The long-anticipated Section 31 spin-off of Star Trek: Discovery has officially been greenlit as an original movie event, with Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh set to return. Yeoh will return as Emperor Philippa Georgiou in Star Trek: Section 31, a movie event slated for Paramount+. The movie will be produced by CBS Studios and is headed into production later this year.
Of her return, Yeoh said: “I’m beyond thrilled to return to my Star Trek family and to the role I’ve loved for so long. 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)!”
Section 31 had been rumored as a potential spinoff series following Yeoh‘s Discovery character for quite some time. Early in the third season of the series, after the ship had jumped over 900 years into the future, Georgiou, who is both from the past and from a mirror universe, was sent back to their original time period for her own safety. It’s utterly thrilling to have Yeoh return to Star Trek following her groundbreaking Oscar win, and executive producer Alex Kurtzman shared similar thoughts along with the new announcement.
“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. 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!”
The New Golden Age of Star Trek Continues
This new movie is not the only Star Trek project set to hit Paramount+ in the coming years and months. Despite its first two series winding down with Discovery slated to air its final season in the early months of 2024, and Star Trek: Picard‘s series finale airing later this week, the franchise is growing more and more by the week. Earlier this year it was announced that Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks had both been renewed for new seasons, ahead of their next seasons, both of which are slated to air this summer. Paramount+ also recently announced a Star Trek: Starfleet Academy series set to follow a new crop of recruits. Additionally, while nothing has been made official at Paramount, many fans are also calling for a Picard spinoff titled Star Trek: Legacy which would follow Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), and the next generation of The Next Generation.
The series finale for Star Trek: Picard will be available on Paramount+ on April 20. In the meantime, you can read the official summary for Star Trek: Section 31 down below and keep scrolling to watch our recent conversation with Yeoh. Stay tuned at Collider for further updates on all things Star Trek.
In Star Trek: Section 31, Emperor Philippa Georgiou, joins a secret division of Starfleet tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets and faces the sins of her past.
via Collider