Paramount+ announces original movie, ‘Star Trek: Section 31,’ starring Michelle Yeoh
Paramount+ has ordered a “Star Trek: Section 31” original movie event with Michelle Yeoh reprising her role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou, according to a blog post on the “Star Trek” official website. This will be the first Star Trek movie based on a character from the 2017 series “Star Trek: Discovery.”
A release date has yet to be announced. Production begins later this year.
Details on the plot are slim. However, we know that “Star Trek: Section 31” will follow Georgiou, the original captain of the ship Shenzhou. She joins a secret division of Starfleet, Section 31, which is tasked to protect the security interests of an interstellar alliance called the United Federation of Planets.
Georgiou will also have to face “the sins of her past,” the StarTrek.com staff wrote. The emperor is actually a Mirrorverse duplicate of Georgiou, who appears later in the first season of “Star Trek: Discovery.” (Spoiler alert: the original Georgiou was killed in the 2017 series). The Mirrorverse is a universe where the people are corrupt versions of the people in the main universe.
“I’m beyond thrilled to return to my Star Trek family and to the role I’ve loved for so long,” Yeoh said in a statement. “Section 31 has been near and dear to my heart since I began the journey of playing Philippa all the way back when this new golden age of Star Trek launched. To see her finally get her moment is a dream come true in a year that’s shown me the incredible power of never giving up on your dreams. We can’t wait to share what’s in store for you, and until then: live long and prosper (unless Emperor Georgiou decrees otherwise)!”
“Star Trek: Section 31” was initially reported to be a spinoff series in 2018 and went into active development in 2019.
While it’s unclear why Paramount+ chose to make it a movie instead, this will be the first Star Trek film to center on a single character.
“All the way back in 2017, before the first season of ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ had even aired, Michelle had the idea to do a spin-off for her character, Philippa Georgiou,” said executive producer Alex Kurtzman.
“She broke new ground as one of the first two women on screen in the pilot to usher in a new age of Trek, and now, six years later, ‘Star Trek: Section 31’ finally arrives on the heels of her latest groundbreaking win. Everyone on Team Trek couldn’t be more thrilled to have our legendary friend return home to us as we expand our storytelling into new and uncharted corners of the Trekverse. Long live Emperor Georgiou; long live Michelle Yeoh!,” Kurtzman added.
