Star Trek: Discovery Spinoff Release Date, Cast, News

CBS All Access continues to expand the world of Star Trek, dominating – or, should we say, assimilating – its streaming service with Patrick Stewart’s Star Trek: The Next Generation Jean-Luc Picard spinoff, Short Treks offerings and at least two animated series already in the works.

Michelle Yeoh’s Star Trek: Discovery character, Philippa Georgiou – captain, emperor, take your pick – will also step into the franchise spotlight with a series of her own, set around the mysterious, sometimes nefarious operations of Section 31, the Federation’s intelligence branch.

Here’s everything we know about the Section 31 Star Trek show so far…

Star Trek: Discovery Spinoff Cast

The Discovery spinoff is being planned as an ensemble series starring Yeoh as Captain Philippa Georgiou, according to Deadline. As Yeoh expresses in a statement:

“I’m so excited to continue telling these rich Star Trek stories. 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!’”

Plans for the would-be series are in the early stages, with few revealed about its premise. With Georgiou flying into the future with the Discovery crew in the Season 2 finale and TyVoq (aka Shazid Latif) taking over as Commander of Section 31, this show is going to have to get creative with its pilot.

Star Trek: Discovery Spin-Off Release Date

At January’s TCA presentation, CBS All Access VP of Content Julie McNamara said that, following the Picard-centric series also in the works, Star Trek: Lower Decks would mostly likely be the next Star Trek series to be released, followed by Yeoh’s series. This means we probably won’t get the Disco spin-off until at least 2020. 

Speaking more generally about the host of new Star Trek series in development at CBS, McNamara said: “Each show must stand on its own. Both in terms of quality and bringing new points of view to the table.” She added: “These shows will only debut when the visions and executions feels right for the world.”

As a CBS All Access Star Trek project, the spinoff will see the involvement of executive producer and franchise steward Alex Kurtzman, along with Aaron Baiers, Bo Yeon Kim and Erika Lippoldt. As Kutzman express of Yeoh’s spinoff project:

“Michelle has shattered ceilings, broken boundaries, and astonished us with her grace and gravitas for decades. As a human, I adore her. As an actor, I revere her,” He adds, “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.”

Yeoh, a venerable international superstar and action icon who achieved fame from, amongst many things, playing a sword-swinging warrior woman in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, a super-spy in James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies and a bellicose soon-to-be mother-in-law in the recent smash (and Critics Choice Award “Best Comedy” winner), Crazy Rich Asians, should be quite the headlining feather in this spinoff cap.

Indeed, Yeoh’s Georgiou, first introduced as the captain of the U.S.S. Shenzhou – and a mentor to main character Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) – would meet a fateful death during the show’s initial clash with the Klingons; a tragedy that set the premise of Burnham’s incarceration for mutiny before being brought aboard the Discovery by the mysteriously-motivated Captain Lorca (Jason Isaacs).

However, a Mirror Universe doppelganger of the character manifested later in the inaugural season as the heretofore faceless “Emperor” of the fascist Terran Empire. Subsequently, in a tenuous agreement, the doppelganger would later cross over into the Prime Universe to take her dead counterpart’s place as “Captain Georgiou” to provide a key component in the war against the Klingons.

While spinoff possibilities could have manifested as a prequel following Prime Georgiou on a mission of some kind before her death during the “Battle of the Binary Stars,” it will instead reflect the new status quo of Discovery Season 2 for the Mirror Universe doppelganger’s new job in Section 31, as official confirmation now clarifies. (*Updated information.)

We will keep you updated on the Captain Georgiou Star Trek: Discovery spinoff series as things develop!

Listen to the latest Sci Fi Fidelity podcast:

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Acast | RSS

Joseph Baxter is a contributor for Den of Geek and Syfy Wire. You can find his work here. Follow him on Twitter @josbaxter.