Lorca and the Buran:

[Discofan]

How was (mirror) Lorca able to set the Buran on self-destruct, being the only one to survive and still get assigned to the most advanced ship of Starfleet, which happened to be exactly what he wanted to begin with? I mean take Sistko for example, he's the last leaving the bridge of the Defiant when it's about to explode. Janeway lists as a captain's duty to go down with their ship and she does so in Year Of Hell, in an alternate reality sure, but she did!

So how do you explain that Lorca never seemed to get any flak from it? Admiral Cornwell thought that there was something wrong with him, not because of the Buran but because they were Lovers and she sensed that he was different, plus the gun in his bed didn't help.

So I don't know how to explain the seemingly total lack of blame for Lorca. I mean even if they had thought that his escape was justified and that's a pill rather hard to swallow, they would still think that it was far from admirable and even a touch despicable. So why would they assign him to the ship he wanted the most? The only one that had a chance of getting him back home.

 

[Captain Jed R.]

How was (mirror) Lorca able to set the Buran on self-destruct, being the only one to survive and still get assigned to the most advanced ship of Starfleet, which happened to be exactly what he wanted to begin with? I mean take Sistko for example, he's the last leaving the bridge of the Defiant when it's about to explode. Janeway lists as a captain's duty to go down with their ship and she does so in Year Of Hell, in an alternate reality sure, but she did!

So how do you explain that Lorca never seemed to get any flak from it? Admiral Cornwell thought that there was something wrong with him, not because of the Buran but because they were Lovers and she sensed that he was different, plus the gun in his bed didn't help.

So I don't know how to explain the seemingly total lack of blame for Lorca. I mean even if they had thought that his escape was justified and that's a pill rather hard to swallow, they would still think that it was far from admirable and even a touch despicable. So why would they assign him to the ship he wanted the most? The only one that had a chance of getting him back home.

The notion of going down with the ship is more a noble ideal than a rule or guideline. Captains tend to want to do so, but that doesn’t mean they have to. Indeed, Kirk tells Decker in The Doomsday Machine that he’s a valuable resource and that Starfleet is “stronger with you than without you”. That being said, Lorca might just be seen as having been pragmatic. A starship Captain is as much as resource as a starship. Also, your question doesn’t take into account whatever Prime Lorca’s reputation might have been. If he’s highly regarded, Mirror Lorca might have been able to wrangle a positive outcome based on “his” reputation.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

There's no proof that MU Lorca really did destroy the Buran.

He might have arrived in the prime universe after the ship's destruction, and invented that explanation to account for why he alone survived.

Who knows, ReguLorca might have done the same in the MU...

 

[The Wormhole]

Lorca's situation really doesn't make much sense at all. He's the sole survivor of a starship and he admits to murdering his crew and Starfleet gives him another command nearly instantly, one that ends up being the most important wartime asset and entitles him to carte blanche in deciding which orders he does or doesn't want to follow. Now compare to when Picard lost the Stargazer, despite the fact most of his crew survived, he was still restricted to administrative duties for a decade before given another command. And don't tell me wartime makes a difference, if a Captain admits to murdering his crew, you don't give him another command, wartime or not.

Nearest I can think of, he was in bed with Section 31 who pulled the strings for him. Hell, given his involvement with Admiral Cornwell, and she was indeed with Section 31, this seems the most likely scenario. And it would account for the mysterious Black Badges we see in Context for Kings who disappear immediately afterwards.

The notion of going down with the ship is more a noble ideal than a rule or guideline. Captains tend to want to do so, but that doesn’t mean they have to.

IIRC, since WWII most navies prohibit Captains from going down with their ships since that sentiment resulted in the loss of too many experienced officers during the war.

There's no proof that MU Lorca really did destroy the Buran.

He might have arrived in the prime universe after the ship's destruction, and invented that explanation to account for why he alone survived.

When Lorca was telling the story of his survival to his loyalists in the MU, he said when he beamed off Mirror Buran he ended up on Prime Buran due to the ion storm. That's not anything he has any reason to lie about under these circumstances, so it's most likely true. The way I see it, Lorca quickly figured out there'd be no way he could fool the Buran's crew about his identity, so he arranged the ship's destruction and escaped thinking that when others in Starfleet who know him notice anything different, they'd just write it off as trauma from being the sole survivor of his ship.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

The way I see it, Lorca quickly figured out there'd be no way he could fool the Buran's crew about his identity

He managed to fool the Discovery crew (and most of the rest of Starfleet, Cornwell included) well enough.

 

[The Wormhole]

He managed to fool the Discovery crew (and most of the rest of Starfleet, Cornwell included) well enough.

Like I said, they probably just wrote that off as trauma from being the sole survivor of his ship. I suspect it would be a lot harder to fool someone who lived and worked alongside Lorca every day for however long he'd been commanding the Buran

 

[DaveyNY]

To be somewhat fair, Adm Cornwell did notice that something wasn't right with MU Lorca.
She just had no way of knowing (or even guessing) that he was from another Universe.

Even though they apparently had known each other for sometime before hand, I assumed that their bedroom relationship didn't start till after the situation with the Buran and it was MU Lorca making the first advances.

He was after all a masterful manipulator of people in general and had hoodwinked everybody with his tall tale of survival.
Cornwell most of all, because he pulled at her heartstrings in a conniving manner.

It wasn't till he took over as Captain of the Discovery and began in earnest to see that his plan to return to his Universe might actually be possible, that he almost blew his cover with her.

Because of his reckless actions with the Discovery, I think his 'MU paranoia' came more to the forefront, due to the stress of possibly being found out.
(thus the incident with the phaser under the pillow)

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ I'm fairly sure that Cornwell and ReguLorca knew each other for some time. Cornwell said she "came up" with him, and described him as "measured" and "reasoned". We don't know if they were already romantically involved, but I would describe it as highly likely.

 

[DaveyNY]

^ I'm fairly sure that Cornwell and ReguLorca knew each other for some time. Cornwell said she "came up" with him, and described him as "measured" and "reasoned". We don't know if they were already romantically involved, but I would describe it as highly likely.

My apologies, I accidentally posted my first sentence before completing my entire thought with that post.
I agree that they knew each other long before the loss of the Buran, I just don't think they were romantically involved until MU Lorca came along.

 

[F. King Daniel]

The biggest missed opportunity from season one was not following up Lorca's big reveal with an episode from his point of view, from the moment he appeared on the Buran until he boarded the Discovery. The Walking Dead (back when it was good) did some fantastic episodes from The Governor's point of view.

I'm unable to figure out how the Prime Buran was in the same situation as the mirror Buran, beaming at the same moment in the same spot, when the Mirror Buran was in furious battle with the ISS Charon palace ship and doing evasive manoeuvres at the time.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I'm unable to figure out how the Prime Buran was in the same situation as the mirror Buran, beaming at the same moment in the same spot, when the Mirror Buran was in furious battle with the ISS Charon palace ship and doing evasive manoeuvres at the time.

That would depend on what exactly the USS Buran was doing at the time. It could also have been in battle, just with another enemy.

Who knows, MU Lorca may not have even needed to do anything to destroy the ship. It could have been almost ready to blow up anyway. Lorca could have simply escaped in a shuttle without anyone knowing.

 

[Discofan]

My apologies, I accidentally posted my first sentence before completing my entire thought with that post.
I agree that they knew each other long before the loss of the Buran, I just don't think they were romantically involved until MU Lorca came along.

I beg to differ. She refers to a romantic evening many years before that MU Lorca, of course, doesn't remember. That's during that same night that Lorca draws a phaser on her.

 

[Discofan]

The biggest missed opportunity from season one was not following up Lorca's big reveal with an episode from his point of view, from the moment he appeared on the Buran until he boarded the Discovery. The Walking Dead (back when it was good) did some fantastic episodes from The Governor's point of view.

I'm unable to figure out how the Prime Buran was in the same situation as the mirror Buran, beaming at the same moment in the same spot, when the Mirror Buran was in furious battle with the ISS Charon palace ship and doing evasive manoeuvres at the time.

I think prime Lorca died on that ship, not realizing what was going on.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I think prime Lorca died on that ship, not realizing what was going on.

I don't think so. All indications are that ReguLorca found himself in the MU, just like the reverse.

The two Discoverys exchanged places, didn't they? And the two Enterprise landing parties in "Mirror, Mirror"? Same story here.

 

[Tuskin38]

Star Trek Online covered the time period where Lorca switched over and you meet Prime Lorca (voiced by Issacs!), but the game doesn't show the crossover (leaving it open for other media to cover), it happens while your character is off doing something else.

You arrive back at the scene as the Buran is exploding, and you rescue Lorca on the planet. His personality is different, but not blinding so, he's just a bit rougher. But a character in-universe could brush that off as someone who just lost their ship and crew being angry.

 

[Discofan]

I don't think so. All indications are that ReguLorca found himself in the MU, just like the reverse.

The two Discoverys exchanged places, didn't they? And the two Enterprise landing parties in "Mirror, Mirror"? Same story here.

No, you don't understand. Prime Lorca died on the MU Buran as it was destroyed, likely never realizing what was happening. He just didn't have time to.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

No, you don't understand. Prime Lorca died on the MU Buran as it was destroyed.

Oh. Well, I suppose he could have.

But if MU Lorca was resourceful enough to escape the Prime Buran, I see every reason to assume that his counterpart could get away from the MU version just the same.

 

[Discofan]

Oh. Well, I suppose he could have.

But if MU Lorca was resourceful enough to escape the Prime Buran, I see every reason to assume that his counterpart could get away from the MU version just the same.

Except that Prime Lorca would have had scruples doing that, I think.

 

[Tuskin38]

Except that Prime Lorca would have had scruples doing that, I think.

We know very little about Prime Lorca, he very well could have survived some how.

 

[Discofan]

We know very little about Prime Lorca, he very well could have survived some how.

Well, I hear Jason Isaacs wants to be back on the show so you could be right.