What’s Up with “Star Trek: Section 31”?

“Emperor Philippa Georgiou joins a secret division of Starfleet tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets and faces the sins of her past.” — official synopsis of Star Trek: Section 31

OK, let’s go back a little bit.

Early in 2019, it was confirmed that Michelle Yeoh’s ‘Emperor Philippa Georgiou’ (transported from Mirror Universe to Primary Universe) would be starring in a new “Section 31” spinoff series, written by Bo Yeon Kim and Erika Lippoldt. But, in April 2023 it was announced that the series was being reworked(?) into a one-off(?) Star Trek: Section 31 movie, written by Craig Sweeny — with Kim and Lippoldt still sharing credit — and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi. Yeoh enthused,

“I’m beyond thrilled to return to my Star Trek family and to the role I’ve loved for so long. Section 31 has been near and dear to my heart since I began the journey of playing Philippa all the way back when this new golden age of Star Trek launched. To see her finally get her moment is a dream come true in a year that’s shown me the incredible power of never giving up on your dreams. We can’t wait to share what’s in store for you, and until then: live long and prosper (unless Emperor Georgiou decrees otherwise)!”

The film is said to be a cross between Guardians of the Galaxy and Mission Impossible. Other than that production was scheduled to begin later in 2023, news since last April has been scarce. However, ScreenRant‘s John Orquiola put forth a theory that this film could function as a “stealth sequel” to “Star Trek: Enterprise”. After the Guardian of Forever (aka Carl) sends her back in time,

“Georgiou’s ultimate mission may be to either take control of Section 31 or possibly even put an end to the organization. But perhaps this could entail Philippa learning the secrets of how Section 31 began, which ties into the 22nd-century founding of the United Federation of Planets, i.e. the timeframe of Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) and ‘Star Trek: Enterprise’.”

(Dismantling Section 31 or even retconning it out of the timeline completely would certainly please certain Redditors.)

Yeoh w/ Section 31 clapboard

A month or so ago, it was confirmed that principal photography had finally begun in January and the following actors had joined the cast: Omari Hardwick (“Power”), Kacey Rohl (“Arrow”), Sam Richardson (The Tomorrow War), Sven Ruygrok (“One Piece”), Robert Kazinsky (“Second Chance”), Humberly Gonzalez (“Ginny & Georgia”) and James Hiroyuki Liao (“Unforgettable”). There are three more people listed with them — four, if you include Yeoh — in the movie’s IMDB’s entry. Alas, other than for Yeoh, we have no names or other information regarding these characters.

Then, just the other day, Kazinsky posted on social media that the film had completed filming, saying that it had been “one of the greatest experiences of my life.” He lauded director Osunsanmi as “the most exceptional captain I’ve worked under, leading a cast that is incomparable.” He also gushed about his fellow castmembers, saying, “these talented individuals will revolutionize the world of [Star Trek] with their unparalleled chemistry and camaraderie. The constant laughter, support, and love we shared every single day is something I will cherish forever…. As a devoted Trekker, I believe you’ll love it.”

The post-production phase is now officially underway….

I gotta tell ya, I loved the idea of Georgiou in a “Section 31” series. Lots of room for development of both the character and the stories and lore about the organization. So, when it transformed into just a movie, I was mightily disappointed. I didn’t care why they changed it… I was just miffed. I didn’t find out until recently, but here are the real reasons (as per The Hollywood Reporter):

“Between Yeoh’s schedule, fears of having too many shows going on at the same time in the franchise, and a desire to enter the feature film event space, a decision was made to shift Section 31 into a movie.”

My personal disappointment aside, I should probably just be glad the project didn’t get completely canned, and I sincerely hope Yeoh et al. put together a very smart and fan-satisfying film. If it does so well that it functions as a backdoor pilot for a “Section 31” series or possibly a movie sequel or two, then all the better. After all, Kurtzman already wants to do a Star Trek made-for-streaming movie every couple of years.

Star Trek: Section 31, set to premiere in 2025, is produced by CBS Studios and will air on Paramount+. Alex Kurtzman, Rod Roddenberry, Olatunde Osunsanmi, and Michelle Yeoh are among the executive producers.

News Thoughts: Star Trek, Star Wars, and Some Comics-based Casting

I decided I needed to do something a little bit newsy before we head into the holidays. So, here are my comments — for whatever they’re worth — on a few genre-oriented pieces of news from the past few weeks….

1) Star Trek film(s)

As most Star Trek fans have probably heard, Star Trek 4 is back on track — well, in the planning stages, anyway. All the main characters appear to be on board the J.J. Abrams production, and Noah Hawley (“Legion”, “Fargo”) will be writing, directing, and producing. No dates or plot details have been revealed, but it will be a different story than that which required Chris Hemsworth to return as Kirk’s father, which is likely a big reason they can now afford to do the film.

I am disappointed that they couldn’t work out a way to do the film with Hemsworth, since I like him and would enjoy seeing him return (flashback? time travel? mysterious energy ribbon?) as George Kirk. But, while I have criticized the ‘JJ Trek’ films, I am glad they will be doing a fourth one and am hopeful that we get something that really pleases fans of all types.

So, what about the Tarantino-led, ‘R’-rated Star Trek that has been talked about and supposedly had the go ahead from the studio? Hard to tell. We were told this past summer that Mark L. Smith had already produced a draft of a script for the project. When Star Trek 4 was announced in mid-November, they said the Tarantino flick was still in development at Paramount. More recently, however, Tarantino said he “hasn’t had an official conversation with those guys yet.” Also,

“Look, I might come up with a really big idea. But right now, the idea of a smaller audience almost all the way around is appealing to me.”

Does this mean he tossed Smith’s script? I dunno. Personally, while I’ve enjoyed a handful of his movies, I’m not a huge Tarantino fan. Nor am I thrilled with the idea of a profanity-laced Tarantino Trek. I’d be happier if his swan-song 10th film was that Kill Bill 3 he’s been talking to Uma Thurman about.

2) Star Trek “Section 31” series

Last month, we finally got a bit of news on the development of the “Section 31”-oriented series to be led by Michelle Yeoh as the “Mirror” Philippa Georgiou. (It was Yeoh’s idea!) According to Julie McNamara, executive vice president of original content for CBS All Access:

“We are very excited about the ‘Section 31’ show and Michelle Yeoh is excited to do it. She is in the current season of ‘Discovery’ so she’s working on that right now, but we have scripts getting written, and Alex [Kurtzman] has a writer’s room.

We love what we’ve heard so far. It’s yet another tonality of ‘Trek.’ As Alex has mapped it all out, each show has its own unique sort of voice and vision.”

Personally, I’d like to see the show have a real spy-thriller feel to it. Yeoh has said elsewhere that it will be “more fun — less intense and more fun-driven. Visiting more planets. Going around rescuing people in our own way.” Hmm, I guess that could work, too. Kurtzman has said,

“[I]t puts Michelle’s character to the test in a lot of ways that ‘Discovery’ can’t. In some ways it will be her ‘Unforgiven,’ I would say.”

Interesting…

3) Next Star Wars film

As I write this, The Rise of Skywalker premieres in just a couple of days. I wasn’t quite as annoyed by the last one (The Last Jedi) as some were, but I really hope that this final entry in the Skywalker saga restores fandom’s faith in the franchise. (Early reports are mixed.)

Speaking of The Last Jedi, it seems that controversial director Rian Johnson is still kicking around ideas for his own Star Wars trilogy, but nothing is set. For reasons unrevealed other than a vague mention of busy schedules, the Star Wars trilogy to be developed by “Game of Thrones” creators David Benioff and DB Weiss has been indefinitely postponed. However, there is a Star Wars movie in the works, planned for a 2022 release. It isn’t anything from Johnson, so we have to wonder if this will be the Star Wars project Kevin Feige has talked about or something else entirely. Maybe by “The Mandalorian” creator Jon Favreau?

As a loyal fan of the franchise, I will (eventually) see anything Lucasfilm/Disney puts out. I wouldn’t be real excited for anything by Johnson, though. But, I’d definitely be up for something produced by Feige and/or Favreau, given their present and past successes. Meanwhile, we’re back to a three-year wait between films, and I’m OK with that.

Lewis Tan

4) Casting a new Iron Fist

Rumor has it that Kevin Feige wants to somehow incorporate the former Netflix/Marvel heroes into the MCU. Some of the original stars may be returning, but the Danny Rand / Iron Fist character — clearly the most disappointing among them — would be re-cast and possibly (re-)introduced in the Shang-Chi movie. That’s all fine by me.

One of the more reliable sources used by the controversial “We Got This Covered” website says that actor Lewis Tan is being looked at to take on the role. Tan played ‘Shatterstar’ in Deadpool 2 (which I haven’t seen, yet), but I know him from the “Into the Badlands” TV series and his brief appearance as a drunken-style fighter in the “Iron Fist” series. I remember thinking that he could be great as a superhero. However, he is of mixed ethnicity (half Chinese, half English) and, as I’ve written elsewhere, I would much prefer to see a blonde Caucasian ‘Iron Fist’, as per the comics. But, Tan (6’1.5″,b.1987) has the build and the martial skills, so I wouldn’t complain too much if he got the job. 🙂

Matt Reeves

5) The Batman villains

I might have more to say about Matt Reeves’ The Batman at a later time. For now, I wanted to comment about the line-up of villains and who has been cast for them.

My first issue is about the number of villains to be introduced in this first film: Four! I think having too many villains was one of the downfalls of earlier Batman films, so this definitely concerns me. Zoe Kravitz will play ‘Catwoman’. As I mentioned in my “Fan-Casting: Catwoman” post, she wouldn’t be on my shortlist, but she’s OK. I never would have thought of Paul Dano for ‘The Riddler’, partly because I am unfamiliar with his work, but also because I don’t think he looks right for the part. Could work, though. I have no doubt John Turturro can play a great mob boss, but he just doesn’t fit the image I have for ‘Carmine Falcone’. As for Colin Ferrell playing ‘The Penguin’, no way. Maybe he’ll surprise me, but Ferrell just doesn’t fit any version of Oswald Cobblepot that I’ve seen, good or bad. But, then, maybe they’re going for a totally different take. (Groan!)

That’s it for the news commentary tonight. ‘Til next time…