Star Trek Discovery: Is Captain Lorca Gay?
Also see: Star Trek Discovery review
The first few episodes answered many of the questions that fans had been asking for months, but also created a whole lot more. After the glitzy, flashy start to the series that set the tone and mood, fans will be hoping to now see some serious character development that the Star Trek universe is famed for. This isn’t Star Wars and we don’t just want a bunch of explosions and near misses; we want genuine emotion, empathy, the tackling of social issues and the warmth of fantastically written characters.
One character we’ve yet to see in action, who promises to be a compelling watch is Captain Lorca, played by veteran British actor Jason Isaacs. Most the shots released of Lorca so far have him holding a phaser, which indicates that he could be involved in close quarter combat throughout the show. But Gabriel Lorca also has some other secrets up his sleeve and Jason Isaacs has talked often about how different this captain will be.
On playing the role, Isaacs said:
“I think it’s a brilliant story. [It’s] well told with interesting characters, surprises, twists and plots. I think subliminally you see a vision of the future where you’re not judged by gender, or race or even species… or sexuality, or any of those things. People are judged by what they do, what they say and how they work together. I think that’s an important message to send out in these times where people are trying to sow the opposite, and sow hatred and division.”
We already have Anthony Rapp and Wilson Cruz as a gay couple on board the Discovery, but could there be further surprises in the works? Isaacs has said that his character is far different from any other captain so far, even though he won’t be the main focal point of the series. Lorca will certainly have a history which we can expect to be explored in depth over the course of the first season.
Anthony Rapp explained his character relationship:
“It’s the first time two human beings were born themselves and in love with each other as the same gender. Even the fact that he’s Latino and I’m white. We are also colleagues. It’s part of the fabric of it. It’s about how I balance my responsibilities as the ship’s doctor and how I balance my responsibilities to the person I love.”
“[I’m] not allowed to say that my Captain will probably be the most f**ked up, but he has a lot of rough edges. There’s a lot more explanation of who we are and what happens between us than in previous shows. The stuff that goes on between the characters is compelling and exciting and risky and new, I think.”
So what can be so messed up about the captain of the USS Discovery? Could it be some psychological condition? Perhaps he has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from some previous conflict or battle? Or could he be perhaps confused or unsure about his sexuality.Perhaps he knows and is hiding something from the crew.
Saying that the new series will touch heavily on the subject of judgment in the future leads us to think that he might be hiding a few secrets in his closet. Or even skeletons. We’ll have to keep watching to find out for sure.
