One of the upcoming Star Trek TV shows in the developmental pipeline for Paramount+ subscribers is the long-awaited Section 31 series, starring Michelle Yeoh as the Mirror Universe’s Philippa Georgiou. This version of Georgiou recurred in the first three seasons of Star Trek: Discovery, and for years, the plan has been to bring her back in a series revolving around her work with Starfleet’s Section 31 division. It’s unclear when or even if this show will get off the ground, but Yeoh has now namechecked both Tom Cruise and Marvel movies to described this particular Star Trek outing.
Michelle Yeah stopped by EW to discuss her upcoming body of sci-fi//fantasy-leaning work, including The Witcher: Blood Origin and Avatar 2. On the subject of Section 31, the actress was hopeful that the Star Trek series will still happen, adding:
Section 31 is that [Star Trek] universe but different. It's like Mission: Impossible meets Guardians of the Galaxy in space.
Even though we don’t know any specific details about Section 31’s premise yet, this description sounds fitting. In one hand, we have the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, which opened up the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s cosmic corners. As such, it boasts its own lineup of colorful aliens, strange worlds, etc, just like Star Trek. On the other hand, you have the Mission: Impossible movies, which have followed Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt going on missions for the Impossible Missions Force since 1996. Section 31 carry out covert operations on behalf of the United Federation of Planets, so that covers the spy and subterfuge similarities to Mission: Impossible.
Section 31 boasting a ‘Mission: Impossible meets Guardians of the Galaxy in space’ feel will ideally be enough to make it stand out from the other Star Trek shows. Section 31 was confirmed to be in the works back in January 2019, around the time Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 premiered. We got a taste of Philippa Georgiou’s work for the organization, but by the end of the season, she accompanied the Discovery crew to the 31st century. However, at the end of Season 3 two-parter “Terra Firma,” Georgiou was sent back back in time in order to survive, as the combination of both being away from the Mirror Universe and traveling almost a millennium into the future had left her molecules unstable.
Given that Shazad Latif’s Ash Tyler, who also served in Section 31 in Star Trek: Discovery, is expected to return for the Section 31 series, it can be presumed that the Mirror Universe’s Philippa Georgiou ended up back in the Discovery era. Still, as already mentioned, we’re still largely in the dark on what’s happening with Section 31. Back in February, Paramount+ Original Scripted Series President Nicole Clemens promised there would be news on the series “soon,” but two months later, the public remains in the dark on its current status. I imagine Michelle Yeoh’s busy schedule has played a big role in why it’s taking so long to get the ball rolling on Section 31, but at least the actress is still game to reprise her Star Trek character at some point.
As soon as Paramount+ makes any official announcements on Section 31, we’ll pass them along. Until then, keep visiting CinemaBlend for all kinds of other Star Trek-related updates, and see what other Paramount+ shows are available to watch now.
