NOTE: Article contains spoilers from Sunday’s episode of Star Trek: Discovery as well as future episodes

With the possible exception of the revelation that the crew of the Discovery has found themselves in the Mirror Universe, the most dramatic scene from “Despite Yourself” was when Lt. Tyler brutally killed Dr. Culber, after the doctor revealed he knew Tyler wasn’t entirely himself and that the Klingons definitely did something to him. However, there is still hope for Culber, based on comments made by the showrunners on tonight’s episode of After Trek.

When host Matt Mira asked if Culber was really dead, Gretchen J. Berg said:

We will see Dr. Culber again. He is not 100% dead.

Aaron Harberts got a bit more detailed, saying the clues to Culber’s return can be found in a book by the real life scientist that inspired the character of Lt. Stamets:

Everything we do on Star Trek comes out of character and also – as much as we can – in science. So, get Paul Stamet’s book Myclium Running and give it a read. Paul Stamets’ view on the mycelium network and the building blocks of life and how life and death are interwoven will give you very, very good hints as to what’s going to happen.

Harberts also talked about why Culber died, saying it was because he was the smartest guy on the ship and figured out there was something not right about Lt. Tyler. He also added that the Stamets/Culber relationship “is not over.” You can see a clip of him discussing that below.

No Mirror Culber

Now, if you think that they are talking about Wilson Cruz returning as the Mirror Universe version of Culber, that does not appear to be the case. Earlier in the show the showrunners said that we will not see a Mirror Culber, with Berg noting they wanted to be sure he stayed “pure” as a character.

That being said, it was revealed that originally the producers were considering taking the show into the Mirror Universe earlier, possibly in episode 4 or 5, but in the end felt it was better to wait until the audience understood the characters more before revealing mirror versions.

Also due to the long lead time to develop the Mirror costumes, they were made for all the characters just in case they were needed. Concept art for the (unused) Mirror Culber was shown during After Trek.

Cruz talks death and return

Wilson Cruz was also a guest on After Trek, and he described an upcoming scene for him, saying:

My favorite scene in my 25-year career is still coming in this season.

The actor also talked about the moment he found out he was told (in a “very lovely phone call”) that his character was being killed, noting “there were tears.” You can watch a clip of that from After Trek below.

Star Trek: Discovery and After Trek are available exclusively in the USA on CBS All Access. It airs in Canada on the Space Channel and on Netflix outside the USA and Canada.

Keep up with all the Star Trek: Discovery news at TrekMovie.