Star Trek: Discovery – Terra Firma Parts One and Two Review

When Star Trek: Discovery killed off Phillipa Georgiou early in its first season, I was angry. You have someone as talented as Michelle Yeoh on your show and you kill her off? That was the first sign to me that things weren’t quite right with the series in its initial run. When we were introduced to Emperor Georgiou later that season – and we saw her crossover from the Mirror Universe into the Prime – I was slightly mollified, but I wondered if the series would be able to craft a compelling story arc for this violent and unrepentant character without turning her into a noble Starfleet officer.

Well, we have our final answer with the conclusion of the two-part “Terra Firma” episode: Discovery’s team of writers not only figured out how to effectively use Georgiou as a supporting character in the series over the last season and a half, they managed to find the perfect balance of character development that saw her recognize her own failures while continuing to be just as biting and glorious as we could have hoped.

Now, anyone who has followed either the announcements regarding future Trek series or Yeoh’s consistently full slate of projects in development was likely not at all surprised to see Yeoh exit Discovery once and for all. But that doesn’t make the loss of Yeoh and Georgiou from the vibrant tapestry of the series anymore disappointing. My one major complaint about Discovery going into its third season was that it often clung too closely to the noble nature of Starfleet officers. Sure, they would run into issues or make mistakes, but they always had the best of intentions and it was far too easy to forgive them their minor errors. The best sci-fi and fantasy series recognize that the world isn’t black and white, and it’s the shades of gray that make characters and stories truly interesting. Georgiou was the most morally complex character on the series, and her presence often forced the rest of the characters to think beyond their Starfleet-instilled dichotomy of right and wrong.

That’s one of the things that has made this third season of Discovery so interesting – the rest of the characters now spend a lot of their time operating beyond blindly following orders. Starting with Burnham – who has matured into a character far more likely to shoot first and ask questions later following her year in the future – this is no longer a show about a team of good guys fighting the baddies. Rather, it’s a group of characters who are seasoned by their experiences, who have learned that just because someone says they know what’s best or that they’re in charge doesn’t necessarily mean they should be listened to. And while some of that is rightly due to their current predicament, being thrown centuries into the future, a lot of their rosy outlook was chipped away thanks to being in close quarters with someone like Phillipa Georgiou for so long. Their time with Georgiou has made them tougher, stronger, and more inclined to hold back from those they don’t wholly trust. It’s made them into better characters. Hell, Tilly’s backbone is almost 100% thanks to spending time around Georgiou, who taught her the art of standing her ground and helped her grow up.

And, when it comes down to it, that’s the real key to creating a great television series. You need to have compelling characters. Put a dull, two-dimensional character into the coolest scenario and the story will fall apart because we won’t care if they live or die. Watching the conclusion of “Terra Firma,” I was genuinely concerned that Georgiou might not make it out alive. But I wasn’t just worried for her, I was also worried what her death would do to Burnham. That’s the true test of a character’s reach: They can make you care about how other characters will be impacted by their loss. And Georgiou was a really wonderful character. The journey she went on over the course of the series was rich and satisfying. The writers brought her tale on this series to a truly fitting conclusion, allowing her to learn one final lesson: Searching for the peaceful way out isn’t a weakness – but one must never turn their back on an adversary. I will miss her presence on the series, and I will miss Yeoh’s great work alongside the cast. It always seemed as if her fellow actors brought a little extra to their scenes with her, as they crackled with more tension and energy than other moments within the episodes.

That being said, with the way the episode concluded, I have no doubt we will see Georgiou again on our television screens in the future. While Paramount and CBS have been mum on the official plans for the Section 31 spin-off following its announcement last year, sending Georgiou through the Guardian of Forever (which was an awesome call back to The Original Series) back into the past pretty much gives them carte blanche with where to situate the series and how to utilize Georgiou once they do. After all, we know that the Mirror Universe was close enough to warrant a number of episodes as late in the Trek cannon as the days of Deep Space Nine – and we know that Section 31 was very active during that period as well. So, once Yeoh has some open space on her dance card, I suspect we’ll get an announcement regarding Georgiou’s return to the world of Trek. I, for one, cannot wait to see what this more nuanced but just as snarky version of the character will bring to the spy game. The Federation will never be the same.