When Michelle Yeoh won the Oscar for Best Actress at the 2023 Academy Awards, many in the Star Trek fandom were excited to see the icon earning her just rewards. Of course, it was a slightly bittersweet feeling, since it's seemed as though the odds were slim regarding her ever returning to the franchise to reprise her beloved role as Philippa Georgiou in a previously announced Section 31 spinoff series Well, the stars have aligned, and while maybe not in the way we expected, Yeoh will indeed return to Star Trek for a Section 31 feature event.
That's right, Star Trek: Section 31 is coming to fans in the form of a full-length movie produced for streaming, and will be available for those with Paramount+ subscriptions. Michelle Yeoh is back in the lead as the mirror version of Philippa Georgiou, and the movie is slated to go into production later this year, with Discovery and The 4400 writer Craig Sweeny handling the script. Discovery executive producer and director Olatunde Osunsanmi will direct the upcoming project, which will reportedly see Georgiou go up against the "sins of her past." Dun-dun-dunnn.
Michelle Yeoh had the following to say about the project:
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)!
Star Trek: Discovery fans will remember that Philippa Georgiou was unable to physically exist alongside the rest of the crew in the future. Thanks to the efforts of the Guardian of Forever, Georgiou was sent back in time to a period when the mirror universe and prime universe were more closely aligned, which would allow her to exist in the prime universe without her body breaking down.
We don't know much about this upcoming movie beyond the fact that Philippa Georgiou will join the secret Starfleet division Section 31. Section 31 acts as a shadow organization to do the jobs Starfleet officially won't, all in the name of protecting the galaxy. What threat could the past Section 31 need Georgiou to help solve?
At this time, it's unknown who else will appear in the upcoming Star Trek: Section 31 movie. Actor Shazad Latif was at one point connected to the series to reprise his Discovery role as Ash Tyler. It's possible we may also see actress Mary Chieffo, who played Klingon leader L'Rell in Seasons 1 and 2, as well. Hell, if the movie is set in the Discovery era, there's also a chance of seeing some of the characters from Strange New Worlds.
Michelle Yeoh will follow in the footsteps of actress Whoopi Goldberg, who signed on for Star Trek: The Next Generation after winning her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in Ghost. (And later returned for Picard.) Star Trek: Section 31 existing as a movie is perhaps a more realistic commitment for Yeoh, whose star power in Hollywood has shot up tremendously since she appeared in the first three seasons of Discovery.
Another interesting thing to note is that if Star Trek: Section 31 will now be a standalone movie, it would feasibly open the door for another series to slide in the spot previously held by what would've been a series. That's a very interesting thought with the increased buzz about Season 3 of Star Trek: Picard and the calls from fans for a spinoff. For now, we can only say that we're excited to see Yeoh coming back to Trek, especially after it seemed like it wouldn't happen.
As mentioned, Star Trek: Section 31 will go into production later this year. Be sure to snag a to see the movie when it releases and to catch up on all the things relevant to Georgiou in Discovery!
