Star Trek: Discovery review, Episode 309: “Terra Firma, Part 1”

Philippa Georgiou’s quest for a cure turns into an intriguing sideways universe adventure, a Star Trek standard. Time for a side story!

The newest episode of Star Trek: Discovery mostly takes a break from the main narrative for a side story about what the universe would look like if Philippa Georgiou was still Emperor. The result is fascinating and features some great performances from the cast, who look like they’re having a blast playing the Terran versions of themselves.

This episode is a nice change of pace, and it’s the first half of a two-parter, so it’s not over. We’ll see soon enough if they can stick the landing, but “Terra Firma Part 1” sets the stage nicely.

We start with the return of David Cronenberg as the guy who knows what’s wrong with Philippa. Apparently, traveling through time and dimensions is bad for your health, and Philippa’s life is in danger, with no known cure for what ails her.

Or at least, there’s no cure until the Discovery and its Sentient Sphere data come up with a plan to find one on a distant planet far away from any threats related to the Emerald Chain. Time for a side-story!

“Terra Firma, Part 1” — Ep#309 — Pictured: Doug Jones as Capt. Saru and Mary Wiseman as Ensign Sylvia Tilly of the CBS All Access series STAR TREK: DISCOVERY. Photo Cr: Michael Gibson/CBS ©2020 CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Captian Saru is hesitant to embark on this ordeal, knowing the Chain is gearing up for something nasty, but Admiral Vance allows the mission, advising Saru that sometimes it’s a good idea for the needs of one crew member outweigh the needs of the many. Saru and Tilly say their goodbyes to Philippa, as they may never see her again. They part ways honorably and respectfully.

Elsewhere on the ship, Adira and Stamets make a breakthrough with the distress signal emanating from the Burn’s origin; it’s over 100 years old, came out before the Burn, and is being sent by a group of Kelpian explorers. This weighs heavy on Saru, who orders his people to find out what is happening on that ship right away.

Meanwhile, on the search for the cure, Michael and Philippa beam down to the Hoth-like planet’s surface. After walking through the snow to the coordinates the Sphere data provided, they encounter a strange being that talks and acts like a Q, the malevolent beings from the mysterious Q Continuum, but there’s no real confirmation of that; he could just be a weird old guy in the snow who speaks in riddles and carries a door around with him.

“Terra Firma, Part 1” — Ep#309 — Pictured (L-R): Doug Jones as Capt. Saru, Blu del Barrio as Adira, Mary Wiseman as Ensign Sylvia Tilly, and Anthony Rapp as Lt. Commander Paul Stamets of the CBS All Access series STAR TREK: DISCOVERY. Photo Cr: Michael Gibson/CBS ©2020 CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

After some back and forth that even the Riddler would find annoying, Philippa concludes that there’s a chance she could be cured if she goes through the doorway. Michael tries to stop her, but she enters, which is when things really start to get weird.

Philippa is given a welcome worthy of an Emperor from a Terran version of the Discovery. Killy gets Emperor Georgiou up to speed on things, making her realize that she is living a moment from her past, specifically the time when Lorca, who is having an affair with Terran Michael, tries to usurp her throne.

Instead of acting on this, Philippa is determined to bring Terran Michael back to her side and stop the uprising on her own terms. When Philippa tries to speak to her Terran daughter, a Kelpian servant spills something, and we see that this version of Saru is also a servant to the Emperor.

“Terra Firma, Part 1” — Ep#309 — Pictured: Michelle Yeoh as Georgiou of the CBS All Access series STAR TREK: DISCOVERY. Photo Cr: Michael Gibson/CBS ©2020 CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

When he speaks out of turn to the Emperor, Michael belittles him, but he is rescued by Philippa. Because Saru was once a servant gift from Philippa to Michael, he knows what they are up to and gives Georgiou information on the plot to usurp her. She makes Saru her personal spy.

During a ceremony in honor of the Emperor’s new ship, Philippa kills Stamets, knowing he was working with Michael. She confronts Michael, who reveals her hatred of living in Philippa’s shadow and confesses her betrayal. Georgiou decides to have her daughter thrown in the Agonizer instead of executing her.

It was great to see Michelle Yeoh run the show for most of the episode. The visuals were also nothing short of spectacular, with the attention to detail in the Terran section of the episode on point. From the costumes to the acting to the plot twists, everything was well-executed.

This was a nice change of pace for Star Trek: Discovery. An adventure in the Terran world pumped the breaks a bit on the plot before the show goes fully into its endgame.

Episode Grade: B

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