Star Trek: Section 31 is now available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription, and it marks Michelle Yeoh's return to the franchise since her character's exit in Discovery. For the actress, it's a return she's waited for ever since plans for a spinoff series were stalled, thanks in no small part to her historic win at the Oscars. These days, she has no shortage of offers for roles, but the actress told CinemaBlend there will always be time for Philippa Georgiou.
I had the honor of speaking to Michelle Yeoh ahead of Star Trek: Section 31, and I had to ask if she considered the recently released movie her "farewell to the franchise." The actress struck down that notion pretty handily, and she explained why she'll continue to come back for future projects as the former Terran Empress if given the opportunity:
I will never leave Star Trek given a chance, you know, any opportunities to come back. I love this world, and I really believe in Section 31, in Philippa's character. Even from when we started Star Trek Discovery, I was given the opportunity to learn about these two characters: one from the Prime Universe, benevolent, beautiful Captain Philippa Georgiou of the Shenzhou, and her number one, Michael Burnham, played amazingly by Sonequa [Martin-Green], who is the number one of Discovery. Then, finding out in the mirror universe a character that's so complex, so easily dismissed as an evil, bad, villain, full stop. And it wasn't a full stop. It had so many nuances and things.
As a former Terran Empress, Michelle Yeoh's Georgiou is responsible for the slaughter of billions in her universe. She's no stranger to violence, and she's willing to go much further than most Starfleet operatives in Section 31. However, Discovery and the recently released movie show she was more a victim of her environment than someone who set out to be entirely ruthless and evil.
Michelle Yeoh has always seen this duality, to the point she revealed she was in Alex Kurtzman's ear about more Georgiou adventures a long time ago. Readers might not be surprised to hear that, though they may be shocked to find out just how early she was doing that:
So I remember going to Alex [Kurtzman) even before Discovery aired, saying, ‘Section 31 spinoff, Philippa Georgiou, just putting it out there.’ I think at that time he said, ‘This woman is mad. We don't even know what Discovery is going to do. She's already talking about a spin-off!’ But he believed in me. We believed in each other, and so now we finally have Star Trek Section 31, the movie.
While critics haven't been too kind Star Trek: Section 31, I certainly think it's worthwhile for all fans of the franchise to check it out and decide for themselves if this movie is right for them. All Star Trek movie rankings look different, and it's rare there's a universally held opinion about most of the films.
Additionally, Section 31 sets itself up for a sequel, and I'm of the opinion that this formula can be polished and improved on in a future film. Not that fans aren't free to express their opinion about the quality of a movie, but when one of Hollywood's biggest A-listers and in-demand actresses is stating she wants to remain in the franchise as long as possible, it certainly helps the franchise to have her around as much as it can. With so few upcoming Trek projects on the horizon compared to years past, it'd only be a good thing to continue to highlight Michelle Yeoh via Star Trek: Section 31.
As mentioned, those looking to see Yeoh in Star Trek: Section 31 will need a Paramount+ subscription to do so. We'll have to wait and see whether Paramount is interested in making a sequel for the movie and how many tune in to see this fresh new take into the universe.
