I’m still stunned by the gruesome death of Captain Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeo) in Star Trek: Discovery Season 1. An international star best known to American audiences for her roles in the James Bond films Tomorrow never dies And Crouching Tiger, Hidden DragonMichelle Yeoh joining Star Trek: Discovery was a casting cop. Before winning her Best Actress Academy Award for Everything everywhere all at onceYeoh appeared as Captain Georgiou of the USS Shenzhou in Star Trek: Discoverys first two episodes. Michelle’s billing as a special guest star was a clue as to Georgiou’s fate, and What a terrible fate it was.
Captain Georgiou faced crisis from beyond and inside the USS Shenzhou Star Trek: DiscoveryThe premiere episodes, “The Vulcan Hello” and “Battle of the Binary Stars.” When Georgiou’s first officer, Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), realized that the resurgent Klingons meant to start a war with the United Federation of Planets, Michael betrayed her captain and committed mutation To prevent hostilities. But the Klingons attacked, destroying the Starfleet Armada that had arrived at the binary star, and crippled the Shenzhou. Georgiou and Burnham decided to take the fight to the Klingons, which ended in tragedy.
What happened to Captain Georgiou in Star Trek: Discovery is terrifying
Few Star Trek characters have met a worse fate
Even now, 7 years later Star Trek: Discovery In the premiere, I still find Captain Georgiou’s sudden death shocking. Commander Burnham and Captain Georgiou star on the flagship of T’Kuvma (Chris Obi), the self-styled Klingon Messiah. While Burnham was battling Wok (Shazad Latif), Georgiou went toe to toe with T’Kuvma. Michelle Yeoh is a famous martial artist, and I expected a cool display of her fighting prowess against the Klingon. instead, Hope easily overcame Georgiou and beat her to death Through her torso with his bat’let. Burnham then killed Tikva – by shooting the Klingon Messiah in the back.
Captain Georgiou deserves better.
Captain Georgiou’s unfortunate death is tragic, but what happened to her corpse is horrific. Burnham cannot reach Georguou’s body in time to beam back to the Shenzhou, so Philippa’s corpse is left on T’Kubma’s ship. A few episodes later, Star Trek: Discovery revealed that the Klingons left on T’Kubma’s reliable flagship were so desperate for food that They ate Captain Georgios’ corpse. This has to be the first instance of a Star Trek Captain is the victim of cannibalism, and it is still grotesque to think about. Simply put, Captain Georgiou deserved better.
Star Trek: Discovery was always more interested in the Mirror Universe Emperor Georgiou
Emperor Georgiou returns in Star Trek: Episode 31
Killing Captain Georgiou was always part of Star Trek: Discoverys plan because of the Season 1 twist of introducing her Mirror Universe counterpart, Empress Philippa Georgiou. In the cruel alternate reality, Georgiou rose to become the despotic ruler of the Terran Empire, and Michael Burnham was her treasonous adopted daughter. Mirror Burnham also betrays Georgiou, joining her lover, Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs), in a coup attempt. But Emperor Georgiou survived and fled to Star Treks prime timeline to become strange bedfellows with Commander Burnham.
in truth, Star Trek: Discovery was always more interested in Emperor Georgiou, and apparently so was Michelle Yeoh. There’s no doubt that playing the Tyrant of the Mirror Universe, who gradually learns that she has a heart was more fun for Yew than Georgiou’s straight-laced Starfleet captain counterpart. I also find Emperor Georgiou a more fascinating character, and I’m excited to see her return to headline Star Trek: Episode 31. But when I wake up the beginning of Star Trek: DiscoveryI was devastated all over again How terrible a dead captain Georgiou received.