Jason Isaacs Won’t Say if Lorca Returns in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Jason Isaacs refused to discuss whether or not his character Captain Gabriel Lorca will return in the upcoming Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Isaacs’ character was a regular on Star Trek: Discovery season 1. Whether or not his character returns to Strange New Worlds, or any other ancillary Star Trek show, remains to be seen.
In Star Trek: Discovery season 1, Isaacs’ General Lorca was a commanding officer of starship Discovery and a main character in the series. His tenure didn’t last, however, as Lorca was brutally killed after he revealed he was from the Mirror Universe and was instigating a coup. His death, however, is not entirely definitive since it is unknown what happened to the Prime Universe version of General Lorca after he was sent to the Mirror Universe.
During a pre-recorded appearance at a Dragon Con Goes Virtual panel (hat tip TrekMovie) where Star Trek: Discovery cast members were reunited, Isaacs was asked if his character would return. Isaacs avoided giving a definitive answer, and though he was mum on the topic, he did give lots of praise to the Star Trek writers. Isaacs feels if Lorca does return, the writers have the skill to do it properly:
“Taking the fifth. The whole point of having a story told to you is that you don’t know what’s in the story. It’s like asking when someone is going to tell you a joke: ‘Give me the punchline and I’ll make my mind up'... if they do bring back Lorca, or anyone else, it’ll never be token.”
If Captain Lorca were to return, then showing up in Strange New Worlds would be the logical way to have it happen. The show will take place shortly after the end of Discovery season 2, and will follow Anson Mount's Captain Pike, who finally gets his own spinoff show. Strange New Worlds is currently being scripted and is set to begin production in 2021, meaning there’s time to add in additional characters. Isaacs played General Lorca as a deeply conflicted character, which made him compelling to watch. The realization that he was evil the whole time was an added bonus, and helped make Lorca one of the most dramatic character arcs of the first season.
Isaacs has had positive things to say about his experience on the Star Trek set, and has made no secret that he’d be open to returning. That enthusiasm, however, stops short when it comes to real talk about which show and when. Audiences already got to experience the evil Mirror Universe General Lorca thanks to Discovery. Exploring the life of Prime Universe Lorca is a story worth telling, especially since fans are already curious about his character. Even Isaacs has given hints about Prime Universe Lorca's backstory. Hopefully the show writers can make it happen in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Source: TrekMovie