Spoilers Star Trek: Discovery 1x13 - "What's Past Is Prologue"

[Tomalak]

Frankly I'm very much of the opinion that Lorca was originally supposed to be S31 and not Terran. I was really hoping the Mirror Universe "hints" were just a red herring (the scars on the back, the jump in episode 9, Not remembering some event in the past). It wasn't until Episode 11 that they really telegraphed it super hard though. (The light is duller here duuur, Lorca's smirk)

The thing is, the Mirror Universe doesn't really gel with Lorca. If he was this crazy racist xenophobe, why was he working with Saru and respected him? At no point is it shown that Lorca is racist until this episode where he becomes a Space Hitler. For most of the season they just coded him as largely a competent, professional wartime captain, not a Mirror Universe sociopath.

Honestly, I thought much higher of the writers than I should have. I didn't want to believe Mirror Universe Lorca because if they did both Ash/Voq and Mirror Universe Lorca, then they would be bigger hacks than I could imagine, but no, it was exactly that.

I'm not a fan of S31, but I would have preferred it (or Starfleet Intellegence) over Mirror Universe Lorca. S31 fits the character, Mirror Universe doesn't. The Lorca this episode was nothing like the Lorca seen in previous ones.

I agree with this. I thought there was a missed opportunity to have Mirror Lorca be somewhat changed from his Prime experience, and understand that the Empire had to become a little more like the Federation to survive. Instead he just became a raving ethnofascist, which is somewhat less interesting.

I get the intention was to shadow T'Kuvma - "Remain Human" - but that didn't really come across here, because it's not as if Emperor Georgiou wasn't doing that already. He just wants to be even more brutal than her to crush the rebellion, which makes him significantly less interesting than he previously seemed.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

The teaser for next week doesn't really line up with the ending of this week on that score. The Federation have no ability to respond to a signal, not even an automated beacon.... but actually are two thirds still armed and 80% unconquered? Based on what Saru saw, his assessment is accurate. But it seems that the show decided not to be quite so desperate after all.

I was curious how if a simple comms check could not even be made with Starfleet, the Discovery got a highly detailed updated real time sit-rep map of the war.

Yeah, I can BS an explanation, but that made me do a double take, especially after they literally just mentioned not being able to make contact with anyone.

 

[Timo]

I have no problem with the final appearance of Lorca. He was always the consummate con man, living and dying by "When in Rome". Of course he would be sprouting Imperial propaganda when one and a half steps away from becoming the next Emperor. Doesn't mean he'd believe in that any more than he did in the "Federation" nonsense - we learn time and again that Lorca only believes in Lorca.

The character could easily have continued from there, with Burnham or without. It's just that he didn't.

(Although dropping him into the spore network is a cheat of sorts, catering for easy resurrection.)

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Captain Killy]

Though who knows what effect bringing back MU Georgiou and the timejump into the bleak future where "they saw a map today, oh boy, the Klingon army had just won the war" will have on them? Bringing back a warped version of the captain so many of them admired and using her to further twist the Federation's values in order to fight back against the Klingons might make them resent Burnham again after they just got duped by Lorca.

Well, keep in mind that the ISS Discovery is out there somwhere (at least they've hinted at that in After Trek) so I'm predicting an eventual meet-up between the two ships, with The Emperor transferring to that ship and taking it back to the MU where she can begin the Glorious War to restore herself to the Throne.

 

[XCV330]

I was curious how if a simple comms check could not even be made with Starfleet, the Discovery got a highly detailed updated real time sit-rep map of the war.

Klingon nav-beacons/AM Talk radio stations?

 

[Romulan_spy]

I have to disagree here. If the Discovery had blown up the Emperor's ship, killed anyone on board and destabilzed a foreign government only to go home, that would have been incredibly selfish and un-Trek like

Except that having the damaged Mycellian network end all life in the entire multiverse is utterly implausible even by Trek standards.

 

[Rhodan]

Am sadly no closer to figuring out where Season 2 is going. Probably a Tilly/Spore standalone in there somewhere I would guess though. Or maybe that's its own arc. No idea. And I like that. I, like Phlox, like surprises.

And I really never saw the "Mirror Georgiou in our universe" coming. Good surprise there.

I don´t know if you heard about this, but they are supposed to go into science vs. faith territory... So I guess even more metaphysical stuff with network?

 

[Hythlodeus]

I was curious how if a simple comms check could not even be made with Starfleet, the Discovery got a highly detailed updated real time sit-rep map of the war.

the Google Space Maps app updated itself? communication relays and the GSM (tm) relays might not be one and the same

 

[Tomalak]

I have no problem with the final appearance of Lorca. He was always the consummate con man, living and dying by "When in Rome". Of course he would be sprouting Imperial propaganda when one and a half steps away from becoming the next Emperor. Doesn't mean he'd believe in that any more than he did in the "Federation" nonsense - we learn time and again that Lorca only believes in Lorca.

True. Makes me think again about Admiral Cornwell's capture - perhaps he knew exactly what would happen to her after all.

(Although dropping him into the spore network is a cheat of sorts, catering for easy resurrection.)

Timo Saloniemi

Good point... It's the Nexus all over again.

 

[Scout101]

Decent enough episode, just felt like it left a lot undone. Ton of Defiant name-dropping to not actually involve it at all at the end. Where's the ISS Disco? When MU Lorca crossed over, was PU Lorca transporting too and swapped with him? Did MU Lorca just kill him? Out there somehow? Mirror Universe in general was done decently, just felt like it didn't really take advantage things and just left a lot hanging.

Now we jump to a time travel/alternate future duo to wrap up the season. Do they go back to an earlier point, or say 'eff it' and just fix what they can in the present and move on?

 

[Captain Killy]

The thing is, the Mirror Universe doesn't really gel with Lorca. If he was this crazy racist xenophobe, why was he working with Saru and respected him? At no point is it shown that Lorca is racist until this episode where he becomes a Space Hitler...

Racists can be very good at hiding their racism when their not hanging out with their fellow racists....

Once he got back to the MU and was rejoined with his old crew and cadre of loyalists there was really no need to hide his real feelings anymore. And just because he "respects" Saru, that doesn't mean he's still not a racist asshole.

 

[Tomalak]

Decent enough episode, just felt like it left a lot undone. Ton of Defiant name-dropping to not actually involve it at all at the end.

That was dealt with last week - the Defiant was a red herring as if Discovery used the same technique to get home, they'd go insane and murder each other. And end up in the past.

Definitely a couple of hanging threads with ISS Disco and the Lorca/Burnham counterparts. I can't believe they're simply dead...

 

[guyute03]

BTW, does anyone know the name & character name of the South African cast member we got to see talk tonight? Sits across from Detmer. Never caught her name. Like her a lot.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Lt. Joann Owosekun (played by Oyin Oladejo)

 

[Shon T'Hara]

Wait wait wait... what?

I wasn't old enough to watch DS9 first-run. (My parents thought it was too "dark.") To which episode are you referring?

Past Tense, the one where Sisko goes back in time and has to take on the identity of famous (and literal) "Social Justice Warrior" Gabriel Bell. The society shown is a piss take on Gingrich's Contract with America.

 

[Mr Awe]

So I am pretty sure the show will hit the reset button on the whole "Klingons win the war" cliffhanger by having the Discovery, after a suitable amount of drama and action, eventually time travel back 9 months and fix everything. Considering that the Federation being almost taken over completely by the Klingons is not canon in the prime universe. But maybe this is proof that we are not in the Prime universe yet?

I don't think so. B&B Trek? Yeah. But, I'm betting these guys won't do that. More likely the data they have to defeat the Klingon's cloaking devices will be a factor. It also looks like Girgiou will help with battle tactics.

 

[Scout101]

Is Detmer the helmsman's (helmswoman) name? Something the show has definitely sucked at, building up the secondary characters. Show her face a lot, but doesn't really get any lines or referred to by name very often.

 

[Tomalak]

Past Tense, the one where Sisko goes back in time and has to take on the identity of famous (and literal) "Social Justice Warrior" Gabriel Bell. The society shown is a piss take on Gingrich's Contract with America.

Sisko and Bashir get kicked into a lawless slum because they're brown, but pretty white Dax gets adopted by an internet billionaire.

Wasn't exactly Star Trek's most subtle satire, but it holds up more than ever today.

 

[guyute03]

Lt. Joann Owosekun (played by Oyin Oladejo)

Sweet. Thanks!

 

[Captain Shaw]

I gave this episode a 9. What stopped me giving it a 10 was how stupid Lorca was at the end. Once you have the empress you don't stand there chatting you just kill her and get on with the next part of your plan.
Also with all the backstabbing how does anyone breed in the MU.