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Michelle Yeoh is beaming back into Star Trek

The oscar-winning actress is returning for a new film based on her vaguely villainous character from star trek: discovery..

By Alex Cranz , managing editor and co-host of The Vergecast. She oversaw consumer tech coverage at Gizmodo for five years. Her work has also appeared in the WSJ and Wired.

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Michelle Yeoh just won an Oscar and is now back to making movies. This time, she’ll be returning to her Star Trek: Discovery character for a new film based on the Star Trek black ops organization known as Section 31.

Star Trek: Section 31 follows her character, the Emperor Philippa Georgiou. And if you are not very familiar with Star Trek , you might be confused. There are Emperors? Yes, yes, there are. Settle in, folks, as I explain the history of this character.

Philippa Georgiou was the original captain of the ship Shenzhou but was killed in the pilot episode, and her death creates much of the friction for the surviving characters in the first season. Later in the season, her “evil” Mirrorverse counterpart shows up. The Mirrorverse is a universe like our own, only where people often have questionable facial hair choices and often are the moral opposites of their main universe counterparts.

• You are not prepared for the final season of Star Trek: Picard

So where one Philippa had been a kind and maternal captain who loved her crew dearly, the other was a ruthless (and maternal) Emperor who ate sentient creatures, took slaves, and generally was a terrible human being. The Emperor then found herself stranded in the primary Star Trek universe onboard the Discovery and slowly came around to being less of a monster — but still a prickly character next to the genuinely good and kind crew of the ship.

The reaction to her character was good enough that rumors popped up that Paramount Plus and Yeoh were developing a spinoff series about her character joining Section 31, which is kind of the Star Trek equivalent of the CIA. In 2019, the series was confirmed to be in development . Then there was silence, and with the success of shows like Picard , which are set in a very different time period, it was easy to assume that the series might have died a quiet death in development hell.

But Section 31 is still happening! Only it will be a film instead of a TV series. This will be the first film based on characters from Star Trek: Discovery and the first Star Trek film to be based on a single character rather than an entire crew. While details on the plot are scarce so far, today’s announcement suggests that Yeoh’s Emperor will be reckoning with her villainous past — think Xena in space.

“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,” Yeoh said in a press release. “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)!”

Star Trek: Section 31 will appear on Paramount Plus at a later date and begins production later this year.

Correction April 18, 12:25pm ET: An earlier version of this article stated that Philippa Georgiou was the captain of the Discovery, not the Shenzhou. I deeply regret this error.

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Michelle Yeoh will boldly go back to ‘Star Trek’ after her historic Oscars win

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So where does Michelle Yeoh go after making history at the Oscars? Back to space: the final frontier.

The “Everything Everywhere All at Once” star, who became the first Asian performer to win the Oscar for lead actress in March, will return to the world of “Star Trek,” Paramount+ announced Tuesday.

Yeoh will reprise the role of Emperor Philippa Georgiou in the streaming film “Star Trek: Section 31.” She first appeared as Starfleet Captain Philippa Georgiou in Season 1 of “Star Trek: Discovery” and conceived the idea for a spinoff before the series even aired in 2017. (Season 5 will begin streaming next year.)

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Superstar Michelle Yeoh of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” scored an Oscar on her first nomination, becoming the first Asian lead actress to win.

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“Star Trek: 31” will follow Yeoh’s Philippa as she “joins a secret division of Starfleet tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets and faces the sins of her past,” according to Paramount+ .

“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,” Yeoh said in a statement. “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.”

A “Star Trek” spinoff featuring the “Crazy Rich Asians” star has been in the works since 2018, Deadline reported. Yeoh confirmed its development in in 2019.

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Yeoh will serve as an executive producer on “Station 31,” which will begin production later this year.

The “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” actor departed “Star Trek: Discovery” in December 2020. Yeoh’s final episode showed her character getting a second chance at life in the Mirror Universe, leaving the Discovery crew behind.

“Discovery” is one in a handful of “Star Trek” projects at Paramount+. The streamer also touts “Picard,” starring Patrick Stewart, and the animated series “Lower Decks.”

Yeoh won her first Oscar for her work in the multiverse-hopping “Everything Everywhere All at Once” at the Academy Awards last month. The A24 film swept the awards show , winning sevenprizes including the marquee best picture award.

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“We need this because there’s so many who have felt unseen, unheard. It’s not just the Asian community,” Yeoh said of her win in the Oscars press room. “We deserve to be heard. We deserve to be seen. We deserve to have equal opportunity so we can have a seat at the table. That’s all we’re asking for. Give us that opportunity. Let us prove we are worthy.”

Last week, Yeoh brought her Oscar, which she named “Mr. O,” home to her mother in Malaysia. She shared photos Wednesday on Instagram showing the golden trophy in her mother’s embrace and in front of her father’s grave.

“Without my parents love and trust and support...I wouldn’t be here today...love so much,” Yeoh captioned the photos.

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Alexandra Del Rosario is an entertainment reporter on the Los Angeles Times Fast Break Desk. Before The Times, she was a television reporter at Deadline Hollywood, where she first served as an associate editor. She has written about a wide range of topics including TV ratings, casting and development, video games and AAPI representation. Del Rosario is a UCLA graduate and also worked at the Hollywood Reporter and TheWrap.

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Michelle Yeoh officially returns to Star Trek for Section 31 movie

The newly minted Oscar-winner makes good on a lingering promise

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Season 1 of Star Trek: Discovery cast Michelle Yeoh in a double role: First as Captain Philippa Georgiou, a mentor to the young Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), and then a fully armored Mirror Universe version of Georgiou who preferred busting skulls over diplomatic negotiations. Since then, Yeoh joined the Marvel universe , shot a few Avatar movies , did a Witcher show , and of course, she won a freakin’ Best Actress Oscar for freakin’ Best Picture winner Everything Everywhere All at Once . Yeoh could (and probably will) cash in the cred to do just about anything next... but for now, her prime directive is returning to Trek.

Paramount announced on Tuesday that Yeoh’s long-gestating Section 31 was officially a go, with production scheduled to begin later in 2023. Section 31 has been a dream of Star Trek franchise overseer Alex Kurtzman since the days of CBS All Access, and was formally announced in 2019 as a Discovery spinoff show. But over time — and maybe thanks to that Oscar in her pocket — the theoretical series has turned into a one-off movie. Still, based on reactions in Paramount’s news release, Yeoh remains pumped.

“I’m beyond thrilled to return to my Star Trek family and to the role I’ve loved for so long,” Yeoh said in a statement. “ 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)!”

“All the way back in 2017, before the first season of Star Trek: Discovery had even aired, Michelle had the idea to do a spin-off for her character, Philippa Georgiou,” Kurtzman said. “She broke new ground as one of the first two women on screen in the pilot to usher in a new age of Trek, and now, six years later, Star Trek: Section 31 finally arrives on the heels of her latest groundbreaking win. Everyone on Team Trek couldn’t be more thrilled to have our legendary friend return home to us as we expand our storytelling into new and uncharted corners of the Trekverse. Long live Emperor Georgiou; long live Michelle Yeoh!”

The passing years have seen few updates on what Section 31 is actually about, other than the basics: the spinoff would focus on the mysterious Federation organization, which was known for taking a more black-ops approach to keeping the intergalactic peace. “Section 31” refers to the the original Starfleet Charter that gave people like Georgiou Jack Bauer-level authorization to do whatever needs to be done. Music to Mirror Georgiou’s ears, obviously.

The Section 31 announcement arrives on the heels of the final season of Star Trek: Picard , and rumors that Paramount Plus may sunset most of the remaining Trek shows. In February, the streamer announced that Star Trek: Discovery would end after the upcoming fifth season, while the animated series Lower Decks and Prodigy could end after their next seasons. Meanwhile, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , which has a season 2 in the can and set to premiere in June, was preemptively given the season 3 renewal in March. Paramount Plus also has a few Trek replacements in the works; the company has announced a Starfleet Academy show for 2024, and the team behind Picard has made it clear they want to continue telling stories in that timeline with a proposed Star Trek: Legacy .

But for now, there’s Section 31. The film, written by Craig Sweeny and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi (both Star Trek: Discovery vets), will bring Yeoh back into the fold for one more adventure. There is no firm release date, but 2024 seems promising. After that, the franchise will boldly go... somewhere else.

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Michelle Yeoh to reprise role in upcoming Star Trek film

Paramount+  is officially moving forward on a “ Star Trek : Section 31” project starring  Michelle Yeoh , but it will now be an event film instead of a series, Variety has learned.

It was first reported that a Section 31 series with Yeoh was in development  back in 2019 . In the film, Yeoh will reprise the role of Emperor Philippa Georgiou, whom she began playing during Season 1 of “Star Trek: Discovery.”

Per the official logline, “Emperor Philippa Georgiou joins a secret division of Starfleet tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets and faces the sins of her past.” Rumors of a Yeoh-led Section 31 project began upon the conclusion of Season 1 of “Discovery,” after a deleted scene revealed Georgiou being approached by a member of the shadowy intelligence organization on the Klingon homeworld.

“I’m beyond thrilled to return to my ‘Star Trek’ family and to the role I’ve loved for so long,” said Yeoh. “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)!”

Production will begin on the film later this year.

The news comes about a month after  Yeoh won the Academy Award  for best actress for “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” making her the first Asian person to win the award. She also picked up wins at the SAG Awards, Independent Spirit Awards, and the Golden Globes for her work in the film. She is also known for her roles in films like “Crazy Rich Asians,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 1 & 2,” “Memoirs Of A Geisha,” the James Bond film “Tomorrow Never Dies,” and “Sunshine.”

She is repped by Artist International Group and Cohen & Gardner.

“All the way back in 2017, before the first season of ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ had even aired, Michelle had the idea to do a spin-off for her character, Philippa Georgiou,” said executive producer Alex Kurtzman. “She broke new ground as one of the first two women on screen in the pilot to usher in a new age of ‘Trek,’ and now, six years later, ‘Star Trek: Section 31’ finally arrives on the heels of her latest groundbreaking win. Everyone on Team ‘Trek’ couldn’t be more thrilled to have our legendary friend return home to us as we expand our storytelling into new and uncharted corners of the Trekverse. Long live Emperor Georgiou; long live Michelle Yeoh!”

Craig Sweeny (“Limitless,” “Medium”) serves as writer and executive producer on “Star Trek: Section 31.” Olatunde Osunsanmi (“Star Trek: Discovery,” “The Man Who Fell to Earth”) will direct and executive produce. Yeoh will executive produce in addition to starring. Alex Kurtzman and Aaron Baiers executive produce via Secret Hideout. Rod Rodenberry and Trevor Roth of Rodenberry Entertainment also executive produce along with Frank Siracusa and John Weber. CBS Studios will produce. Sweeny, Osunsanmi, and Kurtzman are all currently under overall deals at CBS Studios.

“For years, we’ve been looking forward to Michelle Yeoh one day returning to ‘Star Trek,’” said David Stapf, president of CBS Studios. “Her powerful performance as Captain and Emperor Georgiou was a pivotal moment for the return of the franchise, and her portrayal resonated with fans around the world in a multitude of ways. We couldn’t be prouder to join forces with Michelle once again as we continue to explore the ‘Star Trek’ universe, celebrate its legacy and chart a course for the future of the franchise.”

Section 31 was first introduced in the “Star Trek” series “Deep Space Nine.” The organization has since been featured in the “Star Trek” shows “Enterprise,” “Discovery,” “Lower Decks,” and “Picard,” as well as the film “Into Darkness.”

“We’re thrilled that ‘Star Trek: Section 31’ will be the next title in our ‘Star Trek’ universe,” said Domenic DiMeglio, chief marketing officer and head of data at Paramount Streaming. “Michelle Yeoh is an incomparable talent — she brought Emperor Georgiou to life in such an incredibly fun and nuanced way that the character immediately became a fan favorite. We’re so thrilled to welcome Michelle back to the ‘Star Trek’ and Paramount+ family and can’t wait for fans to see what this special movie event has in store.”

The film is the latest development of the next generation of the revamped “Star Trek” era at Paramount+. The series finale of “Star Trek: Picard” is set to debut on the streamer this week, with the main cast of “Next Generation” reuniting for the show’s third and final season. It was announced in March that a  Starfleet Academy show  has been ordered to series.

Beyond that, it was announced that both “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” and “Star Trek: Lower Decks” had been  renewed ahead of their new season premieres  and that “Star Trek: Discovery”  will end with its fifth season in 2024 .

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Published Sep 11, 2017

Michelle Yeoh Sheds Light on Captain Georgiou, Discovery

StarTrek.com

“All right,” Michelle Yeoh implored, “Let's rock and roll!”

And, with that energetic greeting, the Malaysian actress and action star spread the good word about the upcoming Star Trek: Discovery as she spoke with a small contingent of journalists – including StarTrek.com – for 20 minutes during a press day in Toronto last month. Yeoh plays Captain Philippa Georgiou, who commands the U.S.S. Shenzhou and shares a tight bond with her first officer, Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green). Here’s what Yeoh – who is best known for Police Story 3: Super Cop, Tomorrow Never Dies, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Strike Back and Marco Polo – had to say about her Trek experience thus far.

StarTrek.com: What, if anything, did you know about Star Trek before you got involved with Discovery ?

Michelle Yeoh: I probably watched it when I was a teenager, way back then. I know Spock really well. He was such a character that stood out. Right? With the pointy ears. And the Vulcan pinch! I think he's cool.

But, I had to revisit again when I knew I was going to do Star Trek and then go... “Oh my God, yes! Then, there's Jean-Luc Picard! Oh my God, that's Captain Janeway! Oh my God, this is...” And suddenly you realize, I'm not going to be able to do all of them because there's like what, almost close to 700 and something episodes? It's over 50 years. That's amazing. They must've been doing something right to keep it going for so long. And then, fortunately, J.J. Abrams came out with the [recent] movies. So that was a blast from the past, right? And it brings back all the memories of the Star Trek series. But if you ask me trivia questions I'm going to leave. [laughs]

How would you say your captain is different from previous captains?

MY: This is a personal thing as an actor. You have to own your character, right? You have to understand what is this role and then after that, you define who is Captain Georgiou. Who is she? Where did she come from? So, I worked very closely with Aaron [Harberts] and Gretchen [Berg], our showrunners, and then with David Semel [who directed the pilot] and some of the writers that were here at that time, and Ted [Sullivan], to get a feel of “When you wrote this character, what were you thinking? Is she married? Does she have family? Does she have that?” Because it forms who she is.

So, I know that she is a war veteran. She has seen the horrors of war because it comes out in the dialogue as well. But she is a very compassionate person. As I look into her, she is an explorer at heart. She loved the universe. She loved the ability and the possibility of seeing new stars, new [stars] being born. She's always awed by that. That's what I love about this character. She's not cynical. She's not jaded by all the things. She firmly believes in the hope and the goodness of humanity. It's very pure to play a character like that, to bring her to the fore, but she's also very smart. Otherwise, she would've been dead a long time ago. [laughs] Space is quite a dangerous place.

What kind of a relationship does she have with Burnham? Is she a mother figure for her?

MY: Yeah. She is definitely a mentor; even at the prelude you already know that they've been together for seven years. She's obviously the one who's been teaching her, trying to guide her on the right path. But [Burnham’s] background makes it so interesting because she's the only human. She forgot she was human because she was growing up in the Vulcan world. She was becoming more Vulcan than Vulcan itself. She beat herself up to even more than that. And, it's brutal. I don't know how anybody can survive, unless you are a Vulcan, the kind of training you have to get through so that you are so in control and everything becomes about logic and clear cut and things like that.

Sarek, Spock's dad, is a dear friend of Captain Georgiou and he truly believed that Captain Georgiou would be able to instill the good human qualities back into her, because fundamentally she's a human being, right? You cannot deny yourself what you are. So, it's not just about discovery into space and finding new friends and new cultures, species, but it's self-discovery. And, especially for Sonequa's character because when she comes, she is like, "I am the Vulcan of the Vulcans, man." Captain Georgiou's looking at her, "Oh really? We'll see about that.” But it's not about breaking her spirit. She worked so hard to be who she was seven years ago. But it's about putting back, instilling [her human spirit]. “What is love? What is compassion? What is empathy?” Because, if you don't have that, you will make the wrong choices.

Michael Burnham looked at Captain Georgiou first with disdain. Like, "Really? Uh..." But she begins to respect this woman. She understood and began to understand where she came from, what she was trying to teach her, and then that bond was solidified. So much so, it was like a proud parent saying, "You know, I think you're ready to have your own wings. To fly your own ship." And that's a big deal. So that was the special bond that we had, and Sonequa's such an amazing actress. I think it's not easy, the nuances, to keep it in check but still feel all those different emotions, but still no emotions. It's more difficult than being just a Vulcan, in that sense. So, she just nails it. And we have fun. We have so much fun, it's almost incredible.

Can you tell us about the two ships, two captains and what the show runners called a second pilot? They repeated the phrase that there will be a second pilot inside the season…

MY: The second story was just as important, so we started to call it the second pilot as well. It's hard because the series is not episodic stories right? It's a story that's evolving and it's growing and it's changing. So, we don't just need one species and “OK, bye-bye, we move on to the next one and find another…” I think it's an interesting and new way of storytelling for Star Trek . It's quite brilliant in that sense because I hope it will be something new.

Shenzhou is an older ship. Discovery is a new ship. I am not ready to relinquish my ship because it's Old Faithful. You don't just say, "Oh, I have a new car, bye!" Right?

You’ve done a bit of TV, including Strike Back and Marco Polo , but nothing like this on an extended weekly basis. What's it like been for you to do a TV series?

MY: Well, the good thing is I had a little taste of it when I did Strike Back , and that was fun. That was their final episode. So, it was a wrap-up, a big wah-hah! And then I did Marco Polo, too, which was set in our world and it was a big story. So, at least I had that taste, because otherwise it would've been very tough [to do Discovery] because it's a very different of style of filming. The first time I'm like, "How many directors do I have? I just got used to you. [laughs] . “David and now it's Adam? Who else is new in the show, you know?"

It's challenging. It's really challenging, but I do love it. I do enjoy it because you get to develop the characters in a much more in-depth way than you would in a movie because in a movie you film it in two months. Then that's it. Here, it does evolve. It does change because, as we're filming, we still don't know what's going to happen in the next episode and what we're going to gain and what we're going to lose. So, we're kept on our toes, like you.

Star Trek has hardcore fans that...

MY: Oh yes! I heard about that! (laughs)

They really love the franchise. They're very…

MY: Very protective of it.

And they also go to conventions and write fan fiction and the list goes on. How ready are you to deal with all that?

MY: I know that Sonequa and Jason [Isaacs], Mary [Chieffo], everybody has been going to Comic-Con and they've been doing things. And I've been like going, " Nope ." I have stage fright and I'm like, “Everybody's just gonna throw things at me because I will just say all the wrong things.”

But, I just want the fans to know, I'm not just going to be good at it, I'm gonna be the best at it for you guys. It's like, “Expect something different, please. Think that we are going to give you something that you do not... be ready to embrace the diversity and whatever we throw at you because that's the world of Star Trek , isn't it?”

It's like everything; you have to enter and be brave. You just have to accept there is diversity and new things that come out. So, I think that we have been a little bit smart. It's like, we're 10 years before Captain Kirk and all that. The Prime Directive and all these different rules are not in place, and we are figuring it out. So, in that way, I think it's a little... not easier, but a little bit more flexible in a sense. And this time the story comes from Number One. It's not from the captain's chair, right? From the captain's chair, it's like, "You do what I want because I am the captain." You see it from a different perspective, which I think is very refreshing. And you're not always stuck at the bridge with the captain or in his captain's log.

Captain Georgiou is very diplomatic, even in dealing with the Klingons. Why?

MY: She is because she really, truly believes in cooperation, like the first thing that should come out is a gesture of friendship. Not anything else. Because shoot first and ask questions later just simply means, “Let's fight.” That's not Captain Georgiou. That's why Sarek brought Michael Burnham to her, so that she could help to instill these qualities in Michael Burnham, because Michael Burnham would be very cold and logical. Burnham had very bad memories of the Klingons as well, because that's how her parents died. So, for her, it's like, "No! We have to fight them first. Just shoot them, because that's all they understand." That is the direct (opposite) of Starfleet's principles. Never shoot first. Just don't shoot first, right?

You've been on big movies before. How immersive, how huge are these sets?

MY: Oh, my God! When we started, I was going, "We're shooting a movie here, right?" Marco Polo had amazing sets as well, but they were fixed sets. The dojo, the throne room, they would use them over and over again. You could expect that they would be much more intricate in that sense. Strike Back never had sets. Strike Back just went out on the road, then shot everybody. Then, with this, I was blown away. When you walk into the [ Shenzhou] bridge, [you'll say] “Oh, my God.” The floor is all glass. So, you see the universe below your feet and it's all around you. And, of course, there's the captain's chair. It's like everybody dives into that chair until… When I'm there, nobody dares to touch it. [laughs]

But the Klingon ship. Oh my God! Oh my God! You walk in and it's like walking into a cathedral. The details. I'm going, "Excuse me, it's underneath? Who's gonna see that?" So, once you light it, it's like a Goth cathedral. It's just amazing. The quality and look of our costumes… We have our little Starfleet emblems all down our sides. Color is one thing, but that attention to detail, you only do it in the film because you're on the big screen and every little detail sticks out. Normally, you think, “Oh, it's more bark. Nobody will see it.” And you go, "Wow! Really? This long?” It's stunning. It really is.

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‘Star Trek: Discovery’: Michelle Yeoh Reveals Why She Almost Turned Down Playing Georgiou, and Why She’s Thrilled to Be Back

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[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for “Star Trek: Discovery” Season 1 Episode 14, “The War Without, The War Within.”]

When “Star Trek: Discovery” star Michelle Yeoh was told that the character of Captain Philippa Georgiou would die in the opening episodes of the CBS All Access series, it was nearly a dealbreaker for her. “I said [to the producers], ‘If you’re gonna kill me off, I don’t want to be in it. I don’t want to just die and disappear.'”

Fortunately, showrunners Aaron Harberts and Gretchen Berg assured her that she’d be coming back — which made Yeoh happy, but led to months of secrecy. “The fans, they’ve been so sweet. They stop me on the street to say, ‘Why did you get killed off? Why did they let them kill you off? Come back.’ So, I am glad I am back,” she said. “But it’s been very difficult trying to keep the secret from everyone. It’s been the hardest thing to do, I think, in recent years, to not spill the beans.”

Of course, when Yeoh returned to “Discovery,” it wasn’t as the Captain Georgiou who had become a mentor to Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) — instead, we were introduced to Georgiou’s Mirror Universe equivalent, the ruthless Emperor of the Terrans.

“She’s scary. I love the music, the costumes, the makeup, and hair. And you’re not quite sure when she’s going to attack and what she’s going to do next, so you’re always on your guard,” she said. “Can you imagine having a role like that to play? It was like the most delicious meal. You’re savoring it from savory to spicy. Oh, yeah, I was having a great time.”

Added Yeoh, “It was more sensual, it was dark, and eerie, and creepy at the same time, so it was interesting. I mean, it really made you sort of like succumb to another side of you, which is nice.”

Getting to play in the Mirror Universe this season meant a lot of action sequences, including a climactic confrontation between Georgiou and Lorca (Jason Isaacs) in Episode 13, “What’s Past Is Prologue.” And, just for the record, Yeoh thinks Jason Isaacs was being “way too modest” when he told IndieWire a few weeks ago that doing fight scenes with her made him feel like “a clumsy, drunken hippo.”

“Jason has done many action stunts, and he does everything himself,” she said. “It’s like, ‘Are you sure you want to do that roll, Jason? You don’t really have to.’ He was like, ‘No, no, no, no. I can do it.’ And so he’s falling on his… It’s Jason all the way.”

Added Yeoh, “He’s pretending, okay? He’s doing the Jason thing. He’s a gentleman.”

Yeoh said that the fight sequences in Episode 13 were the longest of the season, which she felt was necessary because “Jason’s character was so pivotal and important since Episode 3, and this was his send-off.”

The day they filmed the ultimate confrontation, Yeoh said, was a great deal of fun — and they had an audience. “Anthony Rapp was there, and a couple of our other actors. We all go, ‘What are you guys doing? It’s your day off.’ They’re like, ‘Oh, no. We came to watch you guys fight.'”

Having survived that epic battle, Georgiou has now crossed over to the Prime Universe, and heading into this Sunday’s season finale it’s impossible to predict what her fate may be — or if there’s any chance of redemption for the character, who wears her darkness on her sleeve.

“This was something that we all talked about right at the beginning,” she said. “It’s like, yes, you see her being very tough and all that, but… there is hope, there is humanity, and it reflects in all the little things that Emperor Georgiou has done, even when she was in the Terran world. That scene between her and Michael Burnham when they talk about their betrayal, their love — if someone can feel that much pain by losing someone you love, there is redemption, there must be redemption, but it doesn’t happen overnight.”

For Yeoh, the dynamic between Burnham and Georgiou at the end of Season 1 is an interesting twist on their relationship at the beginning of the series. “I think I see it almost like a role reversal right now, with Captain Phillipa Georgiou to Michael Burnham at the beginning where she was trying to instill humanity with Michael Burnham, and help her to think and believe that it is okay to feel emotions and be human,” she said. “Captain Phillipa was the one who was teaching Michael Burnham. But now, it seems that Michael Burnham is the one who needs to help Emperor Georgiou find her humanity.”

And the groundwork for that, Yeoh believes, has already been laid for in previous episodes. “You see her softening when she was fighting next to Michael Burnham — she feels like her daughter was there,” she said. “So, I think this bond is never gonna go away from the two of them, and it will be interesting if in the future journeys, they can help each other find that again.”

What’s interesting to Yeoh is the way in which people have been reacting to this new version of Georgiou. “People are actually loving this new character. They don’t go, ‘Oh, she’s evil. Why would you want to play an evil character?’ You know, your hero is only as good as your antagonist, and sometimes you need someone to, you know, rough up things a little. What I love about this character is she will help you, as long as she helps herself as well,” she said.

“That’s what ‘Star Trek’ is — it’s always very reflective of what’s happening around today,” she said. “Let me put it this way — these are interesting times, and I think our series has been very reflective of that. And I think people have been very excited, especially when they see so many woman roles, and this is something that we are fighting for right now is gender equality, so it seems right. It is right, that in the future, which is what ‘Star Trek’ always represents. You know? This is our future, and it’s so inspiring, especially for young girls to turn around and go, ‘Hey, I can be an admiral, I can be a captain.'”

Noted IndieWire: “She could be an emperor.”

“Yes, as well as an emperor,” she agreed.

“I really, really am so grateful for this chance to be part of the ‘Star Trek’ family because there’s so much love and passion that goes into it, the details, everything,” Yeoh said. “From the stories, the costumes, the special effects. Isn’t it just amazing when the mycelium is reborn again? I mean, it’s like poetry in motion. So, I’m really very grateful for this opportunity.”

The Season 1 finale of “Star Trek: Discovery” streams this Sunday at 8:30 p.m. on CBS All Access.

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Star Trek: Discovery Spinoff About Section 31, Starring Michelle Yeoh, Is Still in Development at Paramount+

Matt webb mitovich, chief content officer.

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Even though Golden Globe nominee Michelle Yeoh seems to be doing everything, everywhere, all at once, there remains hope that she still has interstellar espionage in her future.

Coming off of Yeoh’s Season 1 run in Star Trek: Discovery , there were reports that she would headline a spinoff centered on Starfleet’s Section 31, a top-secret division first introduced in the Deep Space Nine TV series. (Yeoh’s “mirror” Philippa Georgiou was first recruited to join the division in a deleted scene from Discovery ‘s Season 1 finale.) In fact, it was four years ago this week that the prospective offshoot was officially put into development at Paramount+ fka CBS All Access.

But in the years since, Yeoh has gone on to book/film roles in Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings , the Golden Globe-nominated film Everything Everywhere All at Once , Netflix’s The School for Good and Evil , Disney+’s upcoming American Born Chinese and Netflix’s recently released The Witcher: Blood Origin .

Yet despite Yeoh’s status as a hot commodity, Tanya Giles, chief programming officer of Paramount Streaming, told TVLine at a Television Critics Association press tour event that there have been “conversations” about the Section 31 series, affirming, “It’s still in development.”

Alex Kurtzman, the architect of Paramount+’s Star Trek slate, said in a May 2022 interview that Yeoh’s Section 31 series was one of two new series “we are focusing on right now” (the other being about cadets at Starfleet Academy). Yeoh herself told EW last February that she still hoped to do the series, describing it as the Discovery universe “but different. It’s wilder. It’s Mission: Impossible meets Guardians of the Galaxy in space.”

Yeoh played the  USS Shenzhou ‘s captain Philippa Georgiou in Season 1 of Paramount+’s first Star Trek: Discovery , but was killed off early on. She returned later that season as the ruthless mirror-universe counterpart, Emperor Georgiou, who wound up involved in Starfleet’s Section 31 — a covert element that played a role throughout Season 2.

If a Section 31 series ends up actually happening, it would join Paramount+’s ever-robust slate of Star Trek fare, including Discovery (Season 5 is due this year), Star Trek: Picard (Season 3 premieres Feb. 16), Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the animated Star Trek: Lower Decks .

Want scoop on any of the above shows ? Email [email protected] and your question may be answered via Matt’s Inside Line .

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This was the only one i was excited about. I’m about ready for discovery to end and be retconned nearly every other show is much better including the animated ones.

Discovery completely lost me last season, it was really bad I could not stay interested at all.

No love for Star Trek Prodigy? I thought it was premiering on Paramount+ now.

Michelle Yeoh seemed to be having a blast when on the later parts of Discovery but I cannot imagine her being able to commit full time on a series if she gets an Oscar nod or win – her dance card is so full already even without it.

Unless they like kill her off in the 2nd episode like Discovery. ;)

Streaming is 10 episodes at most. She could do it. In-between movie projects.

Hopefully. I feel like she’s going to be priced out – way too hot to follow up a successful award season with a streaming series. But I hope not – she was one of the best parts of Discovery and I would definitely watch S31 if she’s in.

ScrubsGuy is not wrong. Michelle Yeoh has ten upcoming credits on imdb, including two TV series. Yeoh may or may not be a series regular on either series. ScrubsGuy is also likely correct that the amount of money Paramount thought they were going to be paying Yeoh three years ago, well that is going to be higher after she wins the Oscar.

I have had my fingers crossed for a long time waiting for this one. Yeoh’s mirror Philippa Georgiou is such a fun [anti-hero] character. I am glad there is still hope, but clearly it won’t happen anytime soon!

Forgot Prodigy?

Hurray – another Prodigy fan!

Also she is madam Morrible in Wickeds 2 movies. I dont know how she will fit it in. But i do wonder if the plan is to introduce it somewhere specific plot wise. Ie end of Picard or some such and thus the “delay”

I have no interest in the evil mirror universe version of her character, but I would love to see episodes set before she died in the regular universe (while she was playing the good version of her character).

Just out of curiosity how do you expect that to work? Her Prime Universe version died in the first season of Discovery. It was her Mirror Universe counterpart that joined Section 31 and the show would have to be set after the episode of Discovery when she met the Guardian of Forever and was sent back in time. So a Section 31 series would have to be set most likely during the same time period as Strange New Worlds.

I really hope we get this spinoff… Discovery went downhill after writing out Georgiou.

And yet another Star Trek show not going to Broadcast Televison WHERE IT RIGHTFULLY BELONGS. This shuffling everything Star Trek to streaming represents a failure to honor Gene Roddenberry’s legacy of making Star Trek for Broadcast Television, not Streaming Services! It is meant to be enjoyed by all, not by those who can pay for the use of the Platform. Congratulations everyone, streaming has ruined Star Trek.

St never done that well on a network. at its best ratings wise on syndication. streaming is the new syndication

I have no problem watching whatever I like. What difference does any of that make?

What will happen first Disney+/Hulu’s THE ORVILLE Season 4, or Paramount+’s STAR TREK : SECTION 31…

Orville since we’ll never see the Section 31 show now that Michelle Yeoh is getting the recognition she deserves. Far too busy to make another series unless all other series she stars in get cancelled.

that golden globe WINNER!!!!

It’s still in development after four years because she is now too busy to do it. They’ll have to wait until she pencils them into her schedule.

So, Alex, we’re still “breaking story” on this? Still? It’s you’re waiting for two slices of toast to pop up from a toaster that doesn’t have a power cord. Enough.

I love Star Trek, and I love Michelle Yeoh. Please no. No Section 31… ever. I wish we could delete it from canon.

Let her do Captain Giorgio!

The slate will no longer be robust soon though will it? Season 3 of Picard is it’s last and now it seems season 5 of Discovery is on it’s way out the door. Which only leaves 10 episodes of Strange New Worlds every couple of years and two shows that are basically for kids. If the Section 31 series is still so far out that it hasn’t even gone into pre-production yet and there’s no firm commitment from Michelle Yeoh who is only going to get more busy after her Golden Globe win (she deserves it though) I hope they have something else in the pipeline because a single 10 episode season of SNW that takes two years to make isn’t going to keep anyone who signed up for Star Trek subscribed during the nearly 2 year wait between seasons happy.

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Watch CBS News

Michelle Yeoh interview on playing a captain on "Star Trek: Discovery"

By Andrea Park

Updated on: September 24, 2017 / 8:17 PM EDT / CBS News

Michelle Yeoh, who stars in the upcoming "Star Trek: Discovery," talked to CBSN about her role as Captain Philippa Georgiou, who helms the USS Shenzhou. 

Yeoh said she loves her character's warmth and optimism. 

"She is one who still has hope for humanity," explains Yeoh. "She believes very, very strongly there is goodness out there and we will always work from that point of view." 

Yeoh spoke of Georgiou's ability to lead the crew. "She's the father and mother of them. She trusts them implicitly because she will tell them what to do and navigate them into safety." 

• "Star Trek: Discovery" star Sonequa Martin-Green on "upholding the legacy"

The actress also said that it means a lot to her to play a captain as an Asian woman.

"It's a blessing to be given the opportunity, to make a stand and say, this is what's for the future. Whoever can do the job, just get it done. It doesn't matter if you're a man or woman or what race, because in the future, we are one race, we are human. We're from planet Earth and we work together and protect our home base like that." Yeoh pointed out that "Star Trek: Discovery" is set 200 years in the future. "All this will be a definite thing of the past," she added. 

Watch the video above to see what else Yeoh reveals about "Star Trek: Discovery."

A special broadcast premiere of "Star Trek: Discovery" will air Sunday, Sept. 24 at 8:30 p.m. ET, 7:30 p.m. CT on CBS. After premiere night, all new episodes will be available on  CBS All Access . 

Andrea is an entertainment producer at CBSNews.com

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‘Picard’ Stars React to Michelle Yeoh Returning to ‘Star Trek’ Universe: ‘Talk About Badass!’

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Just days before the “ Star Trek : Picard” team celebrated its series finale with an FYC red carpet event in Hollywood Wednesday night, Paramount+ announced that Michelle Yeoh will reprise her role of Philippa Georgiou in the upcoming event film, “Star Trek: Section 31.” The announcement had the cast of “Picard” extremely excited for Yeoh’s return and eager to give kudos to the newly minted Oscar winner.

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

Thanks to “Star Trek,” powerful women roles have been seen for decades, which wasn’t lost on Gates Mcfadden, who plays the iconic Dr. Beverly Crusher. “Talk about badass!” she said. “Oh, I’m so happy for her. I’ve been a huge fan of hers. I think she’s fantastic.”

Brent Spiner, who plays the synthetic life form Data, added: “When you look at who’s been in the films, it is a cornucopia of fantastic talent. I feel very lucky to have been a part of it and love seeing people like Michelle returning.”

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Michelle Yeoh to Reprise Role from 'Star Trek: Discovery' in New 'Star Trek' Movie: 'Dream Come True'

Michelle Yeoh's Star Trek: Discovery character Emperor Philippa Georgiou will lead Star Trek: Section 31

Michelle Yeoh is returning to Star Trek !

On Tuesday, Paramount+ announced that it is moving forward with a new Star Trek original movie titled Star Trek: Section 31 starring Academy Award winner Yeoh, who will reprise her Star Trek: Discovery role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou.

Yeoh, 60, began playing the character in Discovery 's first season on the streaming service back in 2017. She appeared in 24 episodes of the series as Georgiou, who returns to the Star Trek universe in the new movie to "join a secret division of Starfleet tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets and face the sins of her past," according to an official synopsis of the project.

"I'm beyond thrilled to return to my Star Trek family and to the role I've loved for so long," Yeoh said of the upcoming film in a statement Tuesday. "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."

Yeoh added in her statement that the spinoff movie for her character "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," Yeoh shared. "Until then: live long and prosper (unless Emperor Georgiou decrees otherwise)!"

In a press release shared Tuesday, Star Trek: Discovery executive producer Alex Kurtzman said that Yeoh first presented an idea to create a spinoff based on her character before the series began airing back in 2017.

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"She broke new ground as one of the first two women on screen in the pilot to usher in a new age of Trek , and now, six years later, Star Trek: Section 31 finally arrives on the heels of her latest groundbreaking win," Kurtzman said in a statement, noting Yeoh's recent Oscar victory for her role in 2022's Everything Everywhere All at Once .

RELATED VIDEO: Michelle Yeoh Revisits Her Most Iconic Roles: From 'Bond Girl' to Crazy Rich Asians and Star Trek

"Everyone on Team Trek couldn't be more thrilled to have our legendary friend return home to us as we expand our storytelling into new and uncharted corners of the Trekverse," he added.

Olatunde Osunsanmi will direct Star Trek: Section 31 from a script written by Craig Sweeny, according to a release. Both filmmakers currently work on the Discovery Paramount+ series. Production is expected to begin later this year.

Yeoh recently brought her Oscar trophy to her home country Malaysia to share her awards season victory with her family after Everything Everywhere All at Once won seven Oscars in March , including Best Picture.

In addition to the new Star Trek movie, Yeoh will voice the Transformers character Airazor in June's Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and is set to play Madame Morrible in the upcoming film adaptation of Wicked .

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Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh is officially returning to Starfleet.

Paramount+ has greenlit Star Trek: Section 31 , an original movie for the streamer. Yeoh will reprise her role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou, a character she first played in Star Trek: Discovery ‘s first season.

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Production on the movie from CBS Studios will begin later this year.

“I’m beyond thrilled to return to my Star Trek family and to the role I’ve loved for so long,” said Yeoh. “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)!”

“All the way back in 2017, before the first season of Star Trek: Discovery had even aired, Michelle had the idea to do a spin-off for her character, Philippa Georgiou,” said executive producer Alex Kurtzman in a statement. “She broke new ground as one of the first two women on screen in the pilot to usher in a new age of Trek, and now, six years later, Star Trek: Section 31 finally arrives on the heels of her latest groundbreaking win. Everyone on Team Trek couldn’t be more thrilled to have our legendary friend return home to us as we expand our storytelling into new and uncharted corners of the Trekverse. Long live Emperor Georgiou. Long live Michelle Yeoh!” 

“For years, we’ve been looking forward to Michelle Yeoh one day returning to Star Trek,” added David Stapf , president of CBS Studios. “Her powerful performance as Captain and Emperor Georgiou was a pivotal moment for the return of the franchise, and her portrayal resonated with fans around the world in a multitude of ways. We couldn’t be prouder to join forces with Michelle once again as we continue to explore the Star Trek universe, celebrate its legacy and chart a course for the future of the franchise.”

Written by Craig Sweeny and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, Section 31 is executive produced by Alex Kurtzman, Craig Sweeny, Aaron Baiers, Olatunde Osunsanmi, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth and Michelle Yeoh, and is produced by CBS Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment.

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‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Says Goodbye to an Original Cast Member

Where to stream:.

• Star Trek: Discovery

Spoilers for  Star Trek: Discovery Season 3, Episode 10, “Terra Firma, Part 2” past this point.

Star Trek: Discovery hasn’t been a show big on goodbyes. We’ve seen villains like Lorca (Jason Isaacs) kick the bucket, and guest stars like Captain Pike (Anson Mount) and Spock (Ethan Peck) pop in for their one-season long arcs. Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif), a cast-member since Season 1, just sort of disappeared at the end of Season 2, after deciding not to accompany the crew of Discovery on their trip 930 years into the future. And Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) “died,” only to come back the next season.

So yeah, relatively perfunctory by modern dramatic TV standards. That is, until this week’s Discovery , which saw a big, blown-out, two-episode long goodbye tour for Michelle Yeoh’s Emperor Philippa Georgiou.

Georgiou has been important to the series since the first episode, the mentor to Sonequa Martin-Green’s Michael Burnham, and de facto mother figure. But as part of one of the many huge twists and swerves Discovery dropped during Season 1, the captain of the USS Shenzhou died at the end of the series’ second episode, “The Battle of the Binary Stars.” It was shocking not just because of the whiplash from establishing the  Shenzhou for two episodes, only to essentially repilot the series with the Discovery in Episode 3. It was also the absolute gall to kill off a living legend like Yeoh.

But that was all a set up to another twist. Just as Burnham was starting to feel at home on the Discovery , the crew was thrust into the evil Mirror Universe (later revealed to be the machinations of Lorca); a dimension whose Terran Empire was ruled mercilessly over by none other than… Philippa Georgiou. Naturally this led to a lot of soul searching from Burnham, and the ultimate decision to pull the Emperor out of the Mirror Universe, and into the regular  Star Trek universe.

This version of Georgiou is admittedly evil and vicious, but she also has a severe soft spot for Burnham. It’s something that’s been teased and discussed since Philippa 2.0 was introduced, but thanks to Mirror Burnham dying before Season 1, we never got to see what made that relationship tick. Enter the two-part “Terra Firma,” which thanks to a Guardian of Forever named Carl (Paul Guilfoyle) allowed Georgiou to reverse- It’s A Wonderful Life her time in the Mirror Universe in order to see what would have happened if she hadn’t executed her own Burnham.

Long story short, it doesn’t go very well. But in the process, this version of Georgiou learns that unlike her fellow Mirror Universe brethren, she has the ability to change. She isn’t good, necessarily, but as Carl explains: she’s trying to do better, and that’s important, too.

That doesn’t address the initial problem that drew Georgiou to Carl the Giant Rock Ring, though: due to the Mirror Universe and the regular universe drifting apart, she is being ripped into pieces at a molecular level. In order to save her, and because she has shown a willingness to change, Carl allows her to step through the rock ring and head to an unspecified time in the past when the two universes were closer together.

…And that’s a series wrap on Michelle Yeoh, but it definitely doesn’t mean she’s done with  Star Trek . After a lengthy goodbye from the crew, we don’t find out any further information on where Georgiou ended up (and a press rep for CBS All Access confirmed to Decider that this is, in fact, Michelle Yeoh’s final episode of Discovery ). It’s fair to speculate, though, that she’s heading directly into the long in development Section 31 series. First announced back in 2019, the  Star Trek franchise’s black ops unit played a big role in  Discovery Season 2, and Georgiou was a large part of that.

'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Renewed For Season 4 At Paramount+

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The question, then, is whether she’s headed back to Discovery ‘s old timeline, to go and pick up Ash Tyler (who was also part of Section 31)? Or could she potentially make her way over to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , which is reportedly filming starting in February, before going over to the as-yet unnamed Section 31 show.

Or: given the time period wasn’t specified by Carl, she could being going somewhere else entirely. We’ve certainly seen enough of the pre- The Original Series timeline where Discovery (and Strange New Worlds ) is set, and the Next Generation time period, thanks to Voyager, Deep Space Nine and more. What if instead, Georgiou is plopped somewhere between the two? Or hey, maybe she could head to a third Star Trek universe (though that might defeat the point of making sure her molecules hold together by sending her somewhere safe).

Whatever is next for Georgiou, it won’t be on  Star Trek: Discovery . Terra firma!

Star Trek: Discovery streams Thursdays on CBS All Access.

Where to watch  Star Trek: Discovery

• CBS All Access

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A beautiful vision, Michelle Yeoh shined in a whole white outfit at the 10th Annual Breakthrough Prize Ceremony. Enjoy HQ photos I added to the gallery.

Take a look in the gallery for photos of Michelle Yeoh at yesterday’s panel at CinemaCon.

First image of Michelle Yeoh in Section 31 has been published on Variety and anticipation is growing fast and fast. Enjoy it!

Vanity Fair published some exclusive promotional photos for Wicked. Enjoy!

Wonderful Academy Awards Winner Michelle Yeoh presented the Best Actreess category, with fellow actress and winner of the category, Sally Field, Jennifer Lawrence, Charlize Theron and Jessica Lange. Michelle wore a Balenciaga Couture gown paired with Cindy Chao jewels. At the Vanity Fair Oscar Party, she changed into another Balenciaga long gown dress in total black. Classy and wonderful!

Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh is set to star in the action thriller  The Mother .

Melanie Laurent will direct the high-octane movie being shopped to international buyers in Berlin. Yeoh will play Ann, an immigrant mother and businesswoman looking to make the best of her new life in America for her family.

When her two teenage sons stumble into trouble with a Boston dirty cop and a crime ring, Ann has no choice but to rekindle her past and stop at nothing until they are safe. Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee will produce through Thunder Road, alongside Arthur Sarkissian and John Schramm.

The Mother  will shoot in summer 2024. Stuart Ford will executive produce for AGC Studios alongside 30WEST, which is financing the pic.

“It’s like brushing my teeth,” says Michelle Yeoh, the Oscar-winning actor and star of Evertyhing Everywhere All at Once , of her relationshing with wing chum. “It’s a daily ritual I would not miss. Even if we have early call times on set, I will still commit to waking up earlier, to activate my mind and body.”

Martial arts is a form of mindfulness for Yeoh, who was born in Malaysia. “The benefits extend beyond physical fitness,” she says. As well as increasing strength and flexibility, martial arts “improves mental stamina and confidence”, she says. Perfecting each technique “requires focus, balance and concentration. It requires the mind and body to act as one.”

Yeoh has always been active: she moved to London aged 15 to train as a dancer before a back injury “derailed” her career. “Ballet was where I first learned how to move with strength and intention,” she says. It proved a fruitful grounding for martial arts, which she learned on set of the movie Wing Chun , released in 1994. “Dance and martial arts have a lot in common,” she says. “They’re both about fluid and powerful movement. When working ona ction movies, I really delve into my dance knowledge of choreography, co-ordination and flexibility to guide my martial arts and help me perform high intensity scenes with grace and elegance.”

Wing Chun – the kung fu film directed by Yuen Woo-Ping, which derives its name fromt he southern Chinese kung fu practice that uses a hand-to-hand combat system of self-defence – was Yeoh’s first foray into martial arts. In it, she plays a young woman working in her family’s tofu shop, who decideds to study combat to fend off a forced marriage and men hankering after her beauty. She recalls it fondly. “There were no [private] trailers back then; we all shared meals and conversations between scenes,” she says. On set, the combat routines felt “innovative and fun”.

Yeoh was hooked. She has since become renowned on-screen for her stunts: see her opposite Pierce Brosnan’s James Bon in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), or Steven Spielberg’s Memoirs of a Geisha (2005). In Everything Everywhere , she plays Evelyn Quan Qang, a Chinese-American laundromat lady navigating the complex American immigrant and tax systems, who switches between worlds to save the multiverse from an evil force, picking up increasingly elaborate kung fu moves along the way.

Read the full article/interview in our press library .

Take a first look at the trailer of Wicked – Part I that aired during Super Bowl. You’ll recognize a familiar face, or at least voice, in Michelle Yeoh.

GP is joined today by actress Michelle Yeoh. They talked about Yeoh’s beginnings as a ballet dancer in England, which unexpectedly led to her career in acting, and how she landed her first commercial with Jackie Chan. They talked about responsibility in family and why Yeoh decided early on in her career to step away from acting to prioritize her first marriage and how she feels about that decision now. Other highlights: how the pair felt winning their respective Oscar awards at very different stages in their lives, maintaining friendships with exes, what it was like for Yeoh to work with GP’s husband on The Brothers Sun, and what they order at dim sum.

Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh is set to reprise her role as Philippa Georgiou one last time.

It’s official! Paramount has finally entered production on the  Michelle Yeoh -led  Star Trek: Section 31  movie event. Cameras are at long last rolling in Toronto as Yeoh returns to the franchise to reprise her role as Philippa Georgiou one last time. Yeoh played two versions of Georgiou over the first three seasons of  Star Trek: Discovery . Captain Georgiou met an untimely end early in the first season before her mirror universe counterpart wound up stuck on the wrong side of reality, leaving her like an evil fish out of water. However, her time spent with  Sonequa Martin-Green ‘s Michael Burnham made a notable impact on the once all-powerful warlord, changing her for the better before she was sent back in time by the Guardian of Forever.

Now, we’ll finally catch up with what happened to her following her exit from the series in Season 3. According to Paramount, we’ll see Georgiou join “a secret division of Starfleet. Tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets, she also must face the sins of her past.” In addition to getting cameras rolling on the first  Star Trek  movie in almost a decade, the studio also announced the supporting cast which includes  Omari Hardwick  ( Power ),  Kacey Rohl  ( Hannibal ), Emmy winner  Sam Richardson  ( Ted Lasso ),  Sven Ruygrok  ( One Piece ),  Robert   Kazinsky  ( Pacific   Rim ),  Humberly Gonzalez  ( Ginny & Georgia ) and  James Hiroyuki Liao  ( Barry ).

Late last year Collider’s  Arezou Amin  spoke with Yeoh for her Netflix series  The Brothers Sun  and while she couldn’t reveal much about the  Section 31  movie, she emphasized how important the project is to her, saying: “ Section 31  is very special to me, and I’m so happy we’re doing it.” Today, executive producer and  Star Trek  creative overseer,  Alex Kurtzman  also shared a statement along with the exciting news, saying:

And we’re off to the races! Thrilled to report principal photography has started on Star Trek: Section 31 . We welcome our incredible cast of new characters as they join our beloved Michelle Yeoh on her next wild adventure across the ‘Trek’ universe.

Michelle Yeoh's Star Trek movie begins filming, One Piece and Ted Lasso stars added to cast

Star Trek: 31 has entered production

Star Trek: Section 31, starring Michelle Yeoh, has officially begun filming.

Per Deadline , Omari Hardwick (Power), Kacey Rahl (Hannibal), Emmy winner Sam Richardson (Ted Lasso), Sven Ruygrok (One Piece), Robert Kazinsky (Pacific Rim), Humberly Gonzalez (Ginny & Georgia) and James Hiroyuki Liao (Barry) have joined the cast.

In the film, Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Yeoh) joins a secret division of Starfleet tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets and faces the sins of her past. Yeoh first originated the role in Star Trek: Discovery season 1 , and was killed off before returning as her mirror-verse counterpart Emperor Georgiou. Section 31 is a covert intelligence and defense organization working on behalf of the United Federation of Planets.

Star Trek: Section 31 was first announced over four years ago as a spin-off series before Paramount Plus announced last year that it would instead be an exclusive feature-length film. Star Trek: Discovery producer and helmer Olatunde Osunsanmi directs from a script penned by Craig Sweeny (Elementary, Star Trek: Discovery). Yeoh previously described the project as "Mission: Impossible meets Guardians of the Galaxy in space" (H/T EW ).

"And we’re off to the races! Thrilled to report principal photography has started on Star Trek: Section 31," executive producer Alex Kurtzman said in a statement. "We welcome our incredible cast of new characters as they join our beloved Michelle Yeoh on her next wild adventure across the 'Trek' universe."

Star Trek: Section 31 does not yet have a release date. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2024 and beyond.

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Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.

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Michelle Yeoh-Led ‘Star Trek: Section 31’ Begins Production in Toronto

The Paramount+ film will also star Omari Hardwick, Kacey Rohl and Sam Richardson

Paramount+’s “Star Trek: Section 31” has officially begun production in Toronto.

The film, which stars Michelle Yeoh, will see the Academy Award winner reprise her role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou – a fan-favorite character from “Star Trek: Discovery” Season 1 – who joins a secret division of Starfleet. Tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets, she also must face the sins of her past.

Rounding out the main cast are Omari Hardwick (“Power”), Kacey Rohl (“Hannibal”), Emmy-winner Sam Richardson (“Ted Lasso”), Sven Ruygrok (“One Piece”), Robert Kazinsky (“Pacific Rim”), Humberly Gonzalez (“Ginny & Georgia”) and James Hiroyuki Liao (“Barry”).

“We welcome our incredible cast of new characters as they join our beloved Michelle Yeoh on her next wild adventure across the ‘Trek’ universe,” executive producer Alex Kurztman said.

“Star Trek: Section 31,” is written by Craig Sweeny and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi. Sweeny and Osunsanmi executive produce alongside Yeoh, Kurtzman, Aaron Baiers, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth.

The film, which will stream exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and in all international markets where the service is available, is produced by CBS Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment and distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

A release date for “Star Trek: Section 31” has not yet been announced.

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Michelle Yeoh’s Sheer Aquamarine Suit Is Perfect for Spring

A cool color for the warmer months

The actor joined her costars in the upcoming film adaptation of Wicked at the event, where they chatted about the movie and took plenty of loved-up selfies. The actors embodied their characters with their looks, and Yeoh surely channeled Madame Morrible—headmistress of Crage Hall at Shiz University (the school where witches Elphaba and Glinda first meet as teens)—and her signature green-blue wardrobe.

Yeoh opted for an airy suit in a cool aquamarine—a set composed of a long double-breasted blazer in a gauzy sheer fabric, and dreamy loose trousers that swished as she walked. The actor wore the see-through blazer over a black bra. She finished the look with glossy sky-high beige platform heels and some diamond jewelry from Anita Ko, including a rope diamond ear cuff and several rings.

The Crazy Rich Asians star wore her hair in a side-parted, wavy style, and had on natural rosy makeup.

Yeoh was joined by costars Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, and Ethan Slater at the event. Grande channeled her character, Glinda, in a pink 3-D flower dress by Oscar de la Renta . Erivo, meanwhile, went as Elphaba (the future Wicked Witch of the West) in a green top, silver miniskirt, and thigh-high green boots—all from Versace’s Fall/Winter 2024 ready-to-wear collection.

Rosa Sanchez is the senior news editor at Harper's Bazaar, working on news as it relates to entertainment, fashion, and culture. Previously, she was a news editor at ABC News and, prior to that, a managing editor of celebrity news at American Media. She has also written features for Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, Forbes, and The Hollywood Reporter, among other outlets. 

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