Summary
- Star Trek: Section 31 is still happening thanks to Michelle Yeoh's dedication and influence, ensuring the movie is "moving forward."
- This movie is the first Star Trek film made for streaming on Paramount+, marking an important step for the franchise and potentially opening doors for more streaming movies in the future.
- Michelle Yeoh's continued loyalty to Star Trek and her character, Emperor Philippa Georgiou, is significant, especially after her recent Best Actress Oscar win. Her dedication means that Section 31 will continue once the industry strikes are resolved.
Star Trek: Section 31 is still happening, and Star Trek executive producer Alex Kurtzman credits Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh for making sure the project is "moving forward." Announced on April 18, 2023, Star Trek: Section 31 is the first Star Trek movie made for streaming on Paramount+. Production was reportedly to begin in fall 2023 but the combined WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes halted all Star Trek movie and TV production. Some fans worried that the delays could mean that Yeoh, who won the Best Actress Oscar for Everything Everywhere All At Once, would no longer be available to star in Section 31.
As transcribed by TrekMovie, Star Trek executive producer Alex Kurtzman addressed the state of the franchise at New York Comic Con's Star Trek Universe panel. With the writer's strike resolved, Kurtzman gave an encouraging update about Star Trek: Section 31 and praised Michelle Yeoh for making sure the movie is still happening. Read his quote below:
So we are back on our feet after the strike with Section 31. It is happening. Michelle [Yeoh] is just the most extraordinary person on every level. She had one of the most unbelievable years that anybody could ever have in the history of ever, and she had a million opportunities to hit the jackpot on it and do other things. And what she did with all of the power she had accrued is make sure that Section 31 was moving forward.
Star Trek: Section 31 Is Paramount+'s First Made-For-Streaming Star Trek Movie
As the first Star Trek movie made for streaming on Paramount+, Section 31 is an important step for the franchise, which has endured continuing development hell of the J.J. Abrams-produced Star Trek 4. Section 31 is intended to open the door for more direct-to-Paramount+ Star Trek movies, which could create new frontiers for the franchise as well as allow Star Trek to revisit characters and concepts from the existing and concluded Star Trek on Paramount+ series. Section 31 is also a spinoff of Star Trek: Discovery, as the announced Star Trek: Starfleet Academy series is rumored to be, which continues the saga after Discovery ends with season 5 in 2024.
Star Trek: Section 31 is a feather in the cap of the franchise because of Michelle Yeoh. The acclaimed international star's profile has risen even higher after her Oscar win, and it's incredibly meaningful that Yeoh maintains her loyalty to Star Trek and the character of Emperor Philippa Georgiou. The redeemed former Mirror Universe despot left Star Trek: Discovery in season 3, leaving many unanswered questions about her fate and her ties to the mysterious Section 31. Michelle Yeoh's dedication means Star Trek: Section 31 will roll cameras once SAG-AFTRA garners a fair deal and the actors can join the writers back at work.
Source: TrekMovie