Michelle Yeoh is reprising her role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou.
Paramount+ have announced that it has greenlit a “special movie event” starring Michelle Yeoh as Emperor Phillipa Georgiou. She appears as the character during the first three seasons of Star Trek: Discovery.
The idea has been in gestation for a while and will follow her exploits as a member of Section 31. They’re Starfleet’s off-book, dirty tricks department who are tasked with keeping the United Federation of Planets safe. Seems like an ideal home for a genocidal former mirror universe Emperor to us!
Michelle Yeoh’s profile has heightened significantly since her time on Star Trek, notably with her recent Oscar win. With that in mind, it makes sense that she would be keen to commit to a TV movie, rather than a series. The announcement also adds weight to Alex Kurtzman’s recent comments about the potential for doing “events” with individual characters.
Michelle Yeoh says:
“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)!”
Alex Kurtzman adds:
“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!”
Written by Craig Sweeny and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, Star Trek: Section 31 goes into production later in 2023. The executive producers are Kurtzman, Sweeny, Osunsanmi and Yeoh. Plus, Aaron Baiers, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth. It comes from CBS Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment.