Emperor Georgiou's Star Trek Timeline Explained (In Chronological Order)

In three seasons of Star Trek: Discovery, Michelle Yeoh's Emperor Philippa Georgiou lived in multiple different time periods and parallel universes. Introduced in Discovery season 1 after the death of her Prime Universe counterpart, Emperor Georgiou was brought from the Mirror Universe to the Prime Universe against her will. Although she had been a ruthless emperor in the Mirror Universe, Georgiou quickly adapted to her new circumstances, making herself useful to Starfleet. Alongside Jason Isaacs as Captain Gabriel Lorca, Michelle Yeoh's performance was one of the best things about Discovery's early seasons.

Although Michelle Yeoh departed Star Trek: Discovery during the show's third season, she returned to the franchise in the made-for-streaming film, Star Trek: Section 31. Set during Star Trek's "lost era" of the early 24th century, Section 31 finds Georgiou posing as a nightclub owner after being sent back in time by the Guardian of Forever (Paul Guilfoyle). When a Section 31 team shows up at Georgiou's club, the Emperor gets pulled into an adventure with connections to her time as Terran Emperor. Star Trek: Section 31 forces Georgiou to grapple with her dark past, revealing more about her life in the brutal Mirror Universe.

Philippa Georgiou's Life In The Mirror Universe Before Star Trek: Discovery (2202-2257)

Georgiou Grew Up In The Brutal Mirror Universe & Became Emperor At A Young Age

Philippa Georgiou was born in the Mirror Universe's Terran Empire in 2202, but Star Trek: Discovery revealed little about her life before she became Emperor. Through a series of flashbacks, Star Trek: Section 31 provided more insight into Georgiou's history. As a teenager, Philippa Georgiou (Miku Martineau) trained with the Terran Empire's Imperial Fleet and fought against eighteen other children in a brutal contest to find the next Emperor. Georgiou returned home to her loving family, only to reveal that she had one more task to complete. To become Emperor, Georgiou poisoned her parents and younger brother, severing all ties to her past life.

During the competition, Georgiou sparked a romance with boy named San (James Huang), and they became the final two competitors. Unable to kill his family, San lost the competition and became a servant to Emperor Georgiou. San (James Hiroyuki Liao) served Georgiou throughout her reign, but later poisoned himself, horrified by the tyrant Georgiou had become. At some point in her reign, Georgiou commissioned a weapon known as the Godsend with the ability to wipe out an entire quadrant. She later had a change of heart and ordered the weapon destroyed, but it was secretly placed in storage at a weapons facility overseen by Dada Noe (Joe Pingue).

Georgiou became a ruthless tyrant who subjugated numerous civilizations and was responsible for countless deaths. She rendered the Klingon homeworld of Qo'noS uninhabitable and conquered the Vulcans, Andorians, and Betazoids. Georgiou's identity was kept hidden, and the rebels who fought against her reign knew little about her. The Mirror Universe version of Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman), also known as "Captain Killy," aided Georgiou in her conquests, and Captain Gabriel Lorca became one of her closest advisors.

Emperor Georgiou adopted the Mirror Universe's version Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) as her daughter, but Burnham collaborated with Lorca to attempt a coup. This coup ultimately ended with Burnham dead and Lorca on the run. At some point, Lorca found his way to the Prime Universe and manipulated his way back to the Mirror Universe as the captain of the USS Discovery. In the Mirror Universe, Prime Universe, Burnham posed as her Mirror counterpart to get close to Georgiou. Burnham helped Georgiou thwart Lorca's second coup attempt, Georgiou killed Lorca, and Burnham brought the Terran Emperor with her back to Discovery.

Emperor Georgiou Traveled To The Prime Universe In Star Trek: Discovery Season 1 (2257-2258)

Michael Burnham Brought Georgiou To Star Trek's Prime Universe

When Discovery made it back to the Prime Universe, nine months had passed, and the Federation war with the Klingons was going poorly. Starfleet was unsure what to do with Georgiou, who wanted to return to her own universe despite the revolution brewing against her. Since Georgiou had conquered Qo'noS in the Mirror Universe, Michael Burnham sought her advice on how to deal with the Klingons in the Prime Universe. Georgiou offered to ensure the Federation's victory over the Klingons, but only if she was granted Freedom. She briefly posed as her Prime Universe counterpart to get to Qo'noS.

Emperor Georgiou then planted a bomb within a volcano on the planet, but Burnham prevented her from destroying the Klingon homeworld. Instead, Burnham gave the detonator to the Klingon L'Rell (Mary Chieffo), who used it to force the other Klingons to accept her leadership and end the war. Sometime after the events of Star Trek: Discovery season 1, Georgiou began working with Section 31 to help L'Rell maintain her leadership of the Klingon Empire. Georgiou also aided Discovery in their fight against the evil AI known as Control, and she accompanied the ship on its journey to the far future.

Emperor Georgiou Traveled To The Far Future In Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 (3188-3189)

Georgiou Traveled With Discovery To The 32nd Century

At the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 2, Georgiou remained aboard the USS Discovery as the ship traveled over 900 years into the future. Although Georgiou still maintained her Terran attitude and fighting skills, her time in the Prime Universe had begun to soften her. Burnham and the other officers around Georgiou prevented her from going back to her old murderous ways, and even came to respect her. Michael came to view Georgiou as a mother figure, and Georgiou looked out for Michael as a mother would.

After arriving in the far future, Georgiou learned that the Terran Empire had fallen long ago and that travel between the Prime Universe and the Mirror Universe was no longer possible. Georgiou soon began experiencing strange flashbacks to her life in the Mirror Universe, which became more and more debilitating. Georgiou soon learned that her displacement in both time and universe had caused her health to deteriorate. Burnham and Georgiou then traveled to Dannus V in search of a possible cure, where they discovered the Guardian of Forever.

The Guardian Of Forever Sent Emperor Georgiou Back To The Past

Georgiou Must Leave Everyone She Knows Behind & Travel To The Past

Using an avatar named Carl, the Guardian of Forever tested Georgiou by sending her back to the Terran universe in the year 2255. Having arrived on the day Captain Lorca first led his uprising, Georgiou attempted to bring Michael Burnham back to her side rather than killing her as she once had. Georgiou was shocked by the brutality of the Mirror Universe and the cruelty of the person she had once been. She altered her decisions, trying to make things better, but Burnham only grew suspicious, perceiving Georgiou's newfound mercy as weakness. In the end, Georgiou and Burnham killed each other.

Georgiou then woke up back on Dannus V, where only a few minutes had passed, although she had spent months in the Mirror Universe. The Guardian noted that Georgiou had proven how much she had changed, and he sent her to a "time when the mirror universe and the prime universe were still aligned." This presumably deposited Georgiou sometime in the early 24th century, where she took up a job as a nightclub owner. Throughout her time on Star Trek: Discovery, Philippa Georgiou had a fascinating journey of ups and downs, and it remains to be seen where Star Trek will take her next.

Georgiou Joined A New Section 31 Team In Star Trek: Section 31 (2324)

Georgiou Continues Her Path To Redemption In Section 31

Star Trek's first made-for-streaming film, Star Trek: Section 31, reveals that the Guardian of Forever sent Emperor Georgiou to the early 24th century. Once there, she began running the Baraam, a nightclub located outside of Federation space, where a Section 31 team tracks her down for information about a dangerous new weapon. Georgiou immediately clocks Alok Sahar (Omari Hardwick) and his team members as Section 31 agents when they enter her nightclub, and they soon bring her in on their plan.

After a masked assailant (later revealed to be San) steals the Godsend out from under them, Georgiou reveals her connection to the devastating weapon. Continuing her journey toward redemption, Georgiou helps Alok and his team stop San from using the Godsend against the Alpha Quadrant. In one final confrontation with her former lover, Georgiou tries to reach San, saying that they can start over, but he refuses to back down. In the end, Georgiou blocks a death strike from San, inadvertently slashing his throat in the process. Georgiou holds San as he dies, lamenting that this was never what she wanted.

By the end of Star Trek: Section 31, after helping to save the galaxy, Georgiou decides to stay with her remaining Section 31 team members, as Section 31 leader Control (Jamie Lee Curtis) informs them of their next mission. Star Trek: Section 31 gives Emperor Georgiou another chance to be the hero, proving that she has come a long way since her introduction on Star Trek: Discovery.