History Recap / StarTrekDiscoveryS1E13WhatsPastIsPrologue

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: The Emperor proves the better of dozens of Lorca's men, both in gunfights and hand-to-hand combat. Lorca is no slouch himself.

* HyperspeedEscape: UpToEleven, as ''Discovery'' first jumps to warp to OutrunTheFireball caused by the destruction of the mycelial core, and then they use that energy to spore-jump while at warp.

* RewatchBonus: Lorca's account about ending up on the prime universe's ''Buran'' suggests the truth about why he destroyed her and killed her crew-- was it to spare them from a FateWorseThanDeath at the hands of the Klingons, or was it to keep them from [[HeKnowsTooMuch figuring out his true identity and spilling the beans]]?

** Played with. Lorca makes Mirror Stamets believe that he will be executed by being thrown into the ''Charon's'' mycelial core, saying it's "poetic" that Stamets is killed by his own creation. He then has Mirror Landry just vaporize him with her phaser.

* DeathEqualsRedemption: Subverted; Mirror Georgiou decides to stay on the ''Charon'' and buy time for Burnham to escape, pointing out that even with Lorca himself dead, his supporters will still kill her the moment they get their hands on her. While she succeeds in gunning down many of Lorca's men, Burnham ends up grabbing hold of her as the ''Discovery'' starts beaming her on-board, bringing Georgiou with her.

* DoNotGoGentle: Mirror Georgiou plans to go out fighting against what's left of Lorca's men, as she'll never be taken seriously as Emperor now that Lorca has proved she's vulnerable. Burnham saves her instead.

* EvilCannotComprehendGood: This trope ultimately dooms Lorca and his coup. Not only did he completely and utterly misjudge Burnham's true nature and the reason she mutinied against Georgiou, as Burnham pointed out, he misjudged ''Starfleet-Prime's'' true nature, as they would have helped him get back to his own universe had he not played impostor. Instead, the woman he dragged out of jail ruins his coup and indirectly causes his death, and the crew he manipulated kills his surviving loyalists.

* GoodIsNotSoft: Lampshaded by Lorca, although he claims the credit for the formidableness of ''Discovery's'' crew. Assuming his claim is accurate, he ends up [[HoistByTheirOwnPetard hoist by his own petard]] as his former crew opens fire, nearly killing Lorca with a phaser blast through the throne room.
* HoistByTheirOwnPetard: The Terran habit of keeping enemies alive to be tortured in agony booths comes to bite the Emperor in the ass since it provides Lorca with a ready source of loyal troops inside the Emperor’s own ship when he makes his move.

* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: Mirror Georgiou stabs Lorca through the chest with her sword, then dumps his body in the mycelial core for good measure.

* MultitaskedConversation: Burnham's statement, "I'm right where I need to be." Lorca believes it means she is going to take his offer. But to Saru, that is the signal she told him to expect for ''Discovery'' to start her attack run.

** When she is being beamed out by ''Discovery'', Burnham grabs the Emperor to take her along rather than let her go out in a blaze of glory.

** Lorca entered the prime universe through a [[TeleporterAccident transporter malfunction]] caused by an ion storm, which means his prime self was presumably swapped into the mirror universe at the same time.

* RewatchBonus: Lorca's account about ending up on the prime universe's ''Buran'' suggests the truth about why he destroyed her and killed her crew -- was it to spare them from a FateWorseThanDeath at the hands of the Klingons, or was it to keep them from [[HeKnowsTooMuch figuring out his true identity and spilling the beans]]?
* RousingSpeech: Saru gives one when the ''Discovery'' crew realize their plan to blow up the mycelial core will either kill them outright or strand them in the mirror universe.
-->'''Saru:''' It is well-known that my species has the ability to sense the coming of death. ''I do not sense it today.'' I may not have all the answers. However, I do know that I am surrounded by a team I trust--the finest a captain could ever hope to command. Lorca abused our idealism. Make no mistake: ''Discovery'' is '''no longer Lorca's'''. She is ours. And today will be her maiden voyage. We have a duty to perform, and we will not accept a no-win scenario.

* SpiderSense: {{Inverted}} -- Saru is confident that ''Discovery'' will survive the coming battle because his danger sense is ''not'' tingling.

* TimeTravel: ''Discovery'' jumps back to the prime universe, but the ride is bumpy thanks to Stamets having to calculate their jump on the fly and they wind up nine months in the future.

* VillainRespect: Lorca seems to genuinely admire the crew he commanded (and deceived) for the past several months.

** Subverted with the crew of ''Discovery''. Lorca says that he would extend them an offer to join him if he thought they were willing to abandon the Federation's ideals, but knows they won't and agrees to spare them as long as Burnham joins him.

* YouShallNotPass: The Emperor realizes her days are numbered, and elects to hold off Lorca's men while Burnham escapes.

* FamousLastWords:
** Lorca, after being stabbed InTheBack.
---> '''Lorca:''' We...we could have...
** Georgiou gives Burnham what's supposed to be a FinalSpeech. {{Subverted}}, however, when Burnham chooses to rescue her.
---> '''Georgiou:''' You fought well. For a moment...I thought I had her back with me. ''(hears commotion outside the room)'' Lorca's troops. I will buy you some time. I am a defeated emperor. They've seen my neck. I have no future now. But I will die on my feet as fitting my station. Go, Michael Burnham. Find a way home. Live.

* EvilCannotComprehendGood: This trope ultimately dooms Lorca and his coup. Not only did he completely and utterly misjudge Burnham's true nature, as Burnham pointed out, he misjudged ''Starfleet-Prime's'' true nature, as they would have helped him get back to his own universe had he not played impostor. Instead, the woman he dragged out of jail ruins his coup and indirectly causes his death, and the crew he manipulated kills his surviving loyalists.

** Lorca is stabbed in the back by Mirror Georgiou and then dumped into the core himself, playing it straight.

* NewEraSpeech: Lorca gives one to his followers.
--> '''Lorca:''' One year, 212 days of torture, of agony, my friends, my followers. But I have returned to give meaning to your suffering. Today is the day we reclaim our empire.

---> '''Georgiou:''' You fought well. For a moment...I thought I had her back with me. Lorca's troops. I will buy you some time. I am a defeated emperor. They've seen my neck. I have no future now. But I will die on my feet as fitting my station. Go, Michael Burnham. Find a way home. Live.

* VillainousRespect: Lorca seems to genuinely admire the crew he commanded (and deceived) for the past several months.

* FamousLastWords: Lorca, after being stabbed InTheBack.
--> '''Lorca:''' We...we could have...

* ShoutOut: Part of the team has to take down the shields protecting the evil baseship, the other part of the team has to fly into the superstructure of the evil baseship to fire on its core and start a chain reaction that will destroy it completely. [[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi Sound familiar?]]

* SpareAMessenger: Lorca spares one of Mirror Georgiou's officers to deliver a message, then shoots the woman in the back when Georgiou asks what the message is.