Star Trek: Discovery is in its final season and, as I'm enjoying tuning in for the final episodes (accessible with a Paramount+ subscription), I'm also looking back on the series' overall journey. Through various web searches I've seen lots of takes on the series that I've been aware of as well as a few I haven't seen before. While checking everything out, I was actually forced to confront a criticism that I admittedly don't have a clear answer for. And it's the fact that the series had a weird way of handling Michelle Yeoh's "Mirror Georgiou."
It's a topic I feel is worth revisiting, given Michelle Yeoh will reprise her role for the an upcoming Trek movie, the highly anticpated Star Trek: Section 31, which recently wrapped filming. Mirror Georgiou had a heavy presence in the first three seasons of the series, living publicly as the deceased Philippa Georgiou, and she was surprisingly treated as such. It was something I never thought was weird until now, and I have some thoughts on it.
What's The Issue Wth Star Trek: Discovery's Mirror Georgiou?
As an empress in the Terran universe, "Mirror Georgiou" enslaved and oversaw the murder of thousands of individuals if not more. Fans literally see her eat Kelpien, Saru's species, in Season 1. She's not a great person but, after being transferred to the Prime Universe and given a chance to be an asset in the Klingon war, she's given a chance to live a second life officially as her deceased counterpart.
While the character was officially re-introduced by Starfleet as Phillipa Georgiou and everyone in the know sworn to secrecy about the truth of her background, clues have slipped out in following seasons that more people know. Yet people tend to laugh off her threats and anger, as if she wasn't originally a murderous tyrant. Should we assume the characters set for the Section 31 film will act the same, or will operatives be a little colder than her Discovery shipmates?
Is Forgiving Georgiou More True To Star Trek Than Shunning Her?
Was Star Trek: Discovery wrong to write the crew's reaction to Georgiou the way it was? I don't have an answer for that, but it's worth noting that Starfleet regularly has to deal with species with laws and customs deemed unsavory by human standards. Hell, the Klingons are some of Starfleet's closest allies, and very little that they do when it comes to war would be considered humane.
Competent Starfleet officers must build up a resistance to judgment of things they don't understand, which could lend itself to more tolerance in dealing with Mirror Georgiou. Sure, she was a monster, but that monster is now a vital piece of the crew and helping Starfleet. Not everyone has to be happy with it, but they can perhaps compartmentalize it for the betterment of the regime.
Is Georgiou Redeemed Via Her Commitment To Starfleet?
As we prepare for Star Trek: Section 31, which is confirmed to have a younger version of a Next Generation character, I can't help but wonder if the subject of Georgiou's redemption will come up. With Rachel Garrett in the mix, it seems unlikely that Georgiou will appear at a time when many of those who were previously aware of her Starfleet situation are still around. As such, her top-secret recorded record and true history may force her to prove she's worthy of a role in Section 31 and not better served with a life sentence in a penal colony.
As someone who argues Darth Vader was never redeemed in Star Wars, I see a lot of parallels between him and Mirror Georgiou. Both were tyrants who had good acts but, for the most part, there's a real question on whether any of that negates the vast number of horrific deeds they committed. Hopefully, we'll get some real answers about this in the upcoming movie, and not just more of people treating her with kid gloves.
Star Trek: Discovery's final season streams new episodes on Thursdays on Paramount+ as part of the 2024 TV schedule. Georgiou is not in the mix in the final season thus far but, even if we don't see her there, we can all look forward to a re-introduction in Star Trek: Section 31.
