Tyler’s ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Transformation Explained + Behind The Scenes On “The Wolf Inside”

There was a lot to chew over from Sunday’s episode of Star Trek: Discovery. “The Wolf Inside” had some big reveals, which leads to some questions. Today we have some answers along with some behind the scenes looks at the episode and more in our latest Discovery news roundup.

Shazad Latif explains how Voq became Tyler, says there aren’t any more Tylers to meet

The big reveal from Sunday’s episode of Discovery was that the theories were true and “Ash Tyler” was actually the Klingon Voq, with the secret being revealed after “Tyler” encountered the Voq from the Mirror Universe. In an interview with IGN, Actor Shazad Latif gave some more details on the mechanics of how Voq became Tyler:

“these two guys, they’re stuck in a body” and they’re caught in “a four-way love triangle in three bodies.”
“And he truly believes it,” he said. “He’s basically just a sleeping giant. And there might be slight physicalities, or a slight essence of [Voq’s] voice in Tyler, or some moments, but it is Tyler. Tyler was a real guy … And, you know, they’re both real people. But, just, Voq is the core being, but he was asleep, was my understanding of it.”

That means, up to this point Shazad Latif has played three characters: Prime Universe Voq, Prime Universe Voq transformed to look like Ash Tyler, and Mirror Universe Voq. This opens up the possibility that there are even more Tylers to be encountered, including the Mirror Tyler and the original Tyler. Speaking to Inverse, the actor indicated we have already seen all the Tylers to be seen, saying:

“…no I don’t think there’s another Tyler running around.”

For more from Shazad, watch the video below from CBS where the actor talks about keeping the secret and shooting the  scene where Lt. Tyler’s identity was revealed.

Behind the scenes with Emperor Georgiou

The other big reveal from Sunday’s episode was the return of Michelle Yeoh, playing the Mirror Universe Georgiou, who turns out to be the Emperor of the Terran Empire. Co-Executive producer Ted Sullivan has taken to Twitter to share some of his shots from the set for Georgiou’s big holographic entrance.

We have yet to meet the Disco CMO

While it may seem that the late Dr. Culber was chief medical officer of the USS Discovery, like previous main cast Star Trek doctors, he wasn’t. But answering a fan question on Twitter, Ted Sullivan hinted we will be meeting this elusive CMO.

Discovery nominated for VFX

Today the nominations were announced for the Visual Effects Society awards. Star Trek: Discovery picked up two nominations in Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode, and Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Episode. Game of Thrones led the field in TV nominations with a total of 11. Winners will be announced at a ceremony on Feb. 13th.

More Disco Bits

Here are a few more links to get you caught up on the latest buzz around Star Trek: Discovery.

Syfy: Star Trek’s Mirror Universe Is A Warning To Humanity.

Gizmodo: Star Trek: Discovery Asks The Age Old Question: If You Kill Your Mirror Universe Self, Is It Murder Or Suicide?

Inverse: Here is what ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Got Right About That Fungi Scene.

ScreenRant: Star Trek: Discovery Is Still Missing The Spirit Of Star Trek.

 


Star Trek: Discovery is available on CBS All Access on in the US and airs in Canada on the Space Channel. It is available on Netflix outside the USA and Canada.

Keep up with all the Star Trek: Discovery news at TrekMovie.

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Spolier in the picture, guys! Come on! I’m so glad I literally just watched the episode and came onto Trekmovie.com. Otherwise you guys would have ruined the reveal of the emperor for me. This is an online streamed show – we will all watch it in our own time.So please don’t post things that could ruin others’ viewing. :)

people need to know when they go online to read about star trek, good chance of many spoilers, specially once new episode has been aired or streamed

The episode already aired, and TrekMovie.com is not a spoiler-free zone. It’s your responsibility, not the site’s, to avoid spoilers.

@Dana — This site has in the past been responsible and considerate in its treatment of spoilers. There’s no reason to put a spoiler in the banner headline. This site reports much more information about Trek than just DISC, so it’s unreasonable to expect to attract a wide audience of Trek fans, whose very visits support this site with ad revenue, and suggest they simply stop visiting until they’ve caught up on all the unseen Trek material out there, in order to get the latest Trek news about anything else. Lately the site seems to be engaging in a policy to drive viewers away with their “journalistic” tactics. That’s up to them. But I can tell you that you’re wrong. And if I knew who you were, I’d make sure to loudly talk about the ending of a movie I saw you standing in line to see, and then tell you about how you should have taken more responsibility to avoid spoilers, since I had every right to discuss the movie spoilers anywhere I want, anytime I want.

lol

Very true – thank you. There was an entertainment news site that used to regularly post spoilers in their headlines regarding a whole plethora of TV shows and movies. Myself and many other no longer frequent that site. Trekmovie is great with their spoiler warnings. For example, I literally knew nothing about Star Trek Beyond but regularly frequented this site, read articles and interviews aplenty. Any time it said “spoiler alert”, I ran away.

Trekmovie is not spoiler-free. But they are great, usually, at spoiler warnings.

And thanks for changing the banner pic, Trek Movie! I’m just thinking of others.

So…you’re complaining about the episode almost being spoiled…oh we’ll get the police right on this. Now head back to your safe space with a cup of juice.

Are you kidding? Should sports sites not post scores because you might take a week to watch the game?

Once the episode airs ONE time, spoilers no longer apply.

Guys how long have you been on the internet at this point? I see this kind of thing pop up over and over again on entertainment sites. Look, if you are worried about being spoiled AFTER an episode has aired then you should simply avoid the site until you sen it. Simple as that. This stuff will always happen and frankly TM doesn’t owe anyone an apology. The episode has aired. Its at your discretion to click on it or not.

How is there a possibility of a mirror Tyler if mirror Voq was killed in that rebel planet?

It just shows the planet being hit, Voq and rebels may have had enough time to escape.

mirror universe voq has not been transformed into tyler, so mirror tyler could be on another ship as evil tyler but they said they wont do a mirror tyler

One relevant question is whether the Prime Universe Tyler is the identity of a real person that Voq assumed, or has no existence other than the transformed Voq. If there was an Ash Tyler in Starfleet who was captured and whose identity Voq/Tyler has assumed, then it seems like we could run into a MU Tyler. Of course that’s actually a different character, so it’s not quite the same thing, but it would give Shazad yet another character to play.

Apparently there really was a real Ash Tyler in the Prime Universe. Star Fleet records on him exist, and apparently he really distinguished himself at the Academy. Lorca told the Admiral this when she chewed him out for making Tyler head of security so soon after escaping the Ship of the Dead.
That means the Klingons had a real person to work with when choosing someone to use as the new model for Voq the spy.

Here is what doesn’t make much sense to me about this reveal. He gives it all away!
I thought the point of his transformation was to spy and get Discovery’s secret. Why did he reveal himself right away to Burnham and end his plan? You would think he would still pretend to be Tyler to accomplish what he set out to do.

Voq was ready to kill Michael, he wanted her to know who is about to kill her.

Well it is apparent that Voq was never meant to be a spy. He instantly ruined his plan.

yes it was hard to pretend when voq fully woke and wanted to keep klingons pure, he saw mu voq as the new threat. His cover was blown after trying to kill mu voq infront of michael, he had to eliminate michael to keep his cover under wraps

She didn’t believe it until he described her fight with him (Voq) on the coffin ship. She just thought he was having another of his PTSD episodes. He even admitted to murdering Dr. Culber which he really didn’t need to do either.

I guess his Klingon anger got the best of him and he couldn’t control himself when faced with the one that killed his messiah.

very true

@Trellium — and now we know why they had to suppress his consciousness, he was basically incapable of spying. I guess he was capable of accessing Tyler’s memories then? Otherwise, what’s the point?

There’s a problem with this seemingly obvious statement – it’s wrong.

L’rell, when she tried to awaken Voq, realized something was terribly wrong with the unlocking of Voq’s personality after the prayer when Tyler’s personality took over. During the scenes with Michael where he says she’s the one he loves, “The one I want to stay human for,” we see what went wrong – Tyler fell in love with Michael.

Voq fell in love with Michael.

But, Voq knew he had to remain Klingon and loving Michael would betray everything T’kuvma died for. There is still a very heavy conflict inside of Voq – he’s trying to push the feelings for Michael and his newfound respect for the Federation aside to remain Klingon but is fighting the progressive change within him.

We see this in the trailer for next week’s episode.

Voq was ready to kill Michael as Klingon custom would demand for an oath of vengeance. It had nothing to do with wanting to kill Michael, he had no choice as governed by his very nature as a Klingon. It wasn’t about rubbing it in her face – he’s still in deep conflict.

This story ain’t over. Not by a long shot.

I like where you are going with this analysis, TokyoGaijin.
I think you are right — both the Tyler personality and the Voq personality fell in love with Michael Burnham. She really is an amazing creation — very brave; overly developed sense of responsibility and nobility; a fierce warrior; almost childlike at times in learning how to be human. What’s not to love? And her sorrow and remorse at how her hotheadedness started a war no one really needed — and the heavy cost of that… Both those men / personalities had no choice but to fall in love with her.
Cannot wait to see how they resolve this story arc.

The way I see it, Tyler had already blown Voqs cover when he said that he did not think he was Tyler, just before Voq took over. Then, given the opportunity for revenge was right there before him, Voq had no more reason to pretend. Revenge seems to have been his personal agenda. Plus maybe the heat-of-the-moment thing, spying in theory versus in practice…I also think that if Voq could actually experience being held down by Tyler since he had first been woken up in the brig, he must have been pretty wound up by then!

She got him monologuing.

I think the Federation will try to save Tyler and punish Voq.

There is good in the character Tyler, it was Voq who is the enemy and threat to the Federation.

i hope you are right, i really enjoy the show but, i have decided that tyler is where i draw that line, i think he should be saved and come back next season, if he doesn’t i am done with the show. they have killed just about everyone watching

That was a ridiculous statement–and untrue, since we all know you’ll keep watching.

I will take Shazad as Tyler or Voq.

@Dana- That’s rich coming from the king of ridiculous statements. Surprised you didn’t cry homophobe (yet again) for merely having a different opinion from you.

No offence, but this comment kinda reminds me of everything that’s wrong with fandom and why, regardless of the show or franchise, there’s always so much negativity online. If something doesn’t go exactly the way someone wants, they throw a tantrum and it’s the worst thing ever. Why can’t people ditch their expectations and just enjoy things for what they are, including all the twists and turns?

Shazad needs to stop with the deceiving…

Voq was surgically altered, as Doctor Culber confirmed. This is NOT Tyler’s body; this is Voq surgically altered to look like Tyler.

What happened to the original Tyler… that remains something to be seen or confirmed.

And what of Mirror Tyler? ;)

@IDIC — evidently, both original Tylers (Prime and Mirror) are dead. Otherwise, why say there’s no other Tylers are running around? That also suggests Tyler might not be real, but manufactured memories and background inserted into the Starfleet database by Klingon spies. They’re being coy here — when he says Tyler was a “real” guy, does he mean real in the sense he existed before he was created, or that the manufactured personality (like The Doctor from VOY) is as real as an actual person. If Tyler’s still alive in either universe, there’s no reason not to show him, unless this is another lie, however little and white it may be to protect the storyline.

I think the real Tyler died at the battle of the binary stars on one of those ships during battle. The Klingons got the data like how the Discovery got the mu data.

It’s still nuts how tiny this cast is.

7 or so has always been the average for a Star Trek series and that’s pretty much what we have here.

Yes, exactly! I rewatched the latest episode again last night, and again wondered, where the hell is everyone else on the ship? With a budget like this the show can’t afford extras to walk around the halls of the ship(s)? In previous incarnations, they did a good job of making you believe life on a starship was that of a community – Discovery seems more of a ghost ship at times.

Well, Discovery is supposed to be this secret experimental ship so it makes some sense to keep its crew to a minimum.

Extras cost money. We don’t see a full bridge crew on the Enterprise D until Generations.

I don’t really buy that. Look at DS9, they littered that station with tons of aliens every episode making it feel really lived in. I don’t think its about money its just someone who doesn’t feel the need to do it.

The Tyler being Voq thing was possibly the worst kept Trek secret since Cumberbach playing Khan.

I’m more perplexed about Dr. Culber not being the Chief Medical Officer. If he’s not, then why has he been the only doctor to get any air time? That would be like the Original Series only featuring Nurse Chapel for the first 11 episodes, with McCoy an unknown. Makes no sense whatsoever.

They’ve made a pretty big deal about not following the standard characters in Discovery. Most of the show is seen “over the shoulder” of Burnham, rather than Lorca. I’m guessing the CMO doesn’t do all of the day-to-day medical stuff, but rather oversees all of the medical staff, and we simply haven’t been in the room with him/her so far.

@Mantastic — does he say that, or does he say Culber’s not the only doctor on board the ship? It would be like Kirk, unhappy with McCoy’s performance, asking Dr. M’Benga to take over, even though McCoy is the CMO.

LOL this entire time I thought he was the CMO since AFAIK he’s literally the only doctor they showed. I guess because they knew they were going to kill him off it was best not to have him be it. And it will be interesting exactly who will be the new doctor on the show (unless of course they bring him back full time) since Star Trek can’t function without one as proven in every show.

Tiger, I too thought he was the chief. Again because he was the only doctor we ever saw. Also he said he would have to report to the Captain and NOT the CMO.

Yeah it is weird. In fact have they ever even referenced the CMO? Maybe they have and we don’t remember it but it doesn’t seem like they have making it more bizarre, especially after what you just said. And add to the fact how come Culber was the only one who had a say in Stamets being in the spore chamber? Wouldn’t the CMO be the one to make that kind of call? Its no wonder we never knew there was one.

I still think the whole thing is unnecessarily confusing and convoluted when in reality they could’ve just brain washed the real Tyler OR somehow transferred Voq’s consciousness into his. It would’ve made it feel less ridiculous and got literally the same results which as far as I can see was nothing, since Voq didn’t accomplish anything by being Tyler other than getting laid by an Earth girl.

There is truth to that. Intelligence agencies have placed assets in foreign countries, but it’s much more expedient to find someone who sympathizes with your side and pay that person for your intel. Sure some people with higher access could require a little push. But that is the preferred method.

What’s so funny about this is what exactly was Voq trying to accomplish??? Because the way I see it he only helped to stop the Klingons from either getting their hands on Discovery by stopping Mudd from turning it over to them or the fact he helped Starfleet get valuable intel on the Klingons by helping Discovery find a way to detect cloaked ships to help destroy them in the mid-finale.

I mean from where I sit it looks like Voq not knowing he was Voq only hindered his mission. Pretending he was a Starfleet officer worked TOO well lol. It would’ve just made more sense they sent someone there who was actually himself and A. Came up with a plan with the Klingons from the start or B. At least informed others what Discovery was planning to do.

Or like you said, just find someone sympathetic to their cause or they get close enough to someone who would be willing to give them intel when and where they can. I been binge watching The Americans and yeah thats a tactic they use ALL the time lol.

Because it seem like the whole point of having him being human and then erasing his memories he was a Klingon did absolutely nothing for their mission other than helping Discovery oddly. The whole thing makes no sense when you think about it for five minutes.

The best spy is one who doesn’t know that they are a spy.

Yeah the whole Manchurian candidate thing which is why it would’ve made more sense (and got literally the same results) if they simply brain washed Tyler for their plan who he wouldn’t know he was a spy until whatever plan they tried to achieve same way the Romulans tried to use Geordi in The Mind’s Eye.

That’s the problem for me, its so convoluted and so many holes in this reveal when they could’ve done the exact same thing with the real Tyler.

So Tyler/Voq will have the dilemma of ‘am I really me?’

It’s a conundrum we’re likely to see sooner or later in the human race. When a computer hard drive starts to flake out, you buy a new one, format it, copy over the files and dump the old one. As far as you’re concerned, it’s basically the same computer, only with a bit of an upgrade. Sooner or later, we could be in a situation where someone develops, say, Alzheimer’s, so a clone brain is grown and the ‘formatting’ and memories are copied across. So is that clone brain in the person’s body the same person or a copy? It’s an interesting philosophical conundrum and something for Tyler/Voq to contemplate, especially if his body starts to restore some of its Klingon characteristics and the original Ash Tyler body is dead…