Star Trek: Section 31 will tell a story Star Trek has not told before. Directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi and written by Craig Sweeny, Section 31 is the first Star Trek movie made for streaming on Paramount+. When it premieres in 2025, Section 31 will also be the first Star Trek movie in 9 years, as the last theatrical Star Trek film was Star Trek Beyond in 2016. Star Trek: Section 31 is headlined by Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh, reprising Emperor Philippa Georgiou, the former ruler of the Mirror Universe-turned-super spy.
Star Trek: Discovery season 1 introduced Emperor Georgiou and brought Star Trek back to the Mirror Universe, which was last seen in Star Trek: Enterprise season 4's "In a Mirror, Darkly" two-parter. Emperor Georgiou was absolute ruler of the Terran Empire until 2256 when she was overthrown by Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs) in a coup. Following Lorca's death, Georgiou joined the USS Discovery on its return to Star Trek's Prime Universe. Posing as her Prime Universe counterpart, Georgiou joined Section 31 and then jumped to the 32nd century with the USS Discovery. Dying from crossing time and universes, Georgiou was sent back in time by the Guardian of Forever (Paul Guilfoyle). Star Trek: Section 31 reveals Georgiou arrived in the "lost era" of Star Trek's mid-24th century.
Star Trek: Section 31 Will Tell The Mirror Universe Emperor’s Origin For the First Time
Star Trek has never told this story
While Star Trek: Section 31's main story seems to take place in the early-to-mid-24th century, Star Trek: Section 31's trailer indicates that there will be flashbacks to the young Philippa Georgiou (Miku Martineau), depicting how she rises to become the Terran Emperor. Georgiou is indoctrinated with the rules of how to be an Emperor: "An Emperor can only be loyal to duty. Thus does the Empire remain strong. Thus does it grow." The story of how the Emperor of the Terrans is created is a story Star Trek has never told before Section 31.
It's logical to assume Georgiou's rise to power wasn't easy and was laced with tragedy.
Philippa Georgiou is the only Mirror Universe Emperor Star Trek has delved into in detail. Other Terran Emperors have been mentioned in other Star Trek series set in the Mirror Universe's 22nd and 23rd centuries, but Georgiou is a full-fledged character who became an ant-heroine on Star Trek: Discovery. However, it's logical to assume Georgiou's rise to power wasn't easy and was laced with tragedy. Star Trek: Section 31 will likely introduce Georgiou's parents and family, clarifying the succession to Terran Emperor for the first time.
Will Section 31 Reveal Emperor Georgiou Is Connected To Enterprise’s Hoshi Sato?
Hoshi was the first female Emperor we know of
A question that has lingered since Michelle Yeoh's Emperor Philippa Georgiou debuted in Star Trek: Discovery is whether Philippa is descended from Empress Hoshi Sato (Linda Park). Star Trek: Enterprise's "In a Mirror, Darkly" ended with a shocker as Sato betrayed Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula), took command of the 23rd century USS Defiant, and arrived on Earth to declare herself Empress. Star Trek has not revealed what happened next or if Hoshi indeed became the ruler of the Terran Empire in the mid-22nd century, but presumably Empress Hoshi Sato did sit upon the Terran throne, but this is something Star Trek: Section 31 can canonically confirm.
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Chronological Mirror Universe Appearances In Star Trek |
Key events |
|---|---|
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Star Trek: Enterprise season 4 |
Terran Empire beginnings (21st century), discovery of USS Defiant, Hoshi Sato declares herself Empress (22nd century) |
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Star Trek: Discovery season 1 |
End of Philippa Georgiou's reign as Emperor, Georgiou jumps to Prime Universe (23rd century) |
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Star Trek: Discovery season 3 |
Guardian of Forever returns Georgiou to 23rd century Mirror Universe to determine of Georgiou has changed |
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Star Trek: The Original Series season 2 |
Prime Kirk meets Mirror Spock, encourages him to enact change to save Terran Empire (23rd century) |
|
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine |
The conquered Terrans rebel against and defeat the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance (24th century) |
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Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 |
Terran Armada back to conquering the galaxy, Mirror Admiral Janeway and Chakotay meet Prime Universe USS Protostar crew (24th century) |
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Star Trek: Discovery season 5 |
Captain Michael Burnham finds ISS Enterprise, brings it into 32nd century, learns Mirror refugees crossed over into Prime Universe |
Although they are both Asian, Empress Hoshi Sato is of Japanese origin, while Emperor Philippa Georgiou is of Malaysian descent, so it's quite possible that they are not related. Yet there is a fascinating story of succession that Star Trek: Section 31 could illuminate: How did the Hoshi family fall by the wayside so that Georgiou could claim the Terran throne? How powerful was Georgiou's family already, and who did Philippa inherit from? Section 31 may not linger on the details, but there is a generational tale there that could be fascinating as Star Trek's version of The Crown.
Star Trek Made The Mirror Universe More Important Than Ever
Emperor Georgiou changed the game when it comes to the Mirror Universe
Star Trek's Mirror Universe used to be a novelty, but it has become much more thanks to Star Trek: Discovery. In Star Trek: The Original Series, the Mirror Universe was only seen once, although it left an indelible impression. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine updated the Mirror Universe in the 24th century, turning jaunts to the twisted alternate timeline as a welcome change of pace from DS9's all-encompassing Dominion War saga. Star Trek: Enterprise's Mirror Universe two-parter was another offbeat romp, although it could have become more if Enterprise season 5 happened.
However, most events in the Mirror Universe stayed in the Mirror Universe - until Emperor Georgiou crossed into Star Trek's Prime Universe in Star Trek: Discovery. Georgiou rewrote the book on the relevancy of the Mirror Universe, as its Emperor became a major figure affecting Prime Universe events, and she will continue to in Star Trek: Section 31. More and more, the Mirror Universe is leaking into the Prime timeline. Star Trek: Discovery season 5 brought the Mirror Universe's ISS Enterprise into the 32nd century, and Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) learned that Mirror refugees crossed over and made new lives for themselves in the Prime Universe. The Mirror Universe remains a go-to favorite as an abundant source of Star Trek stories.
Star Trek's Next Movie Could Also Reveal Section 31's Origin
Will Section 31's secrets be revealed?
It's possible Star Trek: Section 31 could stealthily be a double origin story. Along with the details of how Philippa Georgiou became the Mirror Universe's Emperor, the next Star Trek movie could also finally reveal how Section 31 rose to power. After all, Section 31's logline hinted that Georgiou would face both the sins of her past and the sins of Section 31. While Section 31 apparently came into existence side-by-side with Starfleet and, later, the United Federation of Planets, Georgiou could uncover buried truths about its origin.
Presumably, Emperor Georgiou becomes the leader of Section 31, or her own faction of it, in Star Trek's first streaming movie. Section 31 will also update what happened since Star Trek: Discovery season 2 when Commander Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif) became the head of the agency, picking up the story decades later. Star Trek: Section 31 has been described as the "messy Star Trek," but that's also fitting for a movie that goes into the nitty-gritty of both the Mirror Universe and Section 31. Hopefully, Star Trek: Section 31 pulls the curtain on the Mirror Universe and Section 31's darkest secrets for the first time.
