Star Trek: Discovery writer Jordon Nardino, who scripted last night’s “Vaulting Ambition” episode, took to social media this evening to share the background of the many names of the Mirror Universe’s ruthless leader.
The Emperor’s entrance to the great hall of the Royal Palace was announced with fervor:
“All Hail her most Imperial Majesty, Mother of the Fatherland, Overlord of Vulcan, Dominus of Kronos, Regina Andor, All Hail Philippa Georgiou Augustus Iaponius Centarius!”
Nardino took to Twitter to spell out exactly what that mouthful of titles all mean, and their context within the power structure of the Terran Empire.
When we began digging into the Terrans last year, I had just read a newer history of Rome and was excited to use it as inspiration. (SPQR by Mary Beard, check it out.)
Here’s some of the titles Roman Emperors used:https://t.co/zhbgfkGRTb
— Jordon Nardino (@jnardino) January 23, 2018
So into her titles:
– Father of the Fatherland is easy, we turned that into Mother of the Fatherland (even tho we de-gendered Emperor, it felt right)
– Overlord of Vulcan: an early conquest of the Terrans, they see themselves as their protectors. It’s paternalistic / delusional.— Jordon Nardino (@jnardino) January 23, 2018
– Dominus of Kronos: Terrans are very proud of conquering Qo’noS. Dominus is a harsher title the Emperor at the time took as a result (and Georgiou kept for herself). “We OWN them.” Qo’noS mispronounced out of cultural chauvinism.
— Jordon Nardino (@jnardino) January 23, 2018
– Regina Andor: Andoria is a jewel in the Terran crowd. Subjugated warrior race. Early Terran conquest, pre-Sato. The title was created to celebrate this achievement.
Now as for Georgiou’s many names…— Jordon Nardino (@jnardino) January 23, 2018
“Philippa Georgiou Augustus Iaponius Centarius”
Philipa Georgiou: her given name and her family name, just like Prime.
Augustus: the Terrans see themselves as inheritors of the Roman Empire so their Emperors take the title of its first Emperor.— Jordon Nardino (@jnardino) January 23, 2018
Iaponius is Latin for Japanese. This (in my fever dream) is a title Hoshi Sato adopted when she named herself Empress, to honor her homeland.
“So is Georgiou descended from Hoshi!?”
Well…— Jordon Nardino (@jnardino) January 23, 2018
Hoshi was Empress.
100 years later, Georgiou is Emperor.
Georgiou took one of Hoshi’s titles as her own to connect them. So Hoshi’s legacy as Empress must be good and Georgiou must either be connected to her in a chain of succession or might want to create that connection…..— Jordon Nardino (@jnardino) January 23, 2018
But they have different ethnic backgrounds. Hoshi is Japanese, Philipa is Chinese-Malaysian. So I don’t think it’s likely Philipa is a direct descendent like a great-grandchild. Cousins is possible. More likely tho…
— Jordon Nardino (@jnardino) January 23, 2018
…whoever inherited Hoshi’s throne was someone she adopted as a child & heir, the way most Roman emperors did. And that Emperor adopted his/her heir, and so on, until we get to Georgiou.
And she is proud of the connection and flaunts it with the title Iaponius.
But…— Jordon Nardino (@jnardino) January 23, 2018
…it’s not canon until it’s on screen so that’s just one writer’s opinion.
As for Centaurius, I figured it was the first system colonized by the Terrans since it’s closest to Sol so it was a title the Emperor at the time took in tribute.
Hope someone found this informative!
END— Jordon Nardino (@jnardino) January 23, 2018
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Of course, as Nardino cautions, this background isn’t true canon until it’s brought on-screen (or contradicted by on-screen events), but it certainly makes for a neat bit of insight into how the writing team views Georgiou’s place in the sprawling and oppressive Terran Empire.
We’ll be back with both our review of “Vaulting Ambitions” and our next chapter of Canon Connections later this week, and Star Trek: Discovery will return this Sunday on CBS All Access.