Should Tyler be charged with Dr. Culber's murder?

[Lord Garth]

If I thought that VoqAsh had bits of the real Ash's brain grafted into his own that might make me reconsider at least who I think he is.
Whoever he is though, whether he's culpable of Culbert's murder hasn't been resolved for me. We just have L'Rell's word that Voq is gone and they rushed through all scenes that dealt with the follow up. If he guilty? Is he sane? Who knows?
There was so little follow up I don't understand why they bothered to kill Culbert. If there had been follow up and consequences maybe I could see it (Although Trek's first gay couple on tv suffering the bury your dead trope so quickly is pretty disappointing), but since they briskly absolved VoqAsh of any responsibility and even rubbed Stamet's face in it by letting him see his partner's murderer roaming the halls free, I don't see where Culbert needed to die.

As I said in my previous post, I think AshVoq going free might have been politically motivated.

With Culber's death, I'm not going to lie: I wasn't super-attached to him although I like the character. I basically expect any supporting characters can die at any time.

 

[borgboy]

I'm not sure Occam's Razor applies in the fantastic universe of STAR TREK. Call it a mind, call it a soul, call it a katra, but we've seen minds and personalities swapped around since "Return to Tomorrow" at least. Are we going to argue that Kirk and Spock and Diana Muldaur were simply suffering from some sort of high-tech multiple personality disorder in that episode? Pretty sure that wasn't the intent of the episode.

And ST III, nobody is talking about curing Spock's "amnesia," we're told repeatedly that he needs to have his essence or katra restored to him. It's telepathic Vulcan mysticism.

Weird shit happens in STAR TREK. Looking for "mundane explanations" kinda misses the point and, arguably, gets in the way of the fun. It's like Scully stubbornly insisting that there's no such thing as UFOs and poltergeists even though they've been showing up for years.

That's an interesting point.
The whole thing was so rushed and undeveloped imo, I didn't have a clear picture of exactly what was done to Voq's mind and exactly how he was Ash-ified. I assumed it was just fancy brainwashing. If he actually had Ash's soul that changes everything - I just don't know even still if he does or not.

 

[borgboy]

As I said in my previous post, I think AshVoq going free might have been politically motivated.

With Culber's death, I'm not going to lie: I wasn't super-attached to him although I like the character. I basically expect any supporting characters can die at any time.

Between being a fan of Wilson Cruz's previous work, and being invested in him as one half of a gay couple of Trek I've waited my whole life for, I was very invested in him. Fair or not, the first of any minority that gets represented is going to carry a lot of emotional baggage for some people. I do think, even if I'm disappointed they went this route with him, that I'm taking it in stride. Stamets is still there and I think we can expect fair diversity from Disco in the future. But yes, hitting the Bury Your Dead trope in the first season with him does still sting.
I have wondered if we could get Mirror Culbert next season. That would probably sooth my feelings some. That, and a future new love interest for Stamets might help, although I wouldn't expect him to rush to any new relationship with anyone except a Mirror Culbert.

 

[Longinus]

What should be done with Voq/Tyler?

Hmmm.. Klingons and Federation at war..war needs to end..need to find common ground with enemy...resolve the story.

Gosh, if only there was a character with the experience of both worlds, who had an understanding and sympathy with both cultures... Maybe they even have a special love or connection to both worlds. If there were only a character like that, they could mediate a truce, and help humans and klingons find some (at least a little)common ground!

...Wait, nevermind. I've got a much better idea.
Let's plant a volcano bomb that can destroy the entire Klingon homeworld with the push of a button, and use that to force the Klingons into a truce.

Yep, this is the biggest tragedy. The whole ludicrous mess was utterly pointless and went nowhere. Something like you suggest would have been far more satisfying end to the characters arc and the season as a whole, not to mention way more Star Trek way to end a conflict.

 

[Refuge]

...not to mention way more Star Trek way to end a conflict.

I think that has been missing in Discovery. Michael got to make her speech etc. but it rang hollow.

 

[Longinus]

I'm not sure Occam's Razor applies in the fantastic universe of STAR TREK. Call it a mind, call it a soul, call it a katra, but we've seen minds and personalities swapped around since "Return to Tomorrow" at least. Are we going to argue that Kirk and Spock and Diana Muldaur were simply suffering from some sort of high-tech multiple personality disorder in that episode? Pretty sure that wasn't the intent of the episode.

Most of that is some weird super alien shit. This is carving knives.

And ST III, nobody is talking about curing Spock's "amnesia," we're told repeatedly that he needs to have his essence or katra restored to him. It's telepathic Vulcan mysticism.

It was utter an complete amnesia, whre you lose all your skills, personality and knowledge. That is not something that usually happens. And it was cured by telepathic means. But McCoy was not really Spock when he had Spock's katra.

Weird shit happens in STAR TREK. Looking for "mundane explanations" kinda misses the point and, arguably, gets in the way of the fun. It's like Scully stubbornly insisting that there's no such thing as UFOs and poltergeists even though they've been showing up for years.

Regardless of my quibbles about the specific examples earlier, you indeed do have a point. A lot of stuff that is not really possible is possible are possible in Star Trek. However, I think there are two things that strongly speak against any sort of 'soul (essence, consciousness, whatever you want to call it) transfer' happening here. First, the crudeness of the method. This seems to be a surgical procedure, and they talk about 'recreating' Tyler's mind. This really does not seem or sound anything like the previous super alien shenanigans. And the second point, which is even stronger. L'rell's actions really only make sense if it was impossible for her to do such a 'soul transfer.' If such thing would have been possible, then certainly it would have been far (FAR!) easier to just transfer Voq's mind in Tyler's body, instead of surgically altering Voq's body to look like Tyler. L'rell cannot do real mind swap, and she didn't want to kill Voq. This is why using Voq's original body and thus his brain was important. If you assume that (at least to Klingon tech level) person's soul, essence, their being is inseparable from their brain, then the extreme measures L'rell took actually make sense.