Your take seems quite sensible to me, and I would normally interpret it that way myself. But these are the writers who just gave us the Lorca reveal, and we know Culber and Stamets are going to be reunited in some fashion. Maybe Culber will be resurrected, but so far, Stamets hasn't gone full Gary Mitchell, and his ability to do that would, to me, be just as far-fetched as a reveal that the spore visit actually took place in a metaphysical spore plane that transcends our crude grasp on reality. Maybe Stamets will end up going there to seal it off to save the universe. That would solve the spore drive problem as well. There's also this quote from Wilson Cruz on Den of Geek that I posted previously: Spoiler We'll see that these two people have a real connection that goes beyond this mortal plane and even the physical plane and, could lead to a really epic love story, which is what I'm being told. I am to be preparing myself to throw myself into it, and I am. I don't really see how Trek could abandon its first gay couple so quickly, but I've given up on trying to apply logic to what this show does. Maybe we'll get a reset button so that Culber never died, but that also seems awful.
I don’t think Culber should be resurrected, but I do like the idea of him being available to Stamets (and later perhaps others) through the network. He could be DSC’s Guinan type character that pops in at key moments and serves as the conscience of the show. And at the end of the series perhaps Stamets joins him in the network. I get that it’s a bit inexplicable how he ended up in the network and some theorize that Culber is just in Stamets’ head, but you could easily make it more than that. Or if Culber is just in Stamets’ head, then have him be there throughout the series with Stamets thinking he’s half crazy. Then later Stamets figures out he’s not crazy and there’s a way to bring Culber back or join him perhaps.
That sounds reasonable, but I have to admit that I'm really hoping all the spore business is wrapped up by the end of the season. Sweep those spores under the rug!
Just wanted to say this is definitely one of the more interesting, insightful and far less fan-wanky threads I've read since joining. I too thought Stamets's "home life" was supremely well written whilst his "work life" seemed to have been written by writers who were too rushed and/or didn't give a toss about the character. Denise Crosby being destroyed by a lake of black goo was utter pants but a poor S1 was less of a handicap back then. Different paradigm now and the writers really are playing with fire.
And even then you had the crew properly grieving for the lost character. Oh well, let's see how they will go from here.
Possibilities: — Hugh continues to remain in contact with Stamets through Eywa in spore network Pandora. — Hugh is a projection in Stamet's head like Head Six and Head Baltar in BSG. — Hugh is brought back by some Stamets' guided spore network time travel fuckery where they jump back nine+ months to just before Tyler broke Culbert's neck (and erase Discovery's trip to the MU and Tyler's and Lorca's reveals, so doubtful that they'd want to do the latter two over again). — Mirror Universe Hugh from the ISS Discovery (if he's aboard and it's still in the Prime Universe) is convinced to stay behind with Prime Stamets because he too was in love with MU Stamets, and they start sharing their memories of their respective deceased partners, only to eventually grow from that into a new relationship of their own. Ultimate Super Plausible Fan-Fiction Possibility: Hugh is assimilated by the Borg when they time travel back to investigate the spore drive on the Discovery after they encountered his ghost in the Mycelial Network and assume that he is somehow the key. When they find out he's not, they make him a drone and shuffle him off to Unimatrix WhoGivesAFuck. He remains a drone for over a century until his scoutship crashes and he is recovered by the Enterprise-D. Geordi happens to give him his real name "Hugh" back, because... destiny. After being returned to the Borg with his individuality, he leads a band of rebellious Borg against the Collective. They steal a time travel capable ship and escape to the past to prevent a Borg incursion to the mid-2250s to kill James T. Kirk, then Hugh finds his old partner Stamets once again and they rekindle their romance. Yeah, that's the ticket.
I don't want them to bring him back (green spore anyone) and will be disappointed if they go that route after he's been dead for a few eps. As for best Trek romance ever? Really? We saw very, very little about the duo. Brushing their teeth, a few shared sentences, a kiss - it really wasn't much to go on and certainly not a grand romance. Not enough time to have established that. I was sorry to see Culmer go, but now that he's gone, let him stay gone. Bringing him back would be a total cheat and yes, I know, Trek has done this time after time and what good is the emotional impact if someone is quickly resurrected? I say this as a Lorca fan. I hate what they did to him but it's done; and he's dead, Jim. Bringing Culber dead might be the kiss of death (heh) to me for the show. I don't need that kind of poor writing, if it happens.
So I've been wondering about the Doc. He shows up as what? A type of force ghost or something? Or was he just a figment of Stametts imagination? This reminds me of Starbuck in BSG and I don't know how i feel about it.
We don't know yet. I would normally lean to the read that he was a figment of Stamets' imagination, but with the promised reunion of the characters, it may be more than that. Have to wait and see.
I'm really hoping that green spore in Tilly is *not* the return of Culber. I'll be very disappointed in DISC, perhaps even stop watching it, if they go that route. Dead should be dead. Or don't bother making people dead.
I don't mind resurrection in sci-fi as long as the death had purpose, impact, and lasting effect (e.g. a certain Vulcan science officer of our mutual acquaintance). Here that isn't the case - so far, the death has got us nothing but a "WTFOMGBBQ!!?!" moment.
As much as I enjoyed seeing their relationship, I think this has the potential for use to see something else - how Stamets will find his NEXT relationship with a kind, loving human being, who also happens to be the same gender as he is. If the Stamets-Culber story is a good step for the Trek franchise, then so should its next logical step. Mark
Not content with having him filling in the bury your gays trope, the writers have also put him in the "magical negro" trope as well.
I don't mind if Culber is brought back... in flashbacks. The time to have brought him back to life would've been immediately after Tyler killed him, through Stamets' Angry Spore Magic. But, four episodes later, the window has passed.
I don't think Culber is dead exactly. I mean, sure go through his pockets for the spare change, but he was in the spore network. Star Trek doesn't have ghosts. Souls in crockery, ESP-peple with shiny eyes, mind-bogglingly unaware wormhole aliens that can create their own messiah but don't understand how to close the damn door: sure, all day. Mind rapers, anaphasic beings that like to get a bit gaelic? Once in awhile. But no real proof of afterlife. God needs a starship in Trek. That wasn't the spore network Stamets was talking to. It was Hugh. Hugh was not only talking to him but was fully aware of the crimes (literally against nature) committed by MU Stamets. They said season 2 is about a struggle between faith and reason, or something like that. I am betting Culber is pretty integral to it. I could be wrong. I have been all year.
What if - the MU discovery was in the PU during the swap. It was destroyed attacking Klingons or in skirmish with Federations. And the survivors are now POWs .... and Culber is one of them. Sorry Captain Killy went down with the ship!