I just wanted to offer a simple theory for what happened to Stamets in the mirror. My initial reaction watching the scene is quite simple - it was our first glimpse showing him out of sync with time. "Mirror" Stamets does the same actions as "real" Stamets - just a few seconds later. It's a subtle foreshadowing of what we find out about is life out of the timeline in "Magic to Make" and also his sight into different points in time "Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum". I think the personality changes can wholey be explained by the DNA upgrade and spore drive interaction. For me, this simple explanation keeps me believing in the choices the writers are making for Stamets.
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Its pretty difficult to change so if just occasionally he relapses well perhaps we can forgive him.
This is a really interesting reading. What, then, do you make of the small bursts of "old Stamets" (read: "grumpy Stamets") that reappeared in Episode 8?
Maybe his being adrift on the seas of time has had an impact on his personality, maybe he has seen himself in many possible futures and pasts and he has had the impetus to modify his view and priorities. Seeing the various time lines could definitely make you change some things about yourself and how you interact with people. He has perhaps realized the importance of those relationships with others and this has put him in a more relaxed and amenable frame of mind. Zen Stamets.
First of all, @gloriainacoma, you have a great handle! Definitely made me smile.
Second of all, *smacks self in forehead*. I must have spent about ten minutes of podcast time (that obviously did not make it on air!) trying to have something even half as good as that thought.
As far as the personality aspect goes, maybe future Stamets is just so happy to be out of the war that he’s just a much, much nicer person. :)
@gloriainacoma - Cool thoughts, indeed. I gave up trying to crack the Stamets mystery lol. I still don't think it's a Mirror Universe thing (feels too early in the series to go there, I don't feel STD has earned that yet) but Stamets definitely has a wonky relationship with time. I saw his "captain" reference to Tilly as an implication that he does in fact see the future.
Thanks for the kind words -- we're glad to have you with us on the ride.
Hmmm... I missed that too! I'm keeping my "out of time" mirror theory till they tell me otherwise though! Overall I'm enjoying Discovery way more than I expected - thanks for the great podcast add to the experience!
Yes! This is brilliant, Gloria. We've made so much of the fact that there was a dark-eyed Stamets in the mirror that we've lost sight of what Mirror Stamets actually does in that scene -- exactly the same thing as Real Stamets, just delayed and with a sinister (or mischievous) smile. I like the idea that this merely means that Stamets no longer obeys the "rules" of time.
But something that Valerie and I missed in "Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum" is that Stamets has the dark eyes as he is coming out of the spore drive. I'm not sure what to make of it and wonder if it changes your reading at all.