Jason Isaacs really wants to make a comeback as a different version of Captain Gabriel Lorca in Star Trek: Discovery. When the show first began, we assumed he’d be sticking around for the length of its run – as per Trek tradition – but season 1 pulled the twist that the U.S.S. Discovery’s commander was actually an evil Mirror Universe counterpart. And ever since he was defeated in the first season finale, Isaacs hasn’t returned.
If it were up to him, though, he would. The British actor attended Star Trek Las Vegas recently and discussed his hopes to potentially reprise Lorca in the future of the show. Isaacs did say he knew from the beginning that he was only signing up for a year, but he realized he was going to miss Discovery once filming started to wind down.
“I knew going in that I was doing just one season…It felt like a great thing to do and I felt fine about it, but as I got close to everyone and close to and understood the significance of Star Trek and the brilliant storytelling and what it means in the world, I felt the loss of that.”
When asked outright if he like to enter into talks to make a comeback, the Harry Potter star jokingly teased:
“How do you know I am not already? [grin] Of course I would do it. I loved it!”
Later on at his panel, Isaacs revealed that he has indeed talked with the production team about returning. He even hinted that there’s always the Prime Universe version of Lorca out there somewhere. Plus, with all the new Trek content coming up, he thinks his chances are pretty good.
“So, I have talked to them plenty. Where and when? Nobody ever dies. There is a Prime Lorca. There are three different shows coming out and multiple seasons, and if I can squeeze back into that eight year-old’s uniform, would do. Who wouldn’t want to do it again? They are timeless stories.”
Isaacs seems confident that he might return as Lorca on Discovery, though that doesn’t seem likely given where the show is going in season 3. The crew have been flung 1000 years into the future, so it’s hard to see how Lorca could appear. That said, he could pop up on a Short Treks episode, crossover into the Section 31 spinoff or maybe find a home in the Captain Pike show, if that ever gets going.
Star Trek: Discovery season 3 is expected to air on CBS All Access in late 2020.