Terra Firma: Discovery S03 E09/10

David Cronenberg will be back for season four but now he's helping sort out the conundrum of Philippa Georgiou's mystery illness.

Terra Firma opens up with us having the fact that Discovery is in the Prime Universe thanks to the holographic arrival of Vor. He's a time soldier from 2379 who didn't survive the time and universe jump due to being out of sync. 

Vor is from a timeline created by the incursion of a Romulan mining ship and wears a TNG season 1/2 uniform with a First Contact combadge. Ok, I can hear the grumbles now, but in that timeline this uniform might have been used from the 2360's through to the 2370's rather than just a couple of years before it had the piping removed. Let's just roll with this because it's not as odd as things get.

Georgiou is indeed dying thanks to her displacement in time and space so she needs to go to Dannus V where there's a 5% chance she'll survive. Under approval from Admiral Dance, the Discovery spore jumps to the planet with Georgiou and Burnham beaming to the surface.

It's a nice mirror to the desert scene that introduced both characters in The Vulcan Hello and leads them, inexplicably to a well dressed gent in an armchair reading a newspaper. The door by which he sits is the 5% chance and of course, Georgiou takes it.

Who is this Carl? A Guardian of Forever? A Q? Will we find out? Probably not and it's got to be up there among strangest plot moments in the whole of Star Trek, yet this is on the start of the Terra Firma story. 

The other side of that door is the Mirror Universe. Only a couple of episodes before we were told the gap between the realities had widened but now Georgiou is right back there and at a point just before Burnham turned traitor.

Terra Firma is, very clearly, a full on Georgiou two-parter and once she's into the Mirror Universe that is all we see until the cliff-hanger. All the regulars are back as their alternate selves including Hannah Cheesman (Ariam v2) in human form. 

With her knowledge of the future of this timeline, Georgiou is prepared for the treachery ahead and makes some drastic changes to her actions. The return to the Mirror Universe isn't what I expected to see half-way through the season that's taken us deeper into the future of Star Trek than ever before yet it is completing a circle and more than likely setting everything up for the announced Section 31 series. 

Clearing her Discovery account we are getting a very clear presentation of how Mirror Georgiou has been changed by her experiences on the other side. She shows a glimmer of kindness towards the servant Saru, spares Burnham and perhaps most controversially, accepts a hug from Prime Tilly. 

In that sense, Terra Firma is not your usual run of the mill Mirror story in which we get all the bad things, moustache-twirling and evil spins, this is serious look at how the Emperor has become a different person. She's not quite the homicidal, stone cold dictator of season one and has been smoothed by the passage of time in the Prime time. 

There's nothing particularly flashy either about this one. We know what's going to happen, Georgiou even telegraphs it if you've forgotten but once that choice to imprison and not kill Burnham is taken, the story is in new territory.

Part II doesn't break its stride either, imprisoning Burnham and focusing on the parallels to Georgiou's relationship with Michael in the Prime Universe.

Georgiou is very clearly changed, offering herself new choices to old problems. That's not saying that the answers are what she wants or expects. Her link to Burnham is key and breaking her is key to destroying the plot to remove Georgiou from her throne. 

The removal of the conspirators is nice and swift but you just sense it's not going well. Philippa's change in attitude towards Kelpiens also rises to the fore; explaining to Saru that the vaharai is not an end but a start - nor is ganglia on the menu. 

It's not that Georgiou has become any less brutal in fact she chooses to make Burnham's suffering prolonged to break her and is easily prepared to go hand to hand when the occasion arises. With her experiences in the Prime Universe though, her judgement is now more balanced and open. She is capable of seeing opportunities and variations rather than a simple A to B.

As for Kirk's later plea to Spock to reform the Empire, Georgiou sees a chance to change her era. A common theme again because this isn't a timeline where such things sit well or will ensure the longevity of the Empire beyond the 24th Century.

Ending in Georgiou's death at the hands of Burnham, the second part reveals that the whole experience back in the Mirror 22nd Century was a test to see if the emperor would make the same decisions or has changed. Of course it's the second but the bigger and more burning question is, who has been causing this.

Georgiou's medical device indicates that she's gained three months worth of memories while only having been unconscious for a matter of a minute. In what may be ne of the most jaw-dropping fan service moments of Discovery's history it comes to pass that the bowler-hatted newspaper reading Carl is...the Guardian of Forever.

Returning for a third appearance - City on the Edge of Forever and Yesteryear - the Guardian has been hiding out at the edge of the Gamma Quadrant on Dannus V to keep out of the way of the Temporal War. The sphere data lodged aboard Discovery located the portal in an attempt to save Georgiou.

This links back to Saru's belief that the sentient data is now looking after the ship just as they saved it from Control. While there's no cure, the Guardian does give Georgiou the appropriate send off into a time where the two universes are closer together and won't kill her...just in time to prep for Section 31.

Yet with all the Mirror Universe excitement, there's something missing from this two parter that leaves a sense of disappointment. The reveal of the Guardian is incredible and suitably upgraded for 2020. It could have been absolutely anything from a Q to, well, the Guardian, and it's easily the highlight of this hour. The Mirror scenes are over-snarly, revenge-fests that, by the end, feel unfulfilling. They are a clear vehicle for Michelle Yeoh's show and a way to separate her from Discovery and the 32nd Century.

It does leave us non-the-wiser as to when she'll show up again and you can guess it'll more likely be in the 22nd, 23rd or 24th Century to link into one of the older shows or even Picard.

Slipping almost under the radar is the continued research into the Burn. Thanks to Book, Stamets and Adira are able to link into the KSF Khi'eth's sensors and as such be able to find out what's been going on in the Verubin Nebula. Not a lot to add to this part of the arc however the Kelpien ship has been there for 125 years so it might not even still be there...

Terra Firma Part II  doesn't fit well with the overall structure of this season. It's a necessity to relieve the show of Georgiou and counter The Vulcan Hello in showing how this Burnham/Georgiou relationship has flourished but it stalls the season and offers only a tiny insight into the overall season arc.

Track back on our season three Discovery reviews HERE

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All images CBS All Access

Key Changes Noted: The Graphic Novel Collection Issue Two

Issue two of the Eaglemoss Star Trek Graphic Novel Collection hit the shelves in the UK last week with the brilliant The City on the Edge of Forever.

But this isn't the TV version we've come to know, love and laud since 1967. No sirree, this is the version that writer Harlan Ellison wrote that was then mashed around to create the final edition we know. It was such a hatchet job from Ellison's original work that he never wrote for Star Trek again.

It can't be that different? You might ask - believe me it is.

Released as a graphic novel a couple of years back by IDW, it is an excellent addition to the collection and certainly one that will draw readers in early on. Heck, I got it because at the bargain price of £6.99 it's exactly that - a bargain. As it goes this is therefore nothing new but I've never actually been one to get into the graphic novel regions of Star Trek fandom so it was totally new to me in every respect. Certainly I've heard of the infamous original version of The City on the Edge of Forever but never did I really consider getting it until now. 

Having the five separate issues combined and bound together in this well-presented hardback edition is a win to begin with and the artwork is superb throughout, even recreating moments from the televised story to help ground the reader in the Star Trek universe. However, as good as the J K Woodward art is, the Ellison story is incredibly different from the finished version. Exploring the dangers of drug addiction on long space missions, Ellison takes us to a literal city on the edge of forever where the Guardians watch over the timestream. McCoy stays put in this version with a one-episode character instead being the one to go back and change time. The bulk of the 1930's acts are very similar in style and you can recognise the TV episode through the material. In fact the graphic novel adds so much more to the story with some little references to Vulcan and the like which do (now) contradict established Star Trek lore plus we get to see Yeoman Rand back for a much more heroic role.

Having the section analysing some of the panels from the story plus the introduction from Ellison himself make this a real deep dive into some important material from the Star Trek archives and you would be silly to miss out (unless you've already got it on the original print run of course). I loved every pane, every page and every line of dialogue here because you can really feel these characters come alive through the script and the meticulous detail in the images. Visually stunning and eloquently written throughout. Hilariously though the back cover synopsis is actually for the TV episode - might be worth someone proof reading this stuff before production?

Not something that can ever be said for the Gold Key archive "comic" which you get as a bonus here. It's the second issue and still it's fairly evident that anyone who worked on this knew Star Trek existed but thought it must be something akin to Flash Gordon and 1940's sci-fi serials. We have ray guns, teleportation chambers and more mumbo-jumbo than ever in what is simply Kirk versus the green-skinned Alien-of-the-Week in something that is purely Star Trek in name. 

OK it's late '60's comic trash in some ways but it continues to tell the story of the franchise' perception a that time and is as entertaining to read as it was in the back half of the issue one volume. The Devil's Isle in Space (Part I) and The Secret of Execution Asteroid (Part II) are classic sci-fi titles if nothing else and work as a funny old contrast to the spit and polished majesty of The City on the Edge of Forever. I actually look forward to seeing what comes next for pure entertainment value at the least. It's going to be hard with this collection to actually say if something is a good or bad choice to have in because each and every story will tell it's own tale about the nature of the franchise at the time that it was produced from the characters used through to the way in which it is narrated and drawn. This is going to be a wonderful journey through a piece of the Star Trek universe that I just don't know enough about.

As we have noted, issue three will be Hive, issue four is set as Spock: Reflections but now we know that five will be IDW's first Star Trek release, TNG: The Space Between and six will be Nero, focusing on the villainous character from the 2009 reboot.

All in all a damn fine run over the next couple of months and I'll certainly be along for the ride!

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March Roundup - The Blagger's Top Six

Right - time for something a bit new.

We've realised it's all well and good talking about Star Trek but what's going on now? There's no way we can post every day about everything so how about a monthly blagger's post? We'll pick the top five stories from the month, why they're important and the stuff you need to know. If you like it, we'll do one in April. If not, this might be the first and the last.

Wendy Hughes

Sad news to kick off the month that the actress who portrayed Lieutenant Commander Nella Daren in The Next Generation's sixth season episode Lessons died at the age of 61 following a battle with cancer. Hughes' character was one of the few to have romantic links to Captain Picard during the show's run and was an unusually music-centric episode which brought the fabled Ressikan flute back to the table and one of two appearances for stellar cartography (although it would look massively different in Generations). 

The Ron Wilkerson (Imaginary Friend, Schisms, Lower Decks,) penned episode is well-remembered for Hughes performance as one of the few who stood up to Picard and in this case melted his heart a little bit too. Hughes' performance will of course be among those on the soon to be released season six blu-ray.

Warnog

Image from geeknation.com

Fresh from their success with Vulcan Ale in Canada, the Federation of Beer has created a new taste sensation with the introduction of Klingon Warnog. Most likely a fine brew capable of raising the voices of any warrior in the halls of Q'onoS. Now you can drink in honour of Kahless (any excuse really) and sing of the triumphs of battle with a frothing tankard in hand. Ah...I can see it now....

Anyway, back to the 21st Century and according to a press release via the UK Guardian newspaper -

"Warnog incorporates rye malt into a modern Dunkelweizen grain bill, creating a flavor profile that is both familiar and unique...Warnog's aroma is predominantly mild banana and clove produced by the German wheat yeast, supported by subtle sweet malt character from the use of Munich malt. The flavor draws heavily from the blending of the rye malt and traditional clove character, creating a very rich and unique flavor. The inclusion of wheat and caramel malts help to round out the mouthfeel of this beer, making this Dunkelweizen hearty enough to be called a Klingon Warnog."

Sounds absolutely delicious and you would expect it to be served in big vats like blood wine a la Apocalypse Rising from Deep Space Nine. Will it make it over to the UK? Something in my mind says no however if anyone over the water fancies shipping us a few barrels to sample we won't be saying no. Reason to know about this? Hell, it's beer...Star Trek beer and that's definitely not your average everyday bit of news. Whether your local Harvester or Toby Carvery will be serving this is anyone's guess but we'll stay in hope.

Harlan Ellison City script to be a graphic novel

OK - this is BIG news. The original script for the legendary City on the Edge of Forever is getting laid down on the page. Yes, the ORIGINAL script and not the one that aired so this will be a must-have for every Star Trek fan out there as we'll get to see just what Ellison envisaged before it got into the hands of the studio. Right here's the facts bit - it'll be released in five parts which will cover more than we saw in the Hugo Award-winning hour long episode. Said Ellison in a quote I've found on Entertainment Weekly;

“For years, it has been a huge controversy,” Ellison told EW. “Which is better? My original version, as I dreamed it? Or as Roddenberry went back and had people rewrite? Now, for the first time since I had the original dream, somebody has interpreted it exactly as I dreamed it.”

The Ellison graphic novel will be published in the same month as his 80th birthday and will mark his 102nd publication in print, all of which can be viewed here. And when's it out? Try June this year.

Season Six on Blu-Ray

Fairly inevitable seeing as they've produced seasons one to five and I don't expect any prizes for guessing season seven will be following thereafter. As per usual the upgraded picture is mesmerizing and a huge leap from the original TV quality we experienced from 1987 onwards. Perhaps the bigger element here through is that, in keeping with seasons three through five, fans can pick up the movie edition of Chain of Command in box-licking HD quality to stick alongside The Best of Both Worlds, Redemption and Unification. I suspect that you've seen the trailers, read the blurb and just need to know it'll be landing in the US in June and should be crossing to the UK fairly soon afterwards.

Dropping over to TrekCore recently I spotted that the Chain of Command movie will feature commentary with the Okudas as well as Director of Photography Jonathan West and Captain Jellico himself, Ronny Cox. For those of you new to Some Kind of Star Trek we also put together a piece on the story here. Season six will feature the usual array of documentaries, bloopers and extras that have filled out and added to each of the preceding seasons.

Kind of reminds me of when they released this movie series on good old VHS back in the late 1990's. Going on this line of one movie per season I guess Gambit is the logical move for season seven as you would hope the full length version of All Good Things... will be the final installment on the full season set - but then if you're in the UK you'll remember it got released as part of the original run VHS series in it's two part format. Ugh. Bad memories.

STID deleted scenes

Ever feel like you got totally ripped off when you bought a DVD or a blu-ray? Yep, me too and it's directed straight at the release of Star Trek into Darkness where features were retailer specific and if you were in the UK, the DVD got, like, sod all bar two measly add ons. Bah. Rubbish. 

So as if to appease us all, you can now scrabble around the internet or a certain video-based website and see all the bits that didn't make the movie and ended up fluttering to the floor of Abrams editing suite (or just being clicked and moved to another file on the PC is probably the reality...).

Surprisingly there are a lot of parts removed and TrekCore have done a fantastic job of listing them all through with full transcript on this page and also this one.

In bullet points here are the removed scenes (in order of appearance)

• A longer discussion between Pike and Kirk in the admiral's office after the Nibiru mission
• Kirk entering his Captain's Log after the Nibiru incident
• Thomas Harewood calls Admiral Marcus - watch out for the original Constitution Class ship in the frame
• Kirk sees Pike get shot by Khan during the attack on Starfleet HQ
• Carol Marcus explains her plummy English accent to Kirk
• A longer discourse between Uhura and the Klingons before Khan's arrival
• Extended fight with the Klingons before Khan appears
• Scotty blags his way aboard the Vengeance
• Kirk meets the Harewoods after recovering from death

The worst bit is now that if you try and search for them it's very difficult to find any that are still lurking around. If you do, drop us a link...

Tom Hardy scared when making Nemesis

For many fans the actual nightmare was when the film got released and for a few they're still trying to purge that nightmare to this day. It seems that for the young actor he was totally out of his depth and an utter bag of nerves. I don't think this comes across on the screen and Hardy certainly hid it well. Perhaps it was the three months off booze that helped here?!

In an interview for Total Film, Hardy came into the production after all of the Enterprise scenes had been filmed and worked 17 hour days to complete his appearances in the movie. Considering where his career is now with Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, Bronson and the upcoming Mad Max under his belt it's weird to think that this is really where it all started - and could have all ended looking at the reviews. 

That's our top five picks for the month of March - but we also thought it's worth just text-byting a couple of others that caught our eye...

Bubbling Under

Pine DUI charged and fined £48 - you drink, you drive, you get caught. Not great but that's the law.

Star Trek Online goes Mac - Seriously? It took this long to get over to the Apple side? Welcome to to fold iOS users...

Angry Birds - Any excuse these days huh? Oh well, it's as good as any to let them have one Star Trek appearance. It seems that they're going to be portraying the crew in a new comic.It's actually a variant of issue 34 of the main run but I'm saying nothing more...erm...ok...I had hoped that the franchise would avoid selling out in a similar way to Star Wars but I spoke way, way too soon....

Do you want to see more of our monthly news roundups? Let us know below or was there a story that we've missed from our top six?