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Now that Star Trek: Discovery‘s midseason finale has happened, fans are left with one big question: Where is the ship? We have a few clues that are driving fan theories about what happened at the end of the midseason finale. This article will have spoilers through the fall finale (and possible spoilers beyond the finale if any of these theories are correct), so only read on after you’ve finished the episode.
At the end of the fall finale, Stamets’ last spore jump wasn’t completed. And at that point, the Discovery ended up in a part of space that they couldn’t identify, surrounded by pieces of starships all around them. Captain Lorca wondered if those were Klingon ships, but we couldn’t be sure.
This is a big mystery that will likely be answered when the show returns in January, but fans are already coming up with theories about what has happened.
Theory 1: Mirror Universe
The first theory is that the ship ended up in the mirror universe. We know that Lorca and Stamets looked at a map earlier in the episode, created from data gathered from all their spore drive jumps. Lorca told Stamets that the map was showing what were likely parallel universes, and with more data they might be able to chart courses to explore those universes. Because of this conversation, many fans think they are in a parallel universe now, possibly the mirror universe.
Because Lorca was the one who entered the spore drive’s next destination before the jump, one popular theory is that he inputted the coordinates to the mirror universe from the data he gathered. There’s been a running theory that our Lorca is from the mirror universe and the “real” Lorca actually did die in the USS Buran’s battle. We had learned that when the battle with the Klingons seemed lost, Lorca destroyed the Buran rather than letting the Klingons take his crew as prisoners. He was the only one to survive, and his eyes were damaged in the battle. Admiral Cornwell commented that Lorca seemed like a different person, and she didn’t seem to recognize the scars on his back. Lorca also carries a phaser with him, which isn’t necessary in this universe but is necessary in the mirror universe, where killing the person who outranks you can be a quick way to climb the ladder. So maybe when Lorca was telling the crew they were going home, he actually meant his home.
But not all fans like this theory, and some think it may cheapen some of the depth we’ve seen in Lorca’s character. If Lorca didn’t change the coordinates, maybe Stamets himself did that. He acted like he was ready for this to be his final jump, but he was also really interested in exploring those parallel universes that Lorca showed him. Maybe he wasn’t so ready to go quietly into “retirement” like he acted and it was all a ruse to let him do one more jump. Maybe he wanted to explore a mirror universe and took this as the perfect opportunity to do so.
Theory 2: The Future
But the mirror universe isn’t the only possibility for the Discovery’s current destination. Some think it’s been flung into the future and we’ll start a completely new storyline there. If that’s the case, it could explain why we never saw the Discovery’s spore drive in use in the future. If an entire crew mysteriously disappeared using the drive, there’s likely no way the Federation would continue using that technology.
Theory 3: The Galactic Barrier
Some think the ship has ended up at the Galactic Barrier, similar to the original series’ “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” In this episode, they traveled beyond the edge of the universe and the effects of that began to change Lt. Commander Gary Mitchell after was hit by an electric discharge. His psychic abilities expanded after he was touched by the strange energy, including an ability to control energy and manipulate matter. At times, his eyes went white, just like Stamets’. He became emotionally distant and cruel, which worsened as his powers grew.
Other fans don’t think we’re looking at the Galactic Barrier, but we are seeing that the ship was thrown far, far away. Some think all the destroyed ships indicate that the Discovery is going to meet the Borg. This seems less likely, since the Borg have figured so heavily in other series and this one seems to be taking a new direction.
Where do you think the Discovery is? Let us know in the comments below.
