Star Trek: Section 31 -- speculation/discussion/spoilers

[DigiFluid]

There we have it....CBS has confirmed that a Section 31 series, starring Michelle Yeoh, is in development at CBS All Access.


Deadline article:

It’s Official! Michelle Yeoh Star Trek Spinoff In Development At CBS All Access

Just hours after Crazy Rich Asians won the Best Comedy award at the Critics’ Choice Awards last night, Michelle Yeoh has scored another win with a Star Trek series of her own.

As Deadline exclusively reported back in November, CBS All Access has put a Star Trek Discovery spinoff into development with the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon actor.

Set to return for the January 17-launching second season of the Sonequa Martin-Green led Discovery as Captain Philippa Georgiou, the Yeoh series is in the very early stages, I hear. At present, with Yeoh likely planned to also be a part of future Discovery seasons, the new Trekverse addition from co-EPs Bo Yeon Kim and Erika Lippoldt is shaping up to be an ensemble

“Michelle has shattered ceilings, broken boundaries, and astonished us with her grace and gravitas for decades,” Star Trek EP and expansion overlord Alex Kurtzman said in a statement today.”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 latest spinoff is set to focus on a continuation of Yeoh’s Discovery Season 2 adventures in Starfleet’s Section 31 division. The semi-secret and autonomous organization has been a part of Trek lore since it was first introduced in the 1990s on the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine series.

The Artists International Group-repped Yeoh herself made no secret that she was in the stratosphere about the official announcement Monday of the CBS Television Studios, Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment produced series.

“I’m so excited to continue telling these rich Star Trek stories,” the actor said. “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!'”

As well as the Yeoh spinoff, CBS All Access has the Patrick Stewart-led Picard series on deck. There’s also the October 2017 announced half-hour adult animated comedy series Star Trek: Below Decks and the already aired Star Trek: Short Treks. “My goal is that there should be a Star Trek something on all the time on All Access,”CBS TV Studios boss David Stapf told Deadline in August last year.

Looks like that mission is on point to succeed.

[Platschu]

Wow. It is a great news. It looks like CBS started a full attack for viewers. I believe Star Trek will have the biggest TV franchise with the 8-10 shows all together as 4-5 shows are now in development. Hopefully they can maintain the quality, so the second golden era of ST will start in the near future.

(I wish we could say the same about Stargate... 4-5 new spinoffs. )

[DigiFluid]

The showrunners have begun breaking stories for the show (but are not expected to have any scripts completed for a while yet)

[DigiFluid]

The show is a "couple" of years away, will be produced in Toronto (like Discovery)

[Platschu]

I can't wait for it. Until the premiere Captain Georgiou has got a plot shield.

[P-90_177]

I’m not surprised that it’ll take a couple of years. They’ll likely want to divide up the other series so they never have more than two at a time running with Discovery being the central show and the others alternating around it.

The one thing I do hope with the Section 31 show is that we get more Flashbacks of the Prime Universe Georgiou in command of the Shenzhou. Emperor Georgiou is awesome. But Captain Georgiou was a perfect way to start Discovery and I’d love to get to know her better.

[Platschu]

I wish they wouldn't wait. Discovery can run for more seasons, so what if they order season 4-5-6? Then Section 31 will be postponed? I hope not. The "Picard" spinoff will be only 10 episodes, so it can still only cover 23-25 weeks in a year together with Discovery.

So I would like to see the Section 31 as soon as possible with their own storyline, own enemies and allies. I believe it could be managed with clever writing that both spinoffs can co-exist at the same time, so occasionally there would be cross-over. Currently they are just there in Discovery seaosn 2 as some kind of treat and enemy instead of the Klingons. But nothing is just black and white, so I hope they can give them a real meaning and what they can achieve in their own show.

[DigiFluid]

I wish they wouldn't wait. Discovery can run for more seasons, so what if they order season 4-5-6? Then Section 31 will be postponed? I hope not.

I agree, but I'm also of a mind of, I'd rather they take their time to come up with something really damned good than have them rush it.

[P-90_177]

See, this Section 31 series does concern me in someways because the concept is a really easy to write for. But on the other hand it is also the easiest of all the Trek series to get wrong because you risk losing that feeling of an optimistic future.

I get the feeling that by the end of season 2 of Disco we will see something of a downfall of S31. Like we will see the reason why they only operate in the shadows by DS9’s time. And what I am hoping is that it’s Georgiou and her crew that help lift S31 out of the ashes of what occurs in DIscovery and at first is using it as a vehicle for her own agenda, but slowly through time realises the merits of the Federation and realises that it is something precious that needs to be protected and even though she has to do some dark things to keep it safe, she learns to do those things as a last resort rather than a first response and its through that which earns S31 a place back in the Federation even if it is an organisation that is only known about within the Admiralty. And perhaps have some occasions where it’s Starfleet which wish to act like a hammer and Georgiou with S31 being a scalpel.

[DigiFluid]

Section 31 doesn't have a series order yet, but Alex Kurtzman expects it will premiere either 2021 or 2022 (though he seems to be cautiously optimistic about 2021).

[DigiFluid]

Michelle Yeoh: Section 31 Star Trek Show Will Be “More Fun” With A “Nicer” Georgiou

Since development was first announced in January, the untitled Star Trek Section 31 series has been as mysterious as the shadowy organization at the heart of the show. Now, star Michelle Yeoh is revealing some details on what fans can expect.

Speaking with Newsweek today, Philipa Georgiou actress, and star of the in-development Section 31 spin-off, Michelle Yeoh gave an update on the development of the show, confirming that the third season of Discovery will come first:

Section 31 is in the works as we speak. We will shoot Season 3 of Discovery first, and then move on to Section 31.

Yeoh has previously been confirmed to be a part of the third season of Discovery, which will begin production in July. In his recent TrekMovie interview, executive producer Alex Kurtzman revealed that the Section 31 showrunners Bo Yeon Kim and Erika Lippoldt were currently working on both shows, with their first goal to break the story for the Section 31 series pilot.

A stated goal for the expanding Star Trek television landscape is for each new series to have its own tone and style. Yeoh discussed with Newsweek how the Section 31 show will differentiate itself.

Section 31 will be more fun—less intense and more fun-driven. Visiting more planets. Going around rescuing people in our own way.

This idea of a more fun show fits with Bo Yeon Kim’s statement earlier this year that the show will not be dark, and will stay true to what Star Trek represents.

In the new interview Michelle Yeoh also talked about her former Terran Emperor’s growth during the second season of Discovery:

So she’s come around to understanding that if I don’t kill first and ask questions later, we can sit around and think about it a bit more. There’s this nicer, gentler side, but you never know when she’s going to switch around again.

[P-90_177]

Michelle Yeoh: Section 31 Star Trek Show Will Be “More Fun” With A “Nicer” Georgiou

Since development was first announced in January, the untitled Star Trek Section 31 series has been as mysterious as the shadowy organization at the heart of the show. Now, star Michelle Yeoh is revealing some details on what fans can expect.

Speaking with Newsweek today, Philipa Georgiou actress, and star of the in-development Section 31 spin-off, Michelle Yeoh gave an update on the development of the show, confirming that the third season of Discovery will come first:


Yeoh has previously been confirmed to be a part of the third season of Discovery, which will begin production in July. In his recent TrekMovie interview, executive producer Alex Kurtzman revealed that the Section 31 showrunners Bo Yeon Kim and Erika Lippoldt were currently working on both shows, with their first goal to break the story for the Section 31 series pilot.

A stated goal for the expanding Star Trek television landscape is for each new series to have its own tone and style. Yeoh discussed with Newsweek how the Section 31 show will differentiate itself.


This idea of a more fun show fits with Bo Yeon Kim’s statement earlier this year that the show will not be dark, and will stay true to what Star Trek represents.

In the new interview Michelle Yeoh also talked about her former Terran Emperor’s growth during the second season of Discovery:

Hmmm... mixed feelings about that news. On the one hand I was concerned about the subject matter being too dark to capture the optimism of Trek but it all depends how far they intend to make Georgiou lighter.

[DigiFluid]

New Kurtzman interview with THR had this to say on the Section 31 show:

If you’re a fan of Deep Space Nine, you’ve probably spent the past two years saying, “What the hell are they doing with Section 31? That’s nothing like the Section 31 we know.” That’s exactly right. In Deep Space Nine, they did not have badges or ships. They’re an underground organization. What you see on Discovery and our upcoming show with Michelle Yeoh is how Section 31 became that organization and why it was so underground by the time Deep Space Nine comes around.

Source (caution: contains spoilers for Discovery Season 2 finale)

[P-90_177]

Ok disregard what I said over in the DSC season 3 thread.

This is interesting because that does make it clearer that at the very least Georgiou must somehow make it back in time to the 23rd Century.... Or maybe even the 24th When she has to start Section 31 affresh. Though I hope whatever happens this show is actually with Tyler in it as well. They made a good team.

[DigiFluid]

Brief Kurtzman update:

People locked in on Georgiou as being a wonderful oddity. She is wicked, devious, manipulative and yet somehow radiates this incredible heart. People love her…We looked to shows like ‘Killing Eve,’ to franchises like ‘Mission: Impossible,’ things that were complicated on a plot level but also a character level. I think it’s fun for people to see a show with a protagonist who’s entirely unreliable. At the end of the day, she’s going to do the right thing, but in the exact wrong way.

https://trekmovie.com/2019/05/09/ale...-future-on-tv/