Admiral Katrina Cornwell

[Ro_Laren]

I posted on another thread on Trekbbs that Admiral Cornwell is my favorite Starfleet Admiral. She was a really strong character, especially considering her time spent being presumably tortured on the Klingon vessel.

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That being said, I was disappointed how she was portrayed as a bad guy that Michael Burnham had to lecture via subspace in the last episode. Whether or not you would morally agree with Starfleet's decision to destroy Qo'noS, IMO the scene would have worked better if the conversation had been more two-sided and if Cornwell spent some time telling Burnham that she doesn't understand the toll that the war has taken on everyone and that they felt that this was their last option to save the Federation. Was Cornwell acting like Sisko when he was deceptively tried to convince the Romulans to join the Dominion War?

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Or, was she acting like the stereotypical evil Starfleet Admiral that we saw in a number of Star Trek movies (Admiral Dougherty of Insurection, Admiral Marcus of Into Darkness, Admiral Cartwright of Undiscovered Country, etc.). It seems like the show was portraying her and the rest of the higher ups involved in the mission as the latter.

Also, I wonder some things about the development of the Cornwell character. One thing that bothers me is when Star Trek promotes people or puts them in certain positions that don't make sense from a realistic military point of view. For example, in the Kelvin timeline Star Trek movies, Kirk goes from a cadet one day to the First Officer of the Enterprise the next day and later the Captain of the Enterprise. Did he even get a chance to graduate from the Academy, lol? This would never happen in real life... a Naval Academy cadet would never be promoted like this to become the First Officer of an U.S. Navy aircraft carrier. Then, I look at Admiral Cornwell. Why would Starfleet appoint an Admiral who was a psychiatrist/psychologist to basically be the Admiral overseeing the ship with the most top secret weapon during the Klingon War? I know that we see other Admirals on Discovery, but IMO Cornwell seems to be more involved with the Discovery and her mission that any other Admiral. I don't know, maybe she spent part of her early Starfleet career as a psychiatrist/psychologist and then later switched career paths and became a Command officer. This is the only thing that I can think of that makes sense. I understand why the writers made her a psychiatrist/psychologist... it explains why she was able to evaluate Lorca's ability to serve as the Captain of the Discovery. But, I hope in the future they will go more into her background and explain how she became such a powerful Admiral.

 

[Refuge]

I agree with pretty much all of the above. Cornwell to me was like one of those characters that was background and in part I wonder if her story was changed to give her more prominence as her presence became a little more popular. I have nothing to base that on though and feel it was pretty much expected that for Burnham to preach her lesson, don't destroy the enemy find another way, (albeit using an ongoing threat), Cornwell had to be seen to authorise a similar mistake Michael had when she wanted to fire first. Strangely Michael had to almost encourage mutiny again to get this point across.

Although Cornwell has a medical background I'm not exactly sure that makes her combat ability or place in the command structure less than say other admirals. She was certainly fearless in wanting to take Sarek's place for those talks with the Klingons. Her knowledge of the enemy, of Lorca, of Discovery and her rank gave her authority.

 

[RedAlert]

Wayne Brook is a very beautiful woman, and she could play an bad ass admiral with a very powerful mother-ish touch.
I love that triple combination.

I think of her as one of the few "charming" characters on a series that have no care for make friendly characters.
The DSC stories doesnt have that sense of family on the crew, and Cornwell/Brook bring that aboard.

 

[Jadeb]

I liked Cornwell too, and thought her history with Lorca was another interesting idea that went underused. But I was really bummed out that they were so willing to compromise her character (and Sarek's) for the sake of the big speech at the end. If she's just going to be a plot facilitator, I'm indifferent to whether we see her again. Maybe they can bring her back and explore her remorse.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

I liked Cornwell too, and thought her history with Lorca was another interesting idea that went underused. But I was really bummed out that they were so willing to compromise her character (and Sarek's) for the sake of the big speech at the end. If she's just going to be a plot facilitator, I'm indifferent to whether we see her again. Maybe they can bring her back and explore her remorse.

Agreed. Cornwell wasn't a bad guy as much as desperate to save the federation. As desperate as Sarek, who admitted as much.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Jayne Brook is a very beautiful woman, and she could play an bad ass admiral with a very powerful mother-ish touch.
I love that triple combination.

Fixed that for ya.

And I agree, BTW.

 

[Mudd]

I liked the actor a great deal, and the character had her moments early on. Sadly, she was one more marionette whose strings were jerked randomly by arbitrary writing.

 

[Longinus]

Another promising Discovery character who was assassinated (metaphorically and not literally in this case) for pointless 'shocking' plot twist.

 

[eschaton]

FWIW, I read on Memory Alpha they originally planned to kill her at the end of Lethe, and decided at the last minute to save her. This might be in part why her "arc" was so muddled. They didn't have a clear narrative role for her after that episode, hence they initially had her pal around with the captured L'Rell, and then stand in for any old generic admiral in the final two episodes of the season.

 

[Mudd]

... decided at the last minute to save her. This might be in part why her "arc" was so muddled. They didn't have a clear narrative role for her after that episode...

Of course.

 

[Kor]

... For example, in the Kelvin timeline Star Trek movies, Kirk goes from a cadet one day to the First Officer of the Enterprise the next day and later the Captain of the Enterprise. Did he even get a chance to graduate from the Academy, lol? ...

NuKirk had the rank of Lieutenant when he was in his final term at the academy (just like Saavik in TWOK).

Kor

 

[fireproof78]

NuKirk had the rank of Lieutenant when he was in his final term at the academy (just like Saavik in TWOK).

Kor

And put in to the chain of command by Pike, which makes him eligible for promotion within that chain.

 

[seigezunt]

I didn't interpret her actions at the end of the season as being the "bad guy," FWIW. I interpreted it as desperation fueled by trauma.

 

[eschaton]

I didn't interpret her actions at the end of the season as being the "bad guy," FWIW. I interpreted it as desperation fueled by trauma.

Yeah, she wasn't portrayed as evil by any means. However, she did have her credibility in the eyes of the viewer completely destroyed in order to provide a contrast to Burnham, which really should make her no longer usable by the series as the go-to authority figure.

 

[Spaceship Jo]

Yeah, she wasn't portrayed as evil by any means. However, she did have her credibility in the eyes of the viewer completely destroyed in order to provide a contrast to Burnham, which really should make her no longer usable by the series as the go-to authority figure.

Such a shame. Reminded me of the obvious line-swapping for Spock and McCoy in Generations (although that just tickles me and doesn't ruin any characters). She was one of the more interesting characters/actors on the show, so it was disheartening when she was reduced to a cardboard cutout by the end. Mostly frustrating because it didn't have to be that way even with her position as contrast to Burnham if the dialogue as written had more nuance.

 

[Ro_Laren]

I liked Cornwell too, and thought her history with Lorca was another interesting idea that went underused.

I thought it was really interesting that Cornwell called him "my Gabriel" in the briefing when Discovery returned to the Prime Universe. See 0:30 of the video below:

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It would be neat if they found out that prime Gabriel didn't die with the rest of the crew of the Buran, but is holed up in a Klingon prison somewhere. Perhaps he'll be rescued someday...

 

[The Wormhole]

It would be neat if they found out that prime Gabriel didn't die with the rest of the crew of the Buran, but is holed up in a Klingon prison somewhere. Perhaps he'll be rescued someday...

Spoiler: novel spoilers

According to the novels he's in a Terran Empire prison.

 

[fireproof78]

Yeah, she wasn't portrayed as evil by any means. However, she did have her credibility in the eyes of the viewer completely destroyed in order to provide a contrast to Burnham, which really should make her no longer usable by the series as the go-to authority figure.

which would be nice if they actually explored the consequences of that choice.

 

[Ro_Laren]

Spoiler: novel spoilers

According to the novels he's in a Terran Empire prison.

Uh oh... trying to resist the urge to look at that spoiler cause I want to read the new Discovery novels!

 

[gblews]

That being said, I was disappointed how she was portrayed as a bad guy that Michael Burnham had to lecture via subspace in the last episode. Whether or not you would morally agree with Starfleet's decision to destroy Qo'noS, IMO the scene would have worked better if the conversation had been more two-sided and if Cornwell spent some time telling Burnham that she doesn't understand the toll that the war has taken on everyone and that they felt that this was their last option to save the Federation. Was Cornwell acting like Sisko when he was deceptively tried to convince the Romulans to join the Dominion War?

Although we didn't actually see Cornwell talk about the toll the war had taken on the Fed, I just assumed that was the case because of the severity of the decision to use a genocidal weapon and to have it delivered by the Emperor.

After her fateful conversation with L'Rell, who told Cornwell that the only way the Klingons would be stopped is by killing all or most of them, Cornwell and Starfleet's decision was completely understandable from a tactical standpoint, so I don't think Cornwell was made to look like the bad guy at all.

This is very similar to the situation Burnham found herself in, in the Vulcan Hello. She was facing a choice between the correct tactical move as opposed to the ethical and morally correct move.

And just like Burnham, who made the rational decision to seek counsel with someone with superior knowledge of the enemy in the form of Sarek, Cornwell sought out L'Rell. who told her that the Klingons wouldn't stop until they were all, or mostly all, dead.

Both Burnham and Cornwell decided to take the expedient route, Burnham with the Vucan Hello, and Cornwel advising Starfleet leadership that destroying Qu'onos was the only answer.

The symmetry of having Burnham, who has learned her lesson the hard way, after being convicted of mutiny, losing her rank, and receiving a life sentence before being provided a second chance, deliver the benefit of her lesson to Cornwell, to me, is pretty awesome.

I think the writers did a pretty good job with this.