Fresh off the news that Michelle Yeoh will be reprising her Star Trek role of Emperor Philippa Georgiou in a new streaming movie for Paramount + comes news that the film is part of a planned “phase 2” for the franchise. Star Trek: Section 31 was initially designed as a show, but according to an article in THR, the scope was too big to make a weekly show feasible, with it described as “Mission: Impossible meets Guardians of the Galaxy.” Instead, the plan is to make one streaming film every two years, which will be part of a planned Star Trek Phase 2 at the streamer.
It was announced recently that Star Trek: Discovery is ending its run, while Star Trek: Picard is about to air the series finale following a highly acclaimed season 3. That leaves Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, led by Anson Mount’s Christopher Pike, which many fans have hailed as a return to classic Trek, and two animated series, Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Prodigy.
Part of the Phase 2 push will include these new Section 31 streaming films, with Michelle Yeoh’s involvement a big plus following her recent Oscar win for Everything Everywhere All At Once. Paramount Plus also has greenlit Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, which is set to be a teen-focused show that’s set to launch in 2025. The report notes that one of the worries centring around Alex Kurtzman’s Star Trek franchise is that too many shows would be going on at once, with a desire to keep the focus more narrow. Indeed, this strategy seems to be paying off, with Star Trek: Picard Season Three a marked improvement over previous seasons and Strange New Worlds getting raves.
One lingering question – does a streaming film universe for Star Trek spell doom for the Chris Pine-led features? Indeed, a fourth film has been in development hell for some time, so it’s possible this franchise may not boldly go to the big screen for some time to come.
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