Captain Lorca's Words Of Wisdom And War On Star Trek: Discovery

It's undeniable that the U.S.S. Discovery Captain Gabriel Lorca is unlike any other Star Trek captain we've seen.

In Jason Isaacs' own words, his character is "a tough wartime leader, unsentimental—not overtly heroic in the style of the captains we've had before. He's brisk with the crew sometimes; he's sharp with them."

... And that's exactly the type of captain that makes for dramatic television.

Let's take a look at some of Lorca's words of wisdom on the art of war.

STREAM: Full Episodes Of Star Trek: Discovery Now On CBS All Access

Rules only take you so far.
While asking Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) to help him end a war that she started, we get a brief but very key glimpse into Lorca's mindset. That is, he wants to be surrounded by people who think outside protocol—people who are willing to make sacrifices for what they believe is the greater good.

Then, he oh-so-expertly delivers the killing blow:



Watch Lorca's appeal to Burnham in full in Episode 3, "Context is for Kings."

It's always time to eat.
Not many captains would openly chow down on their seafood platter through an official briefing with a Starfleet admiral, but, damn it, man, Lorca pulls it off.



Watch Lorca carry on as if he's not stuffing face in Episode 4, "The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry."

Know how to motivate your crew.
When the Discovery receives a pleading transmission from Corvan II crying for help, Lieutenant Stamets (Anthony Rapp) is unsure of the spore drive's viability to save them. Most captains would offer their subordinates a word of encouragement... But not Lorca.

Wanting to drive his crew forward rather than coddle them, Lorca opens a ship-wide hail and gives this brutal command:



Watch Stamets and the crew's reaction to the transmission in Episode 4, "The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry."

Heartache builds character.
After piecing together the truth about Lorca's eye condition (his vision was permanently impaired by watching the destruction of his previous ship, the U.S.S. Buran), Lieutenant Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif) prompts Lorca to paraphrase the Klingon's torture prompt, "Choose your pain."



Find out if Lorca and Tyler escape from the Klingon prison ship in Episode 5, "Choose Your Pain."

Expect the best from your officers.
Following a target practice simulation, Lorca and Tyler compare kill totals. Lorca says he had 24, while Tyler lies and tells Lorca he killed 22. When Lorca comes over to see Tyler's kills for himself, he finds the security officer's real total was 36, and Tyler apologizes.

Rather than getting upset over having fewer kills, Lorca states that, on the contrary, he wants his chief of security to shoot better than he does.



See Tyler and Lorca's entire battle simulation in Episode 6, "Lethe."

Hire the most qualified person for the job—even if she has committed mutiny.
When the Discovery crew encounters a wild Gormagander, Burnham insists to Lorca that, as the ship's xenoanthropologist, she should handle the creature.

True to form, Lorca couldn't care less who runs point, so long as he gets results.



Watch Burnham run point on handling the Gormagander in Episode 7, "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad."

Know how to deliver a killer war speech.
On the brink of a direct confrontation with Kol's (Kenneth Mitchell) Ship of the Dead, Lorca gives a rare, inspiring speech that both lifts the crews spirits and confirms his trust in their growth as wartime officers:



See how this epic conflict resolves in Episode 9, "Into the Forest I Go."

Stream the entire first season of Star Trek: Discovery, exclusively on CBS All Access.