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'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 3 Episode 6: What does Philippa Georgios' visions mean? Here's a closer look at them

A series of flickering images implies that we may look deeper into Georgiou's backstory in upcoming 'Discovery' episodes

Spoilers for 'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 3 Episode 6 'Scavengers'

Something strange is going on with Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh), and for once, it's something that's entirely beyond her control. Former Empress of the xenophobic Terran Empire from the Mirror Universe is now stuck in a future timeline of a dimension that's not her own. Her home has never been farther away, literally, and its effects on her appear to be a lot more than just emotional.

During this episode, we see that Georgiou has been subjected to visions. Random flickerings that capture her attention entirely, and whose effects on her are getting worse. The most recent flash leaves her unable to stand up on her own, despite being in the middle of a battle, a liability which almost got her and Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) killed. Where the visions come from, or why she's having them, remain unexplained though taking a closer look at them may offer some clues.

Some of what she sees are distinct memories of her past, of her life in the Mirror Universe. We see flashes of the symbol of the Terran Empire, over and over, in addition to shots of Georgiou in full Empress regalia, as well as a shot of the throne room, and Michael Burnham or, possibly, the Mirror Universe version of her - in full Terran Empire regalia as well. 

There are also some shots of Burnham's adventures in the Prime Universe. We see a shot of the Sphere, and of a Vulcan, falling towards it. It's possible that Georgiou's memories are somehow being tampered with, altered, or even erased. The biggest mystery, however, is that of the masked woman who lies bleeding beneath Georgiou's hands, the one image that repeats over and over again.

No matter what else the visions show her, Georgiou keeps coming back to this one. We see a vision of her kneeling in front of this figure, who is bleeding out all over the floor, with a Terran Empire pin discarded in the blood. We do not know much about this bleeding figure, aside from the fact that they appear to be female. Georgiou is seen leaning over the figure, crying out "San!" - although whether that's this figure's name or a reference to something else entirely is also unclear.

This could be a vision of the future - but it could also be an important memory from Georgiou's past that's unlocked. One of the biggest teases about her backstory is the fact that Georgiou may have killed her own mother. When pressed about this, Georgiou's only response is that she's not 100% certain she did, because it's all a blur.

The stress of being in another timeline, so far away from her home, may be causing her memories to surface. The visions seem to be implying that we can expect to see an episode dedicated to Georgiou's backstory, to flesh out her past a bit more and give these flickering images some context. Alternatively, the visions could be a warning of the future, mixed in with her own memories as a red herring - at the moment, we know too little.

What do you think the images mean? Let us know in the comments!

The next episode of 'Star Trek: Discovery' airs on November 26 on CBS All Access.