If it seems like it’s been ages since we got word that there would be a Star Trek: Discovery spinoff starring Michelle’s Yeoh’s Mirror Universe Philippa Georgiou, there’s a good reason for that. Originally proposed as a series, Section 31 was confirmed to be in the works way back in January 2019. Now fans with a Paramount + subscription know that the project will be a movie, and that Yeoh is still set to return, but there’s another Discovery star who actually won’t be in the film after all.
Which Star Trek: Discovery Star Won’t Join Michelle Yeoh For Section 31?
For some obvious reasons (which likely include Oscar-winning star Michelle Yeoh’s ever-heavy workload) Section 31 has taken quite some time to really get rolling, with production on the film just beginning in late January 2024, a whole five years after it was announced. It had appeared that former Star Trek: Discovery mainstay Shazad Latif, who portrayed Voq/Ash Tyler, would be involved, seeing as how his character was put in charge of Section 31 at the end of Season 2. However, it’s now been confirmed to TV Line that Latif will not be involved in the movie.
It was back in May 2023 that Latif opened up about his potential part in Section 31, and noted that while he’d “love” to work with Yeoh again, he hadn’t heard anything concrete about whether or not he’d be bringing his character back. He noted that it was “down to timelines and all that kind of stuff,” which actually didn’t mean when he’d be available to film the movie.
With a large portion of Discovery’s action over the first three seasons hinging on characters like Georgiou from the Mirror Universe, things became especially confusing once the show established that she was dying because she’d both stayed in the Prime Universe and accompanied the Discovery crew to the 31st century. The one-two punch of not being in her own universe and going so far into the future was destabilizing her molecular structure, so she was sent back in time.
But! Just because she was sent back in time doesn’t automatically mean she was sent to the exact moment that she left with Discovery’s crew. Also, considering that the ancient entity known as the Guardian of Forever (who has access to all timelines/alternate universes in this galaxy) is the one who sent Georgiou back, she could be in a universe without Ash Tyler, or one where he’s simply not in Section 31 yet.
Clearly, we still have a lot to learn about Section 31, including why Latif’s character isn’t a part of the action, but with them now filming, it shouldn’t be too much longer before we get more info on the space-faring spy movie, its plot and the huge impact it could have on Star Trek’s future.
