‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Recap – ‘Terra Firma, Part 2’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 310 of ‘Star Trek: Discovery’.
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When we last settled in to discuss the wondrous series that is, Star Trek: Discovery, the situation was uh… strange. For Emperor Philippa Georgiou had managed to travel back to the Mirror Universe, as part of an effort to save her life from the ravages of being too far away from home and it is safe to say that all of us in the audience were a tad confused as to where such a storytelling decision was going to take us. Because we hadn’t a clue as to whether or not this twist was designed to serve as a long and sweeping redemption story for Georgiou, or if this was a signal that the franchise was going to return to the weird storytelling ways of The Original Series. 
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But thankfully, ‘Terra Firma, Part 2’, was quick to inform the audience that this journey back through the Mirror Universe was in fact designed to be a redemption story after all, as evidenced by the Emperor’s actions, following her decision to let Captain Michael Burnham live. For Georgiou worked hard in this story to transform the Terran Empire into something quite unique for certain, since her time aboard the U.S.S. Discovery had in fact changed her for the better, and that motivated her to allow for her subjects to enjoy a little freedom at last and she was even quick to spare some of the enslaved races in the Empire, such as the Kelpiens, from their often gruesome fates. All because she came to realize that the old ways were wrong and once she finished with those reforms, she turned her attention toward her daughter.

Because Philippa made it clear that she wanted nothing more than to rule with Michael Burnham at her side, and she worked hard to teach her daughter to let go the old ways of the Empire and embrace this new path so that everyone could prosper in a more magnificent light. A lesson that sadly, never resonated with Michael. For in the end, she worked to turn some members of the crew against their emperor, which led to a bloodbath battle, one that left Emperor Georgiou near death before she returned to the 32nd Century. Wherein we came to learn that this entire voyage was indeed designed to see if she could be redeemed for her wicked actions in the slightest. And her decision to try and push the Terran Empire into bold new directions, helped Carl to understand the fact that she was a good person through and through, one that was worth saving. 

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Which meant that this episode was also a farewell story for Georgiou. Because sadly, in order to survive, she needed to venture to a period in time where both the Mirror and Prime Universes were aligned and that motivated Carl, who also revealed himself to be the Guardian of Forever (more on that in a moment), to open up the portal to send her to the right place and time and that brought about the tearful farewell in question. One where Michael and Philippa were able to say goodbye to one another in a moving and proper manner at last, wherein they were able to speak to how much they meant to one another and what they’d learned from each other in their time together and well, you really cannot ask for a better goodbye than that. One that allows for Michael to continue her mission to save the Federation, all while giving Philippa the second chance she finally deserves. 
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But while that definitely brought about a logical and proper and downright satisfying conclusion to this unique and unexpected storyline, there were still more important moments to be found in this particular tale. Such as the fact that with Booker’s help, Stamets and Adira were finally able to access the Kelpien ship still broadcasting from the Verubin Nebula and that’s huge to be honest. Because now the Discovery has access to the precious sensor data of this mysterious vessel and that could go quite far in helping Starfleet come to understand the genesis of The Burn and how it could potentially be reversed and well, that means it won’t be long before the Discovery and her intrepid crew make their way to the nebula to uncover the secrets of this important and downright devastating mystery. 

But in the here and the now, it is best we celebrate one satisfying tale. Because seeing Georgiou redeem herself and reveal that she’s a better person now, for having left the Terran Empire behind, is about as Star Trek as it gets. Since this franchise has always been about bringing out the best in people. Plus, you cannot go wrong with the fact that the Guardian of Forever made an epic cameo in this tale and let’s be honest… that was one hell of a surprise. Since quite a few of us, this reviewer included, thought that Carl was going to reveal himself to be a member of the Q Continuum. But all fan service aside, this was a wonderful way to bid farewell to a wonderful character, one that is likely going to return to the Star Trek Universe down the line in her own series. And it will be interesting to see what kinds of interesting new adventures Philippa will get into someday, whilst her surrogate and daughter and family… work to restore the glory of Starfleet and the Federation. Until next time.

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