Spoilers Ash Tyler Theory w/1x07 Preview Spoilers

[jespah]

Spoilery speculation below.
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Spoiler

Ash Tyler is fully human but ....

... he's working with Harry Mudd.

Good cop, bad cop in episode 5, plus check out the short scene released for episode 7 - https://trekmovie.com/2017/10/27/wa...discovery-episode-7-latif-talks-burnhamtyler/ - and you will see the following:

• Tyler's drinking water. There is an obvious shot of him drinking a clear liquid in a clear glass whereas Tilly and others are drinking either from greenish cups or it's a greenish liquid
• Why the heck would he know to avoid the space booze otherwise?
• He makes a speech about sacrifice etc and that plays up more of the good cop behaviors
• His speech also stops the action briefly, possibly to assess the situation, maybe to gauge everyone's level of inebriation
• He's known Mudd far longer than he's known Lorca
• Mudd may be a scoundrel, but Mudd (maybe) kept him alive during captivity, and might have suggested the connection to L'Rell, which is squickworthy and probably physically painful but he stayed alive and relatively undamaged
• The guy killed at the start of Lorca's imprisonment in episode 5 was a kind of theater. Yes, the character was really killed, but less because of barbarism and more for the sake of getting Lorca to side with Mudd etc
• Mudd can be charming when he wants to be (he's in sales, after all)
• Tyler's overtures to Burnham might be a part of the scam or they might just be him doing so because he likes her (i. e. that's not necessarily related)

This might also point to a connection between Mudd and the Klingons. War profiteers make out like bandits and HFM is not above such things.

Thoughts?

 

[Guy Gardener]

Can you change your thread title to reflect that these are real spoilers and not fan speculation.

 

[jespah]

Oh sorry

 

[Guy Gardener]

The thread title tells us a negative which is a huge spoiler, or you have been misled.

 

[jespah]

It's mostly speculation on my part.

 

[Timo]

There's something of a chicken-and-egg problem with this one: what would motivate this cooperation?

The need for Mudd to avenge himself upon Lorca doesn't arise until Lorca drops by and then rudely leaves. So a plot aiming at that vengeance would begin to be formulated no earlier than after the cell door slams on Mudd's face. Nothing that happened in the cell before that should be part of a revenge plot.

Is it a plot to hijack the starship (or any starship) for Klingons, then? A bit unlikely when no Klingons are seen in the preview, and it would hinge on random factors that the Klingons could easily eliminate, i.e. not bother with the plot to begin with.

A plot to hijack the ship (or any ship) for Mudd personally to play with - without Klingon involvement? Again, odd random factors there, such as a starship CO sharing a cell with him. Plus, if the Klingons aren't helping, how can Mudd escape as part of a plan (as opposed to as part of a miraculous, amusing and absurd twist of events as befits Harry Mudd)?

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Ithekro]

Wouldn't be the first time Harry Mudd has somehow escaped punishment. He was on Star Trek three times (2 for TOS and 1 for TAS) and managed to get away and start a new scheme before the start of the next time we saw him. I am under the impression that he was suppose to be the character that became Cyrano Jones in the Trouble with Tribbles, but wasn't because of scheduling conflicts. That would have given Mudd five appearances (3 TOS and 2 TAS) if Mudd and Jones had been the same character.

 

[Agony_Boothb]

The clear liquid could be gin or vodka or some other type of clear spirit.

 

[Timo]

Oh, I have zero problem with Harry Mudd escaping and returning - it's basically a character trait. It's just that the conspiracy speculated upon by the OP has the other player working for Mudd basically from the moment the cell door slams on Mudd's face; it would have to be moderated into him being contacted by the loose and livid Mudd at some much later point, being convinced to side with him, and then launching into this "other half" of Mudd's modest little let's-take-over-a-starship-and-call-it-home plot.

Perhaps said character doesn't drink because his dad did?

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Ithekro]

Some people don't drink for cultural or religious reasons. Others because they never developed a taste for it, or really don't want to find out what kind of drunk they are.

 

[Timo]

And others gulp down much more enjoyable substances in pill form, in which case water is the best chaser.

Tyler might need to take pills for other reasons, too, not wanting to mix them with ethanol.

Etc. But I gather we get some exposition here, as the classic reason for a party scene (especially with substance abuse) is to bring out those characters who don't want to party.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Mudd]

If Tyler were avoiding alcohol for strategic reason and isn't an idiot, he'd be pretending to drink.

Unless the writers are treating the viewers as idiots.

 

[Timo]

...Of course, you can get caught pretending to drink. If you just say you are staying sober tonight, the others probably won't assume this is for reasons of high treason.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Ithekro]

He could see it as the head of security shouldn't be drunk. Especially if its still his first week on the job.

 

[Tim Thomason]

I don't drink personally, but that's not because I happen to be a secret Klingon spy. I mean, uh...