Michelle Yeoh 'Star Trek' Spin-Off Moving Ahead At CBS All Access
Michelle Yeoh is the captain now — kind of. The Crazy Rich Asians actress had a recurring role on CBS All Access' Star Trek: Discovery season 1, and now she'll be taking the helm in her own Star Trek spin-off. But the untitled Michelle Yeoh Star Trek spin-off won't center around her first character, the noble Captain Philippa Georgiou. Instead, Yeoh will get to stretch her vamping skills as Georgiou's evil doppelganger who was introduced during a journey to the Mirror Universe.Deadline reports that CBS All Access is developing a Star Trek spin-off series with Yeoh officially signed on to star. The still-untitled series, written by Bo Yeon Kim and Erika Lippoldt, will focus on the further adventures of Philippa Georgiou from the Mirror Universe, a former Emperor of the evil Terran Empire with a taste for black leather and metallic capes. Mirror Georgiou found herself brought over to the Star Trek primary timeline in the latter half of Discovery's first season after Captain Philippa Georgiou was unceremoniously (and controversially) killed in the second episode of season 1.
But you can't hire Yeoh and not make proper use of her, so the actress came back in a darker role in Star Trek: Discovery. But she can't be contained to just a recurring role in an ensemble series, so CBS All Access is giving Yeoh her own series. Michelle Yeoh said in a statement:
"I'm so excited to continue telling these rich 'Star Trek' stories. Being a part of this Universe and this character specifically has been such a joy for me to play. I can't wait to see where it all goes – certainly I believe it will go 'where no WOMAN has ever gone before!'"
"Michelle has shattered ceilings, broken boundaries, and astonished us with her grace and gravitas for decades," Star Trek executive producer Alex Kurtzman added. "As a human, I adore her. As an actor, I revere her," he added. "Erika and Boey are remarkable, exciting writers who bring a fresh perspective to the world of Star Trek, and we're all thrilled to explore the next wild chapter in the life of Captain Philippa Georgiou."
The series will apparently dive into the villainous Georgiou joining Section 31, the shady Federation black-ops group first introduced in Deep Space Nine. io9 notes that Section 31 was "a hidden branch of Starfleet tasked with doing the dirty work needed to maintain the Federation's lofty utopian ideals." Georgiou's ties to the organization were first teased in a deleted Star Trek: Discovery scene revealed at WonderCon last year, and will play into Yeoh's return in Discovery's second season later this week.
Star Trek: Discovery season 2 premieres on CBS All Access later this week on January 17.