Star Trek: Discovery returns today on CBS All Access and it’s fair to say that the fan theories are coming in thick and fast.
The mid-season finale saw the crew defeating the Klingon ship and warping out into what is seemingly unknown space. So unknown that not even Commander Saru could figure out where the crew had ended up.
Earlier in the episode we witnessed Lorca bypass one of the 33 Jumps that they used to defeat the Klingons and we also saw him change something in regards to the ship’s coordinates when they were charting a course for a Federation Starbase that they’d been ordered to report in to.
All this and a few other instances have fans speculating that Lorca is from the famed Star Trek ‘mirror universe’, which is a much darker and war-like place compared to the Star Trek universe that most fans know and love. This theory makes sense given that Jonathan Frakes admitted to fandom that he was directing an episode of the series, which happened to be set in the ‘mirror universe’.
Also there is the fact that the U.S.S. Discovery is supposed to be a Science Vessel, but this Captain Lorca has had the ship on a war footing, which is something that Lieutenant Stamets objected to in an earlier episode of the series.
Talking of Stamets, his connection to the Spore Drive has been bringing up all sorts of theories and ideas, but the Mirrior Universe seems to be backed up a little by one of the side effects we have seen with Stamets. One episode of the series ended with Stamets staring into a mirror, but when he walks away from it his reflection is still in the mirror.
Also in the episode Lethe, Admiral Cornwell and Lorca have an intimate few moments where the Admiral becomes visibly shaken by the fact that Lorca is sleeping with a phaser under his pillow, but also has some scars that she doesn’t recognise from previous time together.
Additionally when Cornwell was taken by the Klingons, Lorca ordered his crew to stand down in any rescue attempts in order to comply with Starfleet orders, which was out of character for him — fact that Saru pointed out in so many ways.
So what do you all think? Is Lorca the ‘mirror universe’ duplicate of the Captain and will we get to see the prime version of Lorca or is he dead?
More Star Trek: Discovery theories
A few other fan theories have also been doing the rounds over the last few months. Of course we have the Klingon one involving Discovery’s new security officer actually being the Klingon Voq, which we have already touched on.
But other theories include Stamets developing god-like powers because of his hook up to the spore drive, which would make him much like Gary Mitchell in the original series episode Where no Man has Gone Before.
In that episode, The Enterprise traversed to a part of space that enhanced natural PSI abilities amongst crew members. In Discovery, Stamets has been traversing parts of space within the Spore Drive hook up that have never been charted by traditional Starfleet means.
So there is every chance that this would have a knock on effect, which was illustrated in the mid-season finale and strongly hinted in the teaser for the second half of the series.
Another theory concerns the true identity of Admiral Cornwell. This character got a lot of screen time in the episode Lethe, which in and of itself is the writers toying with the fan expectations.
In the original series episode Dagger of The Mind there is a character called Lethe who strongly resembles Admiral Cornwell. In that episode Lethe was a brainwashed former inmate working as a therapist at a penal colony.
The reasons for her being at the colony to begin with were very much a mystery. When Captain Kirk asked her why she was there, she very much dodged the question. As fans know, Star Trek: Discovery is set 10 years before the original Star Trek, so it makes sense that Cornwell could be Lethe given that in Dagger of The Mind Lethe had no memories of her previous life.
Another thing that makes this theory sound plausible is the fact that Admiral Cornwell has a background in psychiatry. Lethe was a therapist in the original series episode.
What do you think? Does this theory have any merit or do you think it is perhaps a little too neat? Are the writers behind Star Trek: Discovery playing with fan expectations?
The theory surrounding Lethe was first brought up by Star Trek fan Justin Oser, who first Tweeted the notion back in October.