Philippa Georgiou is a fictional character appearing in the Star Trek franchise portrayed by Michelle Yeoh. First appearing in "The Vulcan Hello", the pilot episode of Star Trek: Discovery, Yeoh features as a major member of the recurring cast during the first three seasons of the series, and is credited in the main titles as a "special guest star" during each of the episodes she appears in. The character is introduced as, Captain Philippa Georgiou, the respected captain of the USS Shenzhou and a maternal figure to series protagonist Michael Burnham (played by Sonequa Martin-Green). Beginning in "The Wolf Inside", the eleventh episode of the show's first season, Yeoh portrays an alternate version of Georgiou from the Mirror Universe, Terran Empress Philippa Georgiou Augustus Iaponius Centarius, a despotic and ruthless emperor of the Terran Empire. The character makes her final appearance of the series in "Terra Firma", the two-part ninth and tenth episodes of Discovery season three. Yeoh reprised the role in the 2025 film Star Trek: Section 31.[1]
In November 2016, it was rumored that Yeoh had been cast in Star Trek: Discovery, which was later confirmed by series writer and consulting producer Nicholas Meyer.[2] Initial reports indicated that she would appear as a character named "Han Bo" who, at the time, was rumored to be one of two female leads in Star Trek: Discovery, and was captain of the Shenzhou.[3] The character was later renamed Philippa Georgiou.[4][5] Discussing the character, Yeoh described Georgiou as an explorer who "loved the universe" and particularly "the possibility of seeing new stars", but also someone who "has seen the horrors of war".[6] She felt that, while the relationship between Georgiou and protagonist Burnham was professional, it was also "multilayered" and included a "mother/daughter" dynamic.[7]
Yeoh chose to retain her Chinese Malaysian accent for the role, and also chose her own decorations for Georgiou's ready room, including Malaysian puppets and a bottle of Chateau Picard wine (a reference to Captain Jean-Luc Picard of Star Trek: The Next Generation).[8][9] She explained that, while preparing to take on the role, she worked closely with showrunners Aaron Harberts and Gretchen J. Berg, pilot director David Semel, and writer Ted Sullivan to get a feel for the character and to understand some of Georgiou's backstory. Yeoh described her as a "very compassionate person" despite her experiences of war and conflict and that her belief in the "goodness of humanity" is what drew her to the part.[6]
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