Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery season 3, episode 10, "Terra Firma, Part 2".
What era of Star Trek: Discovery wrote Georgiou off in grand fashion in season 3's "Terra Firma" two-parter when a cosmic being named Carl (Paul Guilfoyle) revealed himself as the Guardian of Forever from Star Trek: The Original Series. After weighing the meaningful changes the wicked Terran conqueror has undergone, the Guardian of Forever sent Georgiou to a different point in the past when the Prime and Mirror Universes were still aligned.
The former Emperor of the Mirror Universe has been dying since she time-traveled to the 32nd century with Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the U.S.S. Discovery. Because she originally hailed from a parallel reality, the combination of jumping universes followed by time-traveling forward 930 years is tearing Georgiou's molecules apart. Burnham brought Georgiou to the planet Dannus Five hoping to find a cure; instead, they found Carl, who sent Philippa through a doorway back to her era of the Mirror Universe when she ruled as Emperor, although it was also at a crucial point that marked the beginning of the end of her reign. But Georgiou had significantly changed during her time with the Prime Michael Burnham aboard Discovery, and she tried to turn the Mirror Michael Burnham and the Terran Empire towards a new peaceful path, which resulted in bloodshed. However, Georgiou's personal breakthrough was enough for the Guardian of Forever to offer her salvation by sending her to the past (but not back to the Mirror Universe), which will literally give the Emperor a new lease on life.
Michelle Yeoh has been earmarked to be the star of a Section 31 series since the Star Trek spinoff was announced in 2019. However, in the past year, Trekkers have seen the first seasons of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the animated Star Trek: Prodigy on Nickelodeon. There had been no mention of the Yoeh-led Section 31 spinoff but the conclusion of Emperor Georgiou's saga on Discovery is a clear indication that she has left the 32nd century in order to headline her own Star Trek series in the near future, as expected.
The big question is when and where did the Guardian of Forever send Emperor Georgiou? It's safe to discount a return to the Temporal Wars, which were fought from a 30th-century starting point. Considering the other live-action Star Trek series in production on CBS All-Access, here are the most likely possible eras for Emperor Georgiou's Section 31 spinoff to happen.
Section 31 Will Be Set In The 23rd Century Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Era
Emperor Georgiou returning to her 23rd-century origin point would probably be the safest bet for the Terran. After all, Georgiou showed no ill effects of living in the Prime Universe's 23rd century, and this was when and where she first became an agent of Section 31. If Georgiou did re-emerge in 2258 or thereabouts, she would likely find that Section 31 is still in need of leadership, considering the deaths of Captain Leland (Alan Van Sprang), Section 31's former leader who was killed and possessed by the rogue A.I. Control, and iral Katrina Cornwell (Jayne Brook), the Starfleet flag officer who oversaw Section 31 in Star Trek: Discovery season 2.
Another benefit to Georgiou being back in the late 2250s would mean she could occasionally cross paths with the cast of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which include frenemies Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Number One (Rebecca Romijn), and Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck) of the Starship Enterprise. Strange New Worlds is primed to be a return to the episodic style TOS and TNG, and this era when the final frontier was wide open for exploration and encountering unknown alien lifeforms. However, Georgiou has a leg up on Pike since her Terran Empire has seen (and conquered) parts of the Mirror Universe that the Starfleet of the Prime Universe hasn't reached in this timeframe (and vice versa). It would make the most sense to return Emperor Georgiou to the era she knows best, but the downside is the Terran ex-despot may find the familiar 23rd century too boring and not worthy of her talents.
Section 31 Will Be Set In The Post-TNG 24th Century Era
A prime era for Emperor Georgiou to take over Section 31 would be in the post-Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which created and introduced Section 31. This is also around the time of Star Trek: Lower Decks, which is set in 2380. Although this is a thoroughly fleshed-out point of Star Trek history, it's also a timeframe that Trekkers want to know more about since it's right after the endings of DS9, Star Trek: Voyager, and the events of Star Trek: Nemesis. While Star Trek: Lower Decks could continue to have ribald adventures aboard the U.S.S. Cerritos, Georgiou's Section 31 show could delve into the state of the Alpha Quadrant (and beyond) after those pivotal series and the TNG films ended.
2380 is still a few years away from the Romulan supernova and the Mars attack that led to the Federation banning rogue synthetics in 2385, which led to iral Jean-Luc Picard quitting Starfleet. But this is also a few years after the end of the Dominion War, which left a gap in Section 31 when Agent Luther Sloan (William Sadler), who was a thorn in the side of DS9's Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig), committed suicide. Emperor Georgiou has the wiles to slide into Section 31 and take control of it at this point, and this would also open the door for Bashir and other possible guest stars from TNG, DS9, and Voyager to appear in the Section 31 spinoff. Further, it's an era when Starfleet's Head of Security is Commodore Oh (Tamlyn Tomita), who is well over a decade away from being exposed as the leader of the Romulan Zhat Vash in Star Trek: Picard. It would be wicked fun to see Michelle Yeoh's Georgiou taking over Section 31 and butting heads with Starfleet Security's Commodore Oh.
Section 31 Will Be Set In Star Trek: Picard's Early 25th Century Era
Star Trek: Picard season 1 ended right on the cusp of the 25th century and this is also an ideal point for Emperor Georgiou to materialize in. As Star Trek: Picard season 2 kicks off, Jean-Luc and his motley crew aboard the starship La Sirena have saved the galaxy from the Zhat Vash and an ancient race of synthetics from beyond the galaxy. Further, Picard has restored the rights of synthetic beings in the Alpha Quadrant, including Commander Data's (Brent Spiner) daughter Soji (Isa Briones), plus the retired iral died and was resurrected in a new, synthetic body. In the process, Picard exposed Commodore Oh as a Romulan, which leaves Starfleet without its formidable Head of Security.
This is an excellent slot for Emperor Georgiou to slide into and take over Section 31, which could then assert power over all of the Federation's intelligence operations. Georgiou landing in this era could also allow her to interact with Star Trek: Picard's cast, which potentially means a historic meeting between Patrick Stewart's Picard and Michelle Yeoh's Georgiou. It would also make sense to set Georgiou's Section 31 spinoff in this era because the 25th century is a wide-open frontier rife for exploration. Emperor Georgiou could possibly have an advantage no one else in the galaxy possesses since she likely read up on the Federation's history between 2258 and 3189 that she missed while she was still aboard Captain Saru's (Doug Jones) starship during Star Trek: Discovery season 3.
