Who Is Michelle Yeoh's Philippa Georgiou? Star Trek's Next Movie Star Explained

"Star Trek" has returned to its small-screen roots in recent years, keeping Trekkies everywhere entertained through "Star Trek: Picard," "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," and other titles. While it stands to reason the franchise will continue to dominate the long-form television scene well into the future, it's not giving up on feature-length efforts by any means. For instance, one of the most intriguing upcoming "Star Trek" films is "Star Trek: Section 31," which is a spin-off of the Paramount+ series "Star Trek: Discovery" and puts the spotlight on Michelle Yeoh's Philippa Georgiou.

Introduced on "Discovery" — specifically the episode "The Vulcan Hello" — Georgiou serves as the commanding officer of the USS Shenzhou. Though she undeniably takes her position seriously, she is far less strict than other Starfleet figureheads. She grows especially close with Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), even acting as something of a parental figure to her from time to time. Thus, when Georgiou is tragically killed by the Klingon T'Kuvma (Chris Obi) during the Battle of the Binary Stars, Burnham makes a pretty drastic decision: finding another Georgiou to replace her fallen mentor.

Even though Georgiou meets a sad end on "Discovery," she sticks around — in a manner of speaking. Burnham runs into her mentor's doppelgänger while trapped in the "Star Trek" staple that is the mirror universe, where that Georgiou — her formal title being Her Most Imperial Majesty, Mother of the Fatherland, Overlord of Vulcan, Dominus of Qo'noS, Regina Andor, Philippa Georgiou Augustus Iaponius Centarius — is the empress of the Terran Empire. But thanks to Burnham, she's taken from her royal duties and brought to the main universe.

Despite some initial tension, the mirror universe Georgiou becomes a great ally to the USS Discovery crew, her most notable contribution being her assistance in the Klingon War. Having conquered the Klingons in her universe, she helps the United Federation of Planets strategize and ultimately defeat them in the main universe. Mirror universe Georgiou is eventually recruited as an agent of Section 31, a secret espionage branch of the federation that, as the title suggests, will be the focus of "Section 31."

In addition to being a fascinating new franchise entry, one has to imagine the film will bring twists, turns, and revelations to the story of the mirror universe's Georgiou. "Section 31" will premiere sometime in 2025.