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In the Star Trek Discovery Episode E1:E6 Leethe, we see Admiral Cornwell go on a diplomatic mission to the Klingons. This results in her capture.

Prior to this Cornwell had made the decision to declare Lorca unfit for duty, because of his time in a Klingon prison and his erratic behaviour.

After her capture, we don't see Lorca organise an immediate rescue mission.

My question is: After the Admiral is captured by the Klingons, why doesn't Lorca immediately organise a rescue mission?

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For the reason stated in your question ...probably

So far, we've not been given a direct explanation for why Lorca behaved this way, he could very well have just been behaving as Starfleet regulations require. But going by the events of the previous episode, and what we learn in later episodes (his treatment of Stamets when battling the Ship of the Dead), we could assume the following:

Lorca knows Cornwell is going to strip him of his ship after she returns from her mission. When she's taken hostage, Lorca see this as an opportunity, he gets to keep his ship and continue his war against the Klingons.

He's more than willing to sacrifice any single individual to achieve his goals. Stamets and Cornwell so far at least.

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  • It's not really his decision anyway. Starfleet could've ordered a rescue mission if they wanted to but they didn't.
    – Brian Ortiz
    Nov 17, 2017 at 12:09
  • In support of @BrianOrtiz' point; Lorca gets repeatedly told that he should not endanger the prized Discovery without a good reason. This is exactly why Lorca and Cornwall have a falling out to begin with. After the admiral gets captured, Lorca is complying with the recurring feedback he's been getting (not running into dangerous situations willy nilly), and the fact that it benefits him (by not being demoted) helps him make that decision. But from a legal perspective, his lack of action is justified and beyond reproach.
    – Flater
    Nov 22, 2017 at 13:40
  • @Flater We all know if Lorca actually wanted to go against Starfleet's orders and try to save Cornwall, he would have. I think every captain throughout every Star Trek series has gone against the orders of Starfleet at one point or another. In this instance, it was in his personal interest to comply with Strafleet, so he did.
    – Daft
    Nov 22, 2017 at 14:11
  • @Daft "But from a legal perspective, his lack of action is justified and beyond reproach." Not a moral perspective. The OP's question ("why doesn't Lorca immediately organise a rescue mission?") implies that Lorca should have organized a rescue mission, and that's simply not the case.
    – Flater
    Nov 22, 2017 at 14:17
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    @Flater OP asked why Lorca didn't mount a rescue mission. He didn't because he didn't want to. Simple.
    – Daft
    Nov 22, 2017 at 14:59

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