Deconstructing Lorca

Captain Gabriel Lorca – make that Mirror Lorca – died a brutal death in "What's Past Is Prologue." Emperor Georgiou, herself a Mirror Universe figure, ran her sword straight through his body and then jettisoned him off her ship. Few fans saw it all coming: the Lorca reveal or the character's demise. Many viewers focused so intently on the Voq/Tyler intrigue that they missed/ignored the Mirror Lorca teases. And some people just took Lorca's presence for granted. Jason Isaacs, one of the main stars and among the most-recognizable names on Star Trek: Discovery, they wouldn't dare make him the Big Bad or kill him off, right?

Well…

Today, StarTrek.com takes a few moments to deconstruct Lorca, to break down some of the hints – be they specific shots or lines of dialogue – that set the stage for the identity shocker.

That First Encounter

Lorca and Burnham first meet in "Context Is for Kings," with prisoner Burnham stepping into the captain's ready room. A monitor reveals the Klingons controlling a lot of territory. The room is dark. "No matter how deep you are in space," he says, staring out the window, "you almost feel like you see home, don't you think? Maybe it's just me." He chalks up the light aversion to a recent battle injury. "I like to think it makes me mysterious," he says. Lorca then offers a reluctant Burnham a second chance, a shot at winning the war and sending everyone home. Later, Lorca introduces Burnham to the Mycelium spores, which he considers the secret to defeating the Klingons.

Further, Lorca baits the hook to enlist his mutineer by appealing to Burnham's deepest desires: atonement, redemption, the chance to right wrongs and save lives, an assurance that Captain Georgiou didn't die in vain. Burnham started the war, Lorca reasons, and this is her chance to end it. Other noteworthy points: Where did Lorca get those skeletons, particularly the Gorn? And, Lorca is shockingly militaristic, even nihilistic, for a Starfleet captain. Fans noticed, arguing that he wasn't proper Starfleet. Those fans… were right, only not quite in the way they assumed. The combination of Lorca captaining the Discovery, commandeering Burnham, flouting Starfleet regulations, etc., makes sense… in hindsight. Bonus hints: Lorca spent much of the season, as noted, in risk-taking, man-of-action, militaristic mode, but he occasionally betrayed flashes of warmth, humanity, reason and humor, likely just to cover his tracks and keep the crew on his side.

Man, He's Into Her

Over and over again throughout the first 12 episodes, Lorca seeks to protect Burnham. He withholds her from assignments and demands that Tyler bring "her" back in one piece. Tyler – whom Lorca shockingly chose to trust; by the way, did he know Tyler was Voq? -- understandably assumes the captain means the shuttle, but Lorca makes it clear he's referring to Burnham. Much later, when the jig was up, Lorca chooses not to hurt Burnham as they fight in "What's Past Is Prologue." We ultimately learn that Emperor Georgiou lost her "daughter" to Lorca. He eventually lost her, too, and now he wants her back… by his side, to rule the universe. Can he tap into "our" Burnham's inner darkness? Bonus hint: as revealed on After Trek, Mirror Lorca eats a meal in "our" universe that resembles one that Burnham receives in the Mirror Universe.

Cornwell, Cornwell, Cornwell

Admiral Cornwell and Lorca share a past, but Lorca barely acknowledges it, beyond the sex. He flat-out forgets specifics of their relationship and interactions. We know why now, but in the moment, it concerns Cornwell gravely, not because she fears he's from the Mirror Universe, but since it speaks to his having returned to command too soon following the Buran incident. Bonus hints: the agonizer scars on his back, Cornwell's very telling "You're not the man I knew" line, uttered right to his face, and his indifference to her apparent death.

The Stamets Factor

Paul Stamets is both Lorca's way home and his secret for beating the Klingons. Just as he manipulates Burnham, preying on her desires/fears, and just as he used the Tardigrade, pushing the creature to its limits, Lorca does the same with Stamets, using flattery, cajoling, and even challenging the lieutenant's abilities as a scientist. "We have to win this war," Lorca says, evoking near-instant support from Stamets, who overcomes his doubts and says, "One hundred, thirty-three jumps, it is." Bonus hint: we get glimpses of Lorca sidestepping conversations about how they got where they are."

More bonus hints: Lorca seems unconcerned about Stamets' fate and, more than once, appears to impede efforts to help him. He evinces genuine concern, though, when Stamets declares he'll make one more jump, and only one more jump. Also, who's the first to comment that Discovery landed in the Mirror Universe? Yup… Lorca. He knows it – and planned it. The most damning evidence: his tampering, in "Into the Forest I Go," with navigation control, hurtling the ship into, not a specific mark, but the "unknown." And there's more: What's with all the data he's collecting? What does he know about the Defiant that he's not sharing? Lorca is almost too relaxed in the Mirror Universe (nice leather, captain) and in no rush to get home. "Now, what we need to do is understand where we are and how to survive," he says (in "The Wolf Inside"). "And then we'll find a way home."

The Emperor's Folly

The pieces fall into place for Burnham aboard the Charon. Mirror Lorca was once Emperor Georgiou's right hand, but with Mirror Burnham as his partner, they sought to topple the emperor. And, remember, Burnham doesn't realize that Lorca is Mirror Lorca until she's brought him on board the Charon, which was Mirror Lorca's intention the entire time. Well played, sir. "He needed me to get onto this ship," Burnham says aloud to Emperor Georgiou. "You wouldn't have let him on otherwise. He needed me to get to you. None of this was an accident. My so-called captain's not from my universe. He's from… yours."

So, when did YOU catch on to the Mirror Lorca's secret? And what other hints/clues did you notice, either at the time or in looking back? Let us know in the comments section below.

Star Trek: Discovery airs Sunday nights on CBS All Access in the U.S. and Space Channel in Canada. The series airs on Mondays on Netflix in the rest of the world.

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WATCH: Picardo's Planetary Post in Antarctica & the Caribbean

Hello, dear StarTrek.com readers:

On this month's Planetary Post: travel to Antarctica to launch a robotic ice probe. Join my fellow Planetary Society Board member Dr. Britney Schmidt and her team as they test an underwater probe that will help us explore our world and -- perhaps one day -- Jupiter's icy moon, Europa. Then warm up in the Caribbean as we meet former Space Shuttle Commander Rick Searfoss aboard -- guess what?-- Star Trek: The Cruise II! Don't miss this opportunity to visit both sides of the ocean surface as well as meet Chewbacca's youngest -- who seems blissfully unaware that I'm from the other franchise.

Learn more about The Planetary Society by going to www.planetary.org. And just tell them the Doctor sent you.

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Latest Discovery Pin Is... Captain Lorca

Captain Lorca... or Mirror Lorca, with blood running down his face... is Pin #13 in FanSets' Star Trek: Discovery Episode Pin Set collection. It represents the most recent episode, "What's Past Is Prologue."

The Star Trek: Discovery Episode Pin set, as reported previously, will include a total of 16 pins, specifically 15 episodic pins and an exclusive "Season 1 Pass Holder" pin. Every pin notes the season, episode number and episode title. After each new episode airs, EpisodePins.com will be updated with an image of that episode-specific pin. The pins measure approximately 2 -2 ¼" square in size and feature a key person, ship, alien or item from each episode. As a special bonus, the first episode pin is an oversized 3" x 3" pin that celebrates the launch of latest chapter in the Star Trek saga.

Check out the pins that have been released so far:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Go to EpisodePins.com to order your Limited Edition Star Trek: Discovery Episode Pin set.

 

Star Trek: Discovery airs Sunday nights on CBS All Access in the U.S. and Space Channel in Canada. The series airs on Mondays on Netflix in the rest of the world.

 

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Adversaries Online Collectible Card Game Available Now

Ready phasers and raise shields, as Puppet Master Games and CBS Interactive have introduced Star Trek: Adversaries, the first free-to-play online collectible card video game set in the vast Star Trek universe. Featuring more than 50 fully-rendered and customizable 3-D starships and 140-plus iconic crewmembers -- that's 300 ships and crew from the Prime timeline, and 24 collectible flagships around which to build your decks -- Adversaries puts players on the front lines of galactic combat. With multiplayer and AI campaigns, ranked matches, draft play, and the chance to battle your friends (and foes) across the galaxy, Adversaries boldly takes the CCG genre into the future.

Compete with friends and family in this free to play online card game. Test your skills and rank up on the global leaderboard. Win prizes as you climb  the ladder to glory.

Challenge yourself against the greatest villains in the Star Trek universe as you battle your way through the single player campaign. Level up and collect valuable rewards to help you along your journey.

Drawing from the entire Star Trek prime Universe, Adversaries contains more than 300 of your favorite starships and crew members. From Star Trek: The Original Series to Star Trek: Discovery, all of your favorites. 

Each deck in Star Trek: Adversaries begins with a Flagship. With unique abilites and core cards to bolster your dek, your Flagship is becomes quite the force. The Galaxy Class, Constitution Class, K'vort Bird of Prey and the dreaded Klingon Shiip of the Dead (along with 20 other ships) all await your command.

Star Trek: Adversaries Early Access begins... today. Visit StarTrekAdversaries.com to download the game and boldly go where no one has gone before.

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8 Takeaways from "Prologue" After Trek

"What's Past Is Prologue" was the subject of last night's After Trek, as host Matt Mira led a conversation with Star Trek: Discovery co-executive producer and episode writer Ted Sullivan, Rekha Sharma and Jason Isaacs, with Sullivan and Sharma in the studio in Manhattan and Isaacs participating via Skype.

Here are our top eight After Trek takeaways:

Isaacs Is a Liar

Lorca, from the start of Discovery, was Mirror Lorca, his every move designed to find/protect/reunite with Michael Burnham. "Why have I been lying to everyone?" Isaacs joked. "I just want to start with a groveling apology… I couldn't tell you. The would have sued me. They would have taken my kidneys out through my nose." Yes, Isaacs knew Lorca's true identity from the get-to. Yes, Burnham was Lorca's fatal flaw, "which makes it a Shakespearean tragedy."

 

Starfleet Briefing #1

A Starfleet Briefing interstitial segment revealed that one of the most-challenging sets to create was Emperor Georgiou's throne room. Production designer Tamara Deverell was inspired by, of all things, the Bund Finance Center in Shanghai.

 

Mirror Smiles

The actors and Sullivan discussed the joys and challenges of operating within the Mirror Universe. Isaacs liked the decision to not make the Prime and Mirror versions of the characters too wildly different. Everyone had a laugh about the observation that Mirror Landry smiles much more than Prime Landry. Noted Sharma: "I think the prime different between the two… sorry… would be that in the Prime universe, Landry is Starfleet. She's above board. She's the one in charge and actually in charge of everyone's well-being, whereas in the Mirror Universe, she's the underdog, she's oppressed and trying to be free."

 

Captain Saru

Everyone lauded Doug Jones for his delivery of Saru's rousing speech to the Discovery crew in the wake of the Lorca blockbuster. Isaacs pointed out that Jones did a particularly outstanding job given that he had to emote through all the rubber on his face. "That's actually my favorite thing I've ever done in my professional career," Sullivan noted. "Doug was amazing on set… For me, as a lifelong Star Trek fan, it was an opportunity to lean into the ideology of Starfleet, the ideology of what I love so much about Star Trek, and to, finally, after 13 episodes, give the fans the moment that says, 'Yeah, no, we get it. We believe in Star Trek and Starfleet, too.' We just had to go through this journey for 12 episodes (to get there)." Sullivan added that the crew has now "come together" as a team, as a family, with everyone being a part of the solution. It was all a slow build and "very, very intentional."

 

Sonequa Surprise

Mira shared that he had a little surprise for everyone and played a short video of Sonequa Martin-Green bidding farewell to Isaacs, Sharma and Wilson Cruz. "It's really hard to say goodbye," Martin-Green explained. "Jason, I am so grateful I got to tell this story with you, my friend… Rekha, I'm happy I got to share one last moment with you… Star Trek family never ends. Live long and prosper."

 

Tales from the Set

In a cool bumper video, Discovery props master Mario Moreira told an amusing anecdote about going to the airport, with Emperor Georgiou's big, heavy broad sword in hand, to meet with Michelle Yeoh for a sword test. 

 

What's in Store for the Spore?

Claire, a fan in attendance at the After Trek taping in New York City, asked Sullivan about the single spore that dropped onto Tilly's shoulder. "What is up with that spore?" Sullivan joked. "Mary Wiseman came to me on set and said, 'What was up with the spore?' Wait til season two!" Sullivan went on to mention an unlikely inspiration for "What's Past Is Prologue." It was… Die Hard.

 

Starfleet Briefing #2

Another short bumper divulged that Saru, in an initial incarnation, had 10 eyes and a triangle-shaped head. An image then flashed of writer Bo Yeon Kim's sketch of that original Saru look.

FYI: Mira introduced a clip from next week's episode of Discovery. In it, heavily armed rebels board Discovery, joined an instant later by… Admiral Cornwell, who literally shuts down the ship, and Sarek.

The After Trek journey does not stop with the show. Visit www.aftertrek.tv on Wednesdays at 4 p.m. ET for Starfleet trivia and a chance to win prizes.

Next week's After Trek guests will be: director Olatunde Osunsanmi, Doug Jones and Trek superfan Justin Simien (creator of Dear White People).

 

Star Trek: Discovery airs Sunday nights on CBS All Access in the U.S. and Space Channel in Canada. The series airs on Mondays on Netflix in the rest of the world.

 

via Star Trek Latest News

Wilson, Meaney & Behr Set for STLV 2018

Star Trek Las Vegas 2018 just crossed the 60-guest mark with Creation Entertainment's announcement that Rainn Wilson, Colm Meaney and Ira Steven Behr are on board for the mega-event. STLV 2018 will be held August 1-5, 2018, at the Rio Suites Hotel.

Wilson, Meaney and Behr join such previously announced guests as William Shatner, Jeri Ryan, Jason Isaacs, Wilson Cruz, Mary Chieffo, Michael Westmore, James Frain, Kenneth Mitchell, Gates McFadden and Brent Spiner.

Confirmed events so far include the Nevada Pops Orchestra returning to perform a Saturday night concert, while Gary Graham and his group, The Sons of Kirk, will once again serve as the house band.

Keep an eye on StarTrek.com for news of additional guests and events, and go to Star Trek Las Vegas for more information and to purchase tickets.

via Star Trek Latest News

Discovery Episode #13 Primer

Episode #13 of Star Trek: Discovery, "What's Past Is Prologue," will run this weekend. In advance of previewing the latest installment, let's summarize the events of "Vaulting Ambition"...

Saru managed to decrypt the Defiant data that was smuggled off the Shenzhou, but the file is redacted, prompting Burnham to comment that they'd "risked our lives for nothing." Not so fast, Lorca advises. Is there any useful info? Well, Burnham notes, the Defiant crossed into this space via a phenomenon called "interphasic space." Lorca lays down the challenge: Locate the original report in the archives of the Imperial Palace... their current destination. "Some people," Lorca notes, "would see that glass as half full."

Burnham has her doubts. Lorca argues that if he can handle more time in the agonizer, she can play dress-up a bit longer. What is she afraid of? "Georgiou," she replies. He nods, "You mean Emperor Georgiou." Burnham explains, "Logic tells me she's not the woman I betrayed. But this feels like a reckoning." Lorca stresses that her Georgiou is dead, a ghost. That doesn't placate Burnham. "Haven't you ever been afraid of ghosts?" she asks.

Over in engineering, Saru and Tilly talk about Stamets, who's still in a coma, but being treated continuously with the spore-therapy procedure. Tilly insists that it's working, as here's increased neural activity. "I know it's subjective," she says very Tilly-esquely, "but he really does look better. I mean, look at his skin. It's so dewy." Saru admires her optimism, but cautions, "Let's call this what it is: a coma." Saru walks away, and Tilly stares at Stamets. "Are you in there, lieutenant?" she wonders. "Are you in there?"

Meanwhile, within the mycelial network, Stamets encounters Mirror Stamets. "What is this?" Stamets asks. "Am I dead? Is this the afterlife? Are you some sort of narcissistic Virgil leading me to my judgment?" Mirror Stamets teases Stamets that he's been wrong about everything, that there is a God, and she's very, very mad at him right now. Stamets tries to figure out who/what Mirror Stamets is. So, who is he? "You," Mirror Stamets reveals. "In my universe. Nice to meet you." It seems they're sharing parallel fates, and Mirror Stamets wants Stamets to "navigate us the hell out." Off to the lab they go. A creeping, rumbling energy appears to chase them, but they reach Stamets' lab safely.

Over on the Charon, in an elaborate throne room, we meet Emperor Georgiou, but she's not just Emperor Georgiou. As detailed by Captain Maddox, her most Imperial Majesty is "Phillipa Georgiou Augustus Iaponius Centarius. Mother of the Fatherland. Overlord of Vulcan. Dominus of Qo'noS. Regina Andor." (NOTE: Jordon Nardino, who wrote the script for this episode, tweeted that Emperor Georgiou is somehow connected -- possibly a cousin, but more likely as a tribute/honor -- to Empress Hoshi Sato, the Mirror Hoshi Sato from Star Trek: Enterprise).

"Captain Burnham," Emperor Georgiou hisses. "A face I thought I'd never see again in the flesh." She is pleased to see the gift Burnham has brought her: Lorca. "Your life will be long, Gabriel," Emperor Georgiou warns Lorca. "And every single moment of it will be spend in our agonizers. A fair price to pay for your vaulting ambition." (NOTE: Vaulting ambition is a reference to Shakespeare's Macbeth.) As Lorca is taken away, to cheers from the assembled, Emperor Georgiou shifts her attention to Burnham. "Let her rest a bit and have her at my residence by dinner," she says. "There is so much to discuss. Everything" -- she caresses Burnham's cheek -- "will be the way it was, dear daughter."

Back on the Discovery, in sickbay, Tyler threatens to kill everyone... in the name of T'Kuvma. Dr. Pollard and Saru are at a loss. "Unless someone can tell me how they put a Klingon inside a Starfleet officer's body, I don't know how we can treat him."  For a moment, Tyler seems to be... Tyler, asking if Burnham is OK. He asks for Saru's help, but then the Klingon rage returns.

On the Charon, Emperor Georgiou eats dinner with Burnham. "No one prepares Kelpien like the Imperial Chef," the emperor intones, passing a piece to a disgusted Burnham. "Here. Have my ganglia. You deserve a treat."The conversation continues. "Why would you leave me, then?" the emperor asks. "I gave you everything. The best education. Riches beyond imagination. Even your own ship." They're feeling each other out. "Never could tell when you were lying to me," the emperor admits. "This time I know." Emperor Georgiou summons her guards. "Take her to the throne room. Gather my council. She is to be executed by my own hand, for treason."

Emperor Georgiou summons a medallion that spins in the air and quickly zips through the skulls of her council, killing all but Lord Eling, who remains to clean up the mess. The emperor clearly believes Burnham.

Saru confronts L'Rell in the Discovery brig. He seeks her help to ease Tyler's distress, but she's having none of it. "Beneath that man's inferior carriage is a devoted warrior who has sacrificed everything... and is T'Kuvma's chosen successor," she says. "He will light the way for his race. He will win this war." Now, Saru is having none of it. "I guess you didn't hear the news," he reveals. "Discovery was thrown in a parallel universe. Here, the war is over -- and you lost." Furious, she accuses Saru of lying, but, of course, he's not. And she still refuses to ease the pain of either Voq or Tyler. "Voq" accepted that suffering in order to best the enemy," she reasons. "That is what it means to be a soldier. That is war."

Back in the throne room aboard the Charon, Emperor Georgiou and Burnham carry on their dialogue. Burnham insists that the emperor has no reason to hold "my captain" any longer, as he shouldn't suffer for "your Lorca's crimes." The emperor is unmoved. Burnham explains that her ship and crew are here by accident and all they want is to return to their proper universe, "but we need your help to do that." The emperor dismisses such talk. "Your people are dangerous," she begins, rattling off the many reasons why she refuses to get involved. Finally, Burnham mentions something of value to Emperor Georgiou: the ship jumped here because of a displacement-activated spore-hub drive.

Saru is still trying to reason with L'Rell. He shows the Klingon footage of Tyler scratching roughly at his chest. He's too violent for sickbay. The doctors can't help him. Will she? "No," she replies. Saru has Voq/Tyler's limp body beamed into the brig and right on to her lap. "You," he warns, "have sealed this being's hellish fate." Finally, she caves: "It can be undone... but only my hands can tend to him."

L'Rell, now in Discovery's sickbay, operates -- at phaser point -- on Voq/Tyler. He goes from speaking Klingon to English. Success. Flashbacks to Voq and L'Rell. Cut to the present, and L'Rell bellows toward the sky, carrying out the Klingon death ritual. 

Deep within the mycelial network, Stamets and Culber converse in what Stamets sees as his quarters with the doctor. He saw Culber die and thought it was a dream, but it wasn't. This is their goodbye. "You're in a coma on the Discovery," Culber shares with Stamets. "And the simplest way back is just to open your eyes." Stamets knows he must go, but he doesn't want to say goodbye. "It's never goodbye," Culber promises. "Isn't that what you've been trying to teach all of us? Nothing in here is ever truly gone. I believe... in you, Paul. I love you." The partners kiss and Stamets says, "Goodbye, Hugh." In voiceover, Culber urges Stamets to look for the forest. "Open your eyes!" he implores. Stamets opens his eyes.

"I'm back," declares Mirror Stamets, on the Charon. "He did it!" Meanwhile, on Discovery, our Stamets is back, too. "Oh my, lieutenant, you're back," Tilly chirps. "He's back!... And he's... leaving!" She tries to reason with him, but he notes, "I know about Hugh. But I need you to come with me... right now." They enter the mycelium forest, only to realize they're too late, the sickness has already spread to their supply.

Saru and Burnham speak, he from the captain's ready room, she from Georgiou's dining room. Their plan is in motion. Emperor Georgiou has a curious smile on her face. "Federation through and through," she says. "They would never abandon you and your captain. Rules to live by... rules to die by."

Meanwhile, over in the Charon brig, Captain Maddox continues his torture of Lorca, cranking up the agonizer. "My sister loved you," he growls. "Say her name and beg for forgiveness." Elsewhere on the Charon, Emperor Georgiou ignores Burnham's pleas for mercy for Lorca, pointing out that if Burnham's bond for her crosses universes, so too does Lorca's treachery. The Lorca she knew was her right hand. She trusted him with the Empire's most-sensitive missions. She trusted him with... Burnham.

Dropping a bomb on Burnham, the emperor spins the following tale: Burnham gained a mother when Emperor Georgiou adopted her. In Lorca, she saw a father, until "it became more." The realization staggers Burnham. "You're saying, Lorca and I..." Emperor Georgiou nods. "He groomed you," she says. "He chose you." Burnham flashes back to assorted conversations with Lorca that back up the emperor's claim "He said," the emperor explains, "he'd cross time and space itself to take what was rightfully his."

Emperor Georgiou glances out a window, first covering her eyes from the light and then turning away from it. "You're sensitive to light," Burnham notes, to which the emperor responds, "Only compared to a human from your universe. It's the singular biological difference between our two races.

Back to Burnham, piecing it all together. Lorca, she tells the emperor, needed her to get aboard the Charon. The emperor wouldn't have let him otherwise. He needed Burnham to get to Emperor Georgiou. "None of this was an accident," Burnham announces. "My so-called captain is not from my universe. He's from yours."

"Ava," Lorca says, standing over Maddox. "Her name was Ava. And I liked her. But you know how it is. Somebody better came along." And, with that he stomps, brutally, on the head of the prone, seizing Maddox. Fade. To. Black.

Next on Discovery...

In "What's Past is Prologue," Lorca plans to move forward with a coup against the Emperor, propelling Burnham to make a quick decision to save not only herself, but the U.S.S. Discovery.

Worth Noting

There's no mistaking Commander Landry in the "What's Past Is Prologue" trailer. Also in the teaser, Saru seems to be assuming the captain's chair nobly, spurring his crew by saying, "Discovery is no longer Lorca's She is ours." And clearly Lorca and Burnham will come face to face, as Lorca is seen and heard saying, "Welcome home, Michael."

After Trek

When Star Trek: Discovery ends, After Trek begins. Stream it Sundays at 9:30pm ET/6:30pm PT. Joining host Matt Mira will be:

Star Trek: Discovery airs Sunday nights on CBS All Access in the U.S. and Space Channel in Canada. The series airs on Mondays on Netflix in the rest of the world.

 

via Star Trek Latest News