Georgiou Predicted Burnham’s Star Trek: Discovery Captaincy Before It Happened

by

It’s not hard to see that Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) foresaw that Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) would eventually become a captain, as far back as season 1 of Star Trek: Discovery. In the 32nd century, Captain Michael Burnham is one of the most significant figures in Starfleet, chosen to tackle any crisis that threatens the United Federation of Planets. The journey of Burnham from a promising First Officer, to the first mutineer, and then to redemption and ultimately captain of the USS Discovery was something that Emperor Georgiou had foretold.

In the first season of “Star Trek: Discovery,” Michael Burnham didn’t seem like she would one day become a Starfleet Captain. When she was released from prison and joined the USS Discovery under Captain Gabriel Lorca, her role was that of an unranked Specialist, which was the lowest position on the ship. However, Burnham worked hard to regain her status as a Commander. Despite some reservations about whether she would ever become a Captain, Michael’s inner self, or Emperor Burnham, always believed in her potential for such a high-ranking position.

Emperor Georgiou Always Knew Michael Burnham Would Become Star Trek: Discovery’s Captain

“Captain Michael Burnham” Already Existed In The Mirror Universe

In Star Trek: Discovery season 1, when our beloved ship, the USS Discovery, leaped into the Mirror Universe, I was taken aback by the stunning revelation that Philippa Georgiou, not Emperor Philippa Georgiou as we knew her, ruled the alternate reality. But what really caught my attention was Georgiou addressing Specialist Michael Burnham as “Captain Michael Burnham.”

At first, I thought she mistook Burnham for her adopted daughter, given that the Mirror Universe’s Burnham commanded the USS Shenzou. However,

In the third season of “Star Trek: Discovery,” Empress Georgiou departed following a confrontation with her past transgressions in the Mirror Universe. Before she was transported away by the Guardian of Forever (played by Paul Guilfoyle), she confided in Michael Burnham that she had always sensed her fate would be to command as a Captain, and this prediction proved accurate at the conclusion of “Star Trek: Discovery” season 3.

Following her heroic act of rescuing the Federation from Osyraa (Janet Kidder) and the Emerald Chain, as well as uncovering the origin of The Burn, Michael Burnham was elevated to the position of Captain onboard the USS Discovery. As Georgiou had foreseen.

Georgiou Is Star Trek: Discovery’s Strongest Hint Toward Burnham’s Destiny As Captain

Emperor Georgiou Always Knew What Michael Burnham Would Become

In the course of unveiling Captain Michael Burnham as the protagonist, the executive producers of Star Trek: Discovery together with Sonequa Martin-Green disclosed that the show had always intended for Burnham to ascend to the position of captain. Consequently, Emperor Georgiou’s role in the first three seasons of Star Trek: Discovery, initially perceived as a rival and surrogate mother figure, was also instrumental in mentoring and shaping Burnham. The challenging experiences under Georgiou’s tutelage served to mold the future Captain that Burnham eventually became.

Through the process of raising an alternate version of Michael Burnham, Emperor Georgiou gained a special perspective on the heroic Michael from Star Trek’s main universe. Looking back, Emperor Georgiou recognized that commanding a starship was indeed Michael’s primary and most fitting destiny, and Philippa helped pave the way for her to achieve it. Regrettably, Emperor Georgiou did not live to witness Captain Michael Burnham’s rise, but the groundwork for it was laid, episode by episode, throughout the first three seasons of Star Trek: Discovery.

Read More

2025-04-27 13:27