Commodore Mendez: DSC-era Romulan spy?

[Groppler Zorn]

Crazy fan theory time!

Yes Malachi Throne played Mendez and also Pardek. Bear with.

Pardek had been a senator for around 90 years by the time of “Unification”. For him to become a senator he may have been at least middle aged by human standards.

So he would have looked around the same age as... commodore Mendez.

The same Mendez who was involved in Spock’s mutiny - at least before the Talosians imagined him.

Fast forward to the TNG days - and the Romulan senator who is trying to sabotage Spock’s plans? Pardek. Who bears a startling resemblance to Mendez.

Rewind to the DSC days - we could see a younger Mendez. His mission? To discredit Sarek and his family. He could be involved with the Vulcan separatists - ever since the ENT days the Romulans have wanted to exploit such a group so they could conquer Vulcan.

Maybe Mendez/Pardek is the reason we never see Michael again - perhaps one day Pardek is ordered to dispose of Michael? Maybe she discovers the plot against the house of Sarek and Pardek has to kill her to maintain his cover?

Btw, if you’re thinking “what is it with you, you need an explanation for the Klingons, now you want an explanation for two characters played by the same actor”, you’re right.

Wait til you hear the explanation for Mark Lenard playing the Klingon commander in TMP.

 

[Jinn]

Crazy fan theory time!

Yes Malachi Throne played Mendez and also Pardek. Bear with.

Pardek had been a senator for around 90 years by the time of “Unification”. For him to become a senator he may have been at least middle aged by human standards.

So he would have looked around the same age as... commodore Mendez.

The same Mendez who was involved in Spock’s mutiny - at least before the Talosians imagined him.

Fast forward to the TNG days - and the Romulan senator who is trying to sabotage Spock’s plans? Pardek. Who bears a startling resemblance to Mendez.

Rewind to the DSC days - we could see a younger Mendez. His mission? To discredit Sarek and his family. He could be involved with the Vulcan separatists - ever since the ENT days the Romulans have wanted to exploit such a group so they could conquer Vulcan.

Maybe Mendez/Pardek is the reason we never see Michael again - perhaps one day Pardek is ordered to dispose of Michael? Maybe she discovers the plot against the house of Sarek and Pardek has to kill her to maintain his cover?

Sure, why not. Nothing like a good Romulan spy, right?

Btw, if you’re thinking “what is it with you, you need an explanation for the Klingons, now you want an explanation for two characters played by the same actor”, you’re right.

Wait til you hear the explanation for Mark Lenard playing the Klingon commander in TMP.

Bring it on!

 

[Kane_Steel]

STD should avoid the Romulans.

It will be hard to make them compelling villains if Starfleet is completely unaware of them at this point.

They wasn't supposed to be any Romulan contact since the war of the previous century.


They could always go the route of making Romulan adventures on STD classified... like they did with the Mirror Universe, but that's just really lazy.

 

[Groppler Zorn]

STD should avoid the Romulans.

It will be hard to make them compelling villains if Starfleet is completely unaware of them at this point.

They wasn't supposed to be any Romulan contact since the war of the previous century.


They could always go the route of making Romulan adventures on STD classified... like they did with the Mirror Universe, but that's just really lazy.

What if only we, the audience, knew it was the romulans and the characters never found out? That would save having to classify it like they did with the MU side quest...

 

[BillJ]

It will be hard to make them compelling villains if Starfleet is completely unaware of them at this point.

No need to hide them as the timeline from "Balance of Terror" is simply a different one from the one portrayed in Discovery.

 

[Kane_Steel]

What if only we, the audience, knew it was the romulans and the characters never found out? That would save having to classify it like they did with the MU side quest...

That would be really shallow, because it wouldn't accomplish anything but drop fanwank for the audience. It would be like that Enterprise episode with The Borg... lol

That being said, I could totally see them doing the Romulans in that way (and Khan) when STD's well runs dry.

 

[Tuskin38]

No need to hide them as the timeline from "Balance of Terror" is simply a different one from the one portrayed in Discovery.

The writers have said they're going to respect the Romulan secret in DSC.

Now they could pull a Enterprise and only allow the audience and certain characters see the Romulans.

 

[Dukhat]

The writers have said they're going to respect the Romulan secret in DSC.

That is, until they don't.

 

[Groppler Zorn]

The writers have said they're going to respect the Romulan secret in DSC.

Now they could pull a Enterprise and only allow the audience and certain characters see the Romulans.

That’s what I was thinking - since s31 are involved they may have cause to investigate a certain Commander Mendez? S31 must have known the romulans were Vulcan offshoots. I have no evidence for this but it’s the sort of thing s31 would know.

 

[BillJ]

I'm sure we'll find out Spock has a half-Romulan sibling at some point. From Sarek's time as a spy!

 

[BillJ]

I'm sure we'll find out Spock has a half-Romulan sibling at some point. From Sarek's time as a spy!

Thinking about it, this actually makes more sense than Michael Burnham did. A brief contact between the character and Spock (compressed timeframe spread out over multiple seasons), explaining why Spock nor Sarek ever talking about her.

Maybe we'll find out in the end that Michael Burnham is actually a deep cover Romulan spy.

 

[eschaton]

IIRC a Romulan flag was seen at the Orion encampment in the last episode. It might have just been meant as a cute easter egg, or it might have been foreshadowing that we'll have some Romulan-related content this season.

 

[Tuskin38]

IIRC a Romulan flag was seen at the Orion encampment in the last episode. It might have just been meant as a cute easter egg, or it might have been foreshadowing that we'll have some Romulan-related content this season.

It was on a tent covering a vendor, a sign near it said something about Romulan Ale IIRC.

 

[CorporalClegg]

They should have used the Romulans from the get-go.

And no, having the Rommies show up in Disco does not hinder, alter, or otherwise affect the brilliance of BoT in any way.

 

[Tuskin38]

And no, having the Rommies show up in Disco does not hinder, alter, or otherwise affect the brilliance of BoT in any way.

Well it does if someone sees what they look like.

Unless they pull a mirror universe and force everyone to secrecy.

 

[CorporalClegg]

I would say that's really only an issue with Enterprise Incident. And even then, there are about 100 different ways to avoid any would-be 'continuity errors.'

 

[Tuskin38]

I would say that's really only an issue with Enterprise Incident. And even then, there are about 100 different ways to avoid any would-be 'continuity errors.'

How is it only an issue with Enterprise Incident?

 

[CorporalClegg]

How is it only an issue with Enterprise Incident?

I simply mean in a thematic sense. The Stiles stuff works on its own merits.

 

[The Mighty Monkey of Mim]

Yes Malachi Throne played Mendez

Actually, he played a Talosian illusion, a projection of the Keeper's mind. We never saw the actual Mendez. We know he existed from his communiqué at the end, but we have no idea what he really looked like...not at all.

-MMoM

 

[BillJ]

Actually, he played a Talosian illusion, a projection of the Keeper's mind. We never saw the actual Mendez. We know he existed from his communiqué at the end, but we have no idea what he really looked like...not at all.

I think the Mendez we see on Starbase 11 is the real one.