Captain Georgiou's Fate Foretold Discovery's Future

Upon meeting Captain Philippa Georgiou in 's "The Vulcan Hello," the commanding officer of the U.S.S. Shenzhou expressed optimism over Michael Burnham's career and delighted in the lighthearted banter between her bridge officers.

Tragically, Captain Georgiou's own future was cut short by T'Kuvma, the Klingon leader who sought to unite the Klingon Empire by sparking a conflict with the Federation. Although our time with Georgiou was brief, her fate and the wisdom she shared reflected many events that would come to pass as Discovery's first season progressed from its serene beginnings into a devastating war with the Klingon Empire.

A Symbol of Loss

First and foremost, Captain Georgiou's upbeat demeanor and zeal for exploration represented the Federation's own innocence in a time of relative tranquility. With the Romulans holding fast to the treaty which prohibited them from crossing the Neutral Zone and Starfleet having little contact with the Klingons over the last century, the Federation's tenets of science, diplomacy, and peaceful coexistence thrived as Starfleet traversed the galaxy on its mission to seek out new life and new civilizations. This calm was quickly broken in "Battle at the Binary Stars," as Klingon starships fired upon their Starfleet counterparts and ushered in hostilities which, as Dr. Joseph M'Benga later estimated in ' "," cost approximately 100 million Federation lives. Depicting Georgiou as she became one of the first victims of this war sent a powerful message, signifying that the values she embodied would be endangered as her beloved Federation fought for its very survival.

On a more personal level, Georgiou's death coincided with what appeared to be the end of Burnham's tenure in Starfleet. Georgiou envisioned her first officer as someone on the cusp of achieving a captaincy of her own, yet this dream came crashing down when the admiralty sentenced Burnham to life in prison for mutinying against the Shenzhou's commanding officer. It's impossible to know how the verdict would have been altered had Georgiou survived, though one could imagine that Georgiou might have at least lobbied for a lighter punishment. The captain was the person who sent Burnham to the brig in the first place, but it's difficult to believe she wouldn't give her protégé a shot at redemption. Regardless of any alternative paths, the truth is that Georgiou's demise reflected loss on diplomatic and personal levels.

Being deprived of one of Starfleet's brightest minds mirrored the Federation's dashed hopes for peace with the Klingons and the derailment of Burnham's ascent through the ranks.

The Brutality of War

Not long before the initial battle began, Captain Georgiou pushed back on Commander Burnham's belief that the Shenzhou needed to fire on the Klingons to dissuade them from attacking. Georgiou cautioned that blood, screams, and funerals were the true realities of battle. These horrors came to pass throughout the season, beginning with the more than 8,000 Starfleet officers who died once hostilities commenced and including the assault on Corvan II, the murder of the delegation on Cancri IV, and Klingon-initiated suicide missions that cost the Federation one third of its fleet and destroyed Starbases 12, 19, and 22. Beyond those large-scale losses, the agony of individuals can not be forgotten. From L'Rell's torturous interrogation of Captain Lorca in "Choose Your Pain" to the excruciating flashbacks of the surgical procedures Voq underwent to become Ash Tyler in "The Wolf Inside."

While certain targets, such as Starbase 1's contingent of 80,000 Starfleet personnel and three starships, would undoubtedly appeal to the Klingons during the war, Georgiou's pre-battle discussions also identified those likely to suffer the most from a conflict. Citing a nearby space station at Eagle-12 and an Andorian colony at Gamma-Hydra as examples, the captain implied that those innocent civilians would be in immediate danger should Shenzhou retreat. Similar events ultimately transpired, as only the U.S.S. Discovery's last-minute intervention prevented a Klingon strike force from obliterating the families who lived at the dilithium mining colony on Corvan II in "The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry." Briefing Discovery's crew in the aftermath of their journey to the Mirror Universe, Admiral Cornwell reported that 11,000 civilians died when the Klingons burned off Kelfour VI's atmosphere, while the few children who survived the Klingon fleet's pushes against the research outposts at Nivalla, Septra, and Iridin had been orphaned.

Posthumous Advice

The suddenness of Captain Georgiou's death aboard the Klingon Ship of the Dead prohibited her from sharing any final words of advice to Burnham, but her former first officer did receive a message from her in the form of Georgiou's last will and testament. Though filed at some point before Burnham's attempted mutiny, the holographic recording was recent enough to feature a reference to Georgiou's belief that her protégé would soon be commanding her own starship. In the communication, Georgiou professed that knowing others was the best way for Burnham to know herself, adding her wish that Michael would keep her heart open. Not long thereafter, Burnham heeded this counsel as she began to get acquainted with Ash Tyler in "Lethe" and "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad." Tyler's status as an undercover Klingon operative created unforeseen complications in their relationship, but Burnham's willingness to put her feelings out there led her to the first romantic love of her life.

Georgiou's parting message also foreshadowed a significant plot twist that emerged in the second half of the first season. As she signed off, Georgiou noted that she was as proud of Burnham as if she were her own daughter. The touching moment emphasized how close they had grown over their seven years together on the Shenzhou, as Georgiou evolved from being Michael's mentor into more of a family member. Of course, once the Discovery landed in the Mirror Universe, Burnham was taken back by the stunning reveal that the Terran Empire was led by the captain's counterpart in that alternate reality. In fact, Emperor Georgiou had adopted that alternate reality's Michael Burnham and raised her as her own daughter. The mother-daughter dynamic proved to be so strong that it seemed to be the only thing able to soften the Emperor's cruelty, an important variable which eventually played a part in her willingness to collaborate with the Prime Universe's Burnham aboard the I.S.S. Charon.

A Standoff at Qo'noS

Captain Georgiou and Commander Burnham saw eye-to-eye on many issues, but the captain's refusal to consider launching a preemptive volley at the Klingons set her first officer's mutinous plans in motion. In "The Vulcan Hello," Georgiou declared, "Starfleet doesn't fire first." Taking the conversation to her Ready Room, the captain stressed the point further and argued, "We don't start shooting on a hunch, and we don't take innocent lives. Period." This advice didn't dissuade Burnham at the time, but these words paired with the post-battle guilt she endured to transform her outlook and shape the very future of Federation-Klingon relations. When she learned that Starfleet Command had enlisted Emperor Georgiou to deliver an apocalyptic hydro bomb into the Klingon homeworld's volcanic system, Burnham harnessed Georgiou's perspective and advocated against the genocidal plan. Saru stood to support Burnham in the full circle moment, staying true to his former captain's belief that Starfleet shouldn't abandon its principles.

The alternative path Burnham proposed echoed Georgiou's sentiments as they awaited Starfleet reinforcements during the encounter with T'Kuvma's fleet. Georgiou leaned on her belief that the interaction could function as a bridge between the Federation and Klingon civilizations. Though war ensued, Burnham channeled that notion when she presented L'Rell with the detonator linked to the bomb in the heart of Qo'noS. Recognizing that Klingons responded to strength, Burnham urged L'Rell to preserve her civilization by using the detonator to bend the Klingons to her will and sue for peace. L'Rell succeeded, ascending to the chancellorship and bringing a close to open hostilities between the two interstellar powers. The precedent set the foundation for the dialogue which Georgiou had dreamt of, both in terms of the war's immediate aftermath and the future of Federation-Klingon relations.

The Power of Hope

The armistice demonstrated that the optimism maintained by pre-war Captain Georgiou had won out, albeit after a harsh conflict with significant losses on both sides. Georgiou's hopes survived on a personal level, as well. Michael Burnham accomplished the unfathomable, first as a prisoner temporarily assigned to the Discovery and then as a science specialist on the starship's bridge. However, in "Will You Take My Hand?," Burnham's redemption became complete when her record was expunged, the Federation President pardoned her, and her full rank as a commander in Starfleet was reinstated. Despite all her hardships, from Georgiou's death and her own imprisonment to the horrors of war and the betrayals of Lorca and Tyler, Burnham uncovered her idealism once more.

For as faint as Burnham's hopes may have been at times, they still smoldered within her to such an extent that they could be rekindled in a moment of galactic need. And, while it did not occur in Season 1, Michael Burnham did go on to fulfill Georgiou's vision and achieve remarkable feats in her career, obtaining her own command aboard the U.S.S. Discovery, captaining the starship through a tumultuous future, rallying the 32nd Century Federation around its founding principles, and earning the rank of admiral. Burnham's absolution, along with the manner in which events unfolded during the course of the war, persists as yet another example of Captain Georgiou's everlasting legacy, as both her tragic fate and the wisdom she lived by foretold pivotal developments which came about in Discovery's first season.