Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4 set up an appearance by Captain Lorca (Jason Isaacs), but Sonequa Martin-Green explains why it didn’t happen.
Warning: This Article Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 4 – “Face The Strange”
Summary
- Sonequa Martin-Green says Jason Isaacs wasn’t planned to appear as Lorca in Star Trek: Discovery season 5.
- Discovery season 5, episode 4 had time travel that name-dropped Lorca from season 1.
- Because Discovery season 5 wasn’t planned as the final season, they weren’t thinking it was the last chance to bring back Lorca.
Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4, “Face the Strange,” name-dropped Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs), but series lead and producer Sonequa Martin-Green explains why the villainous former Captain of the USS Discovery didn’t appear. Written by Sean Cochran and directed by Lee Rose, Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4 sent Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie), and Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) time-traveling into Discovery’s past and future. Burnham’s return to the 23rd century of Star Trek: Discovery season 1 created the means for Lorca to return, but it didn’t happen.
In an interview with TrekMovie delving into Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4, “Face the Strange,” Sonequa Martin-Green answered “Oh, I know! I know!” when the subject of Lorca’s return was raised. Martin-Green explained that a Jason Isaacs appearance wasn’t part of Discovery season 5’s plan, since it was produced without knowing until after that it would be the final season. Read her quote below:
The thing is, no, because we didn’t know it was our last season. It was just what it was. It was this big grand adventurous, fun season with the biggest existential questions there are to ask. And that’s what we were focused on. I wonder if we were to do it again if we would be able to do something like that? But yeah, we weren’t thinking in that way at the time.
Lorca Is One Of Star Trek: Discovery’s Unsolved Mysteries
What happened to Prime Lorca will likely never be resolved.
Captain Gabriel Lorca is one of Star Trek: Discovery‘s most compelling mysteries. The Captain Lorca who recruited mutineer Michael Burnham aboard the USS Discovery in Star Trek: Discovery season 1 was soon revealed as an imposter from the Mirror Universe. Lorca took Discovery back to the Mirror Universe as part of his revenge plot to depose Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh). However, Lorca failed and was killed as Georgiou joined the USS Discovery’s crew when they jumped back to Star Trek’s Prime Universe.
Mirror Lorca was in love with the equally evil Mirror Burnham, which fueled his fascination with the Prime Universe’s Michael Burnham.
However, what happened to the Prime Universe’s Captain Lorca has never been addressed, and it’s a mystery that continues in Star Trek: Discovery season 5. Prime Lorca is long dead in Discovery‘s 32nd century, but there has been no closure to his lingering plot thread. Star Trek: Discovery season 5’s time jump back to season 1 is, unfortunately, a missed opportunity to have Jason Isaacs reprise the diabolical Captain Lorca, who continues to be missed by Discovery‘s long-time fans. Mirror Lorca remains one of Discovery‘s best villains, and it would have brought the house down to see Jason Isaacs return as Lorca in Star Trek: Discovery season 5.
