We finally have a first real look at Star Trek: Section 31, the TV movie starring Michelle Yeoh as former emperor Philippa Georgiou, and it’s … well, it’s a little baffling. Section 31 are the secret black ops of Starfleet. Kacey Rohl has a line in this teaser about how they have to make sure no murders occur. The opening is a heavy, bloody flashback to Georgiou’s youth (where she is played by Miku Martineau).
And yet the soundtrack is an out-of-place Beyoncé track and the overall tone is … a bit wacky? Wacky secret space cops. Is Star Trek trying to go Killjoys? (I will not hear a single bad word about Killjoys, for the record.) Are we doing funny murders? Funny sexy? The yellow-screen warning at the beginning of the trailer mentions “Deltan fraternization,” which is a choice. (Deltans are extremely sex-oriented.)
There is still very little detail as to the plot of the film; Paramount says only, “In the movie, slated to premiere in early 2025, Yeoh reprises her fan-favorite role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou—a character she played in Star Trek: Discovery’s first season—who joins a secret division of Starfleet. Tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets, she also must face the sins of her past.”
One hopes that the young Georgiou bits are only a flashback, and that this is not secretly an origin story. One also hopes the movie does well by its supporting cast, which includes the incredible Rohl (Hannibal, The Magicians); Omari Hardwick (Power); Sam Richardson (Ted Lasso, Detroiters, I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson); Robert Kazinsky (Pacific Rim); Sven Ruygrok (One Piece); Humberly Gonález (Ginny & Georgia); and James Hiroyuki Liao (Barry). The film is written by Craig Sweeny (Discovery, Elementary) and directed by Discovery director Olatunde Osunsanmi.
Star Trek: Section 31 comes to Paramount Plus early next year.
