APRIL 18, 2023 - Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh will be returning to the Star Trek universe, as fans had hoped, in the long-awaited Star Trek: Section 31. Instead of the anticipated weekly series, however, the title is attached to an event movie, being produced for streaming service Paramount+.

The announcement made by the streamer today gives some context to recent comments by Alex Kurtzman about potential “character-focused mini-series and movies.” It seems this was at the forefront of his mind when he made that statement.

According to Paramount+’s press release,

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.

The release goes on to quote Yeoh:

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)!

As she referenced, Yeoh first appeared in the pilot episode of Star Trek: Discovery, the show that launched a new era for the franchise. Her character, Captain Philippa Georgiou, was swiftly killed off in the second episode of the two-parter. It was when the USS Discovery found itself in the Mirror Universe later in the season that they came face-to-face with Georgiou’s counterpart, Emperor Philippa Georgiou.

Since then, the character has had quite a journey, being enlisted by the shadowy organization Section 31, then journeying to the future with the crew of Discovery. When last we saw her in season 3 of that show, the Guardian of Forever was returning her to the 23rd century. Since then, rumors have persisted of a Section 31 series, but with no announcement, fans began to lose hope.

Translating the show into an event film makes a lot of sense. Yeoh is everywhere, all at once these days, garnering multiple awards and honors, with her Wikipedia page showing that she’s booked through 2026. The likelihood of her having the time to film a season of television seems remote at best.

But as long as plans for a spin-off with the former Emperor have been talked about publicly, it seems that discussions were going on behind the scenes for even longer. According to Kurtzman,

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!

Long may she live, indeed. No premiere date has been set for the film, but with filming due to begin later this year, it seems unlikely to show up in your Up Next queue until late in 2024. Until then don’t tell anyone else about this, or you’ll have to kill them