Rediscovering Star Trek Discovery: “Terra Firma, Part 2”
By Mike Poteet
Georgiou offers Mirror Saru hope they will both survive
In the second season of Star Trek Discovery (“An Obol for Charon”), Saru became the first Kelpien in more than two millennia to survive the supposedly terminal madness of vahar’ai.
Now, Emperor Georgiou reveals the condition’s true nature to Saru’s Mirror Universe counterpart, giving him a precious glimpse of hope for what his own future could be like.
The always amazing Doug Jones makes magnificent choices playing his scene. The wonder in his widened eyes is visible even beneath those bright blue contacts. The tones of dawning awareness in his voice as he learns of Prime Saru are resounding.
In its way, this scene pays homage to Captain Kirk calling Mirror Spock to revolution at the end of “Mirror, Mirror.” But in this scene, Georgiou offers Mirror Saru a vision of a new future not only for himself but also for her: “This is my home, now and forever, and I will make it what it needs to be.”
The Guardian of Forever reveals himself on Christmas morning
OK, it’s not really Christmas, even if the snowy landscape of Dannus V looks fitting for the holiday.
But Georgiou’s reaction to her return to the Prime Universe after having failed to bring peace in the Terran one echoes, deliberately or not, Ebenezer Scrooge’s reaction on waking up after his ghostly visitors leave him: “What day is this?”
Certainly, learning Carl is none other than the Guardian of Forever—complete with Bartell La Rue’s booming voice when he wants it—feels like Christmas morning to long-time Star Trek fans! (I only wish I’d caught on Carl’s name is a tip of the hat to the late Carl Sagan.)
Like Scrooge’s spectral guides through Yuletides past, present, and yet-to-come, Carl the Guardian has enabled Georgiou to accomplish a time-consuming work in a very short time span. He has given her the chance to reshape her destiny—to literally “rewrite the headlines” of her life.