In this episode, Janine Engelbrecht chats about Emperor Georgiou from Star Trek: Discovery once more. She explains what makes Georgiou an intersectional character, and what her character arc reveals about feminism.
What’s in episode 28, “Emperor Georgiou: Space Hitler to Holy Mother”?
Welcome back
Janine welcomes listeners back and introduces the topic for today’s discussion. In the movie recommendation segment, Janine suggests listeners watch the classic Hong Kong movie, Tai Chi Master.
Background on Emperor Georgiou
Janine explains some arguments made about Emperor Georgiou in academic circles. She then elaborates on what her take on Emperor Georgiou is in this episode. Janine then outlines Georgiou’s character arc that is concluded in Season 3 in Terra Firma.
The Mirror Universe and women
Before discussing Georgiou, Janine gives some background on the Mirror Universe. Janine then explains the ways in which women are usually represented in the Mirror Universe. As Janine explains, their violence is mostly facilitated by violence and sexualization.
Emperor Georgiou as a Mirror character
Janine then explains how Emperor Georgiou is represented as a Mirror Universe character. She comes to the conclusion that Emperor Georgiou is shown a bit differently than other women from the Mirror Universe. Janine briefly also addresses the brothel scene with Georgiou here.
Terra Firma
Janine goes on to discuss the two-part episode Terra Firma. She explains all the ways in which Mirror Georgiou has changed from the first two seasons of Discovery. Janine touches on how she handles Mirror Burnham and Mirror Saru upon returning to the Mirror Universe.
Intersectionality
Janine briefly mentions intersectionality and what the events in Terra Firma reveal about it. She explains how Georgiou employs a more intersectional approach in how she deals with others.
Moving beyond postfeminism
Janine summarises the two main things that allow Emperor Georgiou to move beyond postfeminist femininity. They are her treatment of Others and her status as a mother.
Masculinity and femininity
The final thing Janine touches on is Emperor Georgiou’s embodiment of masculinity and femininity. Here Janine recites Georgiou’s title for listeners too.
Wrap up
Janine concludes the discussion by relating Georgiou’s transformation to the current shift in feminism. She also gives a preview of next week’s episode and wraps up.
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The theme music is "Dashboard Light" by One Two Feet, and is licenced by Holosuite Media through Epidemic Sound.
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