Michelle Yeoh is coming back to Star Trek, and it's about the best news fans of hers have heard since she won the Oscar for Best Actress. It's also something that wasn't expected, and a move that I believe could have a huge impact on the franchise as a whole in the future. At the risk of sounding a tad dramatic, this could literally change everything.
And when I say everything, I'm mainly talking about the trajectory of where things are headed for Star Trek in the coming years. Let's talk about the potential impact of this decision on both a large and small scale, and what it might mean going forward.
A Section 31 Movie Removes One TV Show From The Development Schedule
Not only is it more feasible for Michelle Yeoh to commit to a Star Trek: Section 31 movie, it also scrubs a big upcoming entry from an already loaded Trek development calendar. This project originally existed as a series and was waiting in the wings for years to be made as Trek had five shows running at different points of the year.
Of course, now that Picard is over, Discovery is ending and Section 31 is a movie, it feels like there's some space cleared for a fresh idea in Star Trek to possibly make its way into development. I don't think it's any secret as of late what show Trek fans would love to see given all the chatter around about a Picard follow-up.
Now, it's worth noting that a recent report from THR that part of the reason for making Section 31 into a movie was insiders fearing they were over-saturating the market with Star Trek content. If that is indeed the case, it may take more shows ending before a new one is even considered. Who knows what show might be up next to leave in order to make another one happen?
Michelle Yeoh's Movie Will Show The Potential Of Paramount+ Trek Films
Jonathan Frakes once said that the future of Star Trek is in television, and while I mainly agree with that statement, film still very much still has a seat at the table. While modern streaming shows can sometimes have the same look and feel of a motion picture, they're also longer. As such, the stories need to be more involved, and we're robbed of the opportunity to tell more self-contained stories.
Sure, shows like Star Trek: Discovery thrived on serialized storytelling, but that doesn't mean that one-off adventures are out of the question. My hope is that the Section 31 movie will showcase that and prove to Paramount+ that it's a worthy investment to push out movies for Trek adventures that, story-wise, are a bit smaller in scale than a full-fledged series.
And if folks get excited about a Georgiou Star Trek movie, imagine how pumped they'd get seeing one greenlit for Voyager or Deep Space Nine? Look, all I'm saying is that Kate Mulgrew has expressed an interest in returning to live-action, and considering she's already preoccupied with her voice work on Prodigy, a movie might be an easier commitment for her than a series. I'm really excited to see what other movies may spring up after this one and who they might focus on.
Star Trek: Section 31 Contributes Further To Discovery's Legacy
Ever since it was announced that Star Trek: Discovery is ending, I've been a little concerned. Don't get me wrong, I love the other Trek shows, but they're very much about retreading nostalgia, whereas Discovery was the only recent series to forge new territory in the franchise. Following the news of its forthcoming conclusion, I was legitimately worried that Trek was quietly trying to scrub it from the lore or minimize its importance.
Of course, the fact that we now have both a Starfleet Academy series and a Star Trek: Section 31 movie is proof positive that the franchise isn't trying to retcon any bit of Discovery. In fact, one could certainly make the case that it's now more heavily entrenched in the new shows than more classic entries like Enterprise and Deep Space Nine. Those shows are totally worthy of more meaningful inclusion too, but they aren't quite as polarizing as Discovery these days.
The Section 31 Movie Shows That Star Trek Is Still Going Strong Despite Some Setbacks
The first half of 2023 has featured some downer news for Star Trek fans. First, we learned that the official convention destined for Seattle was canceled. Then, Discovery was revealed to be ending when it seemed like the cast and crew expected the series to continue for another season. Finally, First Contact Day, a holiday which Trek hyped up the past couple of years with announcements and panels with franchise actors, came and went without much consequence.
And really, that's just what's happening on the television side. I don't think anyone needs a reminder that we're still waiting on a concrete idea for Star Trek 4 to make it into production. It's hard to celebrate this golden era of the franchise without some films to celebrate as well, so it's good to see Paramount+ filling this need and giving fans films to appreciate. Sure, the shows "feel like movies," but they aren't movies. We need more one-off adventures for Trek!
Michelle Yeoh May Encourage Other Big Names To Join Star Trek
I don't think it can be stated enough how Michelle Yeoh returning to Star Trek after her Oscar win puts a magnifying glass on the franchise. It has me excited about the possibility of other prominent Hollywood stars considering a stint in the revered franchise, assuming the Section 31 movie makes some noise. Hey, if we're still adamant on waiting on Chris Pine and the other Kelvin crew actors to reprise their roles on the big screen, celebrities will need somewhere to go, right?
That's my hope anyway, especially with Star Wars snagging some high-profile celebrity cameos in the latest season of The Mandalorian. Star Trek can and should be getting that same kind of attention, and maybe after Yeoh's movie, it will.
Michelle Yeoh's Star Trek: Section 31 movie is slated to start production sometime at the end of the year. Pick up a Paramount+ subscription in the meantime to catch up on Georgiou's story via Discovery, and check out the other shows available on the platform as well.
