Lorca duped us, and it shows why you have to be able to question bad behavior
**Red Spoiler Alert**
I’ve been in shock. So much has happened in the last two or three episodes, I had to take a moment to let it sink in.
Let me return to the idea that Discovery has felt un-Star Trek
I was right when I was wrong.
Discovery, for all its twist and loops through the mycelial network, has stayed true to Star Trek. I have been negative in the past because I didn’t like Lorca, but guess what? I wasn’t supposed to like Lorca. There is a rich history in Star Trek of adding morally ambiguous characters in positions of power that turn out to be evil (Vice Admiral Leyton, anyone?). I’ll dive deeper into this later.
Simple truth: Discovery delivered.
I was right because Discovery didn’t feel like Star Trek, but I was wrong in thinking it wasn’t on purpose. I was right because the spore drive felt radically different, but I was wrong because that wasn’t what made this show feel so different. I was right because I was drawn to characters (Saru, Tilly, and Georgiou), but wrong because I didn’t see what the show-runners were doing.
Lorca you were wrong, PERIOD
Let’s discuss Lorca. When this show started, I wrote about it not feeling like Star Trek. I was right. It didn’t, and part of it was that Captain Lorca was juxtaposed to the lovable Captain Georgiou. In fact, back on October 16, 2017, I said, “I’m not gung-ho about Captain Lorca but filling out his character with new background information this episode has helped a bit.” But, that was the point. Lorca was not unconventional; he was immoral. He didn’t follow Federation principles. He was willing to suspend morality (Tardigrade Stamets, the Admiral, etc.) to suit his own needs. But, mention this to some fans, and they would say you were “hating,” “get with the program,” “Lorca makes Star Trek feel fresh,” etc.
Guess what? These fans were also willing to suspend their moral center in favor of blind loyalism.
Now, don’t get me wrong, Lorca was an interesting character. I was also willing to suspend my reservations to see where the show-runners were taking this. However, I wasn’t willing to suspend my belief in the higher principles that Star Trek espouses. War doesn’t justify violating the basic principles that make the Federation and Star Trek great, aspirational. Lorca was. And those who blindly gave him the benefit of the doubt were duped by him.
But, then again, we were all a little duped.
Consequences or, simply, cause and effect
This leads me to another argument. There are consequences for violating fundamental Star Trek principles. The show has done a magnificent job of showing these consequences. Burnham violated her orders and basically set in motion the events that led to the Klingon-Federation War. As episode 14 shows, the consequence has been staggering. The loss of life across the federation, but also of Klingons, has been horrendous. Michael lost her mentor and mother figure: Captain Georgiou. She was court-martialed. Even when she was allowed redemption, it hasn’t been easy. She has had to piece together a life from the carnage of a war she started. Something she is reminded of every single episode.
Lorca’s tactics won battles. He won the moment. However, I’ll repeat, there are consequences to violating the Federation’s principles. Those who were willing to go along with him were a part of a massive lie. Doctor Culber died. Michael fell in love with a spy. Ultimately, the multiverse could’ve been destroyed and Lorca died.
If this show has done something for the greater Star Trek Universe, is clearly establish there are no easy shortcuts. The principles the Federation was founded upon are hard to follow, and at times can be bent, but breaking them all together is a recipe for disaster. The easy path is also the path that leads to loss, pain, and suffering.
Discovery shows us that we have to be able to question bad behavior, because, if we don’t, we can destroy our most cherished principles.
