So. I'm one of the people most averse to the idea of a Section 31 / Empress-Georgiou-superspy show.
Here's the thing though:
But I have thought about this a lot recently - under what kind of changes I would be willing to give this show a chance. And I have come up with this:
A sci-fi twist.
Now the threshold for me to accept this show, for me personally, is that the main hero of the show is not the same person that commanded the Terran Empire anymore. Not just reformed or redeemed. But simply another person. Even if it's in the same body, and with the same personality.
Luckily - SF can do that! It could have been prime-Georgiou, taken by time-travellers, her evil clone, or something else. But let's say we want the evil, hammy, MU Georgiou, here is what I would accept:
A complete mind-wipe.
As in - after MU Georgiou was brought to the prime universe, and then recruited to do the Kronos-genocide (
) - after that - S31 realised how much of an asset she could be - but also how dangerous. And, to exploit her as a tool for S31 - they entirely wiped her mind, all her memories, leaving behind essentially an empty shell, deviously cunning, but every bit of actual knowledge and experience she has now comes from Federation databases. Essentially - an entirely new person, built only to protect the Federation, but built on the foundation of her old personality, and her means-justify-the-ends approach.
Basically a tool that - like Khan in "Into Darkness" - merely exists to do the nasty stuff. But without her being the actual Empress - but her being like "The Winter Soldier" from Captain America, or Joss Whedons "Dollhouse": A person, that doesn't know who she is, that's efficient, cunning, dangerous, but also afraid of herself and of what she might have done before she was (re-)"born".
Hell, it would be great drama, for her to slowly learn and uncover who she really is, who this body was, and be a great moral dilemma for her (and her environment). If she actually is the Empress, or a completely new character, with her own morals and ideals? If she's responsible for the things her body did before she was the person she is now? If I remember correctly, the SW video game "Knights of the Old Republic" did something similar, where the main character turned out to have been Darth Revan(?) in the past.
This is a premise I'd actually could get behind.
Now, it's probably unrealistic - because the Georgiou on DIS, already on missions, still clearly is the old "Empress" and remembers her time (and not just as vague nightmares after a memory-wipe, but actually still 100% being the same person, just now on the "good guy's side"). And it would make Section 31 much more evil - completely denying the human rights of MU Georgiou (which she even as a fascist cannibal has), and completely de-humanize her (which...would be kind of fitting).
But that would also, IMO make for quite an interesting show: A whole group of reformed badguys, all having various degrees of evil deeds, now working more or less freely for the "good" side, to protect civilians, but in a shady and corrupt way, and their leader - Georgiou - having the darkest past of them all - which is also the darkest secret to herself.
Just... make the main character of an entire show not Space Hitler. I'm completely fine with a new person - with similar personality traits, now only steered into way different paths - in the same old body though.
I don't know, what do you guys think about that?
Here's the thing though:
- I adore Michelle Yeoh
- Her haming it up in black leather and chewing the scenery is fun to watch
- The idea of a misfit-gang of formerly evil superspies protecting the Federation by shady means from a cool, small spaceship is - in my opinion - actually a neat concept
- lastly: Coming right off DIS episode 2x03 "Point of Light" - I can actually see the appeal that such a show had to everyone behind the scenes
- Empress MU Georgious is a fascist
- She's a genocidal maniac and mass murderer and torturer
- She's a friggin' space cannibal
- And, oh yeah, she's a fucking genocidal fascist space cannibal. All at once!
But I have thought about this a lot recently - under what kind of changes I would be willing to give this show a chance. And I have come up with this:
A sci-fi twist.
Now the threshold for me to accept this show, for me personally, is that the main hero of the show is not the same person that commanded the Terran Empire anymore. Not just reformed or redeemed. But simply another person. Even if it's in the same body, and with the same personality.
Luckily - SF can do that! It could have been prime-Georgiou, taken by time-travellers, her evil clone, or something else. But let's say we want the evil, hammy, MU Georgiou, here is what I would accept:
A complete mind-wipe.
As in - after MU Georgiou was brought to the prime universe, and then recruited to do the Kronos-genocide (
) - after that - S31 realised how much of an asset she could be - but also how dangerous. And, to exploit her as a tool for S31 - they entirely wiped her mind, all her memories, leaving behind essentially an empty shell, deviously cunning, but every bit of actual knowledge and experience she has now comes from Federation databases. Essentially - an entirely new person, built only to protect the Federation, but built on the foundation of her old personality, and her means-justify-the-ends approach.Basically a tool that - like Khan in "Into Darkness" - merely exists to do the nasty stuff. But without her being the actual Empress - but her being like "The Winter Soldier" from Captain America, or Joss Whedons "Dollhouse": A person, that doesn't know who she is, that's efficient, cunning, dangerous, but also afraid of herself and of what she might have done before she was (re-)"born".
Hell, it would be great drama, for her to slowly learn and uncover who she really is, who this body was, and be a great moral dilemma for her (and her environment). If she actually is the Empress, or a completely new character, with her own morals and ideals? If she's responsible for the things her body did before she was the person she is now? If I remember correctly, the SW video game "Knights of the Old Republic" did something similar, where the main character turned out to have been Darth Revan(?) in the past.
This is a premise I'd actually could get behind.
Now, it's probably unrealistic - because the Georgiou on DIS, already on missions, still clearly is the old "Empress" and remembers her time (and not just as vague nightmares after a memory-wipe, but actually still 100% being the same person, just now on the "good guy's side"). And it would make Section 31 much more evil - completely denying the human rights of MU Georgiou (which she even as a fascist cannibal has), and completely de-humanize her (which...would be kind of fitting).
But that would also, IMO make for quite an interesting show: A whole group of reformed badguys, all having various degrees of evil deeds, now working more or less freely for the "good" side, to protect civilians, but in a shady and corrupt way, and their leader - Georgiou - having the darkest past of them all - which is also the darkest secret to herself.
Just... make the main character of an entire show not Space Hitler. I'm completely fine with a new person - with similar personality traits, now only steered into way different paths - in the same old body though.
I don't know, what do you guys think about that?
