mr. Spock's private scenes with the female Romulan commander in The Enterprise Incident or Capt. Kirk taking advantage of Sylvia's newfound corporeal senses in Catspaw.
Both of these are not referenced in the listing above.
But, to answer this thread's question with a single answer, my vote for 'best' love theme is the one that George Duning wrote for Miranda (either with Mad Marvick or sentimental Jim).
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Right now, I have to say The Empath is my choice for Best, and Elaan of Troyius is runner up. (That's another little irony: Troyius is usually revered for its battle music, but the love theme is really good as well).
While I love Duning's music for The Empath, is his theme for Gem an actual love theme?
Gem does not make love to any of the Enterprise crew. In this case, Duning's theme is a theme for a beautiful alien life form.
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The Enterprise.
Sorry, I missed that you discounted the movies.
"The Enterprise" is a love theme?
It is for Kirk, absolutely. The look on his face when he sees her again is the look of a man reuinited with his lost love.
The Mirror, Mirror and Metamorphosis themes for me. 2nd Ruth was done to death in just two episodes...
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Duning is my favorite Trek composer because I love his romantic sound. Almost always a snug fit for the tone of an episode. However for a theme used clearly and pointedly as a tune for two characters I'd have to go with Steiner's RUTH.
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