A TV Trek movie, not a mega-million-dollar cinematic release.What an utterly terrible idea to make a character such as Emperor Georgiou the star of a Trek movie.
I think this is a win-win for everyone.
- Paramount gets the buzz of having an Oscar winner starring in her own movie.
- Michelle Yeoh fans who are not Star Trek fans could be lured into the fold.
- Fans who are not enamored of the concept (FWIW I occupy that slice of the Venn diagram) don’t have to worry that a lot of time and expense is being spent on a full-blown TV series that could’ve been spent on a series they do want (for me, Star Trek: Legacy).
- And fans who want to see another installment in the adventures of Emperor Philippa Georgiou will get their wish. And if the producers nail the concept, execution, and reception, the movie will be a backdoor pilot to a series (which is exactly what happened with the 2003 Battlestar Galactica miniseries).
- Even though the Emperor was not one of my favorite characters on DSC, Michelle Yeoh definitely is one of my favorite actors. I would watch her reading a phonebook, so of course I will watch this movie when it comes out. Personally, I’d love to be proven wrong re the viability of this concept as a series (but I don’t think I will be).
- This will be the first Star Trek TV movie. That’s a big deal! I’m rooting for this to succeed because if it does, it will open the door to more one-off movies and miniseries set in the Star Trek universe. This opens up all kinds of possibilities for stories that aren’t a good fit for a multi-year streaming series and at the same time are too niche for a theatrical release.
No matter where you fall on the idea of more Section 31 content, the fact that Paramount is willing to explore new avenues for delivering live action Star Trek is, for my money, unquestionably great news. LLAP!