“Terra Firma, Part 2” is the 10th episode of the 3rd season of the TV show “Star Trek: Discovery” and follows “Terra Firma, Part 1“.

Note. This article contains spoilers about “Terra Firma, Part 2”.

Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) faces the betrayal of Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and her supporters’ rebellion. Instead of killing her adoptive daughter as she did the first time, she pursues a more difficult plan.

The second part of this double episode explores Philippa Georgiou’s reactions in dealing with the events of her empire in light of the changes that have taken place over the course of her period in what is another universe for her. She was brought back at a time she had already gone through, and this time she makes very different choices.

This double episode works in particular thanks to Michelle Yeoh, who offered a performance that shows her character’s complexity. She generally showed her hardness and ruthlessness but, especially in the second part, she was able to show other parts of her personality with different nuances, especially in her relationship with the two versions of Michael Burnham.

Philippa Georgiou’s changes are shown even more in the contrast with the mirror universe’s Michael Burnham. Her character was forged by her adoptive mother, and her skill in machinations and betrayals is the result of the Emperor’s lessons.

The main problem with this double episode in my opinion is that in the end the various plot developments are the most obvious. Even what are supposed to be twists are actually predictable, the same problem we saw in the first season of this show, where what were supposed to be the biggest surprises were widely discussed within the fandom long before they were shown. In this case, the most obvious choice also concerns the identity of the mysterious Carl (Paul Guilfoyle), but that seems to me the minor flaw. In his case, there’s also an explanation for his presence connected to other “historical” moments mentioned in previous episodes.

The scenes about the progress of operations on the USS Discovery seemed like a distraction, and the episode was long enough without them. In my opinion it would have been better if they had developed Philippa Georgiou’s story only. The episode remains in my opinion enjoyable for the Emperor’s story and the versions of the show’s characters, also showing Captain “Killy” (Mary Wiseman) in action.