At the end of Star Trek: Discovery’s season finale, the U.S.S. Discovery was en route to Vulcan to pick up its new captain, before being diverted from a distress call from the U.S.S. Enterprise. The name of this captain awaiting them on Vulcan was never mentioned, creating one of the many mysteries posed by the episode. So, who is this mystery captain? Could it be someone we are familiar with, either from Discovery or seen in Trek before? Let’s break down the possibilities.
Christopher Pike
At the time of the finale, the aforementioned U.S.S. Enterprise is under the command of Captain Christopher Pike. One intriguing possibility is that he was due to transfer to Discovery to assume command, but left Vulcan early to rendezvous with the Discovery. As a Starfleet veteran who has seen a lot of things – like the Talosian mission – he could surely teach Michael Burnham a lot. Showrunner Aaron Harberts indicated there is “something very exciting” about Pike, noting “we will never say never to exploring him a little bit more” in season two.
However, Trek lore has established James T. Kirk was the third captain of the Enterprise following Pike and April, and Kirk didn’t assume command until 2265, eight years after its rendezvous with Discovery. Assuming the Enterprise remained in commission during this period, Pike transferring to the Discovery would be a rather sizable departure from canon. We’re confident he’ll show up, but probably not as Discovery’s captain.
Number One
We don’t know much about what happened to Pike’s first officer (originally played by the great Majel Barrett Roddenberry) following “The Cage.” It’s entirely possible she was promoted to captain and assigned command of Discovery. Although a lieutenant in “The Cage,” by the time of David Mack’s Discovery novel, “Desperate Hours” she’d been promoted to commander (and given the name “Una”). The novels are being treated as semi-canon by the show’s team, so this may have been a precursor to her making captain.
Regardless, she’s a popular character, one relatively unexplored in Trek canon. Even though she was human, the character was portrayed as having a strictly logical outlook, something that was later adopted for Spock (and all Vulcans). It’s possible that like Michael Burnham, Number One also had Vulcan training and could provide for an interesting mentor for Michael.
Robert April
The Animated Series introduced Robert April as the first captain of the Enterprise in “The Counter-Clock Incident,” and he has already been name-dropped on Discovery, having appeared in Saru’s “Most Decorated Captains” list in “Choose Your Pain.” He would be around 60 at the time of Discovery, which is not too old for a captain in the 23rd century and provides the possibility of a sort of elder statesman figure for the show.
After turning over command of the Enterprise to Pike in 2250, he was promoted to commodore and became an ambassador-at-large. Being a commodore doesn’t preclude him from commanding a starship, as we’ve seen with the likes of Matt Decker and Robert Wesley, but being an ambassador presumably would. However, being that the Animated Series is a sort of canon gray area, there may be some wiggle room to introduce him as Discovery’s new captain.
Matt Decker
Matt Decker is another one from Saru’s “most decorated captains” list. By the time we meet Decker in “The Doomsday Machine,” he’s a broken man, having lost his entire crew to the planet killer. It’d be fun to see him before his fall. Plus sharp-eared viewers may have heard a mention of a Cadet Decker serving on Discovery in “Into The Forest I Go,” likely a reference to his son Will (Star Trek: The Motion Picture), meaning a family reunion could be in the cards.
However, Decker’s a man destined to go mad following the loss of his entire crew. While this lurking potential dark side to the character is intriguing, it may be too close to what we have already seen for Lorca.
T’Pol
Occam’s razor indicates the captain waiting on Vulcan would be a Vulcan and this could bring up all sorts of character dynamic possibilities for Discovery. One Vulcan some fans have speculated about is Archer’s first officer from the NX-01. T’Pol would be in her late 160s, which is a plausible age for long-lived Vulcans (the elderly T’Pol that appeared in “E2” was actually older). Last seen in 2161 as a commander, it’s possible she could still be in Starfleet, or maybe returned for the war.
There’s also the question of whether Jolene Blalock would return. She’s semi-retired from acting, and has never been very active on the convention scene. She lives in California with her husband (Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino) and their three children, so committing to a series shooting in Toronto is unlikely.
Garth of Izar
One of Starfleet’s most prominent captains of the pre-TOS era, Garth was a legendary starship commander, who was later promoted to fleet captain, before his descent into madness (as seen in “Whom Gods Destroy”). He was a renowned tactician and explorer, having charted more new worlds than anyone in history. His victory at the Battle of Axanar was required reading during Kirk’s time at Starfleet Academy, and he was a hero to the young cadet.
He’s been a popular character in Trek literature over the years, and we’d like to learn more about him. His path towards megalomania could be a fun area to explore. However, he also comes with the same (and possibly more) ‘tragic end’ baggage and Lorca-like tendencies as Decker.
Alexander Marcus
Whatever you may think of Into Darkness, it’s hard to disagree that Peter Weller’s Admiral Marcus was an interesting character. The nefarious head of Starfleet could have been another of Trek’s one-note misguided admirals, but Weller gave us something more complex: a man who was prepared to completely corrupt the ideals of the Federation – including starting a war with the Klingons – in order to preserve his version of it.
We know nothing about his Prime counterpart, though. Presumably Marcus is out there somewhere, and with the numerous similarities between the two timelines, quite probably in Starfleet. A captain with a laser-like focus bordering on obsessive is something that we have seen in Trek and could introduce good character drama with the crew we know. However, it’s unlikely (and possibly precluded) for CBS to be using characters created solely for Paramount’s Trek films. This would strike off others like Captains Robau, Styles, and Terrell as well.
Saru
At the time of the season finale, Saru is still acting captain of the U.S.S. Discovery and it’s possible that the arrival of the Enterprise could send the ship off on some new diversion that extends his time in the chair and could lead to him being promoted and made permanent captain. His leadership in the later episodes of the first season was well-regarded, which would undoubtedly make him a popular choice. And his sibling rivalry with Michael Burnham could see a new angle as her ambition returns, now that she has been reinstated.
Saru is a fan favorite, and has grown to be one of the show’s more interesting characters, and that may actually work against him being made captain. Saru fits into the mold of previous Trek characters like Data and Odo, who are able to make a commentary on humanity from their positions as “the other.” Moving him into a leadership position could possibly diminish that core aspect of the character.
Gabriel Lorca (Prime)
While the mirror version we know and love is (we presume) dead, we don’t know for certain what happened to the prime universe’s Lorca. Cornwell speculated that he died in the Mirror Universe, but that’s by no means definitive. Should the writers wish, it wouldn’t be too hard to bring him back, something that would no doubt go down well with fans. Obviously Lorca is not the captain awaiting the Discovery on Vulcan, so this is another possibility that would arise from the diversion introduced by the surprise appearance of the Enterprise.
Lorca is one of the standouts from the first season; a complex, darker figure than we were used to being in command. (Until he went all Mirror Universe on us.) It would be interesting to see how the Prime version stacks up to his Mirror counterpart. However, it could also be a bit of been there, done that, even if it is actually a totally different character. There is also the practical aspect of Jason Isaacs being a very busy man, currently filming the second season of Netflix’s The OA. Much as we love him, he’s an in-demand guy, and we’re not sure he’d want to spend the next few years tied down to one show. But, we won’t be surprised to see him show up for an episode or two.
Katrina Corwnwell
Another possibility that may arise from a change of orders from the original planned rendezvous on Vulcan is Admiral Cornwell. She has become a favorite character for many fans. While she’s currently an admiral, she was also involved in a plan to commit the genocide of the Klingon race by working with Emperor Georgiou. So, perhaps her punishment is a demotion to captain (not unlike Admiral Kirk in The Voyage Home).
Her time in the captain’s chair during “The War Without, the War Within” introduced some interesting dynamics with both Saru and Burnham and a demotion gives her character an interesting redemption arc. However, the show spent much of season one developing Cornwell as the window to Starfleet and Federation leadership and perhaps it’s best to continue to use her to explore that area in season two, especially as she has an already established rapport with the new head of the Klingon Empire, L’Rell.
Other options
There’s a variety of other captains and commodores we saw on The Original Series to consider: Ronald Tracey; Commodore Stone; Robert Wesley; Commodore Mendez, or even admirals like Komack. Any of them could feasibly be Discovery’s new captain.
…or maybe it will be someone new
It’s fun to see familiar characters, and we certainly expect that to continue for Discovery in season two and beyond. But these kinds of characters are best used sparingly. Introducing new characters gives a sense of the scale of the Trek universe. Starfleet is supposed to be a huge organization.
Do we want to keep running into old characters so we can get nostalgic about Trek’s past, or do we want to look to the future? In season one, Discovery had a big success with Lorca, one of the more intriguing new characters in Star Trek. So, our hopes, and our qautloos, are on the writers coming up with something original for season two. We can’t wait to meet this new captain of the U.S.S. Discovery.
Who is your pick?
Is there a character from this list or Trek history you think will be the next captain? Or do you have an idea for a new character? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Star Trek: Discovery is available exclusively in the USA on CBS All Access. It airs in Canada on the Space Channel and streams on CraveTV. It is available on Netflix everywhere else.
Keep up with all the Star Trek: Discovery news at TrekMovie.
I hope it is someone totally new. I would love to see them explore Pike for an episode or two in Season 2 but the new captain should be someone new. However if they brought back prime Lorca then I would be on board
This. I was anti-prequel, so new would make me happy.
I’d like either someone new or Number One.
Someone new, please. I wish they would refrain from messing with classic characters too much, even if they were background ones.
Agreed, someone new.
Also agreed. I want someone new as well. We don’t need constant fan service.
Agreed!!
Please no Shatner
Unless it is as The Big Giant Head.
T’pol! Let’s see the character as written and molded by feminist writers and show runners as opposed to the sexist cat-suit-wearing joke that Enterprise presented that focused on her reduced to an object of male sexual desire. So glad that era of TV is over.
I can’t imagine what you thought of Seven? 90’s TV was the best and T’Pol had depth even if some found her hotness distracting get laid or jerk off it won’t be a problem.
I’m gay. So being turned on by T’Pol is not a problem. The problem is female characters being sexualized like they are not full people and just there as strippers in cat suits for the amusement of men. What did I think of Seven? Her catsuit was absurd. A man would not be portrayed wearing something like that. Thank god that Disco has women as real full charecyers and not sporting sexist catsuits or miniskirts. #Progress
Truth
Eh, seems like you’re focusing on the wrong thing here. I’ve talked about the use of obligatory progressiveness and this is a perfect example. Focusing on story and content, character development and solid acting, along with creative and smart writing has created some of the best Trek episodes. When the focus is pure progressive values, oftentimes it detracts from the desired goals of creating tolerance, critical thinking and reason amongst the whole.
Groyper,
The focus is not “pure progressive values,” it is good storytelling with contemporary allegories, with great actors, some of whom JUST HAPPEN TO BE people of color, or other than male. Get over it.
#So tired of seeing comments like yours
#Women outnumber men in the world population
Lol the hashtags lolol
Stop being in competition with men who are on your side, it’s the human race, chill wit that attitude dude.
Also, you clearly missed what I was saying…idk where you got racism from me saying:
”
Focusing on story and content, character development and solid acting, along with creative and smart writing has created some of the best Trek episodes. When the focus is pure progressive values, oftentimes it detracts from the desired goals of creating tolerance, critical thinking and reason amongst the whole.”
I’ll reiterate in order to clarify. A, the whole skin tight clothing idea comes from the idea of pressure suits in space, but sometimes is gratuitous and unnecessary, other times it’s alright. 2, I’ve said that the prequel limited the ability to be highly creative in the writing and imo closed the door to an ethnic female Captain, a Hispanic male Captain and — my personal choice — a binary individual composed of two people (remember the binars?) D, You need to open your mind more and not be so closed off, it’s very toxic.
Also gay, and I LOVE Seven of Nine. I think her outfit helped distinguish her from the other crew, but can see how it could be considered sexist.
nah the way they hid all those curves in that tight fitting “Lost in Space” outfit for yoga.. nothing to see here folks… sexist nahhhh… LOL
Seven would not be born yet
I agree SO. MUCH. Luke.
So? And Trek has a tradition of “sexualized” female characters with depth, like T’Pol.
http://www.trekcore.com/specials/albums/rare/article10/decker02.jpg
Yep no man would
🙄
I agree. I have no problem with them going sex when it makes sense. Or showing us attractive people. They had the party episode with people socializing and making out etc. It made sense.
Last time I watched Enterprise and they did the stupid decontamination chamber with them rubbing gel all over their bodies…especially T’Pol’s was so eye-rolling.
If she’s naked in bed with Trip, fine, that makes sense. But the tight outfits and the underwear scenes and close up of her nipples poking through her top. Ridiculous.
Not as bad as the far-more-recent Carol Marcus scene though. But what can you expect with the guys that wrote that film.
God, those PJs of hers. I could not see the logic ….
Seven of Nine was added to bring sex appeal but they also took advantage of the fact that’s Jeri Ryan is a fantastic actress.
T’Pol was simply there to look sexy and by the time they bothered to give her a meaningful storyline, nobody cared. Even then, she plot was little more than an excuse for her to be intimate with a man.
Jolene is a solid actress, her character would be older and probably different from Enterprise. I would be all for it. Could T’Pol be related to Sarek somehow? Who knows?
Lorca. Along with Burnham, he’s the heart of the show.
I agree!
And I want Cornwell to continue as a semi-regular character.
^^^^^^ What you just said….
“While she’s currently an admiral, she was also involved in a plan to commit the genocide of the Klingon race by working with Emperor Georgiou. So, perhaps her punishment is a demotion to captain (not unlike Admiral Kirk in The Voyage Home).”
So was Sarek, the Federation Council which approved it, and Starfleet Command. If she gets demoted for a decision by the Federation Council, proposed by Sarek, but Sarek gets all the respect in the Federation as Vulcan ambassador, that would be quite unfortunate.
I think it would be more likely everyone in Starfleet did their best to sweep the genocide plan under the carpet. In such circumstances Cornwall would be more likely to be promoted. Large organisations are never good at admitting to their mistakes
Very good point!
True that, especially with flag rank officers involved. Usually a “lesser being” has to fall on their sword.
Writer Robertson seems to think the Lorca character was some sort of STD success. The only caveat being “until he went all mirror universe on us.” But the thing is, he NEVER went MU on us. That was the reason behind everything he did. Turns out he wasn’t the amazingly interesting and complex character the audience thought he was. He was just the black hat guy all along. The MU reveal completely undermined everything fascinating about the character. And was possibly the biggest mistake the show made.
Or could it be that horrible people can sometimes do some good in the world especially when it serves their ultimate goals. Those good deeds don’t change the fact that they are awful at the core unless they choose to change their core. Lorca was always in service to one person, himself.
Or the betterment of his Empire. He was doing what he thought was right.
I don’t think the reveal really diminished his character. Actually, I felt his final message to Saru and the crew was rather poignant. He did care about them in his own way, and was proud of them, so I actually think that added to his character rather than took anything away.
I liked his final message too. Though his point that they “are warriors all” was a good thing as seen from his perspective, he was indeed proud of them.
OK. So the bad guys plan can inadvertently have a nice side effect. That doesn’t change the fact that he wasn’t really a complex character but rather a one dimensional evil version of prime Lorca. The mustache twirlers always think they are doing the right thing. So that’s nothing new. He served with that crew for a very long time. It was not unreasonable that he might start to feel for them. Hence his little final message to them. But make no mistake, this was still evil Lorca. If he could have returned to the MU by slashing all their throats he would have done so in a heartbeat. All he cared about was getting back no matter what the cost. Which is exactly what a one dimensional bad guy would do.
And I’m sorry Marja but the fact that he was evil Lorca pretty much means that prime Lorca would not be nearly as interesting. The MU are opposites. The opposite of evil Lorca really doesn’t feel like it would be a compelling character. And at the moment I really don’t trust the current writing staff to concoct an interesting prime Lorca from that. So it’s probably best that the show never hear from Lorca ever again.
And I’m sorry Marja but the fact that he was evil Lorca pretty much means that prime Lorca would not be nearly as interesting. The MU are opposites. The opposite of evil Lorca really doesn’t feel like it would be a compelling character. And at the moment I really don’t trust the current writing staff to concoct an interesting prime Lorca
But characters go through changes, Kirok. Look at the evolutions of Burnham, Saru, et. al. They are not static characters.
Imagine you’re a decent Starfleet sorta Lorca, with perhaps some interesting elements to your basic personality, and you have to survive for a year in the MU. I think that would change you, perhaps in fundamental ways. He might be willing to go all-out Section 31, for example.
Ok, Marja. But living in the PU didn’t seem to change evil Lorca one bit. He still seemed as focused and as evil and as desperate to achieve his goal as ever. (They did sorta show Spock was wrong when he figured that the prime crew in the MU would have an easier time pretending to be savages than the savage would i the civilized world) I suppose if prime came back there could be a residual effect but that would really not be a very engaging character arc. It would take better and more imaginative writers than they have to make it work. But like I said, I wouldn’t preclude anything from this group.
Thats like saying because Mirror Kirk was evil, Prime Kirk cant be interesting. That’s moronic.
Totally agreed. If (as writer Katherine Trendacosta noted on Io9) there was ever a moment to start hate-watching the show, that reveal was it. What a waste.
And this is why I would like to explore Prime Lorca. Perhaps he too is a complex character with deep ties to Section 31.
I agree it was a huge mistake to make him a black hat MU character. Far more interesting to have made him a white hat MU character, revolting against the Empire for the good of the people. Oh, well.
Not really. People just dislike that they didnt get a Starfleet Captain who was a dark shade of grey. As it is, you had people loudly whining that a Starfleet Captain would not behave that way and these writers didnt know what they were doing
Then they reveal the twist and people whine about that.
Just because Lorca was from the MU doesnt mean he wasnt complicated. He was obviously extremely intelligent to do what he did.
We would assume Prime Lorca has many of the same traits plus going through whatever he is going through if he is alive…
We would assume Prime Lorca has many of the same traits plus going through whatever he is going through if he is alive…
Thank you TUP.
I would have liked it much better had Lorca been a Section 31 operative under cover of law. Oh, well. Apparently that was Brian Fuller’s original idea, and I have no idea why the subsequent showrunners went with what they did. Perhaps it was due to an Isaacs availability issue.
I liked that Lorca had touches of darkness, so it was very disappointing when “he was Mirror Lorca all along!” Yeah I whined about that, all right. I had a hissy fit when I saw it. What a crappy resolution for an intriguing character.
I dont disagree Marja. I even liked the idea of him being Mirror Lorca but someone trying to do “good” there. I think the character did suffer by how fast they had to wrap it all up at the end. But I’ve always said that these writers and producers inherited a real tough situation to work through and did a fine job.
Marja, do you have a link or reference for Fuller wanting Lorca to be Section 31? This is the first time I recall hearing this.
Or, more likely, the character went right over your head and you missed it all.
Please. Cisco assassinating the Romulan ambassador was complex. Lorca was a mustache twirler long before the MU reveal.
@Kirok – we get it. You predicted he was NOT MU and you were wrong. The only weak episode in the Lorca story was the finale. Otherwise, everything they did made perfect sense. They tricked you, as was their purpose.
It’d be interesting if it were T’Pol. Hopefully if they chose that road they could get Jolene Blalock back but if not, just as they recast Sarek and Amanda they could recast T’Pol. Possibly Smallville and Saving Hope’s Erica Durance or Andromeda’s Lexa Doig would be a good choice. But they forgot someone else (assuming they could strike a deal with Paramount especially with talks of CBS and Paramount remerging for use of movie characters): a pre-Admiral version of Admiral Cartwright (who, was rumored to be an ancestor of Ben Sisko’s dad, especially since they were played by the same actor). As for actors to play him, J. August Richards (Gunn on Buffy spinoff Angel and Mike Peterson/Deathlok on Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD) or, in keeping with the tendency of past Trek actors returning to play their old characters’ ancestors, Cirroc Lofton. Another possibility is Commodore Mendez (which would be a great opportunity to feature a Latino captain) or, again if they could get rights from Paramount to use movie characters, the Prime version of Captain Robau (Faran Tahir has been reported as saying he in fact wanted to return as Robau in some way) or even Prime Kirk’s dad George Kirk. Not much was ever said canonically (on screen) about Prime George Kirk, so maybe he joined Starfleet too and became a Captain. Michael Shanks or Ben Browder would be good to play George Kirk. Or maybe Kevin Sorbo.
George Kirk was an enlistedman in the prime reality.
George kirk was security cheif for captain april
Probably a joke right?
Remembering that the prime universe diverged at the Battle with the Narada, Kirk was a lieutenant on the Kelvin. In the Prime Universe, the Kelvin continued on its Klingon border patrol before heading back to Earth where Jim Kirk was born in Iowa.
Though the creatives (Pegg, et al) have now said (or, at least, implied) that the Narada incursion might not be the sole moment of divergence, things might be different even before that event, perhaps the arrival of the Narada disturbed time like a pebble in a pond with waves going off in all directions.
My first choice would be T’Pol, but I suspect it will be someone new.
It’s Lorca
uh no. Jason Isaacs said he is not coming back to the show… for a good while at least.
:_(
Do you go out with Felix?
I think the bigger question is what bigger name known actor will be captain if even for just one season a la Issacs.
Katie Holmes or Jennifer Morrison as “Number One”?
It’ll be another one of Spock’s half/step/adopted/foster siblings we’ve never heard about despite him being an only child.
Book it.
Predicable skepticism.
Just my cynicism over the whole Burnham/Sarek thing.
It’s a big universe and a big Starfleet. Let’s have someone new. Then we have boundless creative room without being unnecessarily tied to cannon.
Boy I’d hate to be tied to a cannon. They get so hot when they fire.
Tied to canon isn’t much better
You’re suggesting that Sarek got around. That would be an interesting if not amusing exploration of the character.
Maybe Sybok had a Starfleet career we knew nothing about?
Contrary to many who dislike the input of Sybok into Spock’s life, Shatner and Nimoy agreed it was a good idea and something that Spock would have not told anyone, just as he did not tell anyone about T’Pring and only brought it up when physically compelled to do so, ordered to and coaxed by his friendship with Kirk to do so. I think it was a good idea that was not executed as well as T’Pring.
But anyways, it’ll probably be Sybok’s cousin’s roommate’s in StarFleet Academy father.. or Sulu’s Father …or Uhura’s Mom…or Picard’s great great great uncle (played by Liam Neeson) … Or time travelling Wesley, so yes, Will Wheaton.
“Or time travelling Wesley, so yes, Will Wheaton.”
During the season I dismissed the Lorca being MU Lorca because it was so stupid and so ludicrous not even this shows writers would go there. So now I don’t think we should dismiss any goofball possibility because they just might do it!
IKR? It is a fearsome possibility.
Please, writers, don’t do any more of that nonsense.
If you thought it was “so stupid and so ludicrous” then you arent very insightsful or creative. It made perfect sense. Whether you like it or not. Sure, you were wrong (as you usually are) but that doesnt even they were the stupid ones.
Please grow up.
You mean Sybok!!??
*xfiles music plays*
It is time for a hispanic Captain in a starring role.
We’ve had Caucasians (Kirk, Picard, Janeway, Lorca), Asians (Sulu, Georgiou), and Blacks (Sisko, and eventually Burnham – come on, we know she is going to end up on the seat).
So where is Captain Hernandez or Captain Lopez or whatever?
Discovery already killed off the only hispanic in the show (for now anyway, until that green spore thingy brings him back). But he wasn’t even Chief anything, much less a Captain.
It is time.
I’d love to see that too! What a coup d’état in the Trump era. (And what if, god forbid, they spoke a little Spanish form time to time. Judging by the reaction Michelle Yoeh’s accent some people will lose their shit.)
More likely our reality would become the Terran Empire than Spanish take that much root in society they had their chance and lost it to Admiral Drake along with the rest Spanish Armada 400 years ago.
What nonsense
Haha is Yeoh’s accent the reason they thought she was “wooden”? Jaysus.
What about Captain J.T. Esteban od the USS Grissom?
There was a Latina captain on a few episodes of Enterprise, but the fact that I can’t remember her name or her ship’s name shows that it wasn’t a starring role (although I really liked her and wished that she would have been in more episodes).
Erika Hernandez, captain of the Columbia.
http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Erika_Hernandez
Erika Hernandez of the Columbia
Her name was captain gonzalez but being human she would be too old for discovery.
Commodore Mendez!
Guess there’s no good Hispanic actors or actresses…it’s the only explanation. 😉
Cheech Marin as Captain Mendez would be the exception of course 😇
WHY does he keep stepping out to the Ready Room and what is that pervasive scent when you visit there …?
He sure is silly for a captain ;^)
😂😅
Meanwhile the Orville’s first officer ordered a cannabis brownie from the replicator with her captain in the room. Lol
I would absolutely love T’Pol. It would be a fantastic opportunity to reclaim/redeem a great character with a lot of potential that got shafted by sexism and lazy writing in ENT. Plus it would be interesting seeing Michael deal with her Vulcan side.
Also, in a lot of ways Discovery has felt less like a prequel to TOS and more like a sequel to ENT, so it seems like a good fit.
That said, I’m skeptical that would happen, but it’s my fantasy anyway.
1. My vote is for someone new or for prime Lorca because I’d love to see the crew have to learn to trust a man who seems to be so much like the man that deceived them all. That conflict could be compelling. 2. Tupal was my favorite character from Star Trek: Enterprise. I’d love to see more of her. However her heroics during that show and the almost 100 years that passed between, one would think she should be an Admiral or a Commodore or an Ambassador by now. Anything but would seem an insult. 3. I’m down to see a Captain Cornwell. There should be some consequences for her actions during the final but after war brings reconstruction and Starfleet may need Admirals more than they need to convict Cornwell. 3. Finally, Suru. Suru is clearly a leader. He would/will make a great Captain but is he ready yet? If you look at “Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum” it might give one pause but if you look at him in the Mirror Universe one might be compelled to say yes. Though if him it be, it definitely makes for drama. What is it like to have a captain who’s lived his life as a prey species? Who will he pick as his second in command? Arial or Burnham? And if Burnham how will their past play into their new relationship? Will she keep him on his toes and be a “right-hand-man” like Riker to Picard or a best friend like Spock to Kirk? And if they ever go back to the Mirror Universe what is it like to have “food” for a Captain?
Andrew SD
My vote is for someone new or for prime Lorca because I’d love to see the crew have to learn to trust a man who seems to be so much like the man that deceived them all. That conflict could be compelling.
EXACTLY.
Saru’s my fave. Usually Starfleet runs Captain candidates under an experienced Captain to vet them for a while. Saru stepped up to the plate, but hadn’t had that final vetting for a permanent captaincy. IMHO, it would be a good story if disaster befalls Discovery before she can pick up her new Captain. That would stick Saru with the acting-Captaincy, with Burnham handling all the dirty work. The question would be what Saru’s growth arc would be. Heck, that’s the same question for Burnham, too. She’s gone from pariah to hero–whereto next?
Una. My pick is Pike’s number one.
I hope Cornwell doesn’t become captain, she isn’t command material. Prime Lorca would be pretty great, but I think Saru deserves it most despite some of his questionable actions. The other options presented in this article are a bit of a stretch…
They have a lot of space to fill until season 2 and the next movie.
Prime Lorca, please…
The cadet Decker thing sounded way off to me, he’d be 15 years old! Is Peter Preston being 14 and aboard in TWOK canon?
Not really. TMP is in 2271, if memory serves me. Disco’s first season is 2256. Decker should be around 35 in TMP. That would make him around 20 in Disco.
The stuff I remember reading in the mags was that Decker is supposed to be 29 (though for phase 2, way before he was cast, Decker was described as early 30s in the bible), which was younger than Collins’ actual age (early thirties.)
And he didn’t even look that old in the film (which seemed odd, because in THE RHEINEMAN EXCHANGE from a couple years earlier, which was shot with very nice ‘hard’ lighting instead of TMP’s bounce lighting, he looked older and better, almost like a blond Bond), so it was easy for me to buy off on the idea of him as ‘youngest captain in Starfleet.’
The youngest captain in starfleet history is Kirk, made captain at 31, so the younger Decker is older than that during TMP. Thus no problem with him still being a non-commissioned Cadet at this time.
I’d love to see an entirely new character if it works for where the show is going. But I also think there’s a fun creative challenge in trying to work with established characters (again, if they can pull it off).
I’m guessing this mystery will ultimately end with a known character from Trek-lore. It feels like they would be building the suspense for a big nothing if Captain Joe Newguy shows up. I’m personally hopeful Prime Lorca is coming back but it would be awesome to see Captain Decker or Captain Garth before their fall. It would make those TOS episodes take on a whole new life (making Decker my hopeful favorite).
Of course, the way Disco plays so loose with established lore, maybe Harry Mudd becomes the new Captain.
What about George Kirk Sr.
Bruce Boxleitner as Robert April!!!?
I’m not partial to the character but Alan Cumming would be a good Garth.
Hee-hee wouldn’t he just? Bad news, though good for Cumming, he’s in a new show on CBS as a crime consultant [psychiatrist?]
Daniel Day-Lewis as Captain Garth ftw
Well yes, Daniel Day Lewis. Sure. Maybe Tom Hanks would like to do a series too. Both unrealistic. lol
Tom Hanks, which, mind you, is DEFINITELY a realistic choice, would be a great Captain… “I am the Captain now” is what he would say. Anyways doesn’t matter, Gordon Ramsay in brownish-face will be the actual choice
.duh
Nogura!
OOOOOOHHH! I like the way you think! Who’d you cast?
Heh – I KNOW! Cast Jackie Chan and have him mix it up with Emperor Georgiou
ZAP! POW! BAM!
For Nogura, how about Daniel Dae Kim [late of Hawaii Five O and Lost]? Although he is Korean. Like John Cho.
Jackie Chan ftw
Since they’re going to Vulcan, maybe we can see what happened to a character maybe no one cares about… Soval…
Too old soval was like 180 during enterprise
It’ll be someone new I bet, though T’Pol would be pretty cool.
I’m very curious who they cast as Pike. Wonder when we’ll find out?
I think to have a young admiral cartwright so we can see what happened from when he was a captain to when he turned traitor in st6
He joined Section 31 of course.
I’m putting my credits on Number One.
I’d really like to see a non-human captain finally. That’s something Star Trek has never done outside of supporting characters.
Thus Saru would fill the bill. I think he’s earned it, despite his episode of Paradise Syndrome on Pahvo. Stuff like that happens to Starfleet officers.
The supposed next season won’t come till 2020 from what has been told. Waiting that long is a mistake, salt on the open wound that was STD.
In that case I believe Jason Isaacs may be available :^D
Who said anything about 2020? I’ve heard early 2019 which would make far more sense given that they are writing it already. Why would they need 2 years for the season?
Production is slated to begin in April. 2020 makes no sense.
One hopes then that we could see it in Fall 2019?
Ooh! Ooh!
April production probably means ready by the end of the year. I’d say early 2019. If they keep the Good Fight as a March launch, its possible Discovery would be right after Good Fight (ie. premiere after Good Fight ends) so…May-ish?
Una or garth could be interesting even cartwright. but it will most likely be someone new. if they could get blalock as tpol that would be cool too but i think she was the ambassador before sarek so a would be a step back.there is also janeways great grandmother who was a decorated starfleet captain.
An andorion captain would be a new twist maybe shrans son or daughter lol
Or Shran himself! Who knows the Andorian lifespan. Shran could still be alive and still in his prime!
Id love to see Shran.
Shran would be fun but its no way I see him permanently joining Starfleet.
It is T’Pol why else go to Vulcan to pick her up. T’Pol would work in terms of playing off Michaels emotions and Sarus fears and development of captain material.
She’d be unrealistically old, though. In “E2” it was necessary for her to still be in uniform because of the storyline. Hard to rationalize that under ordinary conditions, even wartime. It will be “Number One”.
I’m also thinking it’s Captain Lance Cartwright.
Haha
Of all the established Trek characters whose age appropriate I think Cartwright would work. I’d rather see someone new but that would require extra thought and cleverness from the writers. The odds of that are not good. So if I were a betting man I would wager on a known side character who may or may not be age appropriate for their time frame.
Cartwright would be interesting to explore. The fact there was a Klingon war and all that, we could see *hints* of his negative feelings towards them.
It will be a NEW Captain. Not one we’ve seen before.
Sorry: Not Prime Lorca. What could be interesting, though, is whether this new Captain leads the Discovery (and the Enterprise?) on a mission which sees the recovery/rescue of Prime Lorca. And that Captain is the sacrificial lamb to the story which allows Lorca to step into the Discovery’s captaincy.
One way or another, we’re likely to see Gabriel Lorca (Prime version) again.
Question is, as the Captain of the Discovery? Or ?
New New New
I like the way you think! And this could allow them to get a popular actor for a one-year contract.
Samuel L Jackson perhaps
Saru… He basically became Captain (Acting Captain for all you nitpickers out there) in the Mirror Universe. He took charge, and was good at it. He deserves recognition.
Yes, I would like to see Saru as captain UNTIL THEY FIND PRIME LORCA
What can I say I loved Isaac’s performance, and perhaps Lorcae are similar in different universes …
Honeybadgers!
—————————-
Somehow I think Saru could make a great diplomat and replace Sarek as a series semi-regular once Prime Lorca has been debriefed and “brought back from the dead” as it were. No slam on James Frain [Sarek]
Given how quickly Cornwell wrote off that Prime Lorca could possibly survive in the Mirror Universe, and we see nothing more on that front – Prime Lorca is the most logical possibility. It seems like a move to put the audience deliberately off the scent. More to the point, the fact that the new captain’s identity is in question at all is a real problem. Even though Burnham is the main character, if you’re going into the second season without an establish C/O, that is unprecedented. A true spiritual amputation for the fan base.
One thing that was made very clear in season one, a characters mirror universe counterpart is not altogether that fundamentally different from the them. When Lorca finds Commander Landry on the other side, the only thing that is demonstrably different about her was her priorities. This may be a subtle hint by the writers regarding Lorca. If his mirror universe self can be that cunning, the Prime version may be no less so – but with values and control that differ from the fellow we knew.
Regarding Isaacs schedule, Trek is a large pay check to turn down over several years. He is also something of a prankster, and may be well be enjoying straight up lying for the sake of the show. He essentially said that he’s been lying to the public all along, why would you believe him now following the reveal?
A new captain, a Klingon war that ended in ridiculous fashion, with Burnham’s record expunged, the first season might as well have not have happened at all. That being said, it’s very hard to believe the writers will start with a perfectly new captain at the helm. Nor is the fact their captain is waiting on Vulcan indicative of anything. It’s a Federation planet that could have any species of captain awaiting them.
Prime Lorca makes the most sense, and it’s the best way to go. The character is too good, and so original. It would be a shame not to explore his Prime universe self. Why waste such a golden narrative asset if you can avoid it?
Robber, I was about to write a rebuttal about how the writers burned the prime Lorca character with the evil Lorca reveal. But then I was thinking… what would be the least clever and laziest way to go? Prime Lorca! I would not put it past them. At this point nothing will surprise me.
Nah, Kirok, it’s not the least clever and laziest way. What would be the least clever and the laziest way would be “Mirror Lorca Returns and Fools Them All a Second Time!” And given the S1 twist that the writers thought so intriguing, I fear it could happen.
As I said in comments above, Prime Lorca can have grey areas in his character.
Personally I feel as Robber does One thing that was made very clear in season one, a characters mirror universe counterpart is not altogether that fundamentally different from the them. When Lorca finds Commander Landry on the other side, the only thing that is demonstrably different about her was her priorities.
If you want an example from canon, look at Mirror Spock. Still logical, in many ways the same personality operating in a very different set of circumstances, cruel in order to survive.
I grant you… Vulcans in the PU are closer to the pivot point. But still lie on the savage side of the middle. Humans are on the outside edge. They have been portrayed as those whose mirror is MOST opposite. Kirk recognized that. Which is why I think he revealed the device in MU Kirk’s quarters. Therefore, I think if one stays true to what humans in the MU are, PU Lorca likely be almost as bland and boring as Jean-Luc Picard. But that doesn’t mean the show has to go that route with Prime Lorca. They pretty much can change things to make a story work if they like.
Prime Lorca would be quite interesting although the producers said the spotlight is on the 1st officer and Jason Isaacs knows how to shine. Anyway, they made an awesome team and he could bring a lot to the series. However it also could be Kirk’s father played by Matt Damon!
Lorca.
Many interesting adjustments to a crew all new to him, and to the ship he was slated for but has never seen. PTSD. Surviving in the MU as a Prime character.
Lorca.
I agree with the article that if it ends up being Lorca, it would not be the original choice since he shouldnt just be chilling on Vulcan. But perhaps the Enterprise is coming to Discovery because they have intel about the missing Lorca…
I vote for Lorca. I’m hoping for a male human character at the least.
I’m loving all the strong female leads but I miss seeing a strong male character.
An intriguing idea for me? Sarek has known that Prime Lorca is alive since Mirror Lorca arrived. Sarek recognizes that Mirror Lorca is best suited for defeating the Klingons. Sarek hides Prime Lorca on Vulcan. (Maybe he was injured in the altercation and is recovering from his injuries?)
Ted Sullivan? I live near Toronto. I’m available to help in the Writers Room… ;-)
Tom Hanks joins the show for a fun and lighthearted season two.
When he boards The Discovery he will pause and then point with two fingers to his eyes and tell the entire crew, “Look at me, I am the Captain now.”
I see what you did thar
Should they name him Philips?
😁
Garth Of Izar would be the best choice. He offers a huge platform to work with and contrary to the article’s statement on his insanity, it was only when he was resurrected and made whole again that he became a completely different person. Therefore, we could see his entire campaign as a great explorer, leader and military genius..plus a cameo by a young Kirk would be made possible.
How does Occam’s razor indicate a Vulcan, when the show has human writers? Haha. It does however indicate that your spellchecker is faulty (not Occum). Wait, Nomad did that… it’s perfect.
Since Discovery and the movie reboots have broken the Star Trek universe, there is no structure or history for them to be constrained to, so the next Captain could be Tasha Yar, Princess Leia or Chandler Bing.
Why bother posting garbage that isnt true.
That’s hilarious, It’s Not. Quite clever. Thanks for the laugh this morning.
Figures.
Okay, have you gotten that out of your system now?
Or the obvious choice, Miss Chanandler Bong.
Most of these are NOT possibilities. Garth of Izar? Robert April?? Not a chance. And Chris Pike is already captain of the Enterprise, with Number One at his side.
We dont know that Number One is at his side. Realistically, she’s as good a chance as any. Its an easy way to expand on a “TOS” character we know nothing about. And doesnt violate Canon in any way.
She’s an impossibility, since she’s not yet a captain.
For all we know she could have been a senior commander on the list for promotion to captain when she appeared in “The Cage.”
I keep thinking Cage is right after Discovery, not before.
As long as it is a non-human. It is time for an alien captain to be in the big chair on the big show.
Everyone’s thinking it, so I’ll put voice to it: a non-corporeal, 10-dimensional, alien captain who exists at all points of time simultaneously, and is exceptionally good at parrises squares, plus has a pet cat named Barclay. This happens or I’m walking. ;-)
My “ideal wish list” for people that could play the new captain:
Bryan Cranston. Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Jon Hamm. Kelsey Grammar. James Spader. Gary Cole. Hugh Laurie. Jeremy Irons. David Strathairn. John Lithgow. Mark Valley. Peter Gallagher. Bruce Boxleitner. Blair Underwood. Art Malik. Faran Tahir. Kabir Bedi. Irrfan Khan. Hrithik Roshan. Stanley Tucci (who doesn’t love The Tucci?). Mark Strong. Luke Arnold (John Silver in “Black Sails”). Jimmy Smits. Andy Garcia. Nestor Carbonell. Bobby Cannavale. Esai Morales. Victor Webster (Carlos in “Continuum”). Chris Noth. Sigourney Weaver (!). David Hasselhoff (!!). Mitch Pileggi. Tricia Helfer. James Callis. Alan Dale. Casey Biggs, Jeffrey Combs or J.G Hertzler (without alien prosthetics this time, obviously). Alexander Siddig (as Julian Bashir’s great-grandfather?). Adrian Paul. Alexis Denisof.
Some of these are obviously more realistic options than others, and a couple are already tied up with other shows; also, some used to be big stars (or were on the brink of stardom) and, I think, deserve another big break. But all of them would be great in this type of Trek role.
Grammar would be great but wouldnt make sense as far as his time on the Bozeman.
Noth would be a heck of a Captain. And Combs in any role would be great but I hold out hope for his return as Shran.
Haha John Hamm looks a lot like Jason Isaacs but he probably is available :^)
Some of the men you mention are a bit too old and would be better suited for admiral roles.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan could be a good choice. And if needed could play a Section 31 guy for sure.
Hrithik Roshan would sure be easy on the eyes, and is in fantastic shape. Plus he has blue eyes and except for his name and accent might be “white” enough for the whiners. Being as Aryans originated in the region of India
And just imagine him at a Disco dance party ;^D
Im so over Jeff Dean Morgan
Tom Hardy would be good as well….
In all seriousness though, Joey Fatone is best choice. Or Gordon Ramsay.
They need someone new… a bold Georgiou type with Saru as first officer. And get rid of Burnham while you are at it!
A Romulan with a fake vulcan identity! Oh, would be the same like Lorca and very difficult to stay on canon.
How about Denise Crosby as an ancestor of Tasha Yar? I mean, she didn’t get much action on TNG. Like Captain Ludmila Yar.
Rex Tillerson for Captain (a proto-Jellicoe?) I mean, the guy is out of a job currently …