Star Trek: Discovery fans now have an idea of when the Michelle Yeoh-led Section 31 spinoff could premiere.
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Star Trek: Discovery showrunner Alex Kurtzman touched on the spinoff during the TCA Winter 2019 Press Tour.
“Well, Erika [Lippoldt] and Bo [Yeon Kim] are writing it now, so we’re breaking story now,” Kurtzman tells ComicBook.com. “And they’re amazing, and they’re a big part of Discovery, so they’re on our staff too. So they’re doing double duty this year, and our hope is that we will have a script in the next couple months, and then as soon as Discovery Season Three is over we’re rolling right into that show. That’s my hope.”
It should be noted that Discovery has not been officially renewed for a third season yet, at least not publicly, but considering it is the flagship of the Star Trek TV franchise a renewal seems like a safe bet.
Kurtzman also revealed that the idea for the spinoff has been percolating since Yeoh suggested it during Discovery’s first season.
“In season one, Michelle came to me and said, ‘Let’s do a spinoff of this character.’ And I took a minute, because it was clearly such a brilliant idea, except the series hadn’t aired yet,” Kurtzman recalls. “No one had seen even season one of Discovery, so nobody really knew, and we didn’t, if it was going to be successful or not. So the minute it became successful, we started that conversation.”
Yeoh will return as Philippa Georgiou, the former Emperor of the Terran Empire in Star Trek‘s Mirror Universe. Following Discovery‘s first season, Georgiou was brought into the Prime Timeline and recruited by Section 31, a shadow organization working parallel to Starfleet for the benefit of the United Federation of Planets. As seen in the third episode of Discovery‘s second season, Georgiou fits right in with Section 31’s “by any means necessary” approach to keeping the Federation safe and prosperous.
“Michelle has shattered ceilings, broken boundaries, and astonished us with her grace and gravitas for decades,” Kurtzman said in a statement when the spinoff was announced. “As a human, I adore her. As an actor, I revere her. 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.”
“I’m so excited to continue telling these rich Star Trek stories,” said Yeoh. “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!’”
In the meantime, Georgiou continues to be a recurring character on Star Trek: Discovery.
Are you excited about the Star Trek: Discovery spinoff? Let us know in the comments!
Additional reporting by Scott Huver.
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