Star Trek Movie Section 31 Will Star Michelle Yeoh

It's been a long time coming, but after years of rumors and false starts, one of the most highly-demanded "Star Trek" spinoffs is now set to become a reality ... but not quite as fans originally expected it.

Michelle Yeoh's Philippa Georgiou has long been the subject of reports that Paramount would be moving forward with a spin-off series focused on Section 31, the dark side of Starfleet dedicated to black ops and other morally dubious ventures that the shining light of exploration and pacifism could never be publicly involved with. Throughout the course of the "Star Trek: Discovery" streaming series, interest in a Georgiou-centric standalone show grew louder and louder, to the point that news first broke back in 2018 that the studio was, in fact, moving forward with the spin-off. Despite a subsequent update the next year, it eventually became clear that the project wasn't exactly a priority anymore.

All that has finally changed as Paramount+ has announced a "special original movie event" titled "Star Trek: Section 31" that will feature Yeoh reprising her role as Georgiou. Production is slated to begin later in 2023 and the official logline is as follows: "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 straight-to-streaming movie, a first for this franchise, will be written by Craig Sweeny ("Star Trek: Discovery"), directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, a "Trek" directing veteran on "Short Treks" and "Discovery," and executive produced by Alex Kurtzman.

The early seasons of "Star Trek: Discovery" had Trekkies over the moon about Philippa Georgiou. A widely celebrated Starfleet Academy graduate and a respected Captain of the U.S.S. Shenzhou, the original character ended up killed in a confrontation with Klingons during season 1, but that wasn't exactly the end of her story. She eventually reappeared as the Mirror Universe version of herself, an Emperor of the Terran Empire who ended up transported back to the Prime Universe of the U.S.S. Discovery. After serving as a compelling antihero throughout the rest of the series, remaining with the crew as they were thrown hundreds of years into the future in season 3, Georgiou's last appearance in "Discovery" left her in a perfect position for a spin-off.

Now that this production has taken shape as a movie, the "Everything Everywhere All At Once" Oscar-winner had this to say about the news:

"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)!"

In a statement, Kurtzman explained that Yeoh had been beating the drum for a Georgiou spin-off back in 2017, prior to the first season of "Discovery" even airing. No release date has yet been announced, but stay tuned to /Film for more details.