Michelle Yeoh's Philippa Georgiou Gets In Formation For Star Trek: Section 31 Trailer

Approximately 500 hundred years ago (actually in 2018, but it feels like 500 years — perhaps because of a rogue time distortion field), we learned that Michelle Yeoh was in talks to star in a spin-off series focused on her character from  "Star Trek: Discovery." In January 2019 (approximately 499 years ago), "Star Trek: Section 31" was officially announced as an in-development project for CBS All Access. Since then, CBS All Access has died of old age and been resurrected as Paramount+, and the "Section 31" TV series has become a Paramount+ original movie instead. Now, the first teaser trailer for "Star Trek: Section 31" is finally here.

The original Captain Philippa Georgiou was killed off in the second episode of "Discovery," but Yeoh returned as a Mirror Universe version of the character: the sharply-dressed, gleefully wicked Emperor Philippa Georgiou. This evil Georgiou tagged along when the Discovery crew returned to their original universe, where her lack of morals made her a perfect fit for Starfleet Intelligence's black ops unit, Section 31. The clandestine organization's role is essentially to do all the dirty work that goes against the high-minded principles of most Starfleet personnel, and of the Federation itself

The trailer for "Star Trek: Section 31" embraces Georgiou's "bad b***h" reputation with some wild fashion choices, some fun camera moves, and a dose of Beyoncé's "Formation." It has already garnered negative responses from some "Star Trek" fans who feel like it doesn't fit with Gene Roddenberry's idealistic vision of humanity's future (and others who just think it looks plain bad). Personally speaking, though, "Section 31" looks like it has the potential to be trashy in a very fun way.

Broadly speaking, the villain origin story of "Star Trek" Mirror Universe doppelgangers is simply that the Mirror Universe is a pretty dark place. For starters, it's a universe where Spock has a goatee. Also, there's quite a lot of oppression and genocide and such. 

At the height of her power, Georgiou's full title was "Her most Imperial Majesty, Mother of the Fatherland, Overlord of Vulcan, Dominus of Kronos, Regina Andor, Philippa Georgiou Augustus Iaponius Centarius." The teaser trailer for "Star Trek: Section 31" shows flashbacks in which a younger Georgiou (played by Miku Martineau, who previously starred in Netflix action thriller "Kate") receives her regal golden shoulder pads and cape as she intones, in voiceover: "An emperor can only be loyal to duty. Thus does the empire remain strong."

The cast of "Section 31" also includes Sam Richardson, Omari Hardwick, Robert Kazinsky, Sven Ruygrok, Humberly Gonzalez, and James Hiroyuki Liao. Kacey Rohl will play Rachel Garrett, the future captain of the USS Enterprise-C, who was first introduced in the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode "Yesterday's Enterprise" (played by Tricia O'Neil).

"Star Trek: Section 31" will premiere on Paramount+ in early 2025.