Going where no fan has gone before, Star Trek: Discovery star Jason Isaacs reflects on THAT shocking Captain Lorca twist.
As one of the biggest names to sign up for Discovery's freshman year, the Harry Potter star has led the first chapter of the sci-fi show as the no-nonsense captain of the USS Discovery. However, reliving the Star Trek of old, the midseason finale saw our cast of characters sent into a dark mirror world. Among the big twists and reveal of Ash Tyler as Voq, our jaws hit the floor when we found out that our Grabiel Lorca was actually the evil version plucked from the Mirror Universe. But, just where has "our" Lorca been all this time?
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Speaking to EW, Isaacs cryptically discussed where 'Prime' Lorca really is:
"There was a Prime Lorca, he was captain of the Buran in the Prime world. He swapped with him and found himself captain of the Buran. This never came out, this backstory detail we never put in the dialogue: Although Lorca spins this story having had to sacrifice the men on Buran and had to blow them up to save them from Klingon torture. Actually, if I remember correctly, there was some kind of DNA identification that would have exposed Lorca as not being Prime Lorca, and so he blew up the ship and killed everyone on it."
The death of those aboard the Buran is an even darker take on the tale which would've added another layer to Lorca's mysterious past, so it is a shame that the showrunners decided to ax the storyline. However, as another gripping twist to season 1, it would be hard to argue that the Lorca storyline didn't get its payoff even without this extra layer.
Those who tuned in for the episode 'What’s Past Is Prologue,' will have seen the dramatic climax where Michelle Yeoh's Emperor Philippa Georgiou stabbed the treacherous Lorca with her sword and then dumped his body into a reactor. It continues a trend of season 1 of killing main characters, but as we have already seen with the likes of Yeoh, death isn't necessarily the end on Discovery. Asked whether Lorca could return (presumably in Prime form), Isaacs remained coy on his chances for season 2, teasing the site if he knew where the other Gabriel is:
"If I did, you’d have to stand behind my wife, friends, and professional collaborators to find out the answer. I’ve kept this one big secret for six months — I am certainly going to keep any others."
Sure, Isaacs may be gone for now on the show, but with the loose end of Prime Lorca still looming over us, we don't see this as the end for his involvement in the show. Various sources had already promised a Game of Thrones-style culling where no one is safe, but the possibility of bringing back Lorca is surely too good to give up on. For now though, at least we know Mirror Universe Lorca is dead. Seeing his body vaporize in agonizing detail, there is no way he will be back from the dead to take on the Terran Empire.
With two episodes left of season 1, it will be interesting to see where Discovery goes next. Moving at break-neck speed, the show has capitalized on the loyalty of old Trek fans while also bringing in a whole new group of viewers. With Isaacs playing almost second lead to Sonequa Martin Green's Michael Burnham, there will likely be a big hole in the Star Trek: Discovery cast until his eventual return.
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Source: EW