Star Trek: 10 Behind The Scenes Decisions We Can't Forgive

Among several questionable decisions Star Trek: Discovery made in its first season and subsequently attempted to walk back in its second, the inclusion of former Terran Emperor Philippa Georgiou as an antihero is perhaps the most bizarre. Over the course of just a few episodes, Emperor Georgiou went from being a murderous dictator, who literally dined on Saru, to wisecracking surrogate mother who's just looking out for Michael Burnham.

While Captain Georgiou's death in episode two was a Ned Stark-esque gut punch that hung over the rest of season one, the show's continued use of Emperor Georgiou makes it clear the producers know what an asset they have in Michele Yeoh.

However, Emperor Georgiou's presence really just serves to underscore the fact that Captain Georgiou never should've died in the first place. The cheap shock value of knocking Georgiou off so quickly would've been worth losing to keep the character alive rather than forcing the writers to strain credulity to transform Emperor Georgiou from space Nazi to Michael's quirky adopted mommy.