The Star Trek franchise has stood the test of time, spanning almost 60 years, 11 spin-off television series, and two very popular film franchises. The newest film spin-off, Star Trek: Section 31, is set to premiere on the streaming service Paramount+ on January 24th, 2025. This new iteration of Star Trek stars Michelle Yeoh as Philippa Georgiou, a character from the Mirror Universe who ran the Terran Empire as she travels to the main universe and joins a division of Starfleet. Fans of the franchise might be wondering where and when to watch this new spin-off, a question that this article will answer for them.
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Release Date January 24, 2025 Cast Michelle Yeoh How and When to Watch "Star Trek: Section 31"
Star Trek: Section 31 will be premiering on January 24th, 2025 through the Paramount+ streaming service at 3 AM Eastern and 12 AM Pacific time in the United States. It is also slated to premiere on the same date, January 24th, for German, Australian and Canadian audiences. In the US, it will only be available on the Paramount+ website or app for subscribers, or for purchase from third-party apps such as Vudu.
Although it will be premiering on the 24th for viewers, there have already been some early screenings for critics, press, and the lucky few fans who were able to be in New York or London at the right time. Early reviews weren't promising, with most feeling that this new show is a fairly standard take on the Star Trek universe and science fiction in general with very little new or interesting to offer, while a few hopeful fans seemed to view it as a possibly exciting new entry for the franchise. Only time will tell which opinion will win out with audiences.
What Is 'Star Trek: Section 31' About?
Star Trek: 31 tells the story of a secret division within the Starfleet organization known as Section 31 - a group in charge of protecting the United Federation of Planets through any means necessary, even unauthorized or illegal means. They are the division of Starfleet that is sent in when regular methods won't do, and when Starfleet needs to be able to send in a group that can do what needs to be done without rules or regulations.
This division, and the cast, are led by Michelle Yeoh's Philippa Georgiou, a character from the Mirror Universe who was introduced in another spin-off show, Star Trek: Discovery. When the audience catches up with Georgiou in this new show, she has left the Mirror Universe and is now in a new part of the Star Trek timeline where she owns a nightclub outside of Federation space called the Baraam.
It's clear from the marketing of the show that Philippa Georgiou is going to be a large part of the focus of the show, and might be the main draw for audiences tuning in. With so much focus being on the character and on Michelle Yeoh heading up the cast, anyone who is unfamiliar with her character from Star Trek: Discovery might be left wondering who she is and how she fits into the Star Trek Universe.
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Posts 2 Who is Philippa Georgiou?
Introduced in the pilot episode of Star Trek: Discovery, the original Captain Georgiou is the leader of the USS Shenzhou. It's clear from the very beginning that the crew on her ship think highly of her and that she is a respected and beloved captain. Partway through the first season, in the 11th episode, a different version of Philippa Georgiou is introduced - a version of her from the Mirror Universe, a universe parallel to but separate from the main one featured in Star Trek, who is depicted as the ruthless emperor of the Terran Empire.
She appeared periodically throughout the rest of the series, with her final appearance being in the tenth episode of season 3. Although she shows character growth throughout the series, by her last episode she is still a very different version of Philippa than Captain Georgiou of the main timeline.
This version of Georgiou is, in many ways, the opposite of the version from the main universe. She is a much harsher character, one who is depicted as callous and driven to the point of being cruel. This is the Philippa Georgiou audiences can expect to see in the new Star Trek show, or at least some version of her. Yeoh herself has said that she hopes that this Philippa won't lose her edge, even if she was shown learning more compassion in later episodes of Star Trek: Discovery.
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It is this character's edge that, theoretically, will make watching her lead a Starfleet division trying to protect people so compelling. Her relationships with the other members of Section 31 and interactions with those she is tasked with protecting have a lot of potential for a fascinating movie - the only question is whether or not the show will live up to that potential.
What 'Star Trek: Section 31' Could Mean for the Star Trek Franchise
Although this is just one movie entry in the history of a long and varied franchise, the future of the Star Trek universe could be greatly affected depending on how this movie does. If it does well, drawing in large viewership numbers and positive responses, then that could mean a sequel for this movie as well as further exploration of Section 31 and the members of this secret Starfleet group. If it doesn't do well, then the franchise is likely to pivot to other storylines and characters within the universe - leaving Philippa Georgiou and hew crew of misfits in Section 31 forgotten.